Meredith Bullock
Senior vice president, head of casualty-North America
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co.
Boston
Age: 44

Meredith Bullock got in on the ground floor when Berkshire Hathaway Inc. launched its specialty unit in 2013.

“We weren’t part of any other Berkshire company,” said Ms. Bullock, who is senior vice president, head of casualty-North America at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co. in Boston. “Just building this company, the casualty department with the input and help of my colleagues — it’s been amazing.”

“As an early joiner at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty, Meredith has been responsible for both managing our North American casualty business and building it from the ground up — no small endeavor,” said Peter Eastwood, president of the insurer, in an email. “She brings a strong technical underwriting acumen to her role along with a customer-centric and solution-oriented approach.”

Armed with a degree in chemical engineering, Ms. Bullock didn’t initially consider insurance as a career. “Back in the ’90s, you looked for a job either through your school or the newspaper,” she said. She saw a job at American International Group Inc. in a paper and, not knowing much about insurance, researched the company and applied. From being an environmental underwriter at AIG, she moved to Kemper National Insurance Cos. and then to Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. before moving back to AIG at its Lexington Insurance Co. unit in 2006. She then joined other former Lexington staff at the newly formed Berkshire Hathaway Specialty in 2013.

She was named to her current role late last year and runs a team across eight offices that’s expected to generate about $400 million in gross written premium this year. “I love this role. I’m happy it came along and I was ready and able to do it,” she said.

Ms. Bullock, who is also involved in mentoring others, credits former Lexington managers David Bresnahan and Michael Foley, both now at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty, for pushing her “to stretch and take on” new roles. “I’m amazed at what I learn every day,” she said.

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