Meet Our Team
Distinguished experts deeply devoted to the premium real estate and hospitality markets, we are driven by our unwavering commitment to delivering unparalleled service and comprehensive solutions.
Michael G. MacMullin
President
Mr. MacMullin is a seasoned property and casualty insurance executive with over 25 years of industry experience with a strong focus on innovation, operational excellence, and data-driven decision-making. Prior to joining Berkley Luxury Group, he held multiple leadership roles in the commercial insurance sector, most recently overseeing strategic portfolio initiatives and the full product management lifecycle at a large commercial insurance carrier.
In a previous leadership role, Mr. MacMullin spearheaded the transformation of a small business insurance segment into a scalable and high-performing operation. His efforts resulted in significant new business growth, a reversal of revenue declines, and the modernization of core processes through strategic leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and the deployment of advanced analytics and improved customer experience.
Throughout his career, Mr. MacMullin has demonstrated a consistent ability to leverage analytics in both underwriting and claims to enhance performance and profitability. His expertise also includes underwriting, product development, and strategic execution, and he remains dedicated to delivering outstanding service to brokers and clients.
Mr. MacMullin attended St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont, where he majored in Journalism with a secondary concentration in Fine Arts and Drama. He also holds the Associate in Underwriting (AU) and Associate in Insurance Management (AIM) designations from the American Institute for CPCU. In addition, Mr. MacMullin has completed advanced training in product and project management, including the McKinsey Product Management Academy and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from ESI International in partnership with George Washington University.
Matt Cliszis
Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriting Officer
Matt joined Berkley Luxury Group in June 2022 with over 20 years of experience in underwriting, product management, risk management, as well as sales and marketing across both domestic and international markets, both admitted and non-admitted. All of his experience has been focused on bringing specialized solutions to a targeted niche. He graduated with a BA from Mary Washington University and is a board member of the John Street Insurance Association.
Susan Clemson
Senior Vice President, Chief Claims Officer
Susan Clemson joined the Berkley Luxury Group team in January 2023 and has over 30 years of experience managing property and casualty claims, with 20 years in a senior management role. Her diverse background includes supervising and managing General Liability, Property, Construction Defect, Medical Malpractice, Errors and Omissions, Directors and Officers, Senior Care Liability, Environmental and Toxic Tort claims. Susan is a graduate of Lehigh University with a B.A. in Economics.
Jessica Somerfeld
Senior Vice President, Strategic Operations & Chief Actuary
Jessica Somerfeld joined the Berkley Luxury Group team in November 2023 and has over 27 years of business experience in the property & casualty insurance and reinsurance industry. She joined W.R. Berkley Corporation as a Corporate Actuary in 2005 and most recently was responsible for Berkley’s Alternative Market Segment companies in the areas of reserving, pricing, and actuarial special projects. She previously had similar responsibilities with other Berkley Segments including Regional, Excess & Surplus lines and Professional Liability. Before joining W.R. Berkley, Jessica held a few leadership positions with several leading firms. She is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and has attained the Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst designation. Jessica graduated with distinction from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Statistics.
Justin Lash
Vice President, Head Of Business Development
Justin Lash joined the Berkley Luxury Group team in January 2024 with 20 years of insurance expertise. He joins Berkley Luxury Group with a diverse background of Regional, Underwriting, Sales & Distribution leadership with a track record of helping firms grow profitably and delivering innovative solutions. Most recently he served as the Vice President for a national insurance company in the Carolinas region. Prior Justin held multiple Field and Underwriting Leadership positions with global Insurance carriers. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Cincinnati, Lindner College of Business and a Master of Business Administration from Xavier University, Williams College of Business.
David D. Wessel
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
David joined Berkley Luxury Group in August 2013 in the role of Controller. He was promoted to the Vice President, Finance and Accounting position in February, 2016 and to Chief Financial Officer in February, 2018. David brings over 20 years of experience in financial services to Berkley Luxury Group, all with leading insurance and reinsurance organizations, and has held various leadership positions at these organizations. David is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo with a B.S. in Business Administration/Accounting.
Amy A. Gobetz
Vice President, Human Resources
Amy joined the Berkley Luxury Group team in May 2011 and has more than 30 years of Human Resources experience. During her career she held various Human Resources leadership positions in both the financial services and insurance industries. Amy is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Binghamton University and received her Master of Arts degree in Organization/Industrial Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Keith O'Loughlin
Vice President, Information Technology
Keith joined Berkley Luxury Group in January 2013 and was promoted to Vice President, Information Technology in October 2016. He brings over 25 years of technical experience to his role with expertise in application, database and data warehouse design and development. Over his career he has held leadership roles and has provided IT consulting expertise to Fortune 500 companies. Keith is a graduate of Lafayette College with a BS degree in Computer Science.
Keith Poopor
Vice President, Underwriting, Eastern Region Field Operations
Keith Poopor joined the Berkley Luxury Group team in august 2024 with over 25 years of insurance experience. He’s held underwriting leadership positions with a global insurance organization, a worldwide insurance company that specializes in excess and surplus insurance solutions, and one of the largest global property and casualty insurers, and most recently served as Regional Branch Executive for their NYC/NJ territory. Throughout his career, Keith has consistently focused on bringing creative insurance solutions and services to strategic broker partners and clients. Keith resides in Summit, NJ, and is a graduate of Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics.
Carl J. Nelson, PLCS
Vice President, Property Claims
Carl J. Nelson is the Vice President of Property Claims at Berkely Luxury Group (BLG), a position he has held since August 2023. With over 35 years of experience in property claims and catastrophe management, Carl brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. At BLG, Carl is responsible for leading a team of property claim examiners, ensuring that all claims are handled efficiently and effectively.
Before joining BLG, Carl held the position of Director of Property Claims and Catastrophe Claims Operations at a regional insurance company. Prior to that, he spent 20 years at a global insurance company, where he held various roles including Claims Global Catastrophe Coordinator and Large Loss Unit Manager. Carl's diverse experience in the insurance industry has provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in managing property claims.
Carl's career in the insurance industry began after proudly serving in the US Marine Corps infantry. His military background has instilled in him a strong work ethic, discipline, and a commitment to excellence. These qualities have undoubtedly contributed to his success in his professional endeavors.
With Carl's leadership and extensive experience, Berkely Luxury Group can confidently rely on him to oversee their property claims department and ensure that their clients receive the highest level of service and support.
Howard Ryerson
Assistant Vice President, Legal & Regulatory Compliance
Howard joined Berkley Luxury Group in 2009 and has more than 20 years of personal and commercial lines product, company licensing and compliance experience, all with leading insurance organizations. Howard is a graduate of Rowan University (formerly Glassboro State College) with a B.S. in Business Administration/Marketing and holds the Insurance Institute of America’s Associate in Claims (AIC) designation.
Mileidy Perez
Vice President, Claims
Mileidy Perez joined the Berkley Luxury Group team in April 2024. She has over 19 years of experience in the insurance industry managing domestic and international general liability and specialty claims. Her leadership and management roles in the insurance industry have included serving as Sr. Claims Counsel in the U.S. and VP of Environmental Casualty Claims for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. She is a former Deputy Attorney General of the State of New Jersey and has a B.S. in Administration of Justice and J.D. in Law.
Chris Pai
AVP, Loss Control and Risk Management
Chris Pai joined the BLG Team as AVP of Loss Control and Risk Management and will be based in Parsippany and NYC. Chris joins us from a national insurance organization, where he was a Director of Risk Consulting and helped lead national casualty loss control services, and prior to that, he had property and casualty loss control experience with other national and global insurance carriers. He began his career in health and safety for healthcare, higher education, and space satellite manufacturing.
Outside of conducting physical loss control inspections for us, primarily in the NY/NJ area, Chris will also help us build BLG’s first internal Loss Control unit. He will be keenly focused on incorporating new technology, bringing enhanced value to customers and brokers, partnering with other Berkley businesses, and helping bring Underwriting, Loss Control, and Claims even more closely connected to improve loss performance.
Sohan Patel
AVP Underwriting - E & S
Sohan Patel, who joined Berkley Luxury Group as an Assistant Vice President, Underwriting - Excess Property on January 6th, 2025. Sohan will be responsible for developing and profitably growing our new excess property product, which we launched back on January 1, 2025. This is a national role where he’ll be working with brokers from across the country. Sohan is based out of Berkley’s Blue Bell, Pennsylvania office.
Sohan joins Berkley Luxury Group with over 20 years of industry experience. During his career, he’s held both underwriting and broking positions at a national and global insurance companies. And, for the past 10 years he has served as Underwriting Consulting Director in a National Accounts Property unit. Sohan is a graduate of the University of Mumbai and Temple University's Fox School of Business and Management where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree majoring in Risk Management and Insurance and brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to BLG as we expand into the large property space.
Caitlin Slattery
Business Analyst Team Lead
Caitlin Slattery joined the Berkley Luxury Group team in 2010. Throughout her tenure she has excelled in various roles within the IT and Business Operations departments. Caitlin brings over 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, spanning both commercial and personal lines, and specializing in process improvement, system design, and project management. Caitlin is a graduate of The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistical Mathematics.
Alice Xiang
AVP, Actuary
Alice Xiang joined Berkley Luxury Group in May 2024, bringing over 8 years of experience in property & casualty actuarial pricing, reserving, and analytics. Before joining Berkley, Alice provided consulting services to global insurance companies, focusing on strategy and technical projects. She also worked as a pricing actuary for a global insurance company with a focus on excess casualty and has experience in commercial line ratemaking and rate filings at an industry organization. Alice is an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science from the State University of New York, Binghamton.
Rise And Thrive At Berkley Luxury Group
We are always looking for individuals who boldly share our excitement for growth. Our team of hyper-specialized experts is ready to actively support advancement and foster entrepreneurial ideas.