RICHMOND, Va., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Markel Corporation is pleased to announce Heidi Peterson, director of Underwriting Services and Administration, was selected by Insurance Networking News (INN) as one of its 2009 10 Women in Insurance Leadership. The annual designation is designed to honor female insurance executives who have made a significant impact on their businesses. In her role with Markel, Peterson is responsible for developing and maintaining standardized practices and improved efficiencies to deliver a high level of customer service. Said Mike Powell, managing director Administration, "Heidi not only has the vision, she is the 'vision'. She is the one who sees how the work flow should operate in the 'to be' state for policy administration; so much so that not only does she champion the project, she is now responsible for the existing policy administration systems." Peterson joined Markel in 1978, where she gained a broad range of working experience in areas such as actuarial, underwriting and underwriting administration. In April 2008, she led the Company's Underwriting and Policy Administration effort to streamline and standardize underwriting processes by providing one common system, streamlining interfaces with support areas and elevating Markel's use of automation in the underwriting and underwriting support functions. Originally from Evanston, Illinois, Peterson received a B.S. in 1978 from Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. She currently resides in the Richmond, VA area with her husband, Greg, and is the mother of two grown daughters. Markel Corporation markets and underwrites specialty insurance products and programs for a variety of niche markets. In each of these markets, the Company seeks to provide quality products and excellent customer service so that it can be a market leader. The financial goals of the Company are to earn consistent underwriting profits and superior investment returns to build shareholder value. Visit Markel Corporation on the web at http://www.markelcorp.com/ DATASOURCE: Markel Corporation CONTACT: Letha E. Heaton, +1-847-572-6250, , or Gail A. Strejc, +1-847-572-6252, , or Miriam Balavender, +1-847-572-6286, , all of Markel Corporation Web Site: http://www.markelcorp.com/

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