H.W. Kaufman Group is a privately held specialty insurance organization headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The company was founded in 1969 and has grown into a global network of insurance brokerage, underwriting, and risk-bearing businesses that Kaufman describes as one of North America’s largest independent specialty insurance groups. Family ownership now spans three generations.
Website: hwkaufman.com
Head office address: 220 Kaufman Financial Center, 30833 Northwestern Highway, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334
Founded: 1969, Southfield, Michigan
Founder: Herbert W. Kaufman
Company type: privately held, family-owned
Business focus: specialty insurance brokerage, underwriting, distribution, and risk-bearing
Regions served: more than 90 countries
Herbert W. Kaufman started the business in Southfield in 1969 and launched Burns & Wilcox to serve retail agents and brokers needing access to harder-to-place risks. The company remained under family control as it expanded and later moved its base to nearby Farmington Hills. Growth accelerated once the second generation took over. Some of the key milestones along the way:
Those milestones trace a path from a single Michigan office to a global organization built on a handful of core brands.
Kaufman operates through a small set of core businesses, each covering a different part of the specialty insurance chain, rather than through a single carrier or broker. Its main units include:
The three brands cover commercial and personal lines, professional liability, property, and casualty, among other hard-to-place risks. The setup lets Kaufman route business through whichever part of its network fits, rather than relying on outside partners.
One of H.W. Kaufman Group’s co-presidents was named to Insurance Business America’s Hot 100 2025, which recognizes insurance leaders who shaped the industry that year. For more on top performers and other special reports, visit IBA’s Best In Insurance page.
Kaufman’s international growth has followed a pattern: acquire a local specialist, rebrand it regionally, then fold it into a global brand at scale. The 2019 purchase of Barbican Protect in the UK was its fourth UK deal in seven years, part of a run that also brought it into Canada and, later, the Middle East under local names.
That approach culminated in the 2025 restructuring, when H.W. Kaufman Group consolidated international operations under two global brands, replacing the country-specific names built up over the prior decade.
Ownership has stayed just as consistent. Kaufman says its family structure keeps it free of Wall Street and private equity backing, unlike many public and PE-backed competitors. That independence, it says, gives leadership room for long-term decisions over quarterly results.
The company describes its culture as rooted in family values, community involvement, and long-term professional development. It runs the Kaufman Institute, an internal training program for associates, and says it prioritizes charitable giving in the communities where it operates.
Want to see what H.W. Kaufman Group and its companies have been up to lately? Check out the latest news below.
Two-decade distribution executive joins at a pivotal moment for the E&S market
Rich Fusinski explains how H.W. Kaufman Group is rebuilding technology to modernize specialty insurance
E&S underwriting specialist taps a head who built a startup into a national platform
They include a new commercial risk advisor and some recent promotions
Key appointments signal expansion plans at these specialty insurance groups
