Headquarters:
30833 Northwestern Hwy, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Year founded:
1969
Number of employees:
2000
Phone:
248 932 9000
Email:
aehein@hwkaufman.com
Website:
burnsandwilcox.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/burns-&-wilcox
“After another year of record growth, we continue to make meaningful investments in technology, talent, and resources, which enable our associates to perform at their best”
Danny Kaufman,
Burns & Wilcox
BURNS & WILCOX
Danny Kaufman
President
Bill Gatewood
Executive Vice President, National Personal Insurance Practice Leader
Scott Higgins
Executive Vice President, Commercial Insurance
Leadership
Danny Kaufman is the president of Burns & Wilcox and represents the third generation of family leadership at the company. He oversees North American operations and leads its global sales, marketing and technology teams, with a focus on driving growth, strengthening relationships, and enhancing the client experience.
Under his leadership, Burns & Wilcox has made innovation a strategic priority, including the development of a proprietary digital platform and resources that foster internal collaboration and deepen client engagement.
Kaufman serves on the board of the City of Hope National Insurance Industry Council, among several other organizations. He earned his BA from the University of Michigan and his JD from Loyola University.
President
Danny Kaufman
Executive Vice President and National Personal Practice Leader,
Bill Gatewood brings more than two decades of experience in personal lines insurance and high-net-worth risk management. He oversees the organization's Personal Insurance Practice Group, which has doubled in size under his leadership.
Bill is actively involved in crafting Burns & Wilcox's domestic growth strategy, working to expand key strategic partnerships, develop new products and identify acquisition targets. He also serves as a senior team lead for the company's internal accelerated management training program.
A U.S. Army veteran, Bill received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications/Management from the University of Central Missouri.
Executive Vice President, National Personal Insurance Practice Leader
Bill Gatewood
Scott Higgins serves as Executive Vice President, Commercial Insurance, for Burns & Wilcox North America.
A member of the company’s senior executive team, Higgins oversees the largest sector of business across Burns & Wilcox. He is responsible for executing a comprehensive strategy that unlocks the full potential of the Burns & Wilcox Commercial portfolio, while supporting its North American teams to further maximize client and market relationships. Higgins also plays a major role in recruiting top talent, while identifying and pursuing acquisition targets that fit the Burns & Wilcox long-term vision.
Higgins received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Bates College and holds an MBA from the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
Executive Vice President, Commercial Insurance
Scott Higgins
““After another year of record growth, we continue to make meaningful investments in technology, talent, and resources, which enable our associates to perform at their best”
Danny Kaufman,
Burns & Wilcox
“Our teams, highly regarded for their expertise, are consistently stepping in to deliver an innovative approach or solve a complex coverage issue for our clients”
Danny Kaufman,
Burns & Wilcox
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“Our teams, highly regarded for their expertise, are consistently stepping in to deliver an innovative approach or solve a complex coverage issue for our clients”
Danny Kaufman,
Burns & Wilcox
“After another year of record growth, we continue to make meaningful investments in technology, talent, and resources, which enable our associates to perform at their best”
Danny Kaufman,
Burns & Wilcox
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Rich Gobler
Executive Vice President, Western United States
Rich Gobler is Executive Vice President, Western United States, at Burns & Wilcox. In his role, leads the growth of offices that extend from Midwest to the West Coast.
Rich’s entire career in insurance, more than 20 years, has been with Burns & Wilcox.
During his career, he has secured a spot as the company’s Top Producer several times and has earned the Million Dollar Club Producer Award for nearly 20 consecutive years.
Rich is an active coach for associates who participate in the Kaufman Accelerated Management Program and the Kaufman Emerging Leaders Program. He is currently on the executive board for the California Surplus Lines Association.
He has several designations, including an Associate in Commercial Underwriting (AU), an Associate in General Insurance (AINS) and an Associate in Surplus Lines Insurance (ASLI). Rich holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Florida.
Executive Vice President, Western United States
Rich Gobler
Kristin Downey
Chief Administrative Officer
Kristin Downey leads the team responsible for developing and implementing the people strategies to support Amwins’ business objectives. She also directs the management and operations for compensation and benefits, HR systems and payroll, employee relations and assistance, talent management, training and development, and marketing and communications. Downey also leads the company’s philanthropic efforts, including the Amwins Foundation.
Chief Administrative Officer
Kristin Downey
Burns & Wilcox, the largest subsidiary of H.W. Kaufman Group, is North America’s leading wholesale insurance broker and distributor of specialty insurance solutions. Privately held and family owned for nearly 60 years, the company has grown from a single office into a global presence, with a footprint that now spans North America, the UK, Europe, and the UAE. Its team of experts places business for clients in more than 90 countries worldwide. The company’s broad range of capabilities covers both commercial and personal insurance, with highly skilled professionals equipped to handle everything from middle-market accounts to highly complex and emerging risks.
Since its founding in 1969, Burns & Wilcox has built a reputation on the strength of its relationships with domestic and London markets. Clients recognize the firm for its disciplined underwriting, speed of execution, and deep sector-specific expertise. In 2025, Burns & Wilcox launched Burns & Wilcox Global Solutions, combining Kaufman’s London-based marine and non-marine business units to create an even stronger, more strategic bridge to its North American team.
The company is also in the midst of a multi-year technology transformation that is already helping its teams work faster and make smarter decisions. By harnessing data, insights, and advanced technology, Burns & Wilcox is gaining a richer understanding of the needs of its clients and carrier partners. At the foundation of its long-term vision is a clear commitment: Burns & Wilcox will continue to evolve and operate at the forefront of the specialty insurance industry.
“Our teams, highly regarded for their expertise, are consistently stepping in to deliver an innovative approach or solve a complex coverage issue for our clients”
Danny Kaufman,
Burns & Wilcox
Donna Hargrove
General Counsel
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Julie Prewitt
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Since 2008, Donna Hargrove has served as general counsel of Amwins and is responsible for identifying and managing all legal risks for the company. She advises executive leadership and the board of directors on a range of business issues, including corporate governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Amwins, Hargrove served as corporate in-house counsel for BB&T Insurance Services. Earlier in her career, she served in private practice with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, concentrating on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters.
General Counsel
Donna Hargrove
Mark Bernacki is the chief underwriting officer of Amwins, the first to serve in the role. Prior to that, he served as president of Amwins Special Risk Underwriters. In addition to his leadership in underwriting, Bernacki runs the Amwins Alternative Risk Transfer Team for Amwins.
Chief Underwriting Officer
Mark Bernacki
Julie Prewitt has worked on nearly every aspect of marketing and advertising in her nearly 20 years in the industry. Her team at REInsurePro manages branding, advertising, events, content, digital campaigns, and agent engagement and plays a key role in product development.
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Julie Prewitt
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
In personal lines, Burns & Wilcox grew nearly 30 percent overall and nearly 50 percent in new business production, cementing its position as the largest personal insurance wholesaler in the US.
In 2024, the Burns & Wilcox personal lines team launched the FloodPlus product through Burns & Wilcox IssueQuick, a proprietary and automated rate-quote-bind-issue platform. Utilizing a unique Flood API, FloodPlus pairs cutting-edge risk modeling with claims data, alongside the broadest primary flood coverage form in the marketplace.
The team also announced the expansion of the Burns & Wilcox relationship with Wildfire Defense Systems to include Texas and New Mexico, bringing a unique wildfire loss prevention and mitigation service that now includes 12 US states.
The Burns & Wilcox professional liability team continued building its bench strength and furthered its depth of expertise and geographic footprint. Additionally, the team established a multitude of new insurance company partners that will continue to bring innovative solutions to the marketplace.
Technology once again was central to the success of Burns & Wilcox over the last year. Capitalizing on a significant investment with Salesforce, the company rolled out new CRM capabilities along with a Commercial Comparative Rater that handles thousands of submission opportunities monthly.
Looking at 2025, Burns & Wilcox expects to increase automation to drive even greater production efficiencies and capture increased market share.
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“We will continue to strengthen our service proposition and customer experience as a key differentiator, as we build on the momentum we have achieved to date across multiple business lines and territories,” says McLean. “Our im is to continue to grow our market relevance and strengthen our partnerships with our strategic brokers as we expand our leadership position in key sectors.
“We will also continue to invest in talent. We are committed to drawing from the broadest pools of talent, and to creating an environment that attracts and retains stellar employees. We recognise the importance of building teams that are diverse, collaborative, and innovative and are dedicated to cultivating a supportive and inclusive workplace culture in which all our employees can thrive.”
