The H.W. Kaufman Group, a privately held, global insurance organization in Farmington Hills, is expanding to the Middle East with the opening of Burns & Wilcox UAE.
Burns & Wilcox is H.W. Kaufman Group’s flagship organization and a leading North American independent wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager.
Kaufman has invested in Care Insurance Brokers, an insurance and risk management organization based in Dubai. Upon regulatory approval, the company will be rebranded as Burns & Wilcox UAE, marking the company’s first office in the Middle East.
“We have signaled to the marketplace that Kaufman is committed to global expansion, targeting financial and insurance hubs where our expertise and depth of market relationships will bring value to clients and serve as an important driver of long-term growth,” says Jodie Kaufman Davis, executive vice president at Kaufman.
“Dubai is a major center of commerce with business that can flow through Kaufman’s London and European platforms. We look forward to capitalizing on the numerous opportunities within the UAE and across the Middle East.”
Burns & Wilcox UAE will operate from a new location in the business district of Dubai under the leadership of Rajendran M, who will oversee regional growth, and Aynis Ifthiker, who will manage the UAE office.
Rajendran is an insurance professional with more than 35 years of experience in the insurance industry, primarily in the Middle East and India. Previously he served as managing director – Middle East of Al Futtaim Willis Co., a joint venture between Willis Towers Watson and Al Futtaim Group.
Ifthiker’s career includes positions with international brokers like Sedgwick, HSBC, and Al Futtaim Willis, where she also was a board member for the Bahrain operations. She has technical knowledge and has relationships with retail, real estate, and construction businesses in the Middle East.
The Burns & Wilcox UAE team will work closely with H.W. Kaufman International operations, based in London.
