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Burns & Wilcox Brokerage Bolsters Northeast Footprint

Opens New Office & Adds Top Brokers in Boston; Expands New York Team

New York (July 13, 2021)Burns & Wilcox Brokerage, a distinct business unit of H.W. Kaufman Group solely dedicated to complex wholesale property and casualty brokerage, announced today the opening of its newest office in Boston, Massachusetts and the addition of five brokers to its growing Northeast team. Cooper O’Connor, Brian Sullivan, and Josh de Lara join the Burns & Wilcox Brokerage office in Boston; and Ryan Ascenzo and Alex Arnold join the New York City team.

Strategically growing the presence in the Northeast region to better serve insurance brokers and agents, the new team members bring their expertise to meet the increased demand for specialty services and insurance solutions, such as Construction, Real Estate, Hospitality, Environmental, Cyber and more.

“Actively recruiting and retaining top talent remains a priority at Burns & Wilcox Brokerage to help drive our business forward and support our anticipated growth,” said Denis Brady, President, Burns & Wilcox Brokerage. “Our teams continue to generate record-breaking new business results, despite the changing market and economic conditions. We look forward to having our newest top brokers bring their strong market intel as they complement our current capabilities and bench of notable hires across North America.”

Burns & Wilcox Brokerage continues to see robust results with overall and new business revenue significantly ahead of 2020 production, which was another record year despite the pandemic. This growth is a result of leveraging their depth of expertise and market relationships to deliver specialty insurance solutions.

In addition to the opening of a new office in Boston located in the West End area, Burns & Wilcox Brokerage adds brokers, Cooper O’Connor as Senior Professional Broker, Brian Sullivan as Senior Casualty Broker, and Josh de Lara as Associate Broker, Professional Liability. Both O’Connor and Sullivan report to Adrian Smith, Managing Director, Burns & Wilcox Brokerage. De Lara reports to O’Connor.

  • O’Connor joins after previously working for RLA Insurance Intermediaries, where he most recently served as Vice President – Professional & Management Liability. Known for his expertise in Professional, Management, and Cyber Liability, he brings reputable market relationships, account management and business development skills to the team.
    • De Lara joins after previously working for RLA Insurance Intermediaries, where he most recently served as Associate Broker – Professional Liability.
  • Sullivan joins after previously serving as P&C Northeast Vice President at Keating, Inc. He brings more than 13 years of insurance industry experience to the team specializing in Property, General Liability, Excess Casualty, and Environmental.

“We are excited to expand our presence in the Northeast with our new office in Boston and expanded teams,” said Smith. “There has been an increase in market capacity and overall activity with construction and real estate markets in this region and the addition of our new talent will be key to serving both our clients and partners.”

The Burns & Wilcox Brokerage New York team continues to grow with the addition of Ryan Ascenzo, Senior Professional Broker; and Alex Arnold, Senior Casualty Broker. Ascenzo and Arnold report to Brady.

  • Ascenzo joins having spent the last five years as a Management & Professional Liability Broker at ARC Excess & Surplus, following roles at Chubb Specialty Insurance. He brings nearly 17 years of experience and is known for his expertise in Management, Professional, Fidelity and Cyber Liability with a focus on financial institution risks.
  • Arnold joins the company after previously working at CRC Insurance Services. He brings more than eight years of industry experience to the team specializing in the Construction and Real Estate industries, specifically within the New York area.

About Burns & Wilcox Brokerage

Burns & Wilcox Brokerage is a distinct business unit of H.W. Kaufman Group, solely dedicated to complex wholesale property and casualty brokerage. Burns & Wilcox Brokerage provides specialized expertise for large, complex and difficult-to-place risks. Leveraging the full expertise of its organization, Brokerage delivers seamless access to global market centers and offers comprehensive solutions and expertise for difficult-to-place risks including: Property, General Liability, Excess Casualty, Professional Liability, Transportation and Marine.

Burns & Wilcox Brokerage is a member of H.W. Kaufman Group, which has over 60 offices across the United States, Canada, and Europe and employs more than 2,000 professionals. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Metro Detroit, Michigan, H.W. Kaufman Group also includes: Burns & Wilcox, Burns & Wilcox Brokerage, Burns & Wilcox Canada, Atain Insurance Companies, Afirm, Global Excess Partners, RB Jones, Stonemark, Minuteman Adjusters, and Kaufman Institute. H.W. Kaufman Group International includes: H.W. Kaufman Group Europe, Chesterfield Group, Lochain Patrick, Burns & Wilcox United Kingdom, Node International and Cranbrook Underwriting. More information can be found at www.burnsandwilcox.com or www.hwkaufman.com.

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