Bryant Steele promoted to Vice President, Managing Director, Burns & Wilcox

Farmington Hills, Mich. (November 8, 2021)— H.W. Kaufman Group, a global network of companies, and its subsidiary Burns & Wilcox, North America’s leading wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager, today publicly announced promotions that were revealed during its annual Kaufman Leadership Meeting. Each year, associates are invited to the Kaufman Leadership Meeting to celebrate their accomplishments, plan for the future and hear unique perspectives from internal and industry experts. Nine insurance industry associates across seven U.S. locations were promoted during the virtual event in October.

One of the most prominent promotions is for Bryant Steele, who was promoted to Vice President, Managing Director, Burns & Wilcox. Steele held the previous title of Associate Vice President, Managing Director.

Under his leadership, the Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis Burns & Wilcox offices continue to excel year-over-year. These locations have experienced significant growth since Steele joined the company more than six years ago across all areas of expertise, including Professional Liability, Property, Casualty, Small Business, and Personal Insurance. Since the onset of the pandemic, they have seen more than 30 percent total growth and more than 40 percent new business growth. Extending his title to Vice President is the natural step next in his career with the company.

All promotions announced during the October virtual 2021 Kaufman Leadership Meeting include:

• Oneil Franso was promoted to Corporate Vice President, Human Resources, H.W. Kaufman Group, from Associate Vice President, Organizational Development (based in Farmington Hills, Michigan)
• Bryant Steele was promoted to Vice President, Managing Director, Burns & Wilcox, from Associate Vice President, Managing Director (based in Chicago, Illinois)
• Chris Siegel was promoted to Associate Vice President, Managing Director, Burns & Wilcox, from Managing Director (based in Orlando, Florida)
• Tom O’Donnell was promoted to Managing Director, Burns & Wilcox, from Associate Managing Director (based in Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• Rahmad Bauldrick was promoted to Associate Vice President, Regional Practice Group Leader, Professional Liability, Burns & Wilcox, from Director, Regional Practice Group Leader Professional Liability (based in Chicago, Illinois)
• Laura McCormick was promoted to Associate Vice President, Regional Practice Group Leader, Professional Liability, Burns & Wilcox, from Regional Practice Group Leader Professional Liability (based in Dallas, Texas)
• Gretchen Blomeke was promoted to Senior Director, Regional Operations, Burns & Wilcox, from Director, Regional Operations (based in San Francisco, California)
• Michael Pernicano was promoted to Director, Internal Audits, H.W. Kaufman Group, from Audit Manager (based in Farmington Hills, Michigan)
• Wendy Mejia was promoted to Associate Managing Director, Burns & Wilcox, from Sales Manager (based in Sacramento, California)

In 2021, Kaufman has hired 220 associates to date. Over the past three months alone, 50 new associates have been onboarded. For more information about job openings at H.W. Kaufman Group, Burns & Wilcox and its family of companies, visit the careers page.

About H.W. Kaufman Group and Burns & Wilcox
Burns & Wilcox is the insurance industry’s leading wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager internationally recognized for its expertise in commercial and professional liability, property, environmental, marine and personal insurance.

H.W. Kaufman Group 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, Kaufman Institute, and Noremac Marketing Group. 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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