Family Business Magazine honors 10 2025 Transformational Women in Family Business who are propelling their family enterprises into the future.
JODIE KAUFMAN DAVIS
Co-President | H.W. Kaufman Group | Detroit
Jodie Kaufman Davis serves as co-president of H.W. Kaufman Group, the privately held, family owned and operated global specialty insurance organization founded in 1969. Jodie, who along with her brother represent Kaufman’s third generation of leadership, is today championing the company’s ongoing evolution as it looks to rapidly expand its footprint and scale worldwide.
“It is really important to me to honor our past and a legacy that started with my grandfather and carried on to my father, while also pushing forward to the future,” Jodie says, noting her focus on optimizing the company’s various business units to drive greater global connectivity.
“Five decades after our founding, there is still so much potential to unlock even greater opportunities — it is a very exciting time to be at our company,” she adds.
In addition to her role as co-president, Jodie also sits on the company’s board of directors, serves as vice chair of Atain Insurance Companies and oversees the specialty underwriting unit RB Jones. She also has responsibility for all Kaufman operations outside North America.
Jodie’s rise in the company came through persistence and results, but it wasn’t without obstacles. “My first role was within an underperforming part of our business that lacked brand recognition,” she recalls. “I came into the organization without insurance experience. I was a young woman. Also, my last name was on the door. So, I had three strikes against me. It was about listening and learning, understanding the needs of our clients and our associates to determine where I could add value.”
Before joining Kaufman, Jodie practiced law at Dorsey & Whitney in Toronto, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, capital market financing and regulatory issues. Joining the family business was never a given. “I never really thought I was going to be a part of it. But ultimately, after working in law for about eight years, and after having my second of my three kids, it was time to apply for partner and I really didn’t think that was the right path for me,” she says. “Fortunately, my father said that there would always be an opportunity to join the business. We didn’t know what that would look like at the time, so coming onboard really took a leap of faith. Ultimately it was the right decision and one I am very proud of making.”
Now, as Jodie looks ahead to the next generation, she is determined to give them more visibility into the family’s business than she once had. “I grew up with no transparency, no real awareness of what our business was or what it did,” she says. “I have been making an effort to show my kids what our business does. I want them to understand both the responsibility and the opportunity of having a family business. It is important that they see how hard I work and how much my father and my brother dedicate to our organization.”
That commitment is also aligned with the company’s culture. Jodie says that bringing her husband and children to events and introducing them to Kaufman associates has also helped to “demonstrate our family values across the organization.”
Looking ahead, Jodie is focused on growth and continuity. “My vision is to continue building the business and for it to perpetuate from generation to generation — for Kaufman to really be a true global enterprise and a foundation for our family to contribute to the communities where we live and work worldwide.”