RB Jones, a managing general underwriter (MGU) within the H.W. Kaufman Group, has named Michael Hattaway (pictured above) as president to lead the firm's underwriting operations across its marine, energy, property, and professional liability lines.
Hattaway spent close to eight years at Scion Underwriting Managers, where he built the firm from a startup into a national underwriting platform. He brings nearly two decades of experience in the excess and surplus lines market, with previous leadership roles at Hallmark Financial Services, Liberty International, and W.R. Berkley's Facultative Resources.
He will be based in New York City and report to H.W. Kaufman co-president Jodie Kaufman Davis.
"Michael is a seasoned executive who brings nearly two decades of experience building, scaling and leading profitable underwriting organizations across the E&S marketplace," Kaufman Davis said, adding that his approach would be key to furthering the growth of RB Jones.
Hattaway said he sees the appointment as a chance to broaden the firm's portfolio. "Kaufman is committed to meaningfully invest in RB Jones," he said. "I see the role as a critical opportunity to expand the RB Jones portfolio and meet the increasingly complex demands of the marketplace."
The appointment comes at a transitional moment for the US surplus lines market. AM Best data showed direct premiums written in the sector reached $98.2 billion in 2024, up from $86.6 billion a year earlier.
The MGU model has been a particular beneficiary of that expansion. Premium generated through managing general agents and delegated underwriting enterprises grew 15% to $89.9 billion in 2024, marking a fourth straight year of double-digit increases, a separate AM Best report found.
Growth has since cooled. AM Best revised its E&S market outlook from positive to stable in November 2025, pointing to moderating premium gains and rate softening in property, cyber, and directors and officers liability.
H.W. Kaufman has been expanding the RB Jones brand ahead of that shift. In July 2025, the parent company restructured its international operations, placing all underwriting businesses outside North America under the RB Jones name for the first time.
The UK platform was rebranded as RB Jones UK, while the former Node International cyber MGU became RB Jones Digital. Kaufman also launched RB Jones Global, an internationally focused MGU led by former AIG executive Ed Kelly and initially targeting the credit, energy, and construction markets.
Domestically, RB Jones has introduced an allied healthcare professional liability program, expanded capacity in its property and flood facilities, and rolled out new inland marine offerings covering builders' risk, contractors property, and contractors equipment.
