Barbara C. Bufkin
Independent Director
Barbara's four decades in the insurance and reinsurance industry have spanned executive leadership roles on a global platform encompassing operational and strategic responsibilities including business and product development, underwriting, claims, risk management/corporate governance and ceded and assumed reinsurance, while fostering a culture of innovation, mentorship, sponsorship and diverse talent.
Throughout the past ten years, Barbara has focused her career at the intersection of distribution, underwriting, technology and capital. She excels at originating and fostering strategic partnerships, representing specialty carriers. This is particularly evident with her work in the Amwins Access division.
Commencing in 2020, Barbara joined Amwins as a Senior Advisor. Barbara's work with Amwins most aligned with Fostering Talent and bringing external associations, foundations and business-related networks to support Amwins inclusive talent initiatives and partnerships. Effective January 1, 2024, Barbara transitioned her role to Amwins Ambassador to continue her contribution to the Women in Leadership Program, mentoring and other association and foundation commitments.
She is a founding and current member of the Amwins Group Diversity & Inclusion Council, leading the subcommittee Ensuring Diversity Within Recruiting. She’s a frequent contributor at Amwins University and to the Amwins Young Professionals, as well as a founding steering committee member of the Women In Leadership program.
Barbara is active in the insurance industry, having served as President for 4 years of the Association of Professional Insurance Women (APIW), and is now Chairman of the Board, having led the association to substantial growth during this time. Additionally, Barbara is past Chair of the International Board of Governors of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) and past Co-Chair of the IICF Inclusion Diversity Equity & Accessibility (IDEA) Council. Barbara has been directly engaged in the IICF global and national Women in Insurance Conference series from its inception. Concurrently, Barbara advocates for the value of the insurance industry as a career of choice with nine years of serving on the Board of Trustees of Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS). She is past President and Chair of the Governance Committee, formed during her tenure. In these initiatives, along with her role on the founding U.S. Board and as a Global Ambassador of ISC, Barbara has been driving the Big Tent of culture, inclusion, innovation, sponsorship, mentoring talent and the power of networks.
Barbara currently has advisory roles in two climate- and weather-related early- to mid-stage ventures: Opterrix, American Family’s Tenney 110 Venture, and Kettle Re, a Bermuda-based AI-driven MGA formed to model, price, and underwrite wildfire risk with advanced science and technology.
She serves as an Independent Director on the board of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cedar Hamilton Limited. She also is Chair of the Governance & Capital Committee of Cedar Hamilton Limited’s Board of Directors. Effective April 2021, she was elected as an Independent Director to Westfield Group Companies serving on Nominating, Governance and ERM Committees. Effective August 1, 2024, she was elected Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. In October 2023, she was elected to the Board as an Independent Director for Duck Creek Technologies – a portfolio company of Vista Equity Partners.
Barbara has various professional awards and designations, including Insurance Woman of the Year in 2012 and Hall of Fame inductee, Insurance Business America in 2019.