Our story
Where we’ve come from & where we’re going next.
Hawkshaw Specialty Group represents our next chapter in building a world-class, diversified insurance underwriting, distribution & services business.
“Since our beginnings in 2019 as a start-up MGA called The Barn Underwriting Agency, our team, and the services we offer, have grown to include a range of independent specialist insurance businesses. Together they span commercial P&C underwriting, wholesale risk broking, reinsurance, claims and operational excellence.
Hawkshaw Specialty Group brings together our four core businesses under one group structure and is now the platform for our continued growth, greater efficiency and effectiveness across the group, and an unwavering focus on market challenges and future opportunities."
David Porteous - Group CEO
From The Barn to Hawkshaw
Our story began in 2019 with The Barn Underwriting Agency, which soon evolved into Market Lane Insurance Agencies. As we grew, we saw the opportunity to build a family of specialist businesses, each with its own focus, expertise and purpose.
Starting in Sydney, we grew into a national business with offices across Australia, before expanding into New Zealand. Along the way, MLX Risk Partners, The Lane Reinsurance Agency and ML Claims & Advisory joined the group, and we built lasting relationships and a reputation that continues to shape who we are.
The Meaning Behind the name
Hawkshaw takes its name from Hawkshaw Castle in the Scottish Borders, the ancestral home of the Porteous family. The name stands for strength, protection and endurance. These values have guided us from the very beginning, and they guide us still.
Like Scotland’s mountains, our story is shaped by the distance we’ve travelled, the milestones we’ve reached and our determination to keep climbing.
The Next Chapter
Today, our four businesses come together as Hawkshaw Specialty Group. Each operates independently, with its own leadership and specialist focus, supported by Hawkshaw’s established team, extensive knowledge and industry relationships.
Built to endure. Shaped by strength. Ready for what lies ahead.
Hawkshaw is where we’ve come from, and where we’re going next.
