Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd

What Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd does

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd. is a Canadian full-service independent insurance brokerage founded in 1981 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario, led today by second-generation brothers Paul Holman and Mark Holman. The firm serves individual professionals, small and mid-size businesses, and consumers across more than 20 industry verticals, with concentration in specialty and hard-to-place risks including professional liability/errors & omissions, cyber liability, directors & officers, healthcare practitioners, fitness and wellness, contractors, technology firms, cannabis, art dealers, jeweller's block, marine, and aviation.

The firm operates a dual-channel model. The full-service brokerage channel pairs clients with licensed RIBO brokers who analyze risk profiles and place coverage through a network of over 50 Canadian and international carriers including Lloyd's of London, Aviva, Intact, Travelers, Chubb, AXA XL, Allianz, Zurich, Beazley, Swiss Re, and Coalition. The self-serve channel is a 24/7 buy-online portal built on the Acturis cloud platform, offering over 50 specialized policies to more than a thousand individual professionals without requiring live broker interaction. Holman has held Lloyd's Coverholder status for over 30 years, enabling direct binding of risks on behalf of Lloyd's syndicates.

Revenue is generated through insurance brokerage commissions (5-30% of premium depending on line of business, paid annually on new business, renewals, and mid-term transactions), contingent commissions from key carrier partners tied to portfolio growth, loss ratio, volume, and retention, and agreed fees for ancillary services such as claims processing, site surveys, and market analytics. Bank-level encryption (256-bit, SSL, token authentication), Visa/Mastercard payment processing through Policy Billing Services Inc. in Canadian dollars, and Google reCAPTCHA form the supporting technology and compliance perimeter.

Name

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd

Legal name

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Website

https://holmanins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd. is a Canadian independent specialty insurance brokerage founded in 1981, serving professionals, SMBs, and consumers across 20+ verticals through full-service brokers and a 24/7 online portal, with 30+ years of Lloyd's Coverholder status.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Specialty insurance products
• Professional liability insurance
• Commercial insurance broker
• Personal insurance coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Markham

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Brokerage compensation is part of the insurance premium. Commission percentages vary by line of business: Commercial Property 5-27.5%, Equipment Breakdown 10%-20%, Fidelity/Crime 10%-20%, Professional Liability 10-27.5%, Ocean Marine/Cargo 10%-20%, Commercial Automobile 2.5%-12.5%, Umbrella/Excess Liability 7.5%-15%, Management Liability 10%-17.5%, Surety 10%-30%, Commercial General Liability 10%-25%, Personal Automobile 7.5%-12.5%, Personal Property 15%-20%, Personal Watercraft 15%-20%. Paid annually for new business, renewal business and any mid-term policy transaction.
2. Contingent Commission: Insurers (Aviva Insurance Company of Canada, Intact Insurance, Lloyd's, Travelers Insurance Company of Canada) recognize efforts through contingent commission contracts. Payment depends on growth, profitability (loss ratio), volume, retention, and increased services provided on behalf of the insurer. Based on entire portfolio of business, not individual policies.
3. Additional Services Compensation: Additional services such as data entry, processing claims payments, conducting site surveys and providing market opportunities analytics platform are compensated by payment of an agreed fee or commission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd is a Canadian independent, full-service insurance brokerage founded in 1981 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario. The firm offers 50+ specialized insurance products spanning commercial, professional, personal lines, and industry-specific coverages, delivered through a dual-channel model that pairs experienced broker advisory with a 24/7 online self-serve portal. As a Lloyd's Coverholder for over 30 years, the brokerage also provides access to specialty Lloyd's of London syndicates and capacity.

Product overview

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd is a Canadian full-service independent insurance brokerage founded in 1981, offering over 50 specialized insurance products through both full-service brokerage and a 24/7 buy-online self-serve portal. The company's product portfolio centers on Personal Insurance (automobile, marine, property), Commercial Insurance (aviation, construction, business owners), and Professional Insurance (errors & omissions, cyber liability, D&O). The organization serves diverse industries including healthcare/medical professionals, fitness/wellness, contractors/trades, technology/IT, and home-based/small businesses. Their Lloyd's Coverholder status provides access to international insurance markets for specialty risks. The company is led by second-generation brothers Paul Holman and Mark Holman.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Insurance

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lloyd's of LondoncoreTechnology or IntegrationHolman Insurance Brokers is a Lloyd's Coverholder authorized by Lloyd's of London for over 30 years. Coverholder status enables binding and managing risks on behalf of certain underwriters at Lloyd's. The partnership provides access to the expertise and capacity of the Lloyd's insurance market, with multiple employees granted specific authority from Lloyd's syndicates. Lloyd's is an insurance market made up of over 90 individual insurance companies.
• Affiliated FMminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance partner providing commercial property and related coverage options through Holman's brokerage network.
• Allianz InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal insurance company partner providing various insurance products through Holman's distribution network.
• Aviva Insurance Company of CanadaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Canadian insurance provider offering personal and commercial insurance through Holman brokers. Part of contingent commission program.
• AXA XL InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal insurance provider offering commercial and specialty insurance products through Holman's network.
• BeazleyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty insurance provider offering professional liability and other specialty coverage through Holman.
• BerkleyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance provider offering specialty commercial insurance products through the partnership.
• Chubb InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal insurance provider offering commercial and specialty insurance coverage through Holman.
• Intact InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Canadian insurance provider. Part of contingent commission program with Holman.
• Travelers Insurance Company of CanadaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian insurance provider offering commercial and specialty insurance products. Part of contingent commission program.
• Swiss Re Corporate SolutionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal reinsurance and insurance provider offering specialty coverage through Holman's network.
• Zurich CanadaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal insurance company offering commercial and specialty insurance products in Canada through Holman.
• CoalitionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCyber insurance provider offering cyber liability coverage products through Holman's distribution.
• CyberBoxxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCyber insurance provider offering cybersecurity coverage solutions through Holman.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acera Insurance: Canadian independent brokerage offering commercial, personal, and specialty insurance across multiple provinces. Comparable to Holman in being a Canadian specialty-focused independent broker with a multi-line product set and similar mid-market commercial book.
• Westland Insurance Group: Canadian personal and commercial insurance broker with broad carrier partnerships and a strong presence in Western Canada. Comparable to Holman as a Canadian-domiciled multi-line independent brokerage competing for commercial and specialty placements.
• Hub International: Global insurance brokerage with substantial Canadian operations (Hub International Ontario) providing commercial, personal, and specialty coverage. Comparable as a Canadian-headquartered competitor in commercial and specialty lines, though materially larger in scale.
• BrokerLink: One of Canada's largest independent insurance brokerages offering personal and commercial insurance across multiple provinces with a similar full-service brokerage model and significant carrier partnerships. Directly comparable as a domestic multi-line Canadian broker competing for the same SME and specialty commercial accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Aon Canada: Canadian operations of global brokerage and advisory firm Aon, providing commercial insurance, risk management, and specialty placement services. Comparable in commercial and specialty insurance brokerage, though offers a much wider advisory and reinsurance platform.
• Marsh Canada: Canadian arm of global broker Marsh McLennan offering commercial risk, specialty, and reinsurance solutions. Comparable as a competitor in the specialty and commercial insurance brokerage market, but operates at much larger scale and across a broader risk and advisory portfolio.
• Intact Financial Corporation: Canada's largest property and casualty insurer that also operates broker distribution (including via acquisitions such as BrokerLink). Comparable because Intact is both a key Holman carrier partner and a vertically integrated competitor in the Canadian commercial and personal insurance market.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Canada): Global insurance brokerage with a Canadian presence serving mid-market and specialty commercial clients. Comparable as a competitor in commercial and specialty insurance placement, though materially larger and more diversified across risk management and consulting services.

Others

• Lloyd's of London: The international specialty insurance market of which Holman is a 30+ year Coverholder. Comparable as the upstream market/partner ecosystem Holman accesses to bind and service specialty risks — not a direct competitor but a critical structural counterparty in Holman's value proposition.

Emerging players

• Coalition: Cyber insurance and security provider that distributes through broker partners including Holman. Comparable as a specialty insurance provider operating in cyber liability — a key Holman product line — and as a growing technology-enabled distribution model that intersects with traditional specialty brokers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holman-insurance-brokers-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd