Robert Kauffmann, along with Kurt Meyer and Walter Gerhard Meyer, was one of the founders of SCHUFA (1927). At that time, Kauffmann, who held a doctorate in law, was already working in a management position at Berlin’s Bewag. There, he had been head of commercial administration since 1924, became a member of the administrative committee in 1930, and was appointed to the executive board in 1931. At the same time, as a representative of Bewag, he assumed the chairmanship of the administrative committee of the newly founded SCHUFA.

Kauffmann came from a Jewish family in Stuttgart. After studying law and serving in World War I—for which he volunteered—his career path led him to Berlin. There, he initially worked for the Reich Commissioner for Coal before moving to Bewag.

When the Nazis seized power, Kauffmann’s situation changed dramatically. He was arrested as early as March 1933. The Nazis gave him an ultimatum: either resign immediately from his position at Bewag or be deported to a concentration camp. A few days later, he fled Germany with his wife and two daughters. Fearing that his assets would be confiscated, they left the country without official permission. Nevertheless, the family lost a large portion of their property and savings during their escape.

Via Switzerland and France, Kauffmann eventually made his way to Great Britain. There, he was only able to return to professional life to a limited extent. Beginning in 1936, he worked for a small company in the electrical industry. At the same time, he maintained contact with liberal German resistance groups in exile and supported their ties to the British government. On March 12, 1942, Robert Kauffmann died in London as a result of a traffic accident.