Insurance Business 10.01 by Key Media

insurancebusinessonline.com.au Issue 10.01

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

What’s next for the transport sector as it recovers from the pandemic?

D&O PITFALLS

Directors and officers, beware – social media is creating a new vortex of fraud

BEST OF THE BEST

IB showcases the winners of the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards

INTEGRITY FIRST How Mark Lingafelter is championing Warren Buffett’s business philosophies at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

HOT LIST 2021

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HOT LIST 2021

50 men and women who have kept the insurance sector moving forward

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Consistency can be very exciting. Our consistent and stable approach to underwriting gives you the confidence to recommend Zurich so you and your customers can grow business. Now thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting.

Zurich Property Insurance This information is general advice only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situations or needs. You should obtain and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording (as applicable) from zurich.com.au before making a decision. The issuer of general insurance products is Zurich Australian Insurance Limited (ZAIL), ABN 13 000 296 640, AFS Licence Number 232507 of 118 Mount Street, North Sydney NSW 2060. ZU24150 V1 1220 TFMC-016337-2021.

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ISSUE 10.01

CONNECT WITH US

CONTENTS 32

Got a story or suggestion, or just want to find out some more information? @InsuranceBizAU facebook.com/InsuranceBusinessAU

UPFRONT 02 Editorial

From a year of chaos to a year of opportunity

04 Statistics

Key data that should be on your radar

HOT LIST 2021

18 SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST

Insurance Business spotlights 50 men and women who helped guide the Australian insurance industry through the turbulence of 2020

PEOPLE

THE BUFFETT WAY As president of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Australasia, Mark Lingafelter is making sure the company lives up to the example set by founder Warren Buffett

06 News analysis FEATURES

A look at the potential social media perils for directors and officers

THE ROAD AHEAD

08 Intelligence

COVID-19 brought massive changes to the transport sector in 2020. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the insurance industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next move?

An insurtech rolls out on-demand insurance for food delivery workers

10 Insurer update

Zurich is ringing in the new year with a new Australian headquarters

12 Underwriting agencies update

37 FEATURES

AWARD WINNERS REVEALED Discover who took home the top prizes at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards

An agency collaboration makes a splash in the personal accident and sickness market

17 Opinion

Seven steps your clients should take to beef up cybersecurity

PEOPLE 64 Other life

Cutting it close with insurance sales consultant and budding barber Simone Minas

62 PEOPLE

THE MANY MEASURES OF SUCCESS

A personal tragedy brought allinsure MD Peter Chamberlain to a new understanding about the role insurance brokers should play

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UPFRONT

EDITORIAL

A fresh start

he beginning is the most important part of any work. Philosophy fans might recognise that phrase from Plato’s The Republic, authored around 375 BC. It’s time for the Australian insurance industry to think about new beginnings in 2021. We’ve started the year still under the black cloud of COVID-19. In many countries, cases are still soaring, communities are suffering, businesses are struggling, and public positivity is precarious at best. But there are opportunities to turn things around in 2021. We can learn from our mistakes of the past year, we can convert challenges into opportunities, we can innovate and grow, and we can build communities that are more resilient, both to known risks and Black Swan events like the coronavirus pandemic. The insurance industry will play a critical role in the success of society’s new beginning. First and foremost, insurance is a key part of recovery. There are thousands of businesses across Australia that need a helping hand to get back on their feet, and so far insurers and brokers have stepped up to the plate. That support – whether in the form of premium rebates, coverage flexibility, extra risk management advice, interpretation of COVID-19 regulations or all of the above – must continue and evolve through 2021.

The insurance industry will play a critical role in the success of society’s new beginning Now is the time for insurers and brokers to develop new products and risk management solutions that are more relevant for consumers in a pandemic and post-pandemic world. COVID-19 has sparked a mass movement toward digitalisation, giving rise to a proliferation of new digital and cyber-related exposures. This opens up an abundance of opportunities for insurers to transfer these risks and protect consumers as they navigate this new tech-driven society. The pandemic has changed how we go about our lives in many ways. With more people working from home, commercial liability exposure and workers’ compensation have also evolved, albeit temporarily. And on the personal front, individuals are using their vehicles far less, prompting demands for changes in the personal auto space, including greater adoption of telematics and usage-based insurance solutions. Simply put, this new beginning is one of opportunity. The new year represents a fresh start, and insurers and brokers have a chance to increase their relevance to consumers and carry them through the systemic changes that will inevitably arise as a result of the pandemic. This is the most important part of any work. The team at Insurance Business

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EDITORIAL Managing Editor Paul Lucas Senior Editor Bethan Moorcraft Journalists Brendan Day, Alicja Grzadkowska, Ryan Smith, Ksenia Stepanova, Mia Wallace News Writers Lyle Adriano, Terry Gangcuangco, Roxanne Libatique, Gabriel Olano Copy Editor Clare Alexander

CONTRIBUTORS

Adrian Kitchin

ART & PRODUCTION Designer Joenel Salvador Production Coordinators Kat Guzman, Ella Dayandante Customer Success Coordinator Isabella Concepcion Traffic Coordinator Kristine Jamir

SALES & MARKETING

•

General Manager Peter Smith Commercial Development Manager Sophie Knight Global Head of Media Marketing Lisa Narroway

•

CORPORATE

S M h i

Chief Executive Officer Mike Shipley Chief Operating Officer George Walmsley Managing Director Justin Kennedy Chief Information Officer Colin Chan Human Resources Manager Julia Bookallil

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Insurance Business is part of an international family of B2B publications, websites and events for the insurance industry Insurance Business America cathy.masek@keymedia.com T +1 720 316 0151 Insurance Business Canada john.mackenzie@kmimedia.ca T +1 416 644 874O Insurance Business NZ peter.smith@keymedia.com.au T +61 2 8437 47OO

Insurance Business Asia peter.smith@keymedia.com.au T +61 2 8437 47OO Copyright is reserved throughout. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of the editor. Contributions are invited, but copies of work should be kept, as the magazine can accept no responsibility for loss.

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Insurance Business UK gemma.powell@keymedia.com T +44 20 7193 0935

D M

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I A A i s S

GT INSURANCE

DRIVING EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL MOTOR INSURANCE SINCE 1996 For almost 25 years, GT Insurance has been helping Australian brokers with specialist insurance for Heavy Motor, Bus and Coach, Plant & Machinery, Commercial Motor, Taxi, Rideshare and Hire Vehicle clients. We can provide you and your clients with: • • • •

Fast, easy and safe claims lodgement via our online claims portal Flexible packages including ‘Laid Up’ cover if business activities reduce* Expertise to assist you with carefully-designed policy options Comprehensive claims reporting to support effective risk management • Experienced independent Assessors supported by an efficient Claims & Recovery team • Free access to GT Accident Assist with 24/7, Australia-wide support for all GT clients • Simple and efficient online quoting for non-fleet risks via Transportal@GT.* Speak to your GT Relationship & Development Manager today or visit gtins.com.au to see how we can assist with your clients’ transport insurance needs. *Specific vehicle classes only

DARWIN

TOWNSVILLE

LOCAL REPRESENTATION THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA WITH DIRECT

PERTH

NEWCASTLE SYDNEY ADELAIDE

B y

out s the

BRISBANE

ACCESS TO DECISION MAKERS.

ALBURY MELBOURNE

Insurance products are issued by Global Transport & Automotive Insurance Solutions Pty Ltd ABN 93 069 048 255 AFS Licence No. 240714, trading as GT Insurance, as agent for the insurer Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFS Licence No. 234708. Neither we nor the insurer provide any advice on this insurance based on any consideration of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision about it please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement or policy wording which can be obtained from gtins.com.au

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ACCIDENT ASSIST

1800 783 251

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UPFRONT

STATISTICS COVID-19 ALTERS AUSTRALIANSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; COMMUTES

GLOBAL PROPERTY MARKETS SHOW FIRMING TREND The renewal season at the beginning of 2021 has highlighted the resilience of the global reinsurance market, according to a new report from Willis Re. While 2020 was marked by high natural catastrophe losses and prior-year development on liability lines, as well as further reductions in interest rates and losses inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, global insurance capital has rapidly recovered, tallying 3% year-over-year growth. Willis Re attributed this comeback to improving investment markets, retained earnings and new capital. Despite rate increases in property lines across the globe (including some double-digit spikes in the US and Canada), Willis Re remained hopeful that the increase in supply of capital will result in a firmer insurance market, rather than a truly hard market.

74%

Percentage of Australians who saw a change in their commuting times due to COVID-19

Average number of minutes Australian workers gained back in their day due to the change in their commute

53%

Australians who believe COVID-19 will change their commute for the foreseeable future

Canada 30% 20% 10% 0% -10%

United States 30% 20% 10% 0% -10%

Pro rata commission Risk (loss-free) Risk (loss-hit) Catastrophe (loss-free) Catastrophe (loss-hit)

RANSOMWARE COSTS ESCALATE RAPIDLY Ransomware claims made up more than a fourth of all cyber claims in 2019, according to a recent study by Netdiligence. The cost of ransomware claims has risen rapidly since 2015, as has the frequency: Netdiligence reported 263 ransomware claims in 2019, compared to only 19 in 2015.

AVERAGE RANSOMWARE COSTS PER CLAIM Ransom amount

Incident costs

2019 2018

17%

Australians who believe COVID-19 will change their commute forever

2017 2016 2015 $0

Source: Allianz Australia, December 2020

$20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000 $140,000 $160,000 $180,000 $200,000 $220,000 $240,000 $260,000 $280,000 Source: Netdiligence Cyber Claims Study 2020 Report; all figures in US$

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DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS HERE TO STAY

GLOBAL PROPERTY RATE MOVEMENTS FOR 2021 RENEWALS

United Kingdom

30%

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted shortcomings in insurers’ digital capabilities – and sped up their timelines for digital transformation. According to a recent Deloitte survey, 95% of insurers said they are or are planning to accelerate digital transformation to maintain resilience, although companies in North America and Europe are farther along in the process than those in Asia-Pacific.

20% 10% 0%

Europe

-10%

30% 20% 10%

INSURERS’ PROGRESS ON IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PLANS

Asia

Already implementing Planning to implement Do not have plans to implement Don’t know

30%

-10%

20%

100%

10% 0%

80%

-10% 60%

Latin America

Australia

30%

20%

10%

-10%

40%

20%

Europe

North America

Source: Willis Re 1st View, January 2021

SMEs FALLING VICTIM TO RANSOMWARE Ransomware was the number-one cause of cyber losses for small and medium-sized enterprises in 2019, according to Netdiligence. Social engineering (which includes business email compromise and phishing) also accounts for a significant portion of losses, as do staff mistakes, which have increased over the past two years.

Ransomware

18% 3% 4% 5%

COMPANY ASSETS ARE INCREASINGLY INTANGIBLE More than 90% of large companies’ assets are now considered intangible, according to a new study by Guy Carpenter. Having escalated over the past four decades, this trend has transformed the characteristics of risks assumed by insurers and reinsurers.

Tangible 1975

Staff mistake Hacker

CAUSES OF CYBER LOSS FOR SMEs

82%

16% 15%

Rogue employee Other/unknown Source: Cyber Claims Study 2020 Report, Netdiligence

18%

1985

20%

80%

2015

69%

Phishing Malware/virus

Intangible 2005

Business email compromise

31%

Asia-Pacific

Source: 2021 Insurance Outlook, Deloitte

31%

1995

12%

88%

2020

32%

68%

91% Source: Leading Up to January 2021 Reinsurance Renewals, Guy Carpenter

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UPFRONT

NEWS ANALYSIS

The dark side of social media Almost half of the world’s population is now using social media – but the plethora of personal data being shared on these platforms is leaving directors and officers exposed to potential fraud

THERE’S NO denying that in the 20 or so years since its inception, social media has rapidly evolved to become one of the most popular online activities. But how private is the information we share online, and how can it be used against us by threat actors looking to commit fraud? The annual Global Insurance Fraud Summit has identified the use of social media as a key trend shaping the evolution of insurance fraud. Investigators must acknowledge the crucial role that social media channels present as a source of data intelligence, says Dennis Toomey, global director for counter-

evolving. Criminals are adapting their activities incredibly quickly, often more quickly than defences can be updated to tackle them. And it’s being used on a massive global scale. In the US, for instance, social engineering is used in a third of cyber breaches, with email compromises accounting for more than $1.2bn in victim losses.” Broadly speaking, social media is creating new opportunities for fraud, particularly for investment fraud, says Peter Hazlewood, group financial crime risk director at Aviva. When it comes to social media, the common line of thought is that if you’re not paying

“Exploitation of social media and electronic communication has contributed to a fundamental shift in how fraudsters operate” Dennis Toomey, BAE Systems fraud analytics and insurance solutions at BAE Systems. Conversely, consumers must also be educated on the dangers of putting their personal information online. “Exploitation of social media and electronic communication has contributed to a fundamental shift in how fraudsters operate,” Toomey says. “It’s also rapidly

for a product, then you are the product, but many people still aren’t highly aware of the dangers involved with sharing private information on a public platform. “For professionals, you need to assume that your social media activity may come into your work life,” Hazlewood says. “Certainly, I always assume that the two things are inter-

linked, and the way I conduct myself on social media is with the assumption that our chairman or CEO might see it.” An area where directors and officers need to be very careful, he adds, is with sensitive information. There have been numerous cases in the past where corporate professionals have gotten into trouble for putting sensitive information online, whether that’s price-sensitive information, disinformation, misleading information or potentially offensive posts. “There’s definitely an uptick in D&O insurance and in the tools that are out there to limit the liability and reduce fraud across the board,” says Rob Douglas, co-founder and CEO of fraud-detection search engine Skopenow. “But it’s difficult because, from what I’ve seen, the more popular or more public-facing a director is, the more risk there is because there are more details exposed, which can make it really easy to guess what their password hints might be.” Faced with the spectre of this threat,

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FAST FACTS: SOCIAL MEDIA USE

There were more than 3.6bn social media users worldwide in 2020

LinkedIn is the most-used social media platform among Fortune 500 companies

In Australia, 71% of the population are active users of social media

Toomey says anti-fraud teams are rising to the challenge and are harnessing social media themselves to combat fraud – albeit with caution, as this approach carries its own risks. Many carriers around the globe use

operating procedures in place to make sure the investigators stay well within the compliance guidelines.” Anti-fraud organisations such as Skopenow are now being used not only for

“You need to assume that your social media activity may come into your work life. Certainly, I always assume that the two things are interlinked” Peter Hazlewood, Aviva social media and open-source intelligence (OSINT) to investigate insurance fraud, although processes, sites and guidelines vary across the industry. “Carriers have to exercise extreme caution when using this to investigate suspicious claims,” Toomey says. “The good news is that most carriers do, and also have standard

fraud investigations, Douglas says, but also to try to calculate how exposed someone is when online. Meanwhile, Hazlewood says there are several actions professionals can take to protect themselves and their data from fraudsters. First and foremost, he says, directors and officers should always assume

Facebook was the most popular social media brand in Australia as of 2019 Sources: Statista, LinkedIn

that what they put online will be read widely, both within and outside their organisation. This is especially relevant right now, he says, as information-harvesting fraud syndicates are increasingly posing as members of a credible organisation to connect with members of an executive team on LinkedIn. Once they’re in that network, they have access to a lot more information, and they can see what an executive is doing behind the firewall of their privacy settings. This, in turn, enables fraudsters to reshape their methodology to make themselves appear even more credible. “One of the things that we do internally, especially in respect of our senior executives, is provide training and advice on how to use social media responsibly and how to stay secure,” Hazlewood says. “And that’s certainly something that is good practice for corporates.”

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UPFRONT

INTELLIGENCE CORPORATE ACQUIRER

TARGET

PRODUCTS COMMENTS

Allianz

Westpac

Westpac has offloaded its general insurance business to Allianz for $725m

AUB Group

360 Underwriting Solutions

360 will become part of the new general commercial underwriting subunit AUB has set up within its underwriting agencies division

Crawford & Company

HBA Group

The acquisition of Australia-based HBA Group represents the global claims manager’s latest expansion of its Crawford Legal Services arm

Inigo

StarStone Underwriting

The deal includes the right to operate Lloyd’s Syndicate 1301, although the previous owners will retain the economics of the syndicate’s underwriting portfolios for 2020 and previous years

Pelican Ventures and J.C. Flowers

Ariel Re

The two firms paid around $40m to acquire the reinsurer from specialty insurance underwriter Argo Group, which is simplifying its operations

Willis Towers Watson

Acclimatise

Specialist consulting company Acclimatise provides climate change advisory and analytics services

Blue Zebra adds SME business insurance

Blue Zebra Insurance has added SME business insurance to its Zebra Lounge platform. Modular and customisable, the new offering gives businesses the option to add or subtract all core product liability products, add multiple locations onto a single policy and tailor cover. The product is backed by general insurer Youi, and claims will be managed in partnership with ProCare. Blue Zebra managing director Colin Fagen said the offering will focus initially on the industries least impacted by the current level of economic activity, with a plan to expand throughout 2021.

Crawford & Company boosts legal services offering in Australia

Global claims management firm Crawford & Company has snapped up Australia-based HBA Group as part of the expansion of its Crawford Legal Services business. With six offices across Australia, HBA Group includes legal services enterprise HBA Legal, claims management business Paratus, and legal process and technology provider Pillion. “Since the launch of Crawford Legal Services in the UK in 2016, we have gained huge market traction by providing a powerful connected legal service and highly cost-efficient solution to our clients,” said Crawford & Company president Joseph Blanco. “I am delighted to be able to offer this level of service to the Australia market through HBA Group.”

Cover Genius, Skyscanner launch COVID-19 cover

Australia-based insurtech Cover Genius has teamed up with travel marketplace Skyscanner to introduce a COVID-19 travel insurance package that includes medical, trip cancellation and airline insolvency coverage. Benefits of the policy include repatriation and expenses cover, as well as round-theclock emergency medical assistance. Offered at the point of purchase, the new product is initially available to customers who book flights through Skyscanner in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, but the two companies hope to eventually make the offering available in up to 50 countries.

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PEOPLE Insurtech startup covers food delivery workers

Gig economy insurance provider upcover has made its debut in the market with pay-as-you-go coverage for food delivery workers. Launched in conjunction with food delivery platform EASI and backed by Agile Underwriting Services, the coverage starts at just $0.95 per day and is designed to protect delivery workers from incidents such as theft, accidents, assault, injuries to others and property damage. The coverage is available via the upcover app; the company said it has plans to introduce additional coverage for other areas of the gig economy.

Gallagher updates insolvency offering

Gallagher has reviewed and updated its insolvency insurance policies in response to Australian insolvency regime reforms, which include the creation of the Small Business Restructuring Practitioner (SBRP) title. Acknowledging the potential for insolvency and turnaround specialists to be exposed to D&O risks, Gallagher’s insolvency and turnaround team noted that “we’ve made necessary amendments to the relevant parts in our policy wording to specifically confirm the inclusion of SBRP professional services and to include SBRP professional services as a proportion of overall business.”

Brokerslink unveils program management platform

Brokerslink has launched Space B IPA (International Program Administration), a dedicated international insurance program management platform designed to help Brokerslink brokers in more than 118 countries manage and deliver structured and compliant international and crossborder programs. Developed in collaboration with Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Space B IPA allows brokers to aggregate and consolidate all types of risk and insurance information, including policies, premiums, deductibles, and coverages, as well as risk assessment and management details.

NAME

LEAVING

JOINING

NEW POSITION

Michael Cameron

N/A

icare NSW

Board member

Wayne Kenafacke

Rice Warner

VMIA

Chief performance officer

Richard Lance

Marsh

Charles Taylor Adjusting

Client director, Australia

Cris Massis

N/A

BMS Group

Chairman, Australian affinity business

Michelle McPherson

N/A

AIG

Chief financial officer

Cara Morton

N/A

Cover-More Group

Group chief executive

Damien Mu

N/A

ANZIIF

Board member

John Walsh

N/A

icare NSW

Board member

Cover-More Group confirms group CEO

Cara Morton has officially been named group chief executive at Sydney-headquartered travel insurance and assistance provider Cover-More Group. Morton, who joined Cover-More in 2018, previously served as chief operating officer before stepping up as interim CEO in June 2020 when then-boss Hanno Mijer took on a new executive leadership position at Cover-More parent company Zurich. “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and am working with our team and key stakeholders in getting the world moving again – safely and riskfree,” said Morton, whose credentials include time spent as group head of operations at QBE.

VMIA names chief performance officer

VMIA, the Victorian government’s insurer and risk adviser, has tapped Wayne Kenafacke to serve as chief performance officer. Previously a senior strategic consultant at financial consultancy Rice Warner, Kenafacke brings 25 years of insurance experience to his new role, including roles as products general manager and chief financial officer at St Andrew’s Australia. Kenafacke’s actuarial expertise spans prudential reporting, capital management and investment management. Replacing interim chief performance officer Bart Clingin, Kenafacke said he “look[s] forward to supporting VMIA’s executive and board to continue delivering insurance solutions and risk advice that protects Victoria’s people, places and critical services.”

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UPFRONT

INSURER UPDATE NEWS BRIEFS Allianz buys Westpac’s general insurance business

Allianz is boosting its position in the Australian market with its $725m acquisition of Westpac’s general insurance business. Expected to close in the middle of 2021, the transaction includes an exclusive 20-year distribution deal that will allow Allianz to issue and service a range of personal insurance products under the Westpac brand. The acquisition builds upon the existing distribution relationship between Allianz and Westpac that has been in place since 2015. Allianz Australia MD Richard Feledy described the move as “a fantastic opportunity,” given the companies’ aligned values.

IAG completes $650m institutional placement

IAG has successfully completed a $650m fully underwritten institutional placement, issuing approximately 128.7m new fully paid ordinary shares at a price of $5.05 each. “IAG is pleased with the strong support shown for the equity raising from its shareholders,” the company said in a release, noting significant interest from both domestic and offshore institutional investors. “The success of the raise is an endorsement of the decisive action to maintain balance sheet strength. This positions the company well to execute on its strategic plan.”

HIF partners with medicinal cannabis pioneer

The Health Insurance Fund of Australia (HIF) has forged a partnership with Australian medicinal cannabis company Little Green Pharma (LGP), offering rebates of up to $105 per prescription to eligible policyholders. According to HIF,

this is the first time a major health fund in Australia has openly supported access to medicinal cannabis treatments. LGP’s medical-grade cannabis products, which it has been producing in Western Australia since 2018, are available nationwide by prescription.

Youi acknowledges “inadequate” response

In late November, the Federal Court found Youi in breach of good faith under the Insurance Contracts Act for the way it handled a 2017 claim that dragged on for nearly two years. Among the breaches was Youi’s failure to inform the policyholder that the contractor it proposed to carry out repairs to their property had been the subject of numerous complaints. “Youi acknowledges its response to the claim was inadequate and accepts the Federal Court judgement … and is disappointed that we didn’t meet our usual high level of service, which we pride ourselves on and is the cornerstone of our success,” the insurer said.

ICA elevates business interruption case to High Court

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has elevated a COVID-19 business interruption test case to the High Court of Australia, appealing a judgement by the New South Wales Court of Appeal, which ruled that insurers can’t apply the Quarantine Act exclusion to COVID-19-related business interruption claims. “While the insurance industry is sympathetic to businesses … that have experienced hardship as a result of COVID-19 restrictions,” the ICA said, “it remains of the view that pandemics were not contemplated for coverage under most business interruption policies and that the Quarantine Act exclusion excludes COVID-19-related claims.”

New year, new home Zurich has moved its Australian headquarters to a North Sydney building with a five-star Green Star rating Last year was abound with seemingly endless changes – and one of the good ones was Zurich Financial Services Australia’s transfer to the newly constructed 29-storey Zurich Tower in North Sydney. The building was awarded a five-star Green Star rating by the Green Building Council of Australia. “In keeping with our commitment to sustainability, many features of our new workplace have been designed to support the building’s green credentials, including floor-to-ceiling windows and the installation of over 1,000 indoor plants,” says Caroline Hendra, the company’s head of communications and media relations. Known for its flexible work program, Zurich transitioned 95% of its Australian workforce into full-time remote work within weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic first emerged in the country, allowing the company to remain operational even during lockdown periods. “[Prior to the move], many of our teams started to transition to a blended or hybrid way of working, with a mix of office work and working from home for two or three days a week,” Hendra says. “We will continue to support the flexibility and informality of flexible working, while ensuring we are able to meet the needs of the business,

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Q&A

our people and our customers.” Zurich began relocating employees to the new building at the end of November, and Hendra expects most of the company’s Sydney-based employees to be transferred to the new headquarters by January. She

“An important focus for us is on the mental and physical wellbeing of our teams, and our new workplace will further support this” says now is “a great time to be going into a new space” that offers a best-in-class work environment, citing Zurich Tower’s technological and audio-visual capabilities, which are designed to let employees remain connected and collaborative, regardless of where they might be working from on any given day. “Similarly, a variety of dynamic workspaces will enable our people to tailor their work setting to the needs of their day,” Hendra says, “allowing them to opt for quiet focus time or to come together to bounce ideas off each other.” Designed and constructed by Roberts Pizzarotti, the property also features work floors that are connected by internal stairs to promote mobility and encourage social interactions, along with other state-ofthe-art elements. “An important focus for us is on the mental and physical wellbeing of our teams,” Hendra says, “and our new workplace will further support this.”

Lynette Schultheis Operations manager FM GLOBAL AUSTRALIA

Years in the industry 34 Fast fact Schultheis has held various positions at FM Global in client service, underwriting and management across Australia, the UK and the US

Planning for business continuity For organisations mapping out return-to-work plans, what should be at the top of their agenda? Our experience at FM Global is that most losses are preventable, and even if losses do occur, they can be mitigated. Being able to act quickly if and when an incident happens will have a huge impact on limiting the damage that results. In this respect, it’s important that organisations revisit their emergency response plans, whether that be for fire, wind or flood. It’s an often-overlooked part of business planning, but it’s particularly important now, given some organisations are heading back to work with a split staff at their facility. They need to ensure that they still have people in place who have the knowledge and authority to make business-critical decisions. It’s also important to review your business continuity plan. We’re reviewing ours monthly because of the pandemic. No one thought it would last this long at the start. Now we are addressing things like self-assessment forms to determine if you’re at risk of COVID-19, contact tracing forms and how we ensure employees stay safe when they go out on site. The key is to make sure that your business continuity plan is evolving with the circumstances, as this pandemic has shown us just how rapidly things can change.

From a risk mitigation perspective, what elements of a company’s plan are the most crucial? The key is making sure that you don’t lose a step when the economy rebounds. After an already difficult year, equipment breakdowns or other accidents can be an easy way to lose more revenue and market share and suffer reputational damage. It might sound a bit surprising, as it’s not anything COVID19-related, but we will often tell clients to check their automatic sprinklers. It’s important that organisations test their fire protection equipment and ensure it’s in good working order and will operate as intended in a fire.

What changes do you expect to linger post-pandemic? I think all companies will probably see a shift to work from home becoming the norm, even those that have been quite resistant. At FM Global, for example, though there are those who want things to get back to normal, we do have employees with very long commutes, so I think that this acceptance of remote working is something we’ll see in our organisation more than ever before. A silver lining of COVID-19 is that it has made us think outside the way we’ve traditionally approached things. Generally speaking, I also think many organisations have learned ways to be more efficient and innovative, and we can take some of these lessons and continue to apply them in the future.

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UPFRONT

UNDERWRITING AGENCIES UPDATE

Blue Point comes to life Point Insurance and Blue Zebra have teamed up to launch a new personal accident and sickness brand

sickness and Blue Zebra’s modern and adaptable systems is a “very strong” sales proposition, while the two agencies’ market relationships benefit the brand in terms of reach. “From Point’s perspective, the big attraction to join this brand and joint venture was accessing a bigger distribution that Blue Zebra currently has,” Fogarty says. “So Blue Point’s priority will be to promote and access both distributions and grow the book of business and the people accessing not just Blue Point but the Blue Zebra platform.”

“We’ll be there for the brokers who will be looking to grow”

“A very exciting opportunity for the broker market to take advantage of ” is how Point Insurance managing director David Fogarty describes his firm’s collaboration with Blue Zebra Insurance. The two underwriting agencies, both backed by equity investment business Envest, teamed up in 2020 to leverage their complementary skill sets and bring a new personal accident and sickness insurance brand, Blue Point, to market. The partnership is part of Blue Zebra’s ongoing product suite expansion and allows

NEWS BRIEFS

Point to tap into the network of brokers using the Zebra Lounge platform. “It’s interesting to see that, since we’ve launched and formed a relationship with Point, the number of individual brokers using our system has gone up by over 100, to about 950 per day,” says Blue Zebra MD Colin Fagen. “So there are obviously a lot of brokers interested in looking at the new product range and how that can tie into their customer base.” According to Fagen, the combination of Point’s expertise in personal accident and

AUB Group acquires 360 Underwriting Solutions

AUB Group announced a slew of changes at the end of 2020, including the acquisition of 360 Underwriting Solutions. AUB Group has created a general commercial underwriting subunit within its underwriting agencies division, which includes the new entity that acquired 360, along with equity stakes in existing AUB Group agencies Fleetsure, SURA Hospitality, SURA Bus and Coach, and SURA Plant and Equipment. As part of the restructure, AUB Group has also established strata agencies and SURA specialty subunits.

“I think the way we’ve worked together to collaborate to build this offering is a very repeatable model,” Fagen adds, highlighting the possibility of partnering with other agencies in the future. Fogarty, who leads Blue Point, says the process of bringing the new brand to life has been “very easy”, thanks to the cooperation of both agencies. “We’ve seen really strong growth as a business, as has Blue Zebra, during this time, and we think post-COVID, we’ll both be in a very good position, as businesses go back to normal, to take advantage of the products we have in the market,” he says. “We’ll be there for the brokers who will be looking to grow.”

UAC appoints four new directors to board

At its annual general meeting in December, the Underwriting Agencies Council elected four new directors to its board. The new directors include Steadfast Underwriting Agencies’ Simon Lightbody; Axis Underwriting’s Emily Walker, who will serve as deputy chair; Millennium Underwriting Agencies’ Heath Amber, who will serve as company secretary and public officer; and Allstate Underwriting’s Trent Brown, who will serve as treasurer. Lion Underwriting’s Kurt Nilsen, elected last year, will continue to serve as president in 2021.

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22/01/2021 6:45:37 am

Q&A

Steve Nichols

The evolving world of commercial motor

Chief executive ATL INSURANCE GROUP

Years in the industry 36 Fast fact Nichols built a successful brokerage in Brisbane and served on the Steadfast board before helping to build transport and logistics underwriter ATL

What changes has the pandemic brought to the commercial motor insurance space? Business opportunities for transport operators carrying consumables and wholesale goods business increased dramatically with the change in buying behaviour due to restricted movement, [which increased] demand for online sales. This resulted in a growth in vehicles requiring insurance, increased distances travelled as businesses took on higher-value contracts, increases in freight task combinations and variations, and the purchase of higher-value equipment. With lower numbers of vehicles on the road for much of 2020, we did see short-term reductions in claim events. However, as the country returns to normal, we have begun to see increased claim numbers and expect to see this trend to continue in the months to come. Passenger transport operators have experienced a decreased demand for both rideshare and taxi business; as a result, there was an increase in laid-up cover requests and a few cancellations of policies. The shrinking market has resulted in a number of insurers pulling out of the passenger transport market, which has increased our opportunities to grow our portfolio.

In your experience, what have been the biggest challenges in commercial motor? Commercial motor in Australia faces issues with driver health, distances that are being travelled and a massive change in consumer behaviour, resulting in more trucks on the road driving more frequently.

ProRisk rolls out new online presence

ProRisk has unveiled a new-look website designed to provide an improved user experience, including a more streamlined menu, easier-to-find white papers and webinars, and easy access to the firm’s proprietary broker trading platform, ProBind. “We believe we’ve created a better user experience for our partners,” said Jaydon Burke-Douglas, ProRisk’s general counsel and head of product. “Their time is precious, so streamlining access to ProBind, as well as educational content, was important in the development of this site.”

Increased trip frequency requires more qualified drivers, and this is one of the issues facing commercial motor underwriters. How do we provide a pathway for inexperienced drivers to progress to high-value vehicle combinations while maintaining underwriting standards? ATL has invested a lot of time in this issue and will release its updated, clearer and sensible driving acceptance guidelines in 2021, which makes doing business with us much simpler.

What’s your outlook for this year? ATL is looking forward to 2021 after investing heavily in technology and distribution partnerships. We will be launching a new and improved transport package in early 2021 and providing increased clarity in our approach, which will benefit brokers and their clients going forward. Doing business with us in 2021 will be simpler and easier, with our products available on Sunrise and our development underwriters enabled to spend more time consulting with brokers and finding the best solutions for their customers. Our leadership team has been working hard at building a better business with an entrepreneurial mindset and a focus on flexibility and speed. We have brought new talent into the business and worked hard on developing our existing talent to build a culture of innovation and fresh thinking. We look forward to growing strongly in 2021 through the combination of new products, new technology and our investment in our people.

Blue Zebra unveils commercial motor product

Blue Zebra Insurance has converted its commercial motor insurance pilot to full-scale distribution. The new offering incorporates the data and technology benefits of Blue Zebra’s private motor product, along with key features specific to commercial motor insurance. With coverage options that include comprehensive, third-party fire and theft, or third-party only, brokers can instantly quote and bind fleets of up to 10 vehicles. The policy is underwritten by Youi, and claims are managed by Insurx/Hello Claims.

Emergence adds cyber response and claims team

Emergence Insurance has created an in-house incident response and claims team to manage cyber claims. Dedicated cyber breach coaches will lead the incident response process, providing an immediate, professional and thorough response, while cyber claims handlers will manage the process from the first notification of loss until the finalisation of a claim. According to MD Troy Filipcevic, the new team allows Emergence to deliver a cyber proposition that spans underwriting, incident response and claims service.

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22/01/2021 6:45:41 am

PEOPLE

THE BIG INTERVIEW

THE BUFFETT WAY As president of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Australasia, Mark Lingafelter is ensuring that the values and philosophy espoused by founder Warren Buffett permeate everything the company does

EACH YEAR, the new recruits at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance – from a 20-something fresh out of university in Sydney to a Paris-based senior executive with decades of experience – board planes in their home cities and fly to Connecticut. There, BHSI’s global leadership team details the company’s values, philosophy about the insurance industry and points of difference with competitors. It’s an important step in ensuring that the business philosophies and values of Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and BHSI CEO Peter Eastwood become part of the DNA of every team member. Mark Lingafelter, president of BHSI Australasia, describes the annual ritual as “incredibly unique”. “Unfortunately, COVID has forced change in our usual structure,” he says, “but it is a good example of our level of commitment to really spending time and helping the team understand that there is a common set of values that sit at the heart of the company – not only to help understand what those values and practices mean, but to also help the team understand they really are non-negotiable. So much of that comes from the longstanding philosophies of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway.” It was this dedication to integrity that attracted Lingafelter to BHSI. His values and devoted work ethic have been constants in a 30-plus-year insurance career that has

taken him around the US, to Asia and eventually to Australia, which he and his family now call home.

Global perspective Lingafelter grew up in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, where one of his first jobs was as a caddy at Shaker Heights Country Club at age 15. “On a busy day, I carried two bags 36 holes,” he says. “It was hard work for not a lot of money. On a good day, I pulled down $32.”

interested in a small property & casualty company called Chubb and was lucky enough to join their training program.” Chubb initially sent Lingafelter to its Dallas, Texas, office, but it wasn’t long before he was on the move around the US. “While I was always in the same area of the business, the book of business you would encounter as an underwriter from city to city was different,” he says. “In Dallas, I remember insuring helicopters for the military, but then when I moved to Philadelphia to lead a

“I was excited about joining a company that, although it was in many respects still a startup, had at its foundation these principles that I knew were the correct way to run a business in a very challenging environment” He began his insurance career with Chubb shortly after graduating from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in 1983. “My senior year was in the middle of a recession, and my thoughts around taking a short break after graduation and applying to law school seemed less realistic,” Lingafelter recalls. “So, for practical economic considerations, I interviewed with a number of companies while I was at college and was

small business there, we were dealing with a lot more property risks. When I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I was getting exposure to oil fields and trying to get a better understanding of the storage and contracting risks in that market. You end up going through a process that stretches you, and you start to get comfortable stepping into new roles where you wouldn’t be the subject-matter expert on day one. Probably the best example of that was to move

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PROFILE Name: Mark Lingafelter Title: President, Australasia Company: Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Based in: Sydney Years in the industry: 30 Career highlight: Helping to build BHSI into a leading specialty carrier in Australia and New Zealand Biggest challenge: Operating in Asia at the depth of a global soft market and trying to earn a sustainable underwriting return in challenging developing markets like Indonesia and India

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PEOPLE

THE BIG INTERVIEW

overseas in the mid-1990s and take on a leadership role in Asia based in Singapore.” In Singapore, Lingafelter moved from product leadership to country leadership. After overseeing Chubb’s Singapore business across all lines, he moved to Hong Kong to take charge of the insurer’s business in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. In 2005, Chubb offered him the opportunity to move to Sydney to run the Australian business. “It’s the type of opportunity you accept after your first phone call,” Lingafelter says. “The opportunity to move with my family to Australia and take on the challenge of a

plined approach to the underwriting process and the importance of operating with integrity. I was excited about joining a company that, although it was in many respects still a startup, had at its foundation these principles that I knew, from my 30 years in the industry, were the correct way to run a business in a very challenging environment.”

2013 Year BHSI was launched

Commitment to excellence Lingafelter, BHSI and the rest of the Australian insurance industry have faced an extraordinary 12 months, between the historic bushfire season, hailstorms, floods

“There is an extraordinary commitment to challenging our team to keep things simple [and] make sure we are engaging and checking ourselves in terms of how we are actually showing up” business that, at the time, was close to 50% of Chubb’s portfolio across Asia-Pacific was a once-in-a lifetime chance. It was really my wife and kids who decided, after moving around a lot, that they felt like Australia became home. For the kids, over time they really felt a desire, understandably, to put down roots, and we were lucky to get citizenship in Australia.” In 2015, Lingafelter left Chubb and joined QBE Insurance as managing director for Asia-Pacific. Then, in 2018, he was offered the opportunity to run Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance’s Australian business. “I spoke with Peter Eastwood, who was the global CEO, and Chris Colahan, who was leading their business in Europe,” Lingafelter says. “They spoke about their long-term focus and the fact that, in their view, winning isn’t normal in their industry and the importance of bringing a very disci-

BHSI BY THE NUMBERS

and the COVID-19 pandemic. Lingafelter believes BHSI’s culture, business philosophy and high priority on values – taught from day one at the Connecticut gatherings – have been essential in guiding the company through this difficult period. “So many companies hang the value statement on the wall,” he says. “What is rare is there is an extraordinary commitment to challenging our team to keep things simple [and] make sure we are engaging and checking ourselves in terms of how we are actually showing up. Are we actually behaving in a way that is consistent with the value statement for our company? Are we demonstrating respect? Are we operating with integrity? How effectively are we collaborating with our team? There is a commitment to excellence that runs through the company that does make me feel fortunate to have joined Berkshire Hathaway.”

14 Countries where BHSI operates

31 Offices around the world

6 Offices in Australia and New Zealand

1,026 Number of employees globally

134 Number of employees in Australia and New Zealand

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22/01/2021 6:46:26 am

UPFRONT

OPINION

GOT AN OPINION THAT COUNTS? Email ibo@keymedia.com.au

Get smart on cybersecurity Cyber threats are on the rise, and businesses need to act now to be prepared for the inevitable, writes Adrian Kitchin of Resilium Insurance Broking THERE’S A very good reason why cybersecurity has been identified as the number-one global business risk by Allianz. Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly frequent – June 2020 alone saw a 120% rise in cybercrime. According to the Annual Cyber Threat Report published in November 2020 by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), a cybercrime is now reported every 10 minutes in Australia. The continuous cyber warfare being conducted by cybercriminals around the globe costs the Australian economy billions of dollars a year, and the disruptive cyberattacks on business and government in June 2020 were so devastating that they prompted Prime Minister Scott Morrison to formulate a Cyber Security Strategy to deal with the issue. Whether it’s phishing, ransomware or denial-of-use cyberattacks, cyber incidents have the ability to bring a business to its knees. The $8.7m cyberattack on Sydney hedge fund Levitas Capital forced its owners to close the doors in September 2020. The attack was part of a coordinated strike on the funds management industry. Commander Chris Goldsmid, who heads the AFP’s cybercrime unit, said $174m had been stolen from Australian businesses since July last year through email scams. Given the surge in cyberattacks around Australia in the last 12 months, more and more businesses are realising the devastating impact a cyber incident can have on their operations. We’ve seen a significant increase

in cyber insurance policies being processed by Resilium, and that’s because many people are starting to realise that with cybercrime on the rise, it’s got to the point that it’s no longer a case of if a cyberattack might happen, but more a case of when. Unfortunately, some business owners only realise the value of cybersecurity once it’s too late – once their business has been

tion for portable devices like laptops, iPhones and iPads. Practise safe web browsing – don’t click on things just because they look legitimate. Always check the URL and whether it’s from a trusted sender.

Email security is vital. Do not use your personal email for work purposes, never open attachments on unfamiliar emails, don’t click on any suspicious links within emails, and evaluate the email itself to determine whether the links look strange or there are spelling/grammatical errors.

Avoid common passwords that include seasons, city names, pet names and family names. Consider using full sentence passphrases with numbers or symbols (i.e. WelcomeToSharePoint2018!).

Lock up important business materials. Don’t leave papers, computers or other

“Whether it’s phishing, ransomware or denialof-use cyberattacks, cyber incidents have the ability to bring a business to its knees” held to virtual ransom and experienced the disruption of ensuing revenue loss, lost customers, brand damage, the loss of critical data and ongoing operating costs that still need to be paid. Businesses can no longer afford to be complacent about their cyber safety and should consider seeking comprehensive cyber safety solutions from a reputable IT provider to put in place some protection before it’s too late. Many businesses are also including cyber insurance as an integral part of their business risk profile. The following are seven key steps your clients can take to help safeguard their business from a cyberattack.

Consider using extra security measures like multi-factor ID authentica-

electronic devices visible in an empty car or house. Shred sensitive paper records before disposing of them. Cybercriminals aren’t just operating behind a computer screen and will go through bins to find personal data.

Talk to your adviser about your risk profile and how you can be protected by cyber insurance.

Adrian Kitchin is the managing director and CEO of Resilium Insurance Broking and has played a pivotal role in Resilium becoming the largest independent insurance broking operation in Australia.

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SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST

HOT LIST 2021

These 50 men and women overcame the challenges of 2020 to propel Australia’s insurance industry toward a better future IN 2020, best-laid plans went awry as the COVID-19 pandemic took centre stage. True to form, many in the Australian insurance industry buckled down and used the unprecedented circumstances to further their own development and provide support to clients who were struggling. Insurance Business’ 2021 Hot List highlights 50 key figures who have been highly influential over the past 12 months – and who look set for even bigger things in 2021.

From award-winning young upstarts and industry disruptors through to established veterans who remain at the top of their game, the 50 men and women featured on the following pages are all doing their part to push Australia’s insurance sector forward after the enormous challenges of 2020. Many of this year’s Hot List members highlighted how the advancements in technology and workplace culture discovered in 2020 will be key to the success of a more agile, flexible insurance industry.

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HOT LIST 2021

HOT LIST 2021 INDEX NAME

COMPANY

PAGE

NICK DAFFY

Bailey, Gordana

Allianz Australia

Branch manager, Melbourne

Bates, Hilary

Zurich

MCLARDY MCSHANE

Carlyon, Catherine

AXA XL

Chamberlain, Peter

allinsure

Clark, Tony

NTI

Coates, Damien

DUAL

Cooper, Robert

Cooper Professional Risks

Cuzzocrea, Max

Maxton Insurance Brokers

Daffy, Nick

McLardy McShane

Day, Demetra

Chubb

Dodd, Tony

GT Insurance

Enthoven, Richard

Hollard Australia

Fagen, Colin

Blue Zebra

Fairbrother, Tim

Brooklyn Underwriting

Feldmann, Stefan

HDI Global

Filipcevic, Troy

Emergence Insurance

Fitzgerald, Nigel

AIG

French, Brad

SLE Worldwide

Gilbert, Kim

Zenith Insurance

Hansen, Dale

Austbrokers Coast to Coast

Hardy, Karen

Acme Insurance Brokers

Harris, Nick

Marsh

Hawkins, Nick

IAG

Hayward, Ross

Premium Funding

Hill, Elliot

QBE Australia Pacific

Hill, Jarrod

Chubb

Kelly, Robert

Steadfast

Legge, William

Underwriting Agencies Council

Lyons, Sarah

Gallagher

Maher, Vanessa

Liberty Specialty Markets

Mansom, Ryan

Gallagher

McLardy, Don

McLardy McShane

McShane, Mike

McLardy McShane

Mills, Rhys

Solution Underwriting

Morris, Amanda

Arma Insurance Brokers

Nilsen, Kurt

Lion Underwriting

Nye, Hamish McDonald

ProRisk

Pagano, Anthony

Vero

Richards, Caleb

Gallagher

Robson, Brad

IAG

Scutts, Joshua

Shielded Insurance Brokers

Siemsen, Brian

Claim Central Consolidated

Sim, Gary

CCM Insurance

Standfield, Shaun

Insurance Advisernet

Steffensen, Lyle

Marsh Care Solutions

Tatarka, Avi

Scott Winton Insurance Brokers

Thorp, Jesse

Adroit Insurance & Risk

Wheatley, Tony

Berkley Insurance Australia

Willsford, Prue

ANZIIF

Yates, Rita

Insurtech Australia

Nick Daffy’s star is certainly on the rise after he took out the award for Young Gun of the Year – Independent (20+ Staff) at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. Having joined McLardy McShane in June 2019, Daffy told IB that “it’s the culture at McLardy McShane that seals the deal – it’s a company that puts people before profits, that prioritises the welfare of both employees and clients over revenue.” Mentoring is a cornerstone of Daffy’s management approach, inspired by the way he was welcomed into the world of insurance. “It’s something that I want to keep going with the younger generation that’s coming through,” he says. “It’s a way of helping them to develop their own style and ensuring that we’re able to leave the industry a better place than when we first entered it.”

JARROD HILL Country president, Australia and New Zealand CHUBB

A member of the Insurance Business Global 100 list for 2021, Jarrod Hill is an industry veteran with extensive global leadership experience and a track record of success in the Asia-Pacific region. He took the helm of Chubb’s Australia and New Zealand business in early 2018 after serving as executive vice president and head of property for Chubb Overseas General. Prior to that, Hill spent six years as regional head of property & casualty for Chubb in Asia-Pacific. He joined the legacy ACE business in 1991 as a property underwriter in Australia, subsequently undertaking a number of senior underwriting and general management roles for ACE in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.

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SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST DAMIEN COATES CEO, APAC DUAL

Since establishing DUAL Australia in 2004, Damien Coates has been a key figure in Australia’s insurance industry. Over the past 17 years, he has guided DUAL to become Australia’s largest independent underwriting agency and Lloyd’s of London’s largest intermediated coverholder in Australia. Coates believes the biggest challenge facing Australian underwriters in 2021 will be profitability concerns due to the economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19. “Underwriters will need to continue investing in claims resourcing to handle the influx of claims,” he says. “There is a direct correlation between economic downturn and financial lines claims, whilst the market has seen significant increases in accident and health claims – and other products like property may be impacted in similar ways.”

HAMISH MCDONALD NYE Executive director PRORISK

JOSHUA SCUTTS

NICK HAWKINS

Principal SHIELDED INSURANCE BROKERS

Managing director and CEO IAG

Though 2020 was a difficult year for many, Joshua Scutts spent the last 12 months establishing himself as one of the rising stars of the Australian insurance industry. Just four years into his insurance career, Scutts picked up awards for both Young Gun of the Year – Independent (1–19 Staff) and Australian Young Gun of the Year at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. “At Shielded, we’ve got a fairly young team here, and like me, they’ve all got a burning desire to succeed at what they do,” Scutts told IB last year. “It’s something that we really hire on, as I like to be surrounded by these kinds of people, motivated both internally and by a common goal.”

Having been with IAG since 2001, Nick Hawkins stepped into the top job in November 2020. He comes armed with a deep understanding of both global and domestic general insurance, along with operational and financial expertise. “I am optimistic about 2021, but I do expect that we will continue to navigate challenges around the economy, COVID-19 and storm season,” Hawkins says. “Through this, we want to better meet the needs of our customers by providing products and services in ways that suit them. We want to improve customer satisfaction, strengthen our relationships with our brokers and partners, meet the changing needs of our people, and support our communities.”

Since August 2017, Hamish McDonald Nye has been at the helm of the underwriting agency ProRisk, where he’s been tasked with leading a dynamic insurance business, designing and distributing insurance products for the Australian insurance market. He’s certainly succeeded in this respect – the company was recognised as Australian Underwriting Agency of the Year at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. “We’ve recruited exceedingly well – not only is the ProRisk team made up of very talented individual underwriters and insurance professionals, but together, we share a commitment to working in a nimble, agile and transformational company,” Nye told Insurance Business in late 2020. “This alignment of culture and values has helped everyone feel part of something bigger and has undoubtedly contributed to our success.”

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HOT LIST 2021

TONY DODD CEO GT INSURANCE

After more than 25 years in the industry, Tony Dodd was appointed CEO of GT Insurance in October 2019 and assumed the role at the start of 2020. A 14-year veteran of GT, Dodd was initially hired to get the company’s Brisbane office off the ground and has since helped GT become Australia’s second largest transport insurer. Dodd prizes a collaborative, knowledge-sharing approach when it comes to working with brokers. “Insurance is part of risk prevention, reduction and management,” he told Insurance Business in an interview shortly after becoming CEO last year. “We work with brokers to provide advice around industry trends, best practice and other safety considerations. It’s a consultative approach, and that’s a culture we encourage internally as part of our service offering to our brokers.”

KURT NILSEN Managing director LION UNDERWRITING

SHAUN STANDFIELD Managing director, Australia and New Zealand INSURANCE ADVISERNET

Insurance Advisernet’s goals for 2021 are clear, according to MD Shaun Standfield: “We want to continue providing the tools and services that allow our partner advisers to give great advice and grow their own businesses.” The company’s advice-driven model paid off handsomely in 2020 – its network of advisers pulled in more than 60 new clients every working day. Looking forward, Standfield says Insurance Advisernet “will be introducing new technologies to ensure our teams have access to relevant data to enable meaningful risk conversations with existing clients, as well as with new clients who are responding to our tactical use of digital media assets”.

PRUE WILLSFORD CEO ANZIIF

The head of ANZIIF since 2013, Prue Willsford remains one of the more influential figures in the insurance industry. ANZIIF currently provides education, training and professional development opportunities to nearly 18,000 members across the APAC region. “We need to build trust in the insurance profession and demonstrate that we can deliver more than just basic compliance,” Willsford told IB in October. “Two thousand years of research shows that to be a professional, you need to be certified, committed to lifelong learning and to a code of ethics. There’s a real opportunity for the industry to build its relevance to customers by increasing its professionalism, and that’s what we’re focused on at ANZIIF.”

Originally hailing from South Africa, Kurt Nilsen moved to Australia in 2001; during his time in both countries, he has amassed 26 years of experience as an underwriter. Nilsen founded Lion Underwriting in 2015 and quickly established the company as an industry leader for hard-to-place corporate and commercial business risks. In addition to general liability, Lion specialises in property, professional lines and marine cover, along with more bespoke products like insurance for recycling plants. Nilsen also serves on the board of the Underwriting Agencies Council. Looking to the year ahead, “I think there’s going to be certain challenges around capacity,” Nilsen says. “As underwriting agencies, we are reliant on capacity that supports us, and if there are restrictions in this regard, we’re going to have to either find additional or alternative capacity or work within the constraints of what we’ve got.”

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SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST

AVI TATARKA CEO SCOTT WINTON INSURANCE BROKERS

Scott Winton Insurance Brokers racked up several deserved awards in 2020. The company won Brokerage of the Year (20+ Staff), Australian Brokerage of the Year and Best Customer Service from an Individual Office at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards, which CEO Avi Tatarka attributes to the brokerage’s dedication to customer service. “We’re focused on going above and beyond for our clients, guiding them through every step and being there for them whenever they need some assistance,” he says. A regular fixture on IB’s Elite Brokers list, Tatarka is also a member of the IB Global 100 list for 2021.

NICK HARRIS CEO, Pacific MARSH

As CEO of the Pacific region for Marsh, Nick Harris oversees all aspects of the insurer’s operations in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Prior to being named to the role in 2019, Harris served as CEO of JLT Australia and New Zealand and has held a number of senior positions in specialty, employee health and benefits, and affinity. Harris has more than two decades of experience in the insurance industry across both the UK and Australia, putting him an ideal position to lead Marsh into a challenging yet exciting 2021.

RICHARD ENTHOVEN CEO HOLLARD AUSTRALIA

The founder of Hollard Australia and co-founder of Greenstone, Richard Enthoven currently serves as CEO of Hollard and is a director and former president of the Insurance Council of Australia. During his time as ICA president, Enthoven “made it a mission to take a position on climate change because it will continue to have a profound impact on insurance and Australia in general”. “There are significant opportunities for growing our economy while dealing with climate change,” Enthoven told IB last year. “This can only be achieved, however, by developing an infrastructure-led economy that allows for resilience during natural disasters and other climate events to be built into Australian communities.” Outside the insurance industry, Enthoven serves on the advisory board of Head Over Heels, a not-for-profit organisation that supports women-owned businesses.

RITA YATES CEO INSURTECH AUSTRALIA

Since May 2019, Rita Yates has been at the helm of Insurtech Australia, an organisation that will only become more important as the digitisation of insurance continues apace. According to an August 2020 report from EY and Insurtech Australia, 70% of the industry believes insurtechs will play a “major role” in helping incumbent insurers become more digital. “The importance of technology and digital functionalities has never been as great as it is in our current environment,” Yates says. “There are myriad opportunities available for innovative brokers to explore how working with insurtechs can assist their digital transformation process, ranging from automation and improving efficiencies of back-end processes, creation of self-service options, digital tools to increase customer base and offer valueadded propositions, or simply a better experience for their customers.”

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HOT LIST 2021

TONY WHEATLEY CEO BERKLEY INSURANCE AUSTRALIA

Under Tony Wheatley’s guidance, Berkley Insurance Australia has established itself as a reliable and trustworthy partner for brokers – the company picked up seven medals in IB’s 2020 Brokers on Insurers survey, including a gold for premium stability and a silver for overall service level. Wheatley predicts that in 2021, we will “continue to see a lot of uncertainty around the economy and the impact on our insured customers as government support and incentives are wound back. Insurers will continue to adjust their portfolios for the current investment environment and increasing reinsurance costs to reinstate profit margins. Implementation of a raft of regulatory changes will be high on the industry’s radar, and we are likely to start seeing customer service and responsiveness become even more important.”

VANESSA MAHER Senior vice president of claims LIBERTY SPECIALTY MARKETS

ROBERT KELLY Managing director and CEO STEADFAST

Since co-founding Steadfast in 1996 with just 43 brokers, Robert Kelly has guided the company to become the largest insurance broker network and underwriting group in Australia. Kelly is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the industry and was awarded NIBA’s Lex McKeown Trophy in 2016 for his contributions to insurance broking. Outside of his work at Steadfast, Kelly is a supporter of numerous charitable causes. In November 2020, he raised $117,865 for the Children’s Cancer Institute by taking an ice bath in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens as part of the CEO Dare to Cure event. He also participated in the 2020 Vinnies CEO Sleepout, helping to raise a record $5.7m to provide food and accommodation to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

NIGEL FITZGERALD CEO, Australia AIG

Nigel Fitzgerald joined multinational insurer AIG as CEO of its Australian arm in December 2019 with 20 years of experience in the insurance industry and a proven track record of building sustainable, profitable businesses. Looking to the year ahead, “I believe our industry has a great opportunity to provide a more differentiated service and experience by enhancing our approach to customer and broker relationship management,” Fitzgerald says. “Sustainable success can only be achieved if an organisation is backed by a robust and engaging employee culture.”

As the leader of the claims function at Liberty Specialty Markets, Vanessa Maher has ensured that “claims has an equal seat at the table” when decisions are being made at the company. She is a long-term advocate for the claims team’s ability to add value throughout the entire duration of a policy, not just at the point of claim. In 2020, Maher was named to IB’s Elite Women list. For Maher, each client relationship is unique and demands personalised attention. “In my experience, flexible claim offerings are preferential for clients with more sophisticated in-house systems,” she says. “On the other hand, certain clients can benefit more from being led throughout the entire process. Regardless, it’s important to remember that a key element of insurance is stepping up and paying claims when necessary and giving clients that peace of mind.”

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SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST ANTHONY PAGANO Head of commercial intermediaries VERO

WILLIAM LEGGE General manager UNDERWRITING AGENCIES COUNCIL

Anthony Pagano has served as head of commercial intermediaries at Vero since September 2015 – six months after joining the company as state sales manager for NSW/ ACT. Under Pagano’s leadership, Vero claimed Insurer of the Year in the 2020 Insurance Business Brokers on Insurers survey, a significant step up from its fourth-place finish the previous year. “We know the full economic implications of COVID-19 are yet to be seen, and Vero is absolutely committed to working closely with our customers and broker partners to navigate the changing market conditions,” Pagano says. “At the same time, we’re continuing to enhance our online capabilities, building new tools and services, and offering education programs to help our broker partners adapt and evolve their own businesses.”

As general manager of the Underwriting Agencies Council, William Legge has used his position to advance the interests of the Australian underwriting industry. UAC has more than 100 member agencies, which are responsible for a combined $3.5bn worth of annual premiums. Though the COVID-19 pandemic forced UAC to hold most of its 2020 events virtually due to social distancing restrictions, the organisation managed to successfully host in-person underwriting expos in Brisbane and Sydney towards the end of the year. “We’ve already booked all of our expos for 2021 and have a full program planned,” Legge told IB at the end of 2020. “I think we’re moving in a very positive direction.”

DON MCLARDY CEO MCLARDY MCSHANE

Having started his insurance career with OAMPS back in 1979, Don McLardy now has more than four decades of industry experience under his belt. His interests aren’t limited to insurance, however – McLardy joined the Melbourne Football Club board in 2008 and held the position of president from 2012 to 2013. “The amazing growth of the McLardy McShane Group is something that we’re very proud of, and we continue to attract quality insurance professionals,” McLardy says. “Our challenge at McLardy McShane is to maintain our great culture and community spirit we’ve already built as we grow.”

KAREN HARDY Director ACME INSURANCE BROKERS

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for Karen Hardy, the head of Acme Insurance Brokers remains positive about her company’s prospects for 2021. “The big picture may appear bleak, but I believe, individually, we can take positive steps to protect our nearest and dearest,” Hardy says. “I see real opportunity to assist my community and clients to navigate and survive our changing economic and climatic conditions.” Hardy entered the insurance industry in 1996 after a failed attempt at banana labouring – a blessing in disguise on many counts, she says. Her commitment to her clients has netted her several industry accolades, including seven consecutive appearances on IB’s Elite Brokers list and a spot on IB’s Elite Women in Insurance list in 2020.

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HOT LIST 2021

SARAH LYONS Chief executive, Australia GALLAGHER

Making her third consecutive appearance on IB’s Hot List, Sarah Lyons has guided Gallagher Australia since assuming the role of CEO in 2018. A member of the IB Global 100 list for 2021, Lyons says she was initially attracted to insurance by the fast-paced, constantly changing environment where smart people and great ideas come together. “As Australia looks to a 2021 recovery from the pandemic and the associated economic downturn, insurers have a key role to play,” she says. “Australian businesses will look to the insurance industry for claims service, capacity and coverage so they can face the year with confidence. A strong focus on clients in this environment should lead to opportunities and success.”

TIM FAIRBROTHER Director BROOKLYN UNDERWRITING

AMANDA MORRIS Managing director ARMA INSURANCE BROKERS

Amanda Morris has had a meteoric rise since founding Arma Insurance Brokers in 2008 with no experience writing insurance policies and not a single client on her books. Fast-forward to 2021, and the Hunter Valley brokerage now has a client base of more than 4,000, serviced by a dedicated nine-person-strong team. As a self-made woman with considerable drive and determination, Morris’ passion lies in business coaching, particularly for newcomers to insurance broking. “Through business coaching, I’m able to instruct brokers on best practices and provide them with courses to improve their insurance knowledge,” she says. “It’s a way of ensuring that they’re set up to succeed, and it’s something that I get great satisfaction from.”

A former professional rugby union player, Tim Fairbrother initially joined Brooklyn Underwriting in 2013 in a sales management role that involved developing the agency’s broker network. In the years since, Fairbrother has risen through the ranks at Brooklyn, leading a specialist underwriting team with considerable experience in SME financial lines, general liability and property. “I joined during a very soft market, where there was a lot of capacity floating around and an increase in underwriting agencies, coverholders and brokerdelegated authority,” he says. “Now that we’re in a hard market, the performance of certain product lines, such as financial lines and property, has seen insurers become more selective about the type of risks they want on their books.”

BRAD FRENCH Managing director SLE WORLDWIDE

An industry veteran of more than 25 years, Brad French was honoured as a member of Insurance Business’ Global 100 list for 2021. For French, the ability to provide current, relevant and tangible data is what helps separate his underwriting agency – which specialises in sports, leisure and entertainment – from the rest. “There’s more technology than ever used these days to track and analyse data, but it’s no good if it’s outdated,” French says. “Unless it’s effectively real-time data, insurance data becomes old the moment you look at it. This is why we’ve invested in insurtech solutions that allow us to provide clients with things like injury statistics in real time and, overall, improve the accuracy of their risk selection.”

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SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST ROSS HAYWARD CEO PREMIUM FUNDING

Ross Hayward leads one of Australia’s largest independently owned premium funding companies, which writes loans for more than 45,000 businesses each year through a network of more than 1,000 brokers. Hayward worked as an accountant at Ernst & Young before joining the family business in 2004 – he intended merely to help his father raise some debt to expand Premium Funding, but he ended up staying long-term. While leading Premium Funding, Hayward has also served as a director for various companies, including eSentry Underwriting, Montserrat Hospitals and Norbit App. In 2012, he co-founded 50-50 Foundation, which provides cost-efficient fundraising solutions to charities. A three-time member of the IB Hot List, Hayward is also a member of the IB Global 100 list for 2021.

GORDANA BAILEY Business development manager ALLIANZ AUSTRALIA

Having worked as a BDM at Allianz Australia since 2017, Gordana Bailey views “clear two-way communication” as something that’s often a missing link for brokers and their clients. “At the end of the day, brokers are selling products to customers, and so they have to make sure the product meets the customer’s needs,” she says. “But once they’re satisfied that this has been achieved, they need to sell the product and the opportunity it presents to the client – and that’s where the BDM can really help out.” Bailey’s dedication to building strong client relationships is part of the reason she was named General Insurer BDM of the Year at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. “We all put a lot of work and effort into our jobs, particularly given the challenges our industry has faced over the past year,” she says, “so it is sincerely lovely to be recognised among such a high calibre of industry peers.”

CALEB RICHARDS Branch manager, Wagga Wagga GALLAGHER

As Gallagher’s Wagga Wagga branch manager, Caleb Richards has plenty of farming and agricultural clients based in rural NSW centres, but his impressive work ethic has led Richards to pick up clients in cities as far away as Adelaide and Sydney. He also took home the trophy for Young Gun of the Year – International at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards, an achievement that struck him as “a bit surreal”. “We’ve got a really good team here in Wagga Wagga, and any individual success I attribute to them,” he says. “We’ve got some long-term staff members who, in true Gallagher style, have been given the space to operate in their own way and bring their own learning and ambitions.”

KIM GILBERT Director ZENITH INSURANCE

Having grown up in a rural community with a population of less than 100, Kim Gilbert has fostered a strong sense of helping those in need since he founded Zenith Insurance in 2001. It’s part of the reason he was recognised by NIBA as Broker of the Year for Western Australia in 2018. “There will always be someone in our community worse off than us, and therefore it’s the responsibility of those like myself who can help to do so,” Gilbert says. One such example of his philanthropy is the annual Red Sky Ride, which Gilbert co-founded after his niece passed away from cancer in 2007. The ride has raised close to $4m since its inception, along with an immeasurable amount of awareness for the support services provided by Solaris Cancer Care.

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HOT LIST 2021

MIKE MCSHANE Director MCLARDY MCSHANE

Having joined Sun Alliance immediately after leaving school, Mike McShane worked in a number of roles across the insurance industry before founding his own company, McShane Business Services, in 1999. Over the next eight years, he continued to grow the business before merging with Don McLardy & Associates in 2007 to create McLardy McShane. Despite the tough times brought about by COVID-19, McLardy McShane continued to expand its footprint across Australia throughout 2020. In Western Australia, it acquired Perth-based Central Insurance Brokers, while a new joint venture with broker Charles Clark has given it a foothold in the NSW market. In total, McLardy McShane now has 21 branches and 41 corporate authorised representatives across Australia.

TROY FILIPCEVIC Managing director EMERGENCE INSURANCE

RHYS MILLS

CATHERINE CARLYON

General manager SOLUTION UNDERWRITING

Head of claims, APAC AXA XL

Solution Underwriting, the Melbournebased agency co-founded by Rhys Mills and Anita Lane, celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2020. In an interview with Insurance Business about the milestone, Mills described how “our philosophy hasn’t changed since day one ... Our point of difference, from day one, was service. That’s what we built our business around, and that is a big part of why we’re still here 10 years later.” Over the past decade, Solution has grown from its two co-founders to a staff of around 20 and has expanded its footprint to include an office in Sydney. The company provides brokers with professional indemnity, general liability, and health and accident insurance products and prides itself on delivering professional assistance across all of its product lines.

As head of claims for the APAC region at AXA XL, Catherine Carlyon believes the claims cycle in Australia will only become more challenging this year. “I expect regulations will continue to tighten – not least from royal commission recommendations around claims handling – and customer service expectations will continue to rise,” she says. “With insurers under profitability pressure following the impact of COVID-19, claims teams will likely see continuing pressure to find efficiencies in process, enhance controls and deliver on the increasing service expectations.” In addition to leading AXA XL’s claims team, Carlyon is one of the founding members of the company’s inclusion committee in Australia, a role that allows her to advocate for a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

When Troy Filipcevic left Suncorp to launch Emergence Insurance in 2014, cyber insurance wasn’t really a point of emphasis in the Australian insurance industry. Accelerated by the events of 2020, cyber has “gone from brokers sometimes struggling to understand and talk about it to now being understood as a major area of risk management for businesses,” Filipcevic says. For the third year in a row, Emergence claimed the gold medal in the cyber and information technology category in IB’s 2020 Brokers on Underwriting Agencies survey. With an eye on continued innovation, the firm recently launched a cyber insurance product designed to protect families – a first in Australia, according to Filipcevic. “The proliferation of connected and web-enabled devices in households, whether it be laptops, tablets or even fridges, is growing rapidly and has really become entrenched in everyday life,” he says. “This opens us up to more cyber risk at home, and it’s only now that brokers can access a ready-made solution for clients to transfer that risk into an insurance policy.”

www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au

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22/01/2021 8:58:36 am

SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST DALE HANSEN CEO AUSTBROKERS COAST TO COAST

In his role as CEO of Austbrokers Coast to Coast, Dale Hansen has been instrumental in the brokerage’s ongoing success. Under his leadership, the firm has claimed a string of high-profile industry accolades, including being named Brokerage of the Year (6–20 Staff) at the 2018 and 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. Hansen sees 2021 as a year of opportunity for Austbrokers Coast to Coast. “We’ve been energised by the generational possibilities that have been opened up by the admittedly difficult events of 2020,” he says. “Our clients have really responded well to us advising them on risk management, security provisions and a host of other subjects that they might traditionally go to other sources for.”

ROBERT COOPER Director

JESSE THORP Senior risk adviser/partner ADROIT INSURANCE & RISK

COOPER PROFESSIONAL RISKS

Restoring a sense of honesty and trustworthiness to the profession of insurance broking is a long-term goal that Robert Cooper is striving to accomplish through Cooper Professional Risks. “When you start your own business, you’re able to do things in your own way, which offers a great amount of freedom,” he says. “In this respect, I think there’s a great deal of importance in being an ethical kind of broker, one who acts in the client’s best interests. We need to raise the bar and improve our image – insurance brokers need to take on the role of being experts and trusted advisers to our clients, to educate them on how to manage their risks.”

Jesse Thorp’s win as Broker of the Year – Independent (20+ Staff) at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards is “a credit to the support team I have around me,” he says. Thorp sees the positive company culture at Adroit Insurance & Risk as one of the keys to its continued success in 2021. “We’re dedicated to helping our clients and the business community on the road to recovery after a year of unprecedented disruptions due to COVID-19,” he says. “Our focus will be on streamlining our processes and enhancing the customer experience. We’ll continue living and breathing the risk adviser mindset to deliver great outcomes for our clients.”

GARY SIM Principal/director CCM INSURANCE

Gary Sim founded CCM Insurance in 2010 with a mission to meet the needs of property development and construction companies with strong growth ambitions – and over the past decade, he’s done exactly that. Under Sim’s direction, CCM was named Specialist Brokerage of the Year at the Insurance Business Australia Awards in both 2019 and 2020. As director, Sim retains an overview of the insurance and risk requirements of every client CCM works with, ensuring that they have the appropriate strategies in place. A forward thinker, he also proactively seeks opportunities to speak to new tertiary graduates to generate awareness and interest in the insurance industry, while also providing work experience opportunities.

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HOT LIST 2021

RYAN MANSOM Head of national energy practice; head of corporate and commercial, WA GALLAGHER

With nearly two decades of experience in the energy insurance industry under his belt, Ryan Mansom has a thorough understanding of the risks facing the sector in Australia. “Finding clean ways to produce energy is clearly a point of emphasis in the industry as technological advancements continue and allow this to become easier,” says Mansom, who was named Broker of the Year – Specialist at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. “Decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure is also something that is going to be a big thing moving forward, and I think there’s likely to be a lot of activity in the merger and acquisitions space as well, with certain larger companies starting to see less value in older projects and developments and resultantly offloading them to smaller companies.”

PETER CHAMBERLAIN Director ALLINSURE

MAX CUZZOCREA Managing director MAXTON INSURANCE BROKERS

The co-founder of Adelaide-based Maxton Insurance Brokers, Max Cuzzocrea has grown the business over the years, establishing a small but close-knit team of insurance professionals that now includes both of his sons. Cuzzocrea’s emphasis on meeting the needs of each client with diligence and honesty hasn’t gone unnoticed – he picked up the coveted Australian Broker of the Year Award at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. “For me, the best brokers are those who are seen by their clients as a trusted adviser,” Cuzzocrea says. “They stay in touch with their clients not just at renewal time, but throughout the year to ensure that they’re up to date with any changes in their business model and needs. The best brokers are always there when the client needs you the most.”

The winner of Broker of the Year – Authorised Representative at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards, Peter Chamberlain’s desire to help others, both in his role as a broker and outside the industry, was crystallised by the loss of a close friend to suicide in 2015. In addition to running allinsure, Chamberlain is a co-founder of the Chamberlain Foundation, which helps to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention and mental health. “There is not really a hard cap on the amount of money we make, but there is a hard cap on the amount of time we have got,” Chamberlain told IB in 2017. “There is no reason at all why every person in the insurance industry cannot donate some of their time. And that would make an enormous difference to the community that we live in.”

BRAD ROBSON Executive manager, broker and agency IAG

Since joining IAG as national manager for underwriting agencies in 2014, Brad Robson has helped the largest general insurance group in Australia redefine its approach. He assumed his current role of executive manager of broker and agency in October 2019. “In 2021, there will be tremendous opportunities to use technology and data to improve client risk profiles to enhance the depth and breadth of advice provided to clients,” Robson says. “Changes to client demographics, technology, economic and environmental factors are creating greater complexity. There is an opportunity for brokers to help clients foresee these emerging risks, while also looking at how you can build out specialist capability in your teams to best serve your customer segments.”

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SPECIAL REPORT

HOT LIST

HILARY BATES Chief claims and operations officer, general insurance ZURICH

ELLIOT HILL General manager, sales and relationship management QBE AUSTRALIA PACIFIC

After stints at several insurance companies, including AIG and RSA, Elliot Hill joined QBE Australia Pacific as GM of sales and relationship management in August 2019. Under Hill’s leadership, QBE has focused on adapting alongside and communicating with clients and broker partners, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In 2021, the key to optimising client relationships will be through building trust and loyalty, and employees are a big driver for building loyalty with customers,” Hill says. “If you have a great culture and your employees enjoy working for your business, customers will recognise it. I think Simon Sinek said it best when he stated, ‘Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.’”

At Zurich, Hilary Bates leads a team dedicated to delivering operational excellence and outstanding customer service. Bates has held a variety of senior claims management roles with a track record of delivering on customer, people, financial and transformation objectives – and in June, she’ll have a new role at Zurich to sink her teeth into. “[This] year is an exciting one for me professionally as I transition from my role as chief claims and operations officer in general insurance [GI] to chief operations officer in life and investments [L&I], with responsibility for L&I claims, underwriting, customer service, transformation, OnePath integration and IT,” Bates says. “I’ve loved my experience leading the GI claims and operations team at Zurich but am looking forward to joining the L&I team, bringing my experience and skill set to the role, taking on new opportunities, and developing my expertise in new areas.”

COLIN FAGEN Managing director BLUE ZEBRA

Prior to founding insurtech startup Blue Zebra in 2017, Colin Fagen held several global C-suite roles at QBE, including group chief operations officer, group chief strategy officer and CEO of QBE Australia and New Zealand. In 2020, Blue Zebra continued to flourish despite the difficult circumstances, teaming up with Point Insurance to launch a new personal accident brand, Blue Point Insurance. Blue Zebra also rolled out a commercial motor offering in November and aims to keep growing in the year ahead, according to Fagen. “We’ll continue to expand our commercial product range in 2021,” he says. “In addition, there has been extensive calibration work undertaken on our personal lines portfolio, which is in excellent shape for continued structured growth to assist brokers’ penetration.”

TONY CLARK CEO NTI

The CEO of transport and logistics insurer NTI since 2007, Tony Clark has been a highly effective leader during an era of rapid transformation. In 2020, NTI prioritised its clients’ wellbeing with its backing of the mental health initiative Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds. “We know being a transport operator is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country – both physically and mentally,” Clark said when announcing the partnership. “NTI has a long history of providing 24/7 access to mental health and wellbeing services to customers. For an industry to thrive, we need to engage and take care of its greatest asset – its people.”

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HOT LIST 2021

BRIAN SIEMSEN Managing director and CEO CLAIM CENTRAL CONSOLIDATED

Since becoming managing director and CEO of Claim Central Consolidated (CCC) in 2002, Brian Siemsen has strived to set a new standard for claims management, one that couples the intelligent use of insurance technology and digital supply chain solutions with exceptionally talented people. This technological focus paid dividends for CCC in 2020. “We very quickly saw a huge uptake of our Virtual Inspections as a Service offering among insurance carriers, brokers and other stakeholders in the market,” Siemsen says. “I suspect that we won’t be going back to having predominantly physical site inspections, and so when we look at the willingness of policyholders and insurers to integrate virtual tools and even some of the real-time self-service opportunities that CCC offers, it becomes quite an exciting time to be at the forefront of such a trend.”

STEFAN FELDMANN Managing director, Australia HDI GLOBAL

LYLE STEFFENSEN Practices leader, Pacific MARSH CARE SOLUTIONS

Lyle Steffensen brings nearly 25 years of experience in insurance and risk management to her role as Pacific practices leader of Marsh Care Solutions, which specialises in worship, education and care clients. This is Steffensen’s second consecutive appearance on IB’s Hot List, and she’s also a member of the IB Global 100 list for 2021. Steffensen grew up in South Africa during the apartheid era before coming to Australia at age 15. She is passionate about combating casual racism and unconscious bias in the workplace, telling IB in an interview last year that she has “spent a lot of time researching casual racism, and it’s something that in Australia, if we’re going to work on inclusivity and diversity, we need to work on, because that is particular to our community and culture”.

Since restarting the HDI Global brand upon joining the group in 2010, Stefan Feldmann has emphasised the importance of being close to the industry’s stakeholders – particularly during events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the HDI Global SE Australia team is best when we are close to our clients and brokers,” he told Insurance Business in October. Ever the optimist, Feldmann is encouraged by how Australasian businesses have responded to the changing situation brought about by the pandemic. “I strongly believe our economies have a realistic opportunity to emerge stronger from this pandemic,” he said. “On the other hand, we are very much aware that there are long-term effects and that we also have customers who are facing financial challenges, particularly cash flow challenges.”

DEMETRA DAY Head of major accounts CHUBB

Demetra Day oversees Chubb’s major accounts division, which the insurer created for Australia and New Zealand in 2018 to ensure that large multinational businesses continued to receive the same level of service they had come to expect. Day was named the division’s first head and is responsible for managing major accounts underwriting teams, global client executives, claims client relationship managers and risk engineers. In addition to being a two-time member of IB’s Hot List, Day was also named to IB’s Elite Women in Insurance list in 2019.

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FEATURES

SECTOR FOCUS: MOTOR INSURANCE

The road ahead After the upheaval of 2020, the Australian motor insurance landscape looks set to continue changing. Insurance Business spoke to two experts in the field to get their insight on current trends FOR MANY in the motor insurance space, 2020 was the year in which working from home became the norm. For their clients, however, this certainly wasn’t the case. “Overall, road usage decreased since a

majority of Australians stayed at home,” says Tony Dodd, CEO of GT Insurance. “Road freight transport during the pandemic, on the other hand, was relatively unaffected last year from a workload point of view.”

Dodd sees 2021 as a year in which “increased use of our roads will present diverse business opportunities. Government infrastructure will ensure that the roads are kept busy, while the return of tourism will see demand grow in these areas.” For Nick Dendrinos, head of the motor portfolio at NTI, one of the unexpected effects of COVID-19 was on vehicle ownership. “We’ve found that since some people don’t necessarily want to catch public transport, car ownership has increased in Australia, even as road use has decreased,” he says. “As SMEs continue to diversify their businesses and offer goods and services online, we’re also seeing an increased number of lighter rigid trucks in urban and suburban areas. It’s been largely driven by a switch to online shopping and parcel delivery – people are wanting to stay home, while SMEs and larger retailers are looking for ways to keep their own businesses sustainable.”

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The evolution of rideshare insurance Though it’s only been around for a few years at this point, rideshare insurance is becoming an essential product in today’s on-demand economy. The dip in rideshare usage in 2020 is unlikely to be a consistent trend, and as companies such as Uber and DiDi diversify their portfolio of services, more drivers will need to be protected. “The [sharing] economy is a growing industry,” Dodd says. “It has evolved significantly over the past decade to become a trusted industry with Australian consumers, and this evolution has presented many unique business arrangements as asset owners look to leverage the use of their assets.” Among its products and services, GT Insurance offers a form of rideshare insurance specifically designed to cover the needs of drivers. Dodd believes this makes the company “well suited to continue to support the rideshare segment by taking the initiative in our approach and staying adaptable in a versatile industry”. Looking forward, the addition of food and parcel delivery services to the gig economy is something NTI sees as an area of growth, Dendrinos says. “Something like Amazon Flex, which allows people to use their own vehicles to pick up and deliver Amazon packages, is definitely a point of focus for NTI,” he says. “It’s effectively a type of rideshare service for transport and logistics, and it could be disruptive to the industry, particularly in the light parcel space. From an insurance standpoint, we need to think about how we can craft a product to cater for these types of emerging, non-traditional risks.”

Combating driver fatigue It’s no secret that best practice in motor insurance requires staying up to date with technological developments, particularly if they have the potential to improve driver safety and reduce claims frequency. One way

in which NTI has stayed abreast of these advancements is through its partnership with Seeing Machines, whose Guardian technology offers a fleet solution “that detects fatigue and distraction-related driver events in real time,” Dendrinos says. The driver monitoring system utilises artificial intelligence to analyse a driver’s head, face and eyes to improve transport safety – though

in the road freight transport industry,” he says. “By providing real-time alerts to the driver and the base, these types of technology allow for real-time decisions to be made in the best interests of safety. This technology can be of great assistance to a variety of industries, including bus and coach, taxi, and commercial motor. GT Insurance provides additional policy benefits for policyholders

“From an insurance standpoint, we need to think about how we can craft a product to cater for emerging, non-traditional risks” Nick Dendrinos, NTI Dendrinos cautions against thinking of it as a panacea. “Companies that have utilised this technology shouldn’t consider it to be a silver bullet,” he says. “But if they’ve employed it alongside a really good safety and risk management program, those two things together can absolutely work to reduce the rate of fatigue-related events.” For Dodd, the rapid pace at which automated and intuitive driving technologies are progressing is a development that GT Insurance welcomes through its customercentric approach. “Distraction and fatigue, along with incorrect speed, are the major causes of incidents

that have facial recognition technology installed in their vehicles.” Dendrinos concurs with Dodd on the benefits of these driver-assisting technologies. “For heavy and even light vehicles, it could become a standard part of the equipment as we move forward,” he says. “Though truck driving is essential to keeping many parts of the Australian economy moving, it can be a dangerous industry at certain times. Making sure that your fleet’s drivers feel safe is of paramount importance.”

A changing climate Though the integration of technological innovations is helping motor insurers lower

ABOUT NTI With more than 45 years of experience in the insurance industry, NTI is the company you can count on to protect your transport and logistics assets. Our award-winning combination of tailored products and services, experienced people, accredited repair and recovery networks, and industry advocacy have seen us become Australia’s leading specialist insurer, recognised as a leader in our field. Yet insurance is just a piece of paper – a promise. It’s not until you really need us that you understand our point of difference. For more information, visit nti.com.au.

www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au

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FEATURES

SECTOR FOCUS: MOTOR INSURANCE

Brought to you by

ABOUT GT INSURANCE Founded in 1996 as Global Motor Underwriting Agency, GT Insurance’s founding directors wanted to use their experience and knowledge to establish an underwriting agency that could truly understand and address industry-specific brokering needs. They sought to build an underwriting agency able to provide a personal and proficient service that would result in a successful outcome for both the broker and the client. In 2006, Allianz expanded its interest in GT Insurance from being the insurer of our products to also being a major shareholder in our business. This partnership formed the beginning of a much stronger company, better able to serve the needs of the transport industry. That company is the GT Insurance that exists and continues to expand today. For more information, visit gtins.com.au.

their clients’ accident risk profiles, changes in climate and associated weather patterns are having a dramatic effect on motor insurance premiums. Both Dodd and Dendrinos

events, and the damage that they cause, will put pressure on the sustainability of the premium pool. This will see some increase across the board in the catastrophe allow-

“The increased frequency of [extreme weather] events, and the damage that they cause, will put pressure on the sustainability of the premium pool” Tony Dodd, GT Insurance agree that weather events such as hailstorms, floods and cyclones have caused widespread damage and affected motor insurance premiums, so brokers need to ensure their clients are properly covered to mitigate the effects of these events. “Motor insurance is highly susceptible to extreme weather events,” Dodd says. “In my opinion, the increased frequency of these

ance to ensure long-term viability.” Dendrinos points to the fact that supposed once-in-a-generation natural disasters are happening more often than ever. “We need to be thinking about these weather risks and incorporating them into our loss models to ensure that motor insurance remains a sustainable industry,” he says. Given the frequency of claims in the

motor insurance sector, Dodd says brokers should look for an insurer that, above all else, provides products that can help minimise their clients’ risk. “We recognise insurance brokers as our customers, and part of this process is to ensure we provide flexibility with regard to policy and claims processes,” he says. “We need to be trustworthy and fair in all our dealings and should be offering access to staff who are responsive and knowledgeable. Of course, providing value for money is an important part of the conversation – you don’t need to be the cheapest, but you should be offering a great product at a reasonable price.” NTI’s value proposition to brokers and their clients is centred on its specialist nature, according to Dendrinos. “We’re all about moving the Australian industry towards a safer, more sustainable future,” he says. “We’re specialists in the field – transport, logistics, and mobile plant and equipment insurance are all part of our DNA.”

www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au

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#1 in claims management Our Premium Repairers get trucks back on the road 9 days faster.

#1 Wording in Market #1 Fleet on Sunrise

partner.nti.com.au Insurance products are provided by National Transport Insurance, a joint venture of the insurers Insurance Australia Limited trading as CGU Insurance ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 and AAI Limited trading as Vero Insurance ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL 230859 each holding a 50% share. National Transport Insurance is administered on behalf of the insurers by its manager NTI Limited ABN 84 000 746 109 AFSL 237246. Our Premium Repairers get trucks back on the road 9 days faster based on Independent Audit conducted in 2020.

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19/1/21 9:58 am 22/01/2021 6:48:54 am

12 MAY 2021 | ONLINE Insurance Business Tech Fest is the leading virtual technology event for the insurance industry, offering insurtech and claimstech solutions for a new world – returning for 2021 to tackle the challenges facing you in an unprecedented new era. Join us from wherever you are for: • • • • •

Two exciting content streams – ClaimsTech and InsurTech A packed program of panel discussions, case studies and presentations on the trending topics you can’t afford to ignore Leading experts from throughout the industry LIVE on our virtual stage Real-time networking with speakers and peers, wherever you are Live booths featuring the latest tech innovations “The latest insurtech and claimstech innovations matter now more than ever – which makes IB TechFest an unmissable event to put in the diary.” Colin Fagen, Managing Director, Blue Zebra Insurance

“Streamlining processes, improving your customer experience and the latest AI innovations are hot topics right now – and it’s the perfect time to put them in the spotlight at IB TechFest.” Naby Mariyam, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, CoverHero

For Sponsorship Opportunities:

For Speaking Opportunities:

PETER SMITH

JANINA SARMIENTO

General Manager, Sales APAC peter.smith@keymedia.com T +61 2 8437 4740 Ext. 740

Event Producer janina.sarmiento@keymedia.com T +61 2 8011 3479

#IBTechFest facebook.com/InsuranceBusinessAU

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COMMEMORATIVE GUIDE

EVENT PARTNER

AWARD SPONSORS

CHARITY SPONSOR

SUPPORTING PUBLICATION

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

ibawards.com.au

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9 am

EVENT PARTNER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTER OF WELCOME

BROKERAGE AWARDS Brokerage of the Year (20+ Staff)

MORSE BUILDING CONSULTANCY was honoured to be the event partner for the

Brokerage of the Year (6-20 Staff)

2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards and to recognise the outstanding achievements of all those within the insurance industry. With 140 companies and individuals selected as finalists across 28 categories, we were delighted to see so many willing to put themselves forward to be recognised for the hard work they do. We have been working alongside the insurance industry for the past 15 years, providing detailed reports and scope of works, and we have had the pleasure to support many great businesses throughout the years, some of whom were represented as finalists and winners this year. The insurance industry has been subjected to significant challenges over the last few years, and we understand the amount of effort each organisation and individual puts into the work they do, most of which occurs behind the scenes and at all hours of the day and night. As a leading building and engineering consultancy service provider, Morse Building Consultancy specialises in investigating, determining damage, and providing in-depth reports and scope of works that the insurance industry can rely on. We have a network of professional, qualified, licensed builders and registered engineers who provide impartial, independent, in-depth expert reports and scope of works for all insurance needs in QLD, NSW, ACT, SA, TAS and the NT. These awards provide an opportunity to recognise the hard work and the commitment to clients many businesses and individuals within the insurance and brokerage industry have. Morse Building Consultancy was honoured to be involved and would like to congratulate the finalists and winners. We look forward to working with all of you in the future.

Brokerage of the Year (1-5 Staff)

Specialist Brokerage of the Year

Authorised Representative Network of the Year

Best Community Engagement Program – Broker

Best Customer Service from an Individual Office

Best Digital Strategy – Brokerage

BROKER AWARDS Young Gun of the Year – Independent (1-19 Staff)

Young Gun of the Year – Independent (20+ Staff)

Young Gun of the Year – International

Broker of the Year – Specialist

Broker of the Year – Independent (1-19 Staff)

Broker of the Year – Independent (20+ Staff)

Broker of the Year – Authorised Representative

INSURER AWARDS

ANDREW MORSE Managing director and principal building consultant Morse Building Consultancy

Underwriting Agency BDM of the Year

General Insurer BDM of the Year

Australian General Insurer of the Year

Australian Underwriting Agency of the Year

General Insurer Claims Team of the Year

Underwriting Agency Claims Team of the Year

Best Digital Strategy – General Insurer

Best Digital Strategy – Underwriting Agency

Best Service Provider

Best Community Engagement Program – Insurer

NATIONAL AWARDS Australian Broker of the Year

Australian Brokerage of the Year

Australian Young Gun of the Year

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INSURANCE BUSINESS AUSTRALIA AWARDS 2020:

WINNERS’ CIRCLE

Live-streamed straight to homes across the country, the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards were a key demonstration of industry solidarity in the face of adversity

IT’S NOT UNCOMMON to hear the phrase ‘plagued with difficulties’ bandied about in a casual fashion, but it took on uncomfortably literal implications in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world and businesses found themselves in the unenviable position of pivoting to accommodate the new normal. The insurance industry, of course, was not immune from the effects of COVID-19. Insurance Business was on the front lines,

reporting on developments within the Australian industry and working to gather insights around both the current situation and the likely future as both the pandemic and the months dragged on. In many ways, the year’s trials brought a new significance to the Insurance Business Australia Awards. It would be easy to take a doom-and-gloom approach to the events of 2020, but amidst the challenges, it’s critical to celebrate the wins as they come along. People within the insurance industry are achieving remarkable things, irrespective of – and sometimes because of – this global crisis. For the first time ever, the winners of the Insurance Business

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EVENT PARTNER

METHODOLOGY PROCESS • Insurance Business issued an open call for nominations to the magazine’s readership of 8,500 insurance professionals • Prospective nominees sent in their submissions online; IB received more than 200 nominations • After a lengthy vetting process, the shortlisted candidates were invited to send additional information to be considered by the judges

Australia Awards were announced live over the web, rather than at an in-person event. Looking ahead, there’s no question that it would be great to have everyone back in the same room in 2021 – and things look to be on track for that at time of writing – but this event was unquestionably a remarkable display of industry solidarity. Brokers and insurers across Australia should be commended for their resilience in the face of incredible trials. For many, the most immediate challenge was to find a way to ensure that staff were working in a safe environment. In practical terms, this tended to mean engaging with a newly remote workforce, which brought its own set of unique challenges. Yet 2020 also brought the opportunity for reflection. The drastic reorganisation of work environments led to considerable discussion about best practices within the industry. Is the current model suitable, or are there changes that can be made in the face of the evolving way we work and live?

It’s fair to say that there are both positive innovations and room for improvement at play in the modern insurance marketplace. But as this year’s award winners demonstrate, many businesses have already taken key lessons to heart.

A human face on insurance A recurrent theme among this year’s finalists and winners was the desire to demystify the insurance industry to outsiders. Insurance can appear arcane and obtuse for those who aren’t familiar with its inner workings, but there’s a new generation of insurers and brokers rising up to help better engage the general public. This year’s award winners are reflective of the importance of such an approach. Central to this mission is an effective claims process – after all, being in insurance means being in the business of paying claims. Providing easy access to customers who are looking to lodge a claim is an essential area of investment for any business

People within the insurance industry are achieving remarkable things, irrespective of – and sometimes because of – this global crisis

• Our 30 judges cast their vote to decide on the winners; each award had its own judges • Gold winners and Excellence Award recipients for each category were announced in a virtual awards ceremony in October

CATEGORIES The Insurance Business Australia Awards featured 28 individual and company categories, recognising employers, teams and leaders from small to large businesses.

KEY DATES 7 October 2019 Nominations opened 13 December 2019 Nominations closed 2 March 2020 Finalists were announced on the Insurance Business website 22 October 2020 Winners were announced in a virtual awards ceremony

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looking to operate effectively within the current environment. Embracing technology is also more critical than ever before. There are the obvious advantages of being able to streamline processes that might have been done manually in the past, but arguably more important than that is the ability to make products and services more accessible to insureds. The era of needing to wait days or weeks to secure a quote has long since passed, and modern services need to be reflective of these considerations. Loyalty was also a recurrent theme at a time when employees and customers alike have shown loyalty to businesses that might have otherwise been crushed under the weight of the pandemic. That loyalty now needs to rewarded; the best way to do so is something that’s currently being debated, and it will be fascinating to see the trends

that emerge on this front. What will be key going forward is maintaining communication across all levels of the industry – the better informed customers are, the better they can communicate their needs to brokers, who in turn can better advocate for those needs with insurers. Customers also need to be able to reach out to brokers and insurers for information as required. It’s a critical cycle within the insurance industry, and it’s one that will be capitalised on by this year’s winners and Excellence Award recipients – and those of the future, too.

Forecasting the future Given the insurance industry’s reliance on data to forecast emerging risks, it’s perhaps unsurprising that some within the industry are viewing 2021 and beyond with a degree of trepidation. After all, many of the issues

Brokers and insurers across Australia should be commended for their resilience in the face of incredible trials

that arose in 2020 aren’t solely the result of the pandemic. The broader market has been hardening over a period of several years, and major overseas markets have seen a significant reduction in capacity within specific areas of coverage. These factors have been accelerated by COVID-19, but the pandemic certainly isn’t entirely responsible for them. Despite the considerable headwinds, brokers and insurers appear to be largely optimistic about the future prospects for the industry. Hardening markets are never everlasting, and the current gaps in coverage lend themselves to opportunities for existing companies to expand into new areas or for entirely new players to step up. Additionally, as Australia appears on track for economic recovery, there’s reason for optimism – companies looking to do business will need insurance to protect them from a number of exposures, after all. Key Media and Insurance Business are honoured to present the winners of the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards, highlighting the best in class in such an inspiring industry. Congratulations to this year’s finalists and winners – you are an inspiration to the entire insurance world.

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

A LOOK BACK: THE 2019 AWARD WINNERS

The QBE Insurance Award for Brokerage of the Year (20+ Staff) Adroit Insurance & Risk

Broker of the Year – Specialist Enrique Sicurella, CCM Insurance Group

General Insurer Claims Team of the Year Zurich

Brokerage of the Year (6-20 Staff) Austbrokers Coast to Coast

Broker of the Year – Independent (1-19 Staff) Bonni Gordon, Global Risks

Underwriting Agency Claims Team of the Year DUAL Australia

Highly commended: Max Cuzzocrea, Maxton Insurance Brokers

Highly commended: AHI

Broker of the Year – Independent (20+ Staff) Kim Gilbert, Zenith Insurance Services

Best Digital Strategy – General Insurer AIG

Brokerage of the Year (1-5 Staff) CPR Insurance Services Specialist Brokerage of the Year CCM Insurance Group Authorised Representative Network of the Year Marsh Advantage Insurance International Brokerage of the Year Marsh Best Community Engagement Program – Broker Insurance Advisernet Foundation Best Customer Service from an Individual Office BAC Insurance Brokers Best Digital Strategy – Brokerage SRG Group

Broker of the Year – Authorised Representative Lisa Carter, Clear Insurance Broker of the Year – International Peter Campbell, Gallagher

Best Service Provider LMI Group

The Underwriting Agencies Council Award for Underwriting Agency BDM of the Year Nathan Sommer, Ryno Insurance

Best Community Engagement Program – Insurer icare

General Insurer BDM of the Year James Lee, Allianz Australia The Blake Oliver Consulting Award for Australian General Insurer of the Year Allianz Australia

Highly commended: Trade Risk

Young Gun of the Year – Independent (1-19 Staff) Joseph Cuzzocrea, Maxton Insurance Brokers Young Gun of the Year – Independent (20+ Staff) Taela Bloemers, Regional Insurance Brokers The AXA XL Award for Young Gun of the Year – International Zoe Evans, Gallagher

Best Digital Strategy – Underwriting Agency Blue Zebra Insurance

The Underwriting Agencies Council Award for Australian Underwriting Agency of the Year Emergence Insurance

The Insurance Business Award for Australian Broker of the Year Enrique Sicurella, CCM Insurance Group The Insurance Business Award for Australian Brokerage of the Year Adroit Insurance & Risk Australian Young Gun of the Year Taela Bloemers, Regional Insurance Brokers

There’s a new generation of insurers and brokers rising up to help better engage the general public

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THE QBE INSURANCE AWARD FOR BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR (20+ STAFF)

This award recognises the best brokerage operation with more than 20 staff (or full-time equivalents) in Australia. The number of staff includes all brokers writing business (licence holders or authorised representatives) and support staff.

GOLD WINNER

Scott Winton Insurance Brokers EXCELLENCE AWARDS BAC Insurance Brokers

AWARD SPONSOR

QBE INSURANCE GROUP is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top 20 general insurance and reinsurance companies, with operations in all the key insurance markets. QBE is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and has its headquarters in Sydney. We employ more than 11,000 people in 27 countries. QBE Australia Pacific is a market leader in commercial insurance with a targeted presence in personal lines. We provide a broad range of insurance products to personal, business, corporate and institutional customers, from car and home insurance to tailored business packages and specialist cover. Contact Level 5, 2 Park Street Sydney NSW 2000

BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR (6-20 STAFF)

This award recognises the best brokerage operation with six to 20 staff (or full-time equivalents) in Australia. The number of staff includes all brokers writing business (licence holders or authorised representatives) and support staff.

GOLD WINNER

Austbrokers Coast to Coast

EXCELLENCE AWARDS allinsure

McLardy McShane Insurance Brokers

City Rural Insurance Brokers

Zenith Insurance Services

Shielded Insurance Brokers

FINALISTS

Centrewest Insurance Brokers

IMC Insurance Brokers

CRM Brokers

Insure 247

Dunk Insurance

Watkins Taylor Stone

Holdfast Insurance Brokers

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR (1-5 STAFF)

SPECIALIST BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR

This award recognises the best brokerage operation with one to five staff (or full-time equivalents) in Australia. The number of staff includes all brokers writing business (licence holders or authorised representatives) and support staff.

This award recognises the best brokerage operation that conducts more than 50% of its business in one area of specialty risk.

GOLD WINNER

CPR Insurance Services

CCM Insurance Group

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Clear Insurance

Avatar Brokers

Global Risks

BAC Insurance Brokers Work Health Options

FINALISTS

Bell Partners Insurance

AUZi Insurance

InterRe Insurance Brokers

Comsure Insurance Brokers

MKS Insurance Services

Cyber Insurance Australia

Topsail Insurance

Trade Risk

www.ibawards.com.au

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AUTHORISED REPRESENTATIVE NETWORK OF THE YEAR This award recognises the best authorised representative network in Australia.

GOLD WINNER

Insurance Advisernet Australia EXCELLENCE AWARDS Community Broker Network Marsh Advantage Insurance

FINALISTS McLardy McShane Group PSC Connect

ABOUT THE GOLD WINNER

2020

INSURANCE BUSINESS AWARDS

Insurance Advisernet Australia INSURANCE ADVISERNET was founded in 1996 with a clear and powerful aim: to provide high-quality risk management advice business owners can trust. Today, we’re one of the largest and most respected general insurance businesses in Australia and New Zealand, with an ever-growing network of more than 230 insurance advice practices across 150 locations. As part of the AUB Group (formerly Austbrokers), an ASX-listed company with more than $3.2bn in premium under influence across the AUB network, our buying power spans major insurers in Australasia, as well as access to major overseas insurers. The collective strength of the Insurance Advisernet network is our greatest asset. Every day, it allows us to deliver unrivalled confidence, choice and value for our clients and their businesses. Composed of more than 230 insurance advice practices across Australia and New Zealand, Insurance Advisernet is a principal member of the National Insurance Brokers Association and the largest member of the publicly listed AUB Group – one of the region’s leading general insurance broking groups with over 450,000 clients. This unique relationship gives us a level of financial strength, business efficiencies and buying power others simply cannot match – ensuring we always provide the most suitable coverage available at the most competitive premiums.

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

BEST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM - BROKER

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM AN INDIVIDUAL OFFICE

This award recognises a broker or brokerage based on their service or contribution to their local community. To be eligible, the nominee must be able to demonstrate a positive role in their local community over a sustained period of time.

Customer service is an important measure of any brokerageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term sustainability and success. This award recognises a brokerage office or branch that has maintained consistent and sustainable customer service standards over the past 12 months.

GOLD WINNER

allinsure

Scott Winton Insurance Brokers

EXCELLENCE AWARD

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Insurance Advisernet Foundation

allinsure Australian Elite Insurance Solutions Dixon Insurance Services

FINALISTS

CPR Insurance Services

AUZi Insurance

McLardy McShane Group

Bell Partners Insurance Granite Belt Insurance Brokers Trade Risk

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BEST DIGITAL STRATEGY – BROKERAGE

YOUNG GUN OF THE YEAR – INDEPENDENT (1-19 STAFF)

YOUNG GUN OF THE YEAR – INDEPENDENT (20+ STAFF)

This award recognises a brokerage that has harnessed digital channels to provide clients with practical, effective and easily accessible information to help them with their business.

This award recognises the best broker under age 35 working for an independent brokerage operation with less than 20 staff (or full-time equivalents). The number of staff includes all brokers writing business (licence holders and authorised representatives) and support staff.

This award recognises the best broker under age 35 working for an independent brokerage operation with 20 or more staff (or full-time equivalents). The number of staff includes all brokers writing business (licence holders and authorised representatives) and support staff.

GOLD WINNER

AUZi Insurance

Joshua Scutts

Nick Daffy

Shielded Insurance Brokers

McLardy McShane

EXCELLENCE AWARD

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

CCM Insurance Group

Joseph Cuzzocrea Maxton Insurance Brokers

Lauren Reeves Guardian Insurance Brokers

Tate Harris allinsure Aimee Williams Austbrokers Coast to Coast

Nikita Willis SRG Group

FINALISTS

Victoria Gash Lockton Companies Australia

FINALISTS Insure 247 SRG Group Trade Risk

FINALISTS

Tanushree Arora-Sopori Imperium Insurance and Financial Solutions

Matt O’Rourke LEA Insurance

Brad Dawson Dawson Insurance

Eli Tatarka Scott Winton Insurance Brokers

Roxanne Heibloem Online Sellers Insurance Natalie Maras Riverina Finance & Insurance Solutions Daniel Webber Webber Insurance

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EVENT PARTNER

THE AXA XL AWARD FOR YOUNG GUN OF THE YEAR – INTERNATIONAL

This award recognises the best broker under age 35 working for an international brokerage with at least one office outside of Australia.

GOLD WINNER

Caleb Richards Gallagher

EXCELLENCE AWARDS Taylor Burstow Willis Towers Watson

AWARD SPONSOR

AXA XL INSURANCE – We don’t just provide insurance. We reinvent it. AXA XL is the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA. We’re known for solving complex risks for mid-sized companies, multinationals and even some inspirational individuals. With speed, agility and a focus on the future, we can offer more products, greater global reach, and the best talent in an agile and inclusive workspace, empowered to deliver top client service across all our lines of business: property, casualty, professional and financial lines, and specialty. With an innovative and flexible approach to risk solutions, we partner with those who move the world forward. Contact P: +61 2 8270 1719 E: iselle.gonzalez@axaxl.com W: axaxl.com

Laith Parissi Gallagher Michael Pham Aon

FINALISTS Timothy Hardy Gallagher Brandon Mather Gallagher

www.ibawards.com.au

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THE REDKITE AWARD FOR BROKER OF THE YEAR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SPECIALIST

This award recognises the best broker who derives more than 50% of their business from one area of specialty risk.

GOLD WINNER

Ryan Mansom Gallagher

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

AWARD SPONSOR

REDKITE is an Australian charity providing essential, practical support to children and young people (ages 0 to 24) with cancer, as well as their families. Our corporate partners provide significant and invaluable support for families facing cancer through corporate donations, staff fundraising, workplace giving, events and sponsorship, volunteering, and more. Redkite is thrilled to be the charity partner of the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. Contact Olivia Peters NSW partnerships manager P: 02 9219 4012 E: opeters@redkite.org.au W: redkite.org.au

Stephen Elms Gallagher Rebecca Innes AUZi Insurance Enrique Sicurella CCM Insurance Group

FINALISTS Roxanne Heibloem Online Sellers Insurance Jane Laybutt Trans-West Insurance Broker Eayl Machlis Thunder Insurance

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

BROKER OF THE YEAR – INDEPENDENT (1-19 STAFF)

BROKER OF THE YEAR – INDEPENDENT (20+ STAFF)

BROKER OF THE YEAR – AUTHORISED REPRESENTATIVE

This award recognises the best broker working in an independent brokerage operation with less than 20 staff (or full-time equivalents). The number of staff includes all brokers writing business (licence holders and authorised representatives) and support staff.

This award recognises the best broker working in an independent brokerage operation with 20 or more staff (or fulltime equivalents). The number of staff includes all brokers writing business (licence holders and authorised representatives) and support staff.

This award recognises the best broker attached to an authorised representative network.

GOLD WINNER

Max Cuzzocrea

Maxton Insurance Brokers

Jesse Thorp

Adroit Insurance & Risk

Peter Chamberlain allinsure

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Dale Hansen Austbrokers Coast to Coast

Kim Gilbert Zenith Insurance Services

Matthew Bates Bell Partners Insurance

Karen Hardy Acme Insurance Brokers

Evan Jackson Guardian Insurance Brokers

Tate Harris allinsure

Amanda Morris Arma Insurance Brokers

Avi Tatarka Scott Winton Insurance Brokers

Kristy Martin Insurance Advisernet Merimbula

FINALISTS

Steven Da Silva Austbrokers SPT Insurance Brokers

Vikram Choudhry CRM Brokers

Jeremy Andison Intertrade Insurance Brokers

John Duncan JMD Ross Insurance Brokers

Belinda Sigsworth Austbrokers City State

Russell Bresland Bresland Insurance Group

Jeff Pang Reginsun Credit

Ken Dixon Dixon Insurance Services Bonni Gordon Global Risks Sumit Sopori Imperium Insurance and Financial Solutions

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THE UNDERWRITING AGENCIES COUNCIL AWARD FOR UNDERWRITING AGENCY BDM OF THE YEAR This award recognises the best BDM working for an underwriting agency in Australia. Considerable weight was placed on nominations that came directly from the broking community.

ABOUT THE GOLD WINNER

2020

INSURANCE BUSINESS AWARDS

GOLD WINNER

Katrina Johnson

CHU Underwriting Agencies

Katrina Johnson

CHU Underwriting Agencies

EXCELLENCE AWARDS Claire Farmer CHU Underwriting Agencies Con Stoitsis Steadfast Underwriting

FINALISTS James Lee Emergence Insurance James Rogers GT Insurance Chris Varkoly ProRisk

TO BE nominated by my clients and subsequently be awarded the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Award for Underwriting Agency BDM of the Year has been an absolute highlight to the very different year that was 2020. As a business development manager, I believe that you need to be listening to your clients’ needs whilst also being there to offer support and advice. I have spent the last 12 years working in the strata insurance industry with some of Australia’s largest brokers and NSWbased strata management companies. My overall business development approach has been to grow business through relationships and bring experienced people together to deliver the best possible outcome for our mutual clients. For the past three years, I have successfully continued to grow in the role of business development manager with CHU Underwriting Agencies. CHU is one of Australia’s largest and most trusted underwriting agencies, protecting more residential and commercial strata properties than any insurer in Australia. This year, I have also had the opportunity to be a mentor for the 2020 NIBA Young Professionals Mentoring Program, not only to assist others, but also to grow and develop myself in the areas of guidance and leadership. It is important to me to help develop the next generation of insurance professionals to ensure continuity of the professionalism within the insurance industry.

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

GENERAL INSURER BDM OF THE YEAR

AWARD SPONSOR

UAC is the peak representative body for Australian and New Zealand underwriting agencies. It provides professional development and educational events, expos to showcase membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; specialisations to brokers, marketing campaigns, and representation to government and industry. UAC has more than 100 agency members and almost 50 business service members. Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; annual GWP is approximately $3.5bn. Contact William Legge General manager P: 02 8284 8406 E: williamlegge@uac.org.au

This award recognises the best BDM working for a general insurer operating in Australia. Considerable weight was placed on nominations that came directly from the broking community.

GOLD WINNER

Gordana Bailey Allianz Australia

EXCELLENCE AWARDS Lisa Hetherington Zurich Financial Services Australia Shelley Turner Vero

FINALISTS Thomas Barker Zurich Financial Services Australia Christopher Chisholm Allianz Australia Michael Walker CGU Insurance

www.ibawards.com.au

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THE BLAKE OLIVER CONSULTING AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN GENERAL INSURER OF THE YEAR This award recognises the best general insurer operating in Australia. A 50% weighting was given to each nominee’s standing in the 2019 Insurance Business Brokers on Insurers survey.

ABOUT THE EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER

GOLD WINNER

QBE

CGU Insurance

EXCELLENCE AWARDS Allianz Australia QBE

AT QBE, we’re driven by our purpose – to give people the confidence to achieve their ambitions. We’re an international insurer and reinsurer offering a diverse portfolio of commercial, personal and specialty products, as well as risk management solutions. We employ a team of more than 11,800 people in 27 countries around the world. Founded in Queensland in 1886, QBE’s growth, nationally and internationally, is the story of an institution that, for more than 130 years, has played a significant part in Australian commercial history. We don’t simply offer insurance. We’re all about the before and after – helping our customers to prevent and protect against the ‘what ifs’ and being there to support if anything goes wrong.

AWARD SPONSOR

BLAKE OLIVER CONSULTING is an insurance specialist consulting firm run by insurance professionals, for the insurance sector. Through our industry experience and broad networks, we can reach out to candidates with specific and niche experience who would otherwise not be contactable in the general market. We are committed to providing tailored staffing solutions to our clients and exceptional care to candidates. Contact Daniel J. Marsh Managing director P: 0424 188 733 E: djmarsh@blakeoliver.com.au

FINALISTS Chubb The Hollard Insurance Company Zurich Australia Insurance

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

THE UNDERWRITING AGENCIES COUNCIL AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN UNDERWRITING AGENCY OF THE YEAR This award recognises the best underwriting agency operating in Australia. The results of the 2019 Insurance Business Brokers on Underwriting Agencies survey were taken into consideration.

ABOUT THE GOLD WINNER

2020

INSURANCE BUSINESS AWARDS

AWARD SPONSOR

ProRisk GOLD WINNER

ProRisk

EXCELLENCE AWARDS Blue Zebra Insurance Emergence Insurance Tego Insurance

FINALISTS DUAL Australia High Street Underwriting Agency NM Insurance NTI

THE TEAM at ProRisk stand by their company motto of “Protection is our promise.” ProRisk has worked tirelessly to design and deliver market-leading products, backed by the security of some of the world’s best insurers. With authority to settle claims locally, brokers and distribution partners can be confident of a consistent approach when dealing with ProRisk. Working with underwriters they know and can trust, from placement through to claims settlement, improves continuity. In 2020, ProRisk invested heavily in a new broker portal, ProBind. This allows brokers to bind online – anytime, anywhere – in minutes. ProBind has a unique feature that lets brokers dial policy limits and policy excesses up or down, with premium calculated in real time. Healthcare professionals’ civil liability, management liability, association liability, and sole traders and partnerships management liability are all currently on ProBind. Head to ProBind to get a quote in minutes. Coming soon to ProBind is a new cyber & privacy liability cover. Over the course of the next year, ProRisk will be redesigning each of its products specifically for online transaction. Look out for more news about ProRisk in the near future. For more information about ProRisk’s products, visit prorisk.com.au. Need another reason to choose ProRisk? Its progressive claims team is backed by ClaimPro, a proprietary online claims management platform. Claims can be viewed online, and updates are communicated in real time via a mobile-responsive platform. The combination of world-leading capacity providers, great new products, responsive local service and brokerfocused technology has been a winning combination for the ProRisk team.

UAC is the peak representative body for Australian and New Zealand underwriting agencies. It provides professional development and educational events, expos to showcase members’ specialisations to brokers, marketing campaigns, and representation to government and industry. UAC has more than 100 agency members and almost 50 business service members. Members’ annual GWP is approximately $3.5bn. Contact William Legge General manager P: 02 8284 8406 E: williamlegge@uac.org.au

www.ibawards.com.au

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THE 360GLOBALNET AWARD FOR GENERAL INSURER CLAIMS TEAM OF THE YEAR This award recognises the best claims team within a general insurer operating in Australia. Considerable weight was placed on nominations that came directly from the broking community.

GOLD WINNER

AWARD SPONSOR

360GLOBALNET is an international digital technology and services business focused on the worldwide insurance industry. It provides digital online platform technology to revolutionise the insurance claims process, offering personal and business customers a highly responsive online experience. A customer-driven approach, utilising mobile devices, enables businesses to see every claim and anticipate every risk.

UNDERWRITING AGENCY CLAIMS TEAM OF THE YEAR This award recognises the best claims team within an underwriting agency operating in Australia. Considerable weight was placed on nominations that came directly from the broking community.

GOLD WINNER

For more information, visit 360globalnet.com.

AXA XL

GT Insurance

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Chubb

AM&T

Zurich Australian Insurance

CHU Underwriting Agencies MECON Insurance

FINALISTS

AIG

NTI

Berkshire Hathaway

ProRisk

CGU Insurance

SURA

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

(1/

THE BRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR BEST DIGITAL STRATEGY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; GENERAL INSURER

<Pl This award recognises the general insurer that has best harnessed digital channels to provide brokers with practical, effective and easily accessible facilities to help them with their business.

Exc

AWARD SPONSOR

<Ple Awa

THE BRIDGE INTERNATIONAL is a non-

GOLD WINNER

Vero EXCELLENCE AWARD

traditional management consulting team operating in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and North America with deep experience within financial services. Our team are experienced executives and senior leaders who have worked successfully in business rather than as career consultants. We pride ourselves on being practitioners working across financial services organisations and disruptive startups. Contact Stuart Blake Founder and managing director M: +61 411 012 701 E: stuart.blake@thebridgeinternational. com.au

AIG

FINALISTS QBE

www.ibawards.com.au

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BEST DIGITAL STRATEGY – UNDERWRITING AGENCY

This award recognises the underwriting agency that has best harnessed digital channels to provide brokers with practical, effective and easily accessible facilities to help them with their business.

BEST SERVICE PROVIDER

ABOUT THE GOLD WINNER

2020

INSURANCE BUSINESS AWARDS

Blue Zebra Insurance GOLD WINNER

Blue Zebra Insurance EXCELLENCE AWARD Blend Insurance Solutions

FINALISTS Flex Insurance High Street Underwriting Agency ProRisk

BLUE ZEBRA INSURANCE (BZI) is a leading Australian underwriting agency, distributing its product solely via the intermediated insurance market. BZI’s market-leading platform, Blue Leopard, supports multiple third-party data integrations to deliver an efficient quote process and enhanced risk selection. Since writing its first policy in May 2018, BZI has sold more than 150,000 policies; regularly serviced more than 1,000 brokers a day on its Zebra Lounge platform; delivered more than 50 system enhancements; introduced numerous products and product enhancements, including home, private motor, landlord, personal accident and sickness, commercial motor, SME, and cyber insurance, with capacity underwritten by various insurers; and paid more than 10,000 claims. Blue Zebra won the 2020 Insurance Business Australia award for Best Digital Strategy – Underwriting Agency by continuing to deliver on its promise of being a different breed in insurance. BZI delivers regular improvements to customer experience based on user feedback to improve both transaction flow and referral reduction. Coupled with the use of machine learning, deep analytics and a strong automation mindset, BZI is able to deliver great service to intermediary partners with a small yet highly empowered core team. BZI’s technology is available to be white labelled via API and offers a quick-todeploy and affordable PaaS (platform as a service) solution. With some key clients already onboarded, BZI continues to roll out its PaaS offering to carefully selected partners.

This award recognises the best service provider operating within the insurance sector in Australia. Eligible service providers include but are not limited to software and technology, legal, compliance, and training and education. Considerable weight was placed on nominations that came directly from the broking community.

GOLD WINNER

EMLife EXCELLENCE AWARDS DXC Technology Gallagher Bassett Insurx Sedgwick

FINALISTS BizCover Cover Genius LMI Group MCS Group Xceedance Australia

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

THE MORSE BUILDING CONSULTANCY AWARD FOR BEST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; INSURER ABOUT THE GOLD WINNER

2020

INSURANCE BUSINESS AWARDS

This award recognises a general insurer or underwriting agency based on their service or contribution to the wider community. To be eligible, the nominee must be able to demonstrate a positive role in the wider community over a sustained period of time.

EMLife EMLIFE is a complex claims custodian and the leading third-party claims agent for the Australian life insurance industry. Our model won the ALUCA and Swiss Re Award for Innovation and Excellence in Return to Work (2016) and was a finalist for Customer Service Team of the Year at the 2018 ALUCA Excellence Awards, in addition to winning the Best Service Provider Award at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. Established in 2015 at a time when the industry was under extreme scrutiny, EMLife has a simple vision to contribute towards a sustainable life insurance industry that delivers an improved claims experience. Life insurance claims are inherently different to those in other personal injury schemes. Our deep knowledge and extensive experience are informed by our unique partnerships, enabling us to design and deliver bespoke claims management programs that are the envy of our competitors. EMLife is an expert in providing holistic claims management services for the life industry, managing long-tail income protection portfolios, total and permanent disability portfolios, and legally complex claims via our Early Legal Intervention Model, along with reinsurer claims management services. We deliver industry-leading and sustainable life claim outcomes by balancing, with discipline, our evidencebased model of customer-centricity with technical excellence. Our model fosters a claims experience of trust and transparency by managing the life of the customer first. By placing the customer at the heart of all claim pathways, our model delivers leading return-to-health, work and community outcomes. For more information, visit emlife.com.au.

GOLD WINNER

Insurance Australia Group

AWARD SPONSOR

MORSE BUILDING CONSULTANCY specialises in investigating and determining damage caused by natural disaster events for the insurance industry. Professional, qualified, licensed building consultants and registered engineers provide impartial, independent, in-depth expert reports and scope of works for all insurance needs in QLD, NSW, ACT, SA, TAS and the NT. Contact P: 1300 066 773 E: jobrequests@mbconsultancy.com.au

EXCELLENCE AWARDS AIG Allianz Australia NTI

FINALISTS Chubb icare Zurich Australian Insurance

www.ibawards.com.au

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AUSTRALIAN BROKER OF THE YEAR

AUSTRALIAN BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR

AUSTRALIAN YOUNG GUN OF THE YEAR

This award recognises the most outstanding broker working in the Australian insurance industry. The finalists in this category are drawn from the winners of the four Broker of the Year awards.

This award recognises the most outstanding brokerage business headquartered and operating in Australia. The finalists in this category are drawn from the winners of the four Brokerage of the Year awards.

This award recognises the most outstanding Australian broker under the age of 35. The finalists in this category are drawn from the winners of the three Young Gun of the Year awards.

GOLD WINNER

Max Cuzzocrea

Maxton Insurance Brokers

Scott Winton Insurance Brokers

Joshua Scutts

Shielded Insurance Brokers

FINALISTS

Peter Chamberlain allinsure

Austbrokers Coast to Coast

Nick Daffy McLardy McShane

Ryan Mansom Gallagher

CPR Insurance Services CCM Insurance Group

Caleb Richards Gallagher

Jesse Thorp Adroit Insurance & Risk

www.ibawards.com.au

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EVENT PARTNER

www.ibawards.com.au

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PEOPLE

BROKER INSIGHT

The many measures of success At allinsure, success is judged not just by client satisfaction, but by community engagement as well. Managing director Peter Chamberlain tells IB what drives this holistic approach

FOR PETER CHAMBERLAIN, managing director of allinsure, success isn’t always something that can be easily measured. On a business level, Chamberlain had a very fulfilling year in 2020, despite the challenging circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic; he was named Broker of the Year – Authorised Representative at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards. Equally important to him, however, is the community engagement he both practices and advocates for at allinsure. Though Chamberlain was always socially minded to a certain degree, the tragic suicide of his best friend in 2015 acted as a catalyst for him, both personally and professionally. “The loss caused me to consider what is truly important, what success is and how it should be defined,” he says. “This ultimately drove me and the business to far greater engagement with the community, family, and friends and a far greater level of philanthropy. I came to realise that while business success is important, what has far greater importance is the manner in how I achieve that success and what positive impact I ultimately make with that success.” Alongside his brothers, Ray and Brian, Chamberlain launched the Chamberlain Foundation, a suicide prevention and mental health charity that supports organisations like R U OK?, Lifeline and Griefline. To date, the

Chamberlain Foundation has donated more than $300,000 to its beneficiaries. Chamberlain says the loss of his friend helped clarify “a new understanding” as to what his function as an insurance broker should be: to help. It’s something he makes sure to communicate to his staff at allinsure, where taking the time to listen is a primary commitment to new and existing clients. “Over the past few years, we’ve really worked hard to change the culture here at allinsure and move away from a more transactional approach to one that prioritises giving advice and educating clients,” Chamberlain says. “We’re not about commissions, but instead focus on being a client advocate and helping them be able to sleep at night. Simply put, it’s important to be there for clients in times of need and to understand how exactly we can help them succeed.” Since he got his start in insurance as a

trainee at QBE’s Canberra offices back in 1997, Chamberlain has taken up a wide range of roles, which have given him a firsthand look at the industry’s sheer diversity. Since founding allinsure in 2007, he has emphasised the need to stay agile and adapt to current trends. “It’s a constantly evolving industry, and so you really need to stay fleet of foot and keep looking out for new policies, new delivery methods and any new risks that might arise and affect your clients,” he says. “Just because something’s been done in a certain way doesn’t mean it’s the right method for today’s climate.” One of the biggest changes in the Australian insurance industry right now is the shift to a digital environment. Though it began before COVID-19 hit, the pandemic has accelerated this online transformation and altered the role of the broker, Chamberlain says. “There’s a clear advantage to the online market for insurance customers – you can just

DIVERSITY OF TALENT According to Peter Chamberlain, one of the strengths of the insurance industry is the fact that it attracts people from a range of different backgrounds. “Going through school, I never thought I was going to be a broker, but I’ve been in the industry for more than two decades now and thoroughly enjoy it,” he says. “It’s a space where people can bring their skills and specialties and really thrive – engineers, for example, tend to make for brilliant underwriters and claims personnel, in my experience.”

www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au

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FAST FACTS: ALLINSURE AREAS OF SPECIALTY Construction and trades SME business and retail Property owners and developers IT Hospitality

Year established: 2007 Headquarters: Fyshwick, ACT Number of offices: 2 Affiliation: Corporate authorised representative of Insurance Advisernet Australia Awards: Best Community Engagement Program – Broker at the 2020 Insurance Business Australia Awards

“I came to realise that while business success is important, what has far greater importance is the manner in how I achieve that success and what positive impact I ultimately make with that success”

hop online and get coverage within a couple of minutes,” he says. “Because of this, it’s on us brokers to demonstrate our value by providing advice and guiding them in the right direction. Price is important, of course, but clients tend to respond to quality and timely advice, first and foremost.” Moving forward, Chamberlain aims to build upon allinsure’s success while staying faithful to the company’s four core business pillars of trust, advice, choice and value. “As long as we continue to deliver optimised service for our clients aligned with these pillars,” he says, “the future of allinsure will surely be bright.”

www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au

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PEOPLE

OTHER LIFE

TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER LIFE Email ibo@keymedia.com.au

Minas received a personalised cape from BizCover CEO Michael Gottlieb

Number of months Minas has been barbering

150+

Videos she has watched to learn different techniques

Approximate number of returning clients she’s had so far

MAKING THE CUT BizCover’s Simone Minas enjoys the support of her employer in her side hustle as a barber NOT MANY insurance professionals can say they’ve given their CEO a haircut – but Simone Minas, a business insurance sales consultant at BizCover, can. “Everyone got to see me in action and see that even Michael [Gottlieb] trusted me with my clippers,” she says. “Since then, I’ve received a ton of requests from people

to have their hair cut, so having Michael volunteer for a trim was a huge help.” Minas first became interested in the craft of barbering when she had her own hair chopped from shoulder length to a ‘number one’ – and since embarking on this journey in March 2020, she’s set some lofty goals for herself.

“The ultimate goal is to have my own barbershop, which I’m envisioning as a decked-out shipping container, because why not?” she says. “I’m also really proud to be charting my own course in barbering, as there aren’t a ton of women in the field. I’m ready to show everyone that we’re just as capable, if not more!”

www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au

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UNDERINSURANCE. NO MEAN FEAT FOR AMBITIOUS BROKERS. 75% of customers* haven’t updated their property sum insured. Let’s flip the script and help them review their cover. When you work with CGU, you get access to data and insights like these that help you better serve your customers. We’ve been backing ambitious brokers for 165 years. Contact your Account Partner for your customer insights.

Insight based on FY20 CGU Business Package Property Cover portfolio data.

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