Insurance Journey: Carlie Griggs

MY ORIGIN STORY

Like so many other people, I really did fall into insurance broking. After I finished my HSC, I went and studied marketing at a private college, thinking I wanted a career in marketing. I lasted about six months in my first marketing job before I realised it wasn’t necessarily for me. My next job was a receptionist at an insurance brokerage and after about six weeks, my boss came up to me and asked, “Do you want to be an insurance broker?” At that point, I didn’t know anything about insurance. I just said yes – and that was it!

It took me about six months to realise that insurance broking was definitely the career for me. I loved dealing with people and forging relationships, whether it’s with insurers or clients. We play such a crucial relationship role as brokers – we are the ham in the sandwich between the client and the underwriter.

The relationships you make in this industry are everything. I have made friends with so many insurers, and even got married to an insurer! I ended up staying in one of my first insurance brokerages for over 15 years and it was so rewarding to see it grow over the years, knowing I played a part in that from that first day when I stepped through the door as a receptionist.

MY ADVICE TO YOUNG BROKERS

Back in those days, you were often thrown into the deep end and basically made to sink or swim. I was given a promotion and handed a portfolio of clients of which I had never really handled on my own. It was a steep, but rewarding learning curve.

I remember very early on in the piece, while heading into a client meeting, my manager turned to me and said (without any warning), “You’re going to run this meeting.” I hadn’t prepared properly and it definitely caught me off guard.

As terrifying as that was, that experience taught me a very valuable lesson about being a capable broker. It’s so important to just listen to the client and try to understand their needs. For young people just starting out, where you’re trying to prove yourself and impress the client, it can be really easy to get ahead of yourself and not put the client first. There’s a lot of competition out there, and clients can tell when you’re trying really hard to be noticed. Rather than talking yourself up, it’s much more valuable to do a good job and let your hard work do the talking.

INSURANCE BROKING IS NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED

Insurance broking is not a nine-to-five job. It is late nights, early mornings and at times there is a lot of stress and a lot of pressure. I have often said that insurance broking is definitely a career and not a job. It becomes a part of your life and for me, I am very lucky that it has.

You really have to love the challenges and the frustrations that come with this role.

Over the past five years, our industry has experienced its fair share of challenges – from having to keep up with our clients’ evolving needs, having to respond to natural disasters, being challenged by insurance markets changing all the time, to the uphill battle of getting new people into our industry.

Looking back, as much as the hard times can be difficult and work/life balance is important, a nine-to-five job was never going to be for me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes enjoy the stress of the deadlines we have to meet!

In many ways, all those challenges are also what make this career path so rewarding.

MY PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT

I’ve been so privileged to have the opportunity to get involved on various committees and help our industry grow and strengthen over the years. Over 20 years ago, I was invited to join the NIBA Young Professional Committee and I got to see up close what NIBA does behind the scenes. I ended up staying on the committee for 13 years, before I moved on and joined the NIBA Divisional Committee. I’ve been on that committee for the past 10 years and it has been incredibly rewarding.

NIBA’s passion, resilience and fight for our clients, as well as the work that gets done behind closed doors is just so important to keep the professionalism in our industry. I don’t know if we would be where we are today in this industry without NIBA backing us, and I’m very fortunate and so privileged to have been a part of it. It’s our industry, and I love that we can share what we love about it with other people as well.

PROUDLY SUPPORTING

FOUR QUICK QUESTIONS

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I’ve taken up Reformer Pilates in the last three months and I am addicted!

What’s your favourite film?

Scarface.

What’s your favourite pastime?

Nothing beats a long lunch in the sun with a few bottles of rosé!

What’s your favourite food?

Hot chips – if I could only have one last meal, it would have to be french fries! Nothing beats it!

Share your insurance journey. Email editor@niba.com.au