NIBA Mentoring Program: Building Young Leaders

Every year, the NIBA Mentoring Program brings together seasoned industry leaders and young professionals for 12 weeks of professional support and development.

With the second round of the program commencing later this month, we spoke to one mentor and mentee pairing on their experience in the program, and how it supports young brokers.

Mentor Amy Morrison

Director of Taylor Made Insurance Services

What made you decide to take part in the NIBA Mentoring Program?

I think that young brokers can benefit from seeking additional support outside of their workplace and can really benefit from another perspective. It can be really beneficial for them to see how other professionals do things and to learn about other ways of working.

I think this especially applies to technology. It’s important for young brokers to familiarise themselves with the tools at their disposal and stay up-to-date with the latest technologies. I believe the way forward for this industry requires us to be innovative, otherwise you’ll get left behind.

What has your experience in the NIBA Mentoring Program been like?

I’ve gone through the NIBA Mentoring Program twice now as a mentor and both experiences were really positive. What has been very rewarding is seeing both my mentees move into leadership roles.

My first mentee, Sarah, had been with the same company for five years but didn’t know a lot of people there. I was able to point her in the right direction of who she needed to speak to and opened a few doors for her. I also gave her some ideas on how she could progress her career and how she could get there. It’s been really impressive to see that she’s now working as a Business Development Manager for Far North Queensland.

My more recent mentee from this year’s program, Lisa, started as a Broker Assistant and is now an Account Manager. For our mentoring sessions, I worked with her to set very clear goals. We sat together to flesh out just what she wanted her portfolio to look like and we did a few case scenarios on how she could set this up.

What’s great about this program is that it’s not just talking about what young brokers should do, it’s us sitting together and actually doing it.

Have you also personally benefited from taking part in the NIBA Mentoring Program?

The NIBA Mentoring Program has been a great opportunity to help me reflect on just how far I’ve come in my career. It’s reminded me that I am good at what I do, that I love what I do and this is why I do it. It’s also allowed me to appreciate the support I’ve received throughout my career to enable me to get to where I am now.

I’ve been in the broking industry for almost 25 years now. Different people throughout my career have pointed me in the right direction, said the right things at the right time, and given me that little bit of guidance and encouragement that I needed.

Having experienced this all myself, it’s very rewarding to be able to give back to this industry by mentoring others.

Mentee Lisa Downie

Account Manager at Austcover

What made you decide to take part in the NIBA Mentoring Program?

I was working as a Broker Assistant at the time and wanted to change positions to be an Account Manager. After being in the industry for 12 years, I really wanted to have my own clients and make my own decisions.

So, when an email was sent around my company asking if any young brokers wanted to participate in the NIBA Mentoring Program, I decided to put my hand up.

I really wanted a mentor to help me bridge the gap between where I was in my career and where I wanted to be. This was an opportunity to network in the industry, to gain support from someone experienced and to build my knowledge around the Account Manager role.

What has your experience in the NIBA Mentoring Program been like?

NIBA meticulously matches together mentees and mentors, so that everyone gets a great fit. I was partnered with Amy, who has a lot of experience as an Account Manager, which was exactly what I wanted out of a mentor.

I brought questions along to each session and we worked through my goals together. She was very energetic and would always make time for me. I could ask her anything and she would give me her honest opinion.

At the same time, she also taught me to not just take her word for it and encouraged me to do my own research and talk to other people in my office, so I could formulate my own view on things.

I definitely think doing the program with Amy has helped me reach the next step in my career. I still keep in contact with her, even though the program has finished. I know that I can send her an email anytime and she’d be more than willing to support me.

Do you have any advice for young brokers on how they can make the most of the NIBA Mentoring Program?

It sounds really simple, but make sure you attend the program regularly and stay committed.

To get the full benefits of the program, it’s also important to be an active participant.

As part of my program, in addition to weekly sessions with my mentor, we also had workshop sessions where NIBA brought together other mentors as well as insurers.

There was a lot of knowledge in one room from people who had been in the industry for a long time, and we were encouraged to ask any questions we had. It was a great learning experience for those who want to make the most out of it.

The NIBA Mentoring Program is offered once to twice a year in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, and runs for a duration of 12 weeks. The next round of mentoring will begin in August 2022, running in Sydney and Melbourne. Applications for mentors and mentees will close on 12 August 2022. For more information, visit www.niba.com.au/niba-mentoring-program