INSURANCE JOURNEY / Mark O’Reilly
A DEDICATED CLIENT EVANGELIST AND STORYTELLER
The 2021 NIBA Vic/Tas finalist for the QBE-sponsored Insurance Broker of the Year, Mark O’Reilly of Austbrokers Countrywide, is a passionate advocate for the insurance broking profession.
“L
ike many others, the insurance industry chose me. I got a start at AMP because I got lucky and knew someone. I had no idea what insurance was, but simply loved the learning opportunities and a chance to interact with people. As with most new starters, I made plenty of mistakes, and I am very grateful for being pushed very early to go on and do some further insurance studies. I will openly admit that I was pretty useless for a while and found my feet because of the people around me and the support provided within the industry. After working at an insurance company for nine years I took the plunge and joined a large broking firm. I thought broking would be more fun, and I’d learn more, which turned out to be the best career move I could have ever made, as it shaped the next 20 years of my life. I worked in claims and then put my hand up to transition to working in a broking assistant role. The learning was fast-paced, as I did not have strong insurer relationships and needed to learn multiple insurance products very fast. The broadness of the broking function was quite daunting to start with, and over the years I’ve sought to mentor younger staff to make their journey a little easier than mine was. I worked in the building industry before I joined insurance, which back then was tough work with little collaboration. The level of communication for the broader purpose was not evident; the work often was flawed as the end game was not understood. I felt a lot of the rework could have been avoided had there been better channels of communication. And what I do now is exactly the opposite; insurance is always a collaboration. The more we talk through the issues with clients and
PROUDLY SUPPORTING
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insurers the better the end result. The best part for me is I get to talk to people all day to try and educate myself to solve a problem. The fact you learn something every day is what makes insurance interesting. It remains one of the very few industries where you can really get to know people and help shape key decisions. The sharing of knowledge is key, and (unfortunately for those around me) I generally seek to tell stories to help teach others, and learn along the way. The biggest lesson I’ve learnt in my career so far is to read something – anything – about insurance every day. A simple blog post or news article forces you to think and learn so you’re better placed to offer help. Insurance supports everything, and you can pick up a newspaper and there will be a risk and insurance consideration all the time – if the person involved had done that then I bet they would not be in this position. I’ve encouraged many people to explore a career in insurance – it’s the broadest industry
I know, so you can focus on so much and carve out a very rewarding career. You can specialise in almost anything, and there is always a little fun along the way. When I tell people what I really do and how flexible the industry is they often think I am talking rubbish, but it’s the best industry to learn anything you want, and you get paid for it. I would probably change very little about my career, as the industry has been very good to me. Having ticked over 30+ years, I still learn from the younger industry participants, as they force you to think differently. Even though we are at times an undervalued industry, the level of consistent professionalism and service provided to clients is a wonderful achievement – this is evident every time a large CAT loss occurs. Because of the industry’s professionalism we do a remarkable job at providing protection when a client needs it most. Without skilled broking professionals, many clients would lose everything.
SIX QUICK QUESTIONS Tell us something most people don’t know about you? I love animals – I have two dogs, two cats and two birds. Secret ambition? Always wanted to be a pilot, so one day. Favourite film? Lord of the Rings. Favourite tipple? Drop of red – Cab Merlot. Favourite pastime? Having fun with the family and watching cricket (way too old to play). Favourite food? Pasta – rich and filling.
Share your insurance journey. Email editor@niba.com.au
