Why insurance?
Opened the newspaper in the employment section when I was in Year 10 the night before I had a meeting with my career adviser at school. There were a lot of insurance jobs!
How would you sum up insurance brokers in three words?
Here to help.
How would you change the industry?
Uniformity in government duties & no exclusions on domestic house and contents policies.
Best advice you’ve ever been given?
Take care of the mission and the commission will take care of itself.
What’s the most important thing a broker can do to develop their business?
Spend more time with their customers. This solidifies relationships, and getting to know your customer will also result (hopefully) in understanding their exposures better.
What is the strangest thing you’ve ever arranged cover for?
A Sekhmet. Egyptian artefact bought by a client for $5 million.
If you were Prime Minister for one day, what would you do?
Abolish all forms of taxes (including payroll tax) and increase GST to 13-15%.
What’s the biggest challenge facing the industry today?
To be relevant in 10 years’ time. Like the taxi industry in which Uber has swept past them, we need to make sure that the insurance industry is still evolving and innovating so it doesn’t [get left behind].
What has been the highlight of your career?
Lucky to have many highlights:
- Director & equity holder in the business I currently work in.
- Won the young broker of the year at Willis Aust. and was sent as their candidate nominee for Warren Tickle.
- Made the Elite brokers listing on multiple occasions.
- Worked in many different insurance environments, both interstate and overseas,
- Been invited to join industry boards and committees – great recognition.
Who in the business do you look up to, and why?
Mr. Don McLardy – a great entrepreneur who has built successful businesses over his journey. Has the uncanny ability to relate to all people and is very much the “thinker” in our business.
NRL, AFL, soccer or other?
Cricket first, then AFL. Been lucky enough to watch cricket games all over the world including in Lords & the subcontinent.
If you could invite three people to dinner, dead or alive, and excluding family and friends, who would they be and why?
Mahatma Gandhi – “The father of India.” Gandhi led India to independence. I would love to pick his brains and fathom how a man with no shoes and shirt (and who probably weighs as much as my nine-year-old) inspired [the] world. Currently where violence is everywhere… perhaps we need another Gandhi?
Sachin Tendulkar - Greatest
batsman of all time (I’m biased). Played cricket for 24 years and is the only player to have
scored one hundred international centuries, the first batsman to score a
double century in a
One Day International, the holder of the record for the number of runs in both
ODI and
Test cricket, and the only player to complete more than 30,000
runs in
international cricket. Not only has been recognised in India, but overseas, too, including [being] named an honorary
member of the Order of Australia. And amidst it all – he has retained his humbleness and strength of character.
James Hird – As a Bomber supporter, would love to pick the brains of a man whom has been the centre of the biggest story in the AFL in recent years for so many years.
Complete this sentence: If I wasn’t in insurance, I would be…
A cricketer. An Australian citizen with Indian roots – how could I choose to be anything else…! It is in my DNA!
