The winners of the 2015 Australian Insurance Industry Awards, presented by
ANZIIF, have been announced at a gala event in Sydney.
The 12
th annual awards recognise excellence across the insurance industry and some leading lights of the industry took out the top awards.
Large Broker of the Year was won by
Marsh, while Medium Broker went to
GSA Insurance Brokers and Small Broker was awarded to Consult Insurance Solutions.
For the fourth consecutive year,
Brooklyn Underwriting took out Underwriting Agency of the Year while
CGU was named large general insurance company of the year following their win in the
Insurance Business Brokers on Insurers survey.
In the individual categories,
former JLT chairman, Steve Ball, was posthumously honoured with a lifetime achievement award whilst
IAG CEO, Mike Wilkins, took home Insurance Leader of the Year and Katherine Ashby, of BT Financial Group, was named Young Insurance Professional of the Year.
IAG, who took home three awards on the night including Women’s Employer of the Year, were the biggest winners on the night and EGM Broker Business CI and Chair of IAG’s Diversity Inclusion Action Group,
Donna Walker, said the company was proud of its achievements in diversity.
“IAG has a proud history of supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace and this is driven by all our leaders including Mike whose leadership has been recognised overnight; it is the very foundation of what makes our organisation successful.
“Diversity is not just about women though; it’s also about ethnicity, age, religion and sexuality and we want our workplace to ensure equal opportunity for all IAG people to grow and thrive,” Walker said.
Collecting the award for CGU was IAG commercial insurance chief executive,
Ben Bessell, who thanked the team at CGU for their hard work.
“I’m absolutely delighted for everyone here at CGU and for everyone who has worked so hard at this great business to get where we are today,” Bessell said.
“This is not just one year’s work; it’s the culmination of a hugely successful business transformation to build on CGU’s long history in the Australian general insurance market.”
Prue Willsford, CEO of ANZIIF, praised the industry for its innovation and resilience in current competitive soft market conditions.
“This year, there was a particular focus on transformation and innovation, with so many businesses reimagining their role in the industry and how they can transform themselves to best serve their customers. It is this dynamism and ingenuity that will allow Australian insurance to navigate challenging times and thrive well into the future,” Willsford said.
“It is a privilege to be able to celebrate together tonight and no night to be prouder of the talent, dedication and passion that those in this industry have.”
With innovation top of mind,
Allianz were awarded Innovation of the Year for their return to work program based on behavioural psychology.
The full list of winners is:
Small Broker of the Year
Consult Insurance Solutions Pty Ltd
Medium Broker of the Year
GSA Insurance Brokers
Large Broker of the Year
Marsh
Underwriting Agency of the Year
Brooklyn Underwriting
Small-Medium General Insurance Company of the Year
Hospitality Employers Mutual Limited
Large General Insurance Company of the Year
CGU
Life Insurance Company of the Year
AIA Australia
Innovation of the Year
Allianz Australia
Professional Services Firm of the Year
Finity
Service Provider to the Insurance Industry
recoveriescorp
Women’s Employer of the Year
Insurance Australia Group
Youth Development Employer of the Year
BT Financial Group
Young Insurance Professional of the Year
Katherine Ashby (BT Financial Group)
Insurance Leader of the Year
Mike Wilkins (IAG)
ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award
Steve Ball
