As NIBA waits for nominations, previous winners shared how winning the award affected their careers.
Clint Jeuring, regional director at EBM Insurance and Risk in Perth and a previous winner of the Vero-sponsored Young Broker of the Year award, said the award raised his profile and helped solidify his career plans.
“I was 26 when I won, and up until then, I'd been known as ‘Hank’s son’ – my dad was prominent in the industry. The win not only raised my profile but [also] helped me solidify what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go,” he said.
Jeuring said NIBA awards fit into the wider NIBA ecosystem that aims to build professionalism in broking.
“That's why I’ve maintained my involvement with NIBA; ongoing learning and development are massive for me and the people around me – I love it. This allows us to develop the skills to deal with increased compliance, tough market conditions and difficult risks to place. We put in the work to bring clients along on a journey that they value,” he added.
John Mutton, Pacific head of corporate, commercial, and affinity at Marsh and a previous winner of the QBE-sponsored Broker of the Year award, said winning the award reflected decades of his experience in broking and underwriting and his commitment to professional development – having put himself through degrees in commercial law, insurance, and risk management.
At the time of his win, Mutton ran the Victorian operation of formerly named InterRISK, and he joined NIBA Awards to raise the company's profile.
“Whether I was successful or not, I thought it would be good for the brand. We also won some new business afterwards that wouldn't have found its way to us had I not won,” he said.
Mutton deemed awards a motivator, helping the industry strive for continual improvement.
“I think any opportunity we can take to raise the bar also leads to better collaboration in developing young talent and attracting more mature age people who may have never considered working in the industry before,” he said.
“One of the things I like about the award is that you are nominated by peers, and the winners are awarded by your peers.
“While we operate in a very competitive environment, this is one area where we collaborate well as a collective under NIBA's leadership.”
