The National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) has announced the South Australia (SA) / Northern Territory (NT) region winners of its 2022 broker awards. Heather Blanco was named Broker of the Year, while Joseph Cuzzocrea was recognised as the Young Broker of the Year.
Blanco, chief executive of SUREWiSE, was the only finalist named for the Broker of the Year Award in the SA/NT region. As such, she was benchmarked by NIBA against other region finalists to determine that she is of the same calibre as other winners of the award.
As NIBA CEO Philip Kewin explained, the benchmark for determining finalists and winners was set “very high,” considering the tough competition seen this year.
“This year was unusual and we went to great lengths to ensure the standard was maintained,” he said.
The QBE-sponsored Broker of the Year Award is given to an individual broker who is deemed an inspirational model for the broking community and has demonstrated excellence in both broking practice and client advocacy.
“On behalf of the QBE team, I’d like to congratulate Heather on winning this year’s SA/NT Broker of the Year Award,” said Lorelle Hillman, general manager partnerships - business at QBE Australia Pacific. “With her outstanding record of client advocacy and customer service at SUREWiSE, Heather has set a very high standard, and we commend her for this broking achievement.”
The Vero-sponsored Young Professional Broker of the Year Award, which is given in recognition of the industry’s rising stars under the age of 35, went to Maxton account executive Cuzzocrea.
“Joseph continues to demonstrate strong commitment to providing excellent service to his customers and has established himself as a trusted advisor in the local market,” said Preston Ipkendanz, Vero’s commercial manager for the SA/NT region. “Brokers like Joseph are the reason that Vero has been a proud supporter of NIBA’s Young Professionals and the Warren Tickle Award for more than three decades.”
Like other region winners, Blanco and Cuzzocrea will go on to compete nationally for the Stephen Ball Broker of the Year Award and the Warren Tickle Young Broker of the Year Award, respectively.
“We congratulate Heather and Joseph, and would like to acknowledge all the finalists who demonstrated a commitment to professionalism and ongoing improvement,” added NIBA CEO Kewin.
Heather Blanco was also recognized as one of the winners for the Best Women Leaders in Insurance in Australia. Read the full Elite Women report here.
