Thanks to ICNZ, Toby will be awarded $10,000 NZ to attend an international conference or seminar program which will provide an excellent insurance industry or leadership-based development opportunity.

Toby’s winning entry addressed this year’s essay topic : The capability of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications like Chat GPT to create text, auditory and visual content given prompts and existing data suggests potential applications to many sectors including for general insurance and its value chain.

“We are delighted to announce Toby Kelly as this year’s ICNZ winner,” says Tim Grafton, Chief Executive, ICNZ. “Toby’s essay demonstrated original thinking and a comprehensive analysis of the opportunities and obstacles associated with leveraging AI to optimise industry practices. ICNZ and ANZIIF will continue to promote this scholarship and provide career development opportunities to the New Zealand insurance industry.”

ANZIIF’s outgoing Chief Executive Officer and judging panel member Prue Willsford commended Toby on his achievement: “It has been an honour to sit on the judging panel and I congratulate Toby on his thorough understanding of the complexities of implementing AI in industry practices. Toby submitted a well-structured submission that was clearly the result of careful research backed up by credible sources.”

“Previous winners have described the opportunity to attend an international conference or seminar as career changing, and we are proud to help Toby further his professional career development,” Willsford says.

“Thank you to everyone who submitted, I strongly encourage anyone thinking about submitting for 2024 to have a go.”

The ICNZ and ANZIIF Scholarship is an annual scholarship that aims to recognise outstanding insurance professionals who demonstrate potential to become industry leaders.

The post ANZIIF announces 2023 ICNZ and ANZIIF Scholarship winner appeared first on AdviserVoice.

“Congratulations to this years’ winners – all have displayed excellence, and a commitment to professionalism over the past year,” said Prue Willsford, Chief Executive Officer,  ANZIIF.

The awards highlight the incredible work organisations and individuals are doing to make a difference in the insurance community. “Thank you to our diverse judging panel that have given their time to assess the submissions and to our great sponsors, who continue to support this celebration of excellence, and truly make this event possible”, adds Willsford.

Among the awards for individual excellence, Isabelle Kwek was announced Young Insurance Professional of the Year, Amanda Whiting was announced Insurance Leader of the Year, and John Wiseman Stubbs was presented with the ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to the 2023 Winners

Large Broking Company of the Year: Marsh New Zealand

Broker Network of the Year: Insurance Advisernet New Zealand

Underwriting Agency of the Year: Underwriting Agencies of New Zealand

General Insurance Company of the Year: FMG

Claims Team of the Year: AA Insurance

Life Insurance Company of the Year: Asteron Life

Insurtech Start-up of the Year: Simfuni

Professional Services Firm of the Year: McLarens New Zealand

Service Provider to the Insurance Industry: RedBook

Excellence in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: AIA New Zealand

Excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance Change:  AIA New Zealand

Young Insurance Professional of the Year: Isabelle Kwek

Insurance Leader of the Year: Amanda Whiting

ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award: John Stubbs

The post ANZIIF Reveals Winners of 11th New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Ben Bessell, ANZIIF President comments, “I am delighted that Katrina will be joining ANZIIF. Katrina has a fantastic background and is experienced in a range of industries and environments. Her tenure in politics and a range of industry associations will provide ANZIIF with the leadership and capability to continue to grow and deliver the strategic objectives of the Board and members in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.”

Shanks comments, “ANZIIF is the leading provider of education, training and development which ensures the insurance and finance sector has the skills, knowledge and competency to thrive. I am excited to be joining a high performing team dedicated to enabling the delivery of high-quality education and standards.”

“We know insurance and finance play a pivotal role in people’s lives to ensure they have financial resilience and freedom at every life stage. ANZIIF plays an important role in ensuring that their members are inspired to continue on a journey of lifelong learning to stay relevant and up to date so they can continue to make a difference in people’s lives. I am looking forward to being part of this journey with the members,” adds Shanks.

Katrina has spent much of her career in financial services. A Chartered Accountant by trade, Katrina started her career in Audit, spent time at Newton Fund Management in London and then joined Westpac Trust. She has owned her own small accountancy business for seven years, after which she was the Financial Controller for the New Zealand National Party. Katrina has a deep understanding of the legislative process and how to influence policy development, drawn from her experience as a two-term Member of Parliament.

Katrina has been the CEO of Financial Advice NZ for five years. She was the inaugural CEO which merged three industry bodies into one professional body. In this time the organisation has become the voice of the financial advice sector, influenced significant legislative and regulatory change, and delivered quality professional development. In addition to this she has ensured research has been the basis for promoting the value of advice to consumers, enabling more New Zealanders, to seek quality financial advice to increase their financial health, wealth and wellbeing.

Katrina Shanks will be relocating from New Zealand to Melbourne in the coming months and will be working with outgoing CEO Prue Willsford on transition plans into the new year. Katrina will officially begin her role with ANZIIF on 8 January 2024.

The post ANZIIF announces appointment of new Chief Executive Officer Katrina Shanks  appeared first on AdviserVoice.

“On behalf of the Board and the team at ANZIIF, we are delighted to welcome Sarah and Tim to the Board” says Prue Willsford, ANZIIF Chief Executive Officer. “Their experience, industry knowledge, and passion for enhancing professional standards will greatly benefit ANZIIF and ensure we remain relevant to all the Members that we serve.”

Tim Tez, CEO of Resolution Life Australasia since February 2023, has over 23 years of experience in the insurance industry with an extensive background across distribution, M&A, strategy, reinsurance, product, pricing, marketing, strategy and government relations.

Tez comments, “I’m delighted to join the ANZIIF Board and have the opportunity to contribute to the important role ANZIIF plays in shaping and transforming the insurance and finance industry. ANZIIF’s mission to promote industry professional standards through education and learning, and improve community understanding of insurance and finance, is something that I am also very passionate about.  I look forward to joining the Board and being part of driving positive change within the industry.”

Sarah Phillips is responsible for AIA Australia’s public policy advocacy, strategic communications, ESG and leads the CEO Office. Prior to joining AIA in 2018, Sarah worked in a number of public policy roles, including as a consultant to the FSC with responsibility for developing the Life Insurance Code of Practice, and as Reputation Manager at the Business Council of Australia.

Phillips comments, “In the time that I’ve worked in insurance in Australia, I have gained a real respect for the role that ANZIIF plays in supporting the industry and lifting standards. I was very pleased to work closely with ANZIIF as we developed the Life Insurance Professional Standards, and I look forward to now being able to support and advocate for ANZIIF from my position on the Board.”

The post ANZIIF appoints Industry Leaders Tim Tez and Sarah Phillips to board appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Commenting on the upcoming event, ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford said, ” The New Zealand insurance industry has faced an extraordinarily challenging year, at this year’s event, we will be commemorating the ongoing support our industry provides to its customers, communities, and workforce, while also acknowledging the exceptional accomplishments of the diverse talent present within our sector.”

“Thank you to our judging panel who have given their time to assess the submissions and our sponsors who continue to support this incredible celebration of our industry.”

This year’s event – to be hosted on 22 November at Cordis, Auckland – includes 14 categories representing a broad range of insurance sectors.

The finalists for the 2023 New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards are:

Large Broking Company of the Year
Announced on the night

Broker Network of the Year 
Announced on the night

Underwriting Agency of the Year
Delta Insurance
Underwriting Agencies of New Zealand

General Insurance Company of the Year
AA Insurance
Chubb Insurance
FMG
Vero Insurance New Zealand

Claims Team of the Year
AA Insurance
Chubb Insurance
Gallagher Bassett
Runacres
Vero Insurance New Zealand

Life Insurance Company of the Year
Announced on the night

Insurtech Start-up of the Year 
Bounce Insurance
InsuredHQ
Loop Logics
Morgan Project Services
Simfuni

Professional Services Firm of the Year 
Finity
McLarens New Zealand
Morgan Project Services
Sedgwick

Service Provider to the Insurance Industry 
IVAA
RedBook

Excellence in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion 
AIA New Zealand
IAG New Zealand
Zurich New Zealand

Excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance Change 
AIA New Zealand
Zurich New Zealand

Young Insurance Professional of the Year 
George Dmitriev, Insurance Underwriters NZ
Isabelle Kwek, Wotton + Kearney
Leigh Bennett, Fidelity Life Assurance Company Ltd
Miro Doredvich, Delta Insurance

Insurance Leader of the Year 
Announced on the night

ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award 
Announced on the night

The post Finalists unveiled for ANZIIF’s 11th New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards appeared first on AdviserVoice.

The winners were announced at the industry events – UAC Adelaide Expo and ANZIIF Group Life Seminar. These awards honour individuals who have gone above and beyond to display professionalism in their workplace and with their customers.

ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford highlighted the winners’ professionalism and passion for the industry. “Congratulations to Lucy and Claire, who are both very deserving winners of the Making a Difference Award. It’s fantastic to see their dedication to creating a positive impact on their local community, the industry, and customers,” says Willsford.

Congratulations to the Making a Difference Award winners in the following categories:

Life

Lucy Hartley – Claims Service Manager at Swiss Re: Lucy was praised for her proactive and holistic approach to supporting customers’ mental health, that goes above and beyond what is expected within her role. Commenting on her award, Hartley highlighted the important role claims professionals have in supporting community wellbeing.

Underwriting

Claire Burke –  Manager, National Speciality Risk Team at CHU Underwriting Agencies: Claire Burke has made waves in the world of diversity and inclusion and commented on her win in the Underwriting category.

The post ANZIIF Making a Difference Winner announced for life insurance and underwriting   appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Prue Willsford

The Insurance Council of New Zealand – Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) and the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) are proud to announce the ICNZ and ANZIIF Scholarship is now open for submissions.

The ICNZ and ANZIIF Scholarship is an annual scholarship that aims to recognise outstanding insurance professionals who demonstrate potential to become industry leaders.

Thanks to ICNZ, the winner will be awarded $10,000 NZ to attend an international conference or seminar program which will provide an excellent insurance industry or leadership-based development opportunity.

“ICNZ and ANZIIF are committed to investing in people and building the next generation of future industry leaders,” says ICNZ Chief Executive, Tim Grafton.

“This scholarship has opened many doors of opportunity for previous winners, significantly contributing to their professional development, leadership skills and industry networks. I encourage all eligible individuals to apply,” adds Prue Willsford, ANZIIF Chief Executive Officer.

To apply, entrants must submit a 2,500-word essay to provided questions on the topic: The capability of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications like ChatGPT to create text, auditory and visual content given prompts and existing data suggests potential applications to many sectors including for general insurance and its value chain. Discuss the benefits and risks for insurers of using this technology to recommend whether to adopt it, and, if so, how, or if not, why not?

Applications Close 6 November 2023.

The post ANZIIF announces ICNZ and ANZIIF Scholarship open for submissions appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Prue Willsford

As part of a shared commitment to improving professional standards and further enhancing industry trust and confidence within the community, Australia’s General insurance industry has today announced a commitment to a Professional Standards Framework to support Claims Handling and Settling Services. The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance has led this industry wide collaboration.

“ANZIIF is pleased to launch the General Insurance Claims Handling framework. ANZIIF has worked collaboratively with industry, ASIC and other industry bodies to seek broad based input into the framework, to make sure that it is appropriate, reasonable and flexible enough for the wide range of industry business types. The result is an agreed competency-based framework that outlines a clear pathway which will improve the professionalism of the insurance claims handling workforce when it comes to claims handling and settling services. Thank you to all our collaborators that have made this possible,” says Prue Willsford, ANZIIF Chief Executive Officer.

“The insurance industry has an ongoing opportunity to improve outcomes to customers, attract and retain great people, and increase confidence in the role of insurance in our community. The support for this framework signifies the industry’s willingness to collaborate for the benefit of customers and industry. ANZIIF, as the leading professional association for insurance, is uniquely positioned to set professional standards and drive such important collaborations for the benefit of all,” says Tim Plant, Immediate Past President and Fellow of ANZIIF.

“ANZIIF is such an important part of the Australian Insurance Industry landscape. As the leading professional membership association serving all parts of our industry, it is the only association with the expertise, capability and authority to develop such a framework on behalf of industry,” says Ben Bessell, President of ANZIIF.

“While it is not their role to endorse the framework, ASIC also welcomed the industry wide collaboration to set standards that are in the interest of customers, the industry, and employees,” adds Bessell.

Companies that have initially endorsed the framework include Suncorp, Allianz, Youi, SURA and Austbrokers, QBE, Zurich, CHU, IAG, Sedgwick and NTI and is supported by NIBA, UAC, AICLA.

The framework is a voluntary commitment by organisations representing a commitment to good practice and professionalism and will be implemented progressively over the next two years.

The post General insurance leaders launch Professional Standards Framework for claims handling and settling services appeared first on AdviserVoice.

“Congratulations to this years’ winners and finalists – all have displayed excellence, and a commitment to professionalism over the past year,” said Prue Willsford, Chief Executive Officer,  ANZIIF.

The awards highlight the incredible work organisations and individuals are doing to make a difference in the insurance community. “Thank you to our diverse judging panel that have given their time to assess the submissions and to our great partners and sponsors, who continue to support this celebration of excellence, and truly make this event possible”, adds Willsford.

Among the awards for individual excellence, Calise Liu of Finity was announced Young Insurance Professional of the Year, Win-Li Toh was announced Insurance Leader of the Year, and Tony Morgan was presented with the ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to the 2023 Winners:

• Small Broking Company of the Year: Simplex Insurance Solutions
• Medium Broking Company of the Year: Warren Saunders Insurance Brokers
• Large Broking Company of the Year: Aon
• Authorised Representative Network of the Year: Insurance Advisernet
• Underwriting Agency of the Year: CHU Underwriting Agencies
• Small-Medium General Insurance Company of the Year: RACT Insurance
• Large General Insurance Company of the Year: Suncorp Group
• Claims Team of the Year: NTI
• Life Insurance Company of the Year: AIA Australia
• Insurtech Start-up of the Year: Sync Technologies
• Professional Services Firm of the Year: Finity
• Service Provider to the Insurance Industry: Allied Universal Compliance and Investigations
• Excellence in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: Allianz
• Excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance Change: IAG
• Young Insurance Professional of the Year: Calise Liu
• Insurance Leader of the Year: Win-Li Toh
• ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award: Tony Morgan

The post ANZIIF reveals winners of 19th Australian Insurance Industry Awards appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Commenting on the upcoming event, ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford said, “This year, we are celebrating how our industry has continued to support its customers, communities and its people, along with recognising the extraordinary achievements of the diverse talent within our industry.”

“Thank you to our judging panel who have given their time to assess the submissions and our sponsors who continue to support this incredible celebration of our industry.”

This year’s event – to be hosted on 24 August at The Star, Sydney – includes 17 categories representing a broad range of insurance sectors as the Australian insurance market grows.

The finalists for the 2023 Australian Insurance Industry Awards are:

Small Broking Company of the Year

• Simplex Insurance Solutions
• Vie Legal Insurance

Medium Broking Company of the Year

• Guardian Insurance Brokers
• Warren Saunders Insurance Brokers

Large Broking Company of the Year

• Aon
• Honan Insurance Group
• Marsh

Authorised Representative Network of the Year

• Community Broker Network
• Insurance Advisernet

Underwriting Agency of the Year

• CHU Underwriting Agencies
• NTI
• ProRisk

Underwriting Agencies of Australia

• Small-Medium General Insurance Company of the Year
• Adica Insurance
• RACT Insurance

Large General Insurance Company of the Year

• Allianz
• CGU
• Chubb Insurance
• QBE Australia Pacific
• Suncorp Group

Claims Team of the Year

• ARC Projects
• CHU Underwriting Agencies
• CGU
• NTI
• ProRisk
• Suncorp Group
• Woodina Law
• Youi Insurance

Life Insurance Company of the Year

• AIA Australia
• MetLife Australia
• Insurtech Start-up of the Year
• Clover Insurance
• Curium
• FreightInsure
• Loop Logics
• Sync Technologies

Professional Services Firm of the Year

• Barry Nilsson
• DLA Piper
• Finity
• Hall & Wilcox
• MinterEllison
• Moray & Agnew
• Sparke Helmore Lawyers

Service Provider to the Insurance Industry

• Allied Universal Compliance and Investigations
• ARC Projects
• CoreLogic
• DXC Technology
• Gallagher Bassett
• IVAA
• JB Hi-Fi Business
• Modos Group
• Paynter Dixon
• Paynters

Excellence in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

• Allianz
• CHU Underwriting Agencies
• Hollard Insurance
• Honan Insurance Group
• Marsh
• MetLife Australia

Excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance Change

• Honan Insurance Group
• IAG
• Marsh
• QBE Insurance Australia
• Swiss Re

Young Insurance Professional of the Year

• Robert Dang, Sedgwick
• Jasmin Gabrielli, Honan Insurance Group
• Calise Liu, Finity
• Vanessa MacDonald, ProRisk
• Levi Mitchell, Crawford & Company
• Taeylor Postle, AIA Australia
• Yen Tran, Woodina Law

Insurance Leader of the Year

• Announced on the night

ANZIIF Lifetime Achievement Award

• Announced on the night

The post Finalists unveiled for 19th ANZIIF Australian Insurance Industry Awards appeared first on AdviserVoice.