BMP - Business Made Personal

“You’ve got to put yourself forward to take opportunities. You can’t sit back and wait for people to ask!”Shaun discusses the Authorised Representative landscape and what it took for him to transition from a global role with QBE to leading one of the most successful Authorised Representative groups in Australia.

“There is literally a job in insurance for any single person who has a tertiary qualification.”As the first in her family to obtain a formal qualification, Prue Willsford lives and breathes education. In this podcast Prue also discusses taking risks, backing yourself in and the part men can play in assisting women to develop their careers.

“Getting more forethought into how you prepare for the future, not how you protect the past is particularly important!”The Managing Director of Blue Zebra, Colin Fagen, speaks about his life in the corporate sphere before venturing into the great unknown – that of creating his own business. He discusses the anxious uncertainty following his public departure from a major insurer and how forced change created significant opportunities for him.

“What surprised me was the number of senior executives that have just lost their way, that had lost connection with their sense of compassion and their caring nature. By hardening their hearts what I saw was unnecessary diminishment and disempowerment of really brilliant humans.”As the creator of the Centre for Self Fidelity, Cassandra Goodman assists employers and employees to: Remember and reconnect to their essential nature, Restore their trust in their goodness, uniqueness, worthiness and...

“Insurance and Banking are the basis of all progress (modern) mankind has ever made anywhere and at anytime and to be part of it is a pretty big buzz!”The General Manager of the Underwriting Agencies Council, Mr William Legge discusses how selling publications along the east coast delivered him to the doorstep of the insurance profession. In this podcast, he also shares with us his learnings from doing business in the South East Asian markets and how that influenced his attitude to insurance ...

“There’s an interesting correlation between childhood trauma and the ability to be strong and resilient later in life!”From living in constant fear and danger all her teenage life to backing herself in developing businesses in overseas destinations, Joan Fitzpatrick speaks about the challenges she has faced and how they have impacted her business life. A huge advocate of equality in all its forms, be it religion, colour, sex or any other form of ‘ism, Joan shares with us the key aspects that ...

“You can’t move forward in your career if people don’t respect you and people want to be led by you and people believe in you.”Damien Coates believes that “we’ve got to keep challenging and stretching ourselves because society in every fabric is changing and we’ve got to make sure we keep up with it.” And he should know. Apart from his role as CEO for Dual Asia Pacific, Damien discusses the impact of mental health on his life as well as the personal impact of having been front and centre of t...

“There is a level of reward you get that’s greater than anything else when you can truly go home knowing you have helped someone or made their life just that little bit easier.”Steven Manning, the CEO of the LMI Group, has some big shoes to fill. In this podcast, Steve discusses the challenges and benefits of having Professor Allan Manning as his father and inspirational guide, the benefits of being in a family business and his global expansion plans for LMI. He has some great advice for othe...

This podcast is extraordinary listening for those who are looking for inspiration in balancing family and career and what you need to consider in managing both.“It is constant learning and development in ourselves as individuals that keeps us relevant.”Highlighting the importance of education and technical training, Stella Pruscino explains why that has helped her achieve significant success in the Broking space. She also discusses the challenges of being a single mother of two young children...

“If you’re not conversant with moving into the digital age, then you should get out of this Industry.”Robert Kelly opens up about life before Steadfast and the watershed moments that led him to the general insurance profession. He shares with us his passion for learning and why that is so important for anyone seeking to progress in their business careers.In his inimitable way, the MD and CEO of the Steadfast Group explain what has driven him over the years and what continues to drive him to t...

“The key is that you keep up to date and relevant. The other thing(s) are that you’re enquiring and more importantly, that you’re reinventing yourself!”Veronica Grigg the President of Crawford Asia has the knowledge and experience that has transcended multiple industries and Countries. In this podcast, she shares with us how she managed to propel her career to the levels she did including where and how she devoted her energies as well as the impacts on her personal life as a single parent of ...

“I’m really impressed with the younger, new entrants to the Industry. I think they’ve got a great thirst for knowledge.”A dyslexic, high school dropout, Dr Allan Manning is now one of the most technically knowledgeable and highly sought after influential insurance persons of our times. Having attended most major catastrophes throughout Australia including the Queensland floods, the Victorian bushfires and the Port Arthur massacre, Dr Manning is exceptionally well placed to comment on what we,...

“There’s no one out there advocating for all the stuff you can learn (in insurance) whether it be risk, underwriting, actuarial, HR, compliance and you can do all of that through one Insurer if you really want to.”Angela Fitzpatrick loves claims. In her words, it is ‘where the rubber hits the road’ and the point at which you can make a real difference in people’s lives. Over her career, she has stuck to the philosophy of ‘take a risk and find a good mentor.’ Angela shares with us how she has ...

“Without a doubt, the most valuable thing you can be armed with in (business) life is a half a dozen really good questions!”How does a scientist with an environmental focus transition into leading one of Australia’s major Cluster Groups? Richard Crawford, CEO of Community Broker Network (CBN) discusses his varied career progression including the challenges he encountered in running his own SME business. In this podcast, he provides sage advice for leaders and aspiring leaders and the core att...

“We have to be innovative and create really great solutions and stay on the front foot, but we can’t lose sight of the things that really matter on a day to day basis and high service is going to matter!”Many people work overseas but very few have the fortitude to back themselves in to take on roles for which they have had no formal training or experience. Janelle Greene the Chief Customer Officer for NTI has done just that in her early career. Janelle’s unshakeable belief that she will be ab...