BMP - Business Made Personal

The Business Made Personal team wishes to thank all of those who have supported the podcast series including our fabulous guests; our awesome listeners, and those wonderful people who have taken the time to provide us with their suggestions. We also have some exciting news which is shared in this podcast :)How to Connect with Mark:Email: mark@bmppodcast.com.au

"People are always going to make mistakes. Don’t crucify them for it."Making mistakes, learning from them and moving on has provided important lessons for Paul Lynam. A self-confessed risk taker, he believes that the way to advance your career is to challenge yourself and combining that with the desire to keep everybody standing and navigating the personalities are major functions of business success. The enormous change the insurance industry has been through has placed the industry in a very good position and provides excellent opportunities for those who enter and remain in it.

The Business Made Personal team wishes to thank all those who have supported the podcast series, including our fabulous guests, our awesome listeners, and those wonderful people who have taken the time to provide us with their suggestions. How to Connect with Mark:Email: mark@bmppodcast.com.au

“Corporations don’t give back like your friends and family do. Looking after yourself makes you a better professional.”Having forged a successful career as CEO of a number of Insurance businesses, Gary Seymour is the epitome of consistent advancement due to education, diligence and hard work. His advice is sought by many Organisations which is evidenced by his seat on a number of Insurance Boards.

“I’m convinced in 5 to 10 years time, Blockchain (technology) is going to be very much a part of normal (insurance) transaction processes”Dallas Booth’s commitment to Australian Insurance Brokers has been exemplary. We discuss the future of Broking as well as new horizons such as BlockChain technology with Dallas on the eve of his departure from NIBA.

 “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 connectedness and Activate more of their potential by cultivating trust in themselves. In this podcast, Cassandra shares her insights into how and why she does what she does!How to find Cassandra:https://self-fidelity.com/the-centre-for-self-fidelity/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-goodman/To buy the book log onto https://cassandragoodman.com/self-fidelity/type and type code FRIEND to get free postage

“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 business back home in Australia.

“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 have contributed to her success and longevity in the profession.

“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 the third largest corporate fraud in Australia’s history. His views are unabashedly honest and forthright as he talks about the non-negotiables of hard work, personal betrayal and the three pillars of managing his own mental health to, as he puts it, “keep the dam under control”.LINKS:https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/https://www.beyondblue.org.au/https://www.lifeline.org.au/

“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 others who are seeking to establish their own footprint in the profession and how important family is to achieving any business aspirations. Steven firmly believes that “if you decide to make this industry your career, it offers a fantastic opportunity.”

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 whilst building a career, the value of mentors and having open and honest communications to enhance knowledge. Stella speaks about the voluntary positions she has held and why they are so important to her including her involvement with the female entrepreneur group, https://www.headsoverheels.com.au/.

“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 this day. He speaks about those who influenced his personal life and career and why those influences were so important to him.

“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 a young child.Veronica’s career diversity has encompassed working on rural properties, artificial insemination on farms, consulting to financial services businesses, being an employee of a major Insurer and dealing with Claims at an executive level. Her lived experiences has meant that she is able to understand and empathise because as Veronica puts it, “Nothing comes in an organised kit for you just to assemble”.

“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, as a profession are doing well and where we need to improve. That said, in this podcast, he also shares with us the personal impact of attending such devastating tragedies and the joys and challenges of running a family business.

“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 managed to do just that and create a successful career whilst navigating the challenges of raising a family, being true to her personal integrity and not settling for second best even when the chips were down.

“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 attributes that are important in empowering people and developing careers.One of Richard’s key mantras is that we should all be encouraged to ‘create a space for others to step into to grow and thrive!’Richard also references: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/immunity-to-change.htm

“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 able to master any role provided she is surrounded by the right people is an inspirational account of how teamwork and varying skillsets within a team creates success. Janelle is a living example of the fact that taking risks and seeking challenges outside your comfort zone can pay off if you are prepared to put in the work and commit to learning and bettering yourself.