SPOTLIGHT / Meet the state finalists of the 2025 Young Broker of the Year Awards
QLD Finalist
QLD Finalist
EMILY RADMALL, YOUR INSURANCE BROKER
RACHAEL HIRSCH, STELLAR INSURANCE BROKERS
How did you get started in the insurance broking profession?
How did you get started in the insurance broking profession?
questions, seek clarity or even get their interpretation on a policy wording since there is often more than one, but that those people feel like they too can lean on you when needed. You don’t know what you don’t know but someone does. You just have to ask. What are some of the attributes essential to be a good broker? People are relying on you as their broker to protect their interests and protect the businesses they have worked tirelessly to build. It is a vital part of our role to build relationships with clients that go far beyond a transaction, a relationship that allows us to become a part of their business as if it were our own. Without knowing them and their business so deeply, it’s hard to fully understand what their risks are and be able to provide them with the right advice. Having good, transparent communication and always following through with what you say you will do creates trust and further builds on the relationship between a broker and their client. It’s also important to advocate for your client, to always protect their interests; from negotiating a better rate on their premium to dispute a poor claim outcome, ensuring the best possible outcome for them is a priority. What does becoming a finalist of the 2025 Young Broker of the Year mean to you? My whole life I have lacked confidence in myself, having that little voice in my head telling me I’m not good enough. Yet every day, the beautiful people around me continue to praise and support me for all that I do and can achieve. Becoming a finalist allows me to see myself from their perspective and to acknowledge the work I have done, both personally and professionally, to get me to where I am today. I really pride myself in going above and beyond for my clients, and for always pushing to do what is best for them. I believe this is what makes me a good broker and being a finalist, it brings that into perspective for me.
One of the international brokerages was looking for a junior with no previous insurance experience and my sister, who worked in their HR department at the time, mentioned me in a passing comment. Next minute, I was being interviewed for a broker support role having no idea what an insurance broker was. I still remember the day she called me to tell me I had an interview for a job I hadn’t even applied for or made any mention to her that I was looking for. Yet, here I am all those years later, forever grateful for that opportunity and the pathway it created to get me to where I am today and working in an industry I love. I fell into it, one might say. What is the most important lesson you have learnt in your career so far? One of the things I love most about my job is that the industry is ever-changing, always keeping me on my toes and with that comes the challenge of always trying to keep up to date – every day truly is different. What I’ve learnt from that is that no number of qualifications, training, mentoring, or experience will ever teach you everything there is to know about insurance but staying up to date is vital to our role in supporting our clients and ensuring they have the broadest protections in place. This also connects to the importance of having a good network of people around you, either in your team or just the industry in general, people who you can lean on to ask those tricky “It is a vital part of our role to build relationships with clients that go far beyond a transaction, a relationship that allows us to become a part of their business as if it were our own.”
I was working at the IGA in Maleny, and the founder of YIB (Winston Johnston) shopped there regularly. He used to quiz me about what I was planning to do work-wise. I explained that I’d just finished my degree in Property Economics and Development to become a Property Valuer. I learnt retrospectively that Winston always looked for people with the right attitude and he built a very successful business by surrounding himself with good people. I was working three jobs including the IGA, and housekeeping at the Hyatt Coolum Resort, while also learning the ropes at a well-known property valuation firm. I was hesitant as I didn’t want to ‘waste’ my degree after studying for three years, however, I’m glad I took the offer of a career I’d never thought about. I’ve now paid it forward and helped recruit others into the industry who had also never thought about broking as a career option. What is the most important lesson you have learnt in your career so far? The learning never ends. This industry is ever evolving and if you don’t keep up, you will fall behind. Regulations and compliance are constantly changing, and it’s imperative to keep up with these changes or you could be putting yourself or your company at risk. There are also frequent changes with insurers and products, and you need to be aware of these changes to be able to provide the appropriate advice to your clients. It is also extremely important to be up to date with the latest products which are emerging. If you’re not having these discussions with your clients, you can be sure that another broker will. What are some of the attributes essential to be a good broker? There are many, but I would narrow it down to good communication, time management skills and an eye for detail. You are dealing with many people in this
26 / INSURANCE ADVISER JUNE/JULY 2025
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software