I have worked in the insurance industry since 1961, starting at the age of 15. I founded Australian European Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd (AEI) in 1983 with my business partners Peter Gorrie and Stephen Bennett. AEI grew into a large Australian owned brokerage and during our growth period we became extensively involved with heavy and commercial motor and bus & coach business through our associations in these industries. By 1995 our business in these areas had grown to such an extent it led us to consider starting a heavy/commercial underwriting agency which could assist clients in our broking business.

To approach an underwriter to become our security we needed to demonstrate that the agency would be independent of our brokerage business and that we had the qualified personnel to run and manage the business. This led us to approach Peter Rogl who was highly regarded as a heavy motor underwriter with Mercantile Mutual and also Wayne Parrott who was Lumley’s Motor Claims Manager. The approach for security was made to both Suncorp and Lumley on a 60/40 basis and by mid-1996 after Peter had completed developing our policy wordings, claims procedures and assisting with the agency agreement etc, Global Motor Underwriting Agency (Global) was formed with Peter as the Underwriting and General Manager.

In 1999 Lumley decided to leave the agency and an approach was made to Terry Towell, Managing Director of Allianz Australia, where they agreed to take up the option of Lumley’s 40% share of the security. To the best of my recollection, it was in 2001/2002 that Allianz Australia took over 100% of the security in Global and at that time Peter continued to carefully manage the business growing it successfully.

In early 2006 Global’s Brisbane branch operation commenced under the guidance of Chris Kindred and Tony Dodd - this was an immediate success adding significantly to the overall Gross Written Premium (GWP).

In June 2005 I was approached by Terry Towell with a proposal that at first I thought he was having me on, so to speak; the proposal was for Allianz Australia to not only be the security but to take a financial position in Global and in addition they would pass over all their heavy motor business Australia wide for us to grow and manage. To say the least this was a very exciting moment in our history. In all my years in the insurance industry I’d never known any Insurer to pass over a portfolio for someone to manage on their behalf, something you would hope for but never expect.

The arrangement was that I would run the business under my direction with the condition that I gave a commitment to stay for at least five years and in doing so they would give me a “put and call” option as a way out if I wanted to at the expiration of the five year term. Between June and December 2005, I was involved in the legal contracts with David Krawitz who was at the time consulting with Allianz, and from  January 2006 Glenn Lambert took over from David and all contracts and agency agreements including the name change to Global Transport & Automotive Insurance Solutions Pty Ltd, were completed by end of June 2006. 15th July was the commencement of the transition of Allianz business to Global. At the beginning of the transition of Allianz motor business Global was approximately $21M GWP and by the time I departed after 6 years the GWP had grown to $164M (this included $12M of CTP business which came out of the GWP when Glenn took over the operation). I’m very proud of this achievement and the fact that during my time we were able to deliver not only growth, but also operational and underwriting profits that met our partners expectations. The huge growth was due to the expansion into all states (except Tasmania) and regional areas such as Darwin, Albury, Townsville and Newcastle.

As much as Global was a huge and exciting time in my life, by 2011I had come to the point where I felt I could not add anything more to its growth and development. It was time to plan for what came next and that meant a new leader who could spearhead a new era.

I had formed a strong relationship with Glenn Lambert during his tenure at Allianz and continued that when he moved to Austbrokers. Having had regular meetings with Glenn over several years it became clear to me that he would be the perfect choice as my replacement due to his integrity, people skills and strong service ethics. I had no hesitation in recommending him to Terry Towell.

Glenn has now passed the leadership on to Tony Dodd and, like me, he looked for someone who understands that elements of the business need to effectively function together and is also a passionate advocate for product, service and the industry. Tony is an excellent choice and has been with Global since 2006.

I believe some of the most important things all insurance professionals must keep top of mind are know your people, market, product and costs. GT has always prided itself on being close to all its stakeholders and treating everyone with the utmost fairness and giving the best service experience in the industry. I know this will continue and drive an even brighter future.

“My thanks to everyone who has joined me on this adventure, and I wish you all many more years of success.”

NICK ZISSIS

GT Insurance has recently launched our improved customer based centric portal ClaimIt@GT. In an increasingly digital world, for a client, the ability to lodge claims online is essential. With the Insurance needs of Australian transport operators constantly changing, ClaimIt@GT streamlines the lodgement process. Automating many paper-based procedures through an online portal makes claims handling fast and efficient. ClaimIt@GT improves collaboration and helps you avoid incomplete lodgements and errors caused by misreading handwritten forms.

Claim lodgement is uncomplicated thanks to its intuitive technical design based on the input we received from our clients and businesses across Australia. Everything flows logically, so drivers can lodge their own claim information 24/7, from anywhere on the road (so long as there's the internet). This information is automatically shared with their broker if the contact details are shared at lodgement. and transport operator, and both are alerted to any missing documents or incorrectly submitted information.

ClaimIt@GT is both secure and paperless which helps manage client information more easily, while giving brokers access to all lodgement materials so they can review their client’s claim before it’s submitted to GT Insurance. With ClaimIt@GT you cut admin time and the hassle of misplaced paperwork. So do the logical thing, lodge using ClaimIt@GT and benefit from the speed and efficiencies of claiming online.

To find out more, visit our claims page here and follow the prompts.

 

Today, social attitudes towards male parenting are evolving quickly, which is having a direct impact on fatherhood in the workplace.

Balancing work and family life is a tricky and constant juggle for working dads, with many admitting they feel work has an impact on their ability to be a dad, as well as wanting to spend more time with their kids[1]. Men’s priorities are changing, and workplaces are changing in response, which is a significant step in the right direction.

While we know change isn’t easy and we still have a long way to go, here are five things your workplace can adopt today to empower fatherhood and help make dads feel happier at work.

  1. Create a caring culture. If your workplace can show a commitment to work-life balance, this can have a huge impact on retaining great employees. The first step to creating a caring culture is listening – find out what’s important to your employees with a genuine and open conversation.
  2. Acknowledge fatherhood as a 21st century priority, both at work as well as at home. Gone are the days when it was widely accepted that dads went off to work while mum stayed home to raise the kids. Today, many dads want to be more actively involved and present in their children’s lives.
  3. Encourage young fathers to take parental leave. Unfortunately, there still remains a stigma to taking paternity leave. Many new dads might worry about not being promoted or even losing respect from fellow colleagues. Encouraging and applauding dads for taking parental leave and maintaining promotions will foster an empowered culture.
  4. Be flexible with the work environment where and when you can. In a recent study, 95% of respondents rated flexibility in the workplace as important[2]. Whether that’s varying start and end times for daycare drop off or working remotely, it all adds up to creating a progressive workplace.
  5. Share experiences from role models of all genders who have made mindful trade-offs and choices to create their own unique balance between work and family life. It’s also important to gender-neutralise all talk when it comes to parenting and care to help remove outdated ideas of gender-specific roles.

 

[1] https://supportforfathers.com.au/resources/resources/work-and-family-balance/
[2] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_steps_to_a_father_friendly_workplace

John took home the title at the NT Insurance Industry Awards, which was held at the NT Insurance Conference (NTIC) in Darwin, 27-29th of April this year. The NTIC continues to provide industry professionals practicing in the Northern Territory the opportunity to contribute to the sustainability of the insurance sector, as well as undertake professional development at the highest-level.

Nominations for the Industry Awards are open to anyone who has worked in the Insurance Industry for 12 months or more. This year’s awards were focused on recognising those that go above and beyond. Those that possess a real ‘roll up your sleeve’ attitude that makes the Territory one of the most unique places to live and work.

The award of BDM/Underwriting Professional of the Year 2022 recognises an individual working within an underwriting department or business development role, who has demonstrated a superior level of technical knowledge and customer service.

A few words from John about his award:

“To receive this award from an industry I admire so much, makes me both humbled and honoured. I am thankful to the GT Team and dedicated NT brokers who I work with every day who encourage me to be the very best I can be”

This award is a true reflection of John’s hard work and dedication to his team and his clients at GT Insurance. The entire GT team would like to send our congratulations to John.

GT Insurance are extremely proud to announce that three women from GT Insurance have made it through the nomination stage and into the final 50 for Insurance Business’s annual Elite Women in Insurance, an initiative to seek out and recognise outstanding female leaders in the industry.

Congratulations to these three deserving GT women:

 

More about Elite Women

At the start of every year, Insurance Business invites insurance professionals from across the country to nominate their most exceptional female leaders for the Elite Women in Insurance list. Nominees had to be working in a role that related to, interacted with or in some way impacted the general insurance industry and have demonstrated a clear passion for insurance. Nominators were asked to describe their nominee’s standout professional achievements over the past 12 months, along with their contributions to diversity and inclusion in the industry and how they’ve given back through volunteer roles and charity work. The Insurance Business team reviews all nominations, examining how each individual had made a meaningful contribution to the industry, narrowing down the list to the final 50 Elite Women in Insurance.

Well done to all the nominees and everyone who made the final 50!

We have partnered with TRANSAFE WA, a not-for-profit initiative helping to deliver education and resources that support a safe, professional and sustainable road transport industry. We are proud supporters of iNSTRUCKTA! Safety Truck, a travelling exhibition trailer visiting schools and community events throughout Western Australia, with a mission to educate road users of today and tomorrow on how to safely interact with heavy vehicles.

 

GT Insurance offers additional benefits for transport Clients and motor vehicle fleet customers using Facial Recognition Technology. Together with speeding, driver fatigue and distraction continue to be major causes of fatal accidents on Australian roads each year. Heavy vehicles are certainly not immune with studies showing truck drivers are TWICE as likely to crash when they’re fatigued. Yet, tragically, research conducted by Monash University reveals an even more alarmingly statistic…

Truck drivers are 11 times more likely to crash when fatigued and distracted at the same time.*

 

It’s a disturbingly high figure, and one of the reasons why GT Insurance is proud to actively encourage and reward customers who use Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) in their motor vehicles on Australian roads.

Increased safety.

More effective and affordable than ever, today’s FRT systems use inward facing cameras to monitor the driver’s eyes and head position, as well as distraction-based behaviours such as illegal mobile phone use. When the system detects something amiss, it can provide a real-time alert – such as an audible sound or seat vibration – to get the driver to refocus back on the road, to potentially reduce the risk of being involved in an avoidable accident.

Reduced costs.

To support transport Clients and motor vehicle fleet customers who have FRT technology installed in their vehicles, GT has created a suite of additional cover benefits. These differ from Policy to Policy, based upon a number of variables and eligibility, but may include:

 

If you’re interested in learning more about the potential benefits and savings of FRT, please contact us today.

 

*. SOURCE: Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) https://www.monash.edu/muarc/news-and-events/articles/world-first-study-tests-distraction-and-fatigue-in-drivers

 

As anyone who operates in the taxi business will tell you, it’s a fast-paced and dynamic industry. While this certainly has many benefits, it can also expose taxi operators to a wide range of sudden and unexpected hazards which need to be protected against.

The risks to taxi owners are very real - whether it’s caused by other road users, passengers, or simply a lapse of attention by the driver, taxis are significantly more likely to be affected by damage claims than private vehicles. It’s also important to be aware that taxi owners can be held liable for personal injury and property damage claims, regardless of whether they were driving at the time or not.

Tailored taxi cover you can trust.
GT Insurance remains as committed as ever to protecting your Client’s vehicles with two highly competitive levels of taxi cover:

GT Driveline Platinum Taxi Package
GT Driveline Essential Taxi Package

Each package is fully supported by locally-based underwriters and claims specialists, together with expert assessors and repairers Australia wide. To learn more about our specialised taxi covers, simply click on the links above.

Are your taxi clients fully protected?
If your client’s circumstances have changed, or it’s been a while since you last reviewed their current insurance, now is the right time to consider the benefits of switching to GT Taxi Cover.

To get a tailored quote, please email us.

Or click here for the GT Taxi Cover PDS.

While relaxation and enjoyment are the main things to look forward to this holiday season, it is important to be aware that driving over this busy Christmas period presents some difficult challenges for drivers. In order to stay safe on the roads this holiday period, follow these simple tips.

 

GT Insurance has won the 2020 Underwriting Agency of the Year Award at the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) Convention, held earlier this week.

We are very pleased to announce that GT Insurance was named the Underwriting Agency of the Year at the prestigious 2020 National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) Convention earlier this week.

The NIBA Convention, held virtually for the first time, brought together over 500 brokers to recognise the outstanding achievements of businesses in the insurance industry and inspire brokers to look towards the future of our industry.

GT Insurance shines bright

This award is particularly special to the GT Insurance team as it is a representation of their customers, who are Insurance Brokers, and the continued support they’ve received from them over the years to help them get to where they are today.

Tony Dodd, CEO of GT Insurance, commented on the dedication of the GT Insurance team when it comes to improving the services they offer their members and partners.

“What an honour it is to be recognised by a leading organisation who I believe truly makes a difference in our industry. Great things in business are never done by one person – they're done by a team of them,” Tony said.

“Winning this award would not have been possible without the entire GT team. It is a testament to their hard work, engagement and unwavering support of the values of our company.”

Congratulations to all our GT Insurance team on this outstanding win.