Business Made Personal

Major complex loss in insurance is not just about technical expertise; it is about communication, judgement and the ability to guide people through pressure. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira chats with Nigel Cook, Chief Executive Officer, Sedgwick Singapore, and Head of Major Complex Loss, Asia. Nigel shares how a trade apprenticeship in South Wales, an early move to Abu D...

How Deniz Bekir is raising the standard of insurance claims begins with a simple belief: every claim deserves the very best expertise, professionalism and care. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with Deniz Bekir, CEO and Principal Engineer at Silver Wolf Projects and Chairperson of the Association of Insurance Building and Engineering Consultants (AiBEC). What unf...

Insurance leadership is rarely a straight path, and few people understand that better than Ben Goodall. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with Ben Goodall, CEO of Envest Broking and former CEO of PSC Broking, to explore a career that has taken him from aspiring musician to one of Australia's most respected insurance leaders. Ben shares his unique upbringing a...

What does modern leadership in insurance actually look like? In Episode 144 of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira speaks with Lorelle Hillman, General Manager of Distribution at QBE Australia , about resilience, mentorship, gender equity, and the future of the insurance industry. Lorelle shares her journey from Brisbane tennis courts and corporate travel into a 25-year insurance career spannin...

Leadership in insurance isn’t built in boardrooms — it’s forged through resilience, relationships, and real-world experience. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with Steven Hill, NIBA Director, board member, and 2018 Queensland Broker of the Year, to explore a remarkable 40-year journey in the insurance industry. Steven’s story begins in suburban Brisbane, shaped b...

Insurance leadership and resilience are at the heart of this powerful conversation with Greg Fisher, chairman of Nautilus Marine and chairman of the Steadfast Foundation. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with one of the insurance industry’s most respected leaders to explore a journey shaped by hard work, humility, adversity and purpose. Greg shares how growing up...

The road to insurance leadership isn't always via traditional underwriting roles. Damien Gallagher's journey from financial planning to executive leadership at CGU shows how curiosity and cross-industry experience can boost career advancement in ways that remaining within insurance silos cannot. From Financial Planning to Insurance Strategy Gallagher's career shift started at Perpet...

Leadership in insurance isn’t just about strategy; it’s about culture, people, and execution. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with Stuart Brown, CEO of The Bridge International, to unpack a career that spans some of Australia’s most influential insurance organisations. From launching Coles Insurance to leading a consultancy focused on bridging strategy and execu...

Leadership in insurance is evolving as brokers shift from transactional insurance placement to becoming trusted risk advisors. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira chats with Tim Mathieson, CEO – Australasia Broking at Steadfast , about leadership, mentorship, and how the role of brokers is evolving in the insurance industry. Tim shares insights from his journey leading broker...

Systemic inequities in insurance aren’t just a policy problem; they show up in real people’s lives when they’re at their most vulnerable. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with Julia Davis , Senior Policy and Communications Officer at the Financial Rights Legal Centre , AFCA panel member, and member of the General Insurance Code Governance Committee, to unpack wha...

Insurance Industry Reform in Australia is no longer a “nice-to-have” conversation; it’s becoming a community necessity as affordability tightens and natural disasters become more frequent and severe. In this episode of Business Made Personal, Mark Silveira sits down with James Still, founder and managing director of Still Insured Insurance Brokers, to unpack a career shaped by unexpected pivots, p...

Resilience in insurance leadership is not a personality trait; it’s a practice built through hardship, self-awareness, and community. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with Emily-Rose Srbinovska, Senior Account Manager at AEI Insurance Broking Group and ACT President of Young Insurance Professionals Australia and New Zealand. Emily shares a powerful journey from a...

Climate risk in insurance is no longer a future problem; it is a present-day leadership test. In this episode of Business Made Personal, Mark Silveira sits down with Sharanjit Padam, Principal Climate Analytics at Finiti, to unpack the human story behind a career spent translating complex risk into real-world decisions. Sharanjit shares his journey from Zambia to boarding school in Wales, then int...

Mentorship in insurance isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s how you build an industry that lasts. In this episode of Business Made Personal , Mark Silveira sits down with Brett Piggott , Executive Director at Willis Temby , to unpack a 25-year journey defined by resilience, empathy, and a refusal to compromise on integrity. Brett’s story begins far from boardrooms: in remote WA communities, shaped by hi...

Leadership and mentorship in reinsurance are central themes in this discussion with Stephen Brunker on Business Made Personal . With more than 25 years in both international and local reinsurance markets, Stephen shares the personal story behind his professional success – from a disjointed childhood and frequent school moves to finding stability through his grandparents’ wisdom and the family valu...

Mentorship and balance in insurance careers are central themes in this honest chat with Kishan Dasan, General Manager at MECON Insurance. Growing up in Malaysia with dentist parents and a solid educational background, Kishan talks about how a one-way ticket to Melbourne at 21 completely transformed his life, his identity, and ultimately his career in insurance. In this episode, Kishan shares how h...

Women in insurance leadership are central to this conversation with Lisa Hiscock, Director of Hakea Insurance Brokers. Mark Silveira interviews Lisa about her journey from a tough start in Chatham, UK, to senior underwriting roles at AXA XL and Axis, and ultimately founding Hakea to create a more flexible, values-driven career.  You’ll hear how a love of travel and learning opened doors beyond a t...

Mentorship in insurance careers is central to this conversation with Mike McShane , founder and director of McClardy McShane Partners . From a modest beginning in Melbourne to co-founding one of Australia’s most respected broker networks, Mike explains how resilience, education, and trusted mentors shaped his journey. He recalls leaving school early, travelling across Australia doing tough jobs, a...

Mentorship in insurance impacts careers, cultures, and client results—and few exemplify this better than Ambrose Construct’s Executive GM of Business Development, Darren Trott. In this chat with Mark Silveira, Darren shares a 40-year journey from Adelaide to national leadership, illustrating how mentors, music, and resilience shaped an empathy-first approach to claims and culture. You’ll discover...

"I don't think you can have real, sustained success, especially in leadership, without having some sort of sacrifice." Allicia Tsolis's genuine leadership in insurance takes centre stage in this episode of Business Made Personal . As the Executive General Manager of Workers’ Compensation at Suncorp, Allicia shares how a tough childhood in South Australia and her Greek heritage...

"It is the best thing I have ever done in my life….taken jobs that I probably shouldn't have or possibly shouldn't have been offered." Calling it as it is is Kerrie Challenor’s stock in trade, and in this podcast, she did not disappoint. A couple of notable comments from Kerrie: “Let's face it, it's not really rocket science… Insurance. (You can learn it, but) What yo...

"I just accepted that I was different and stopped trying to fit in so much." As a child of Turkish migrants, growing up, Nese faced two choices. Either to continue her education and keep learning or to get married. Nese chose the former, and when explaining her decision, she says that for her, “the driver really becomes well, I need to be independent, I need to be able to do things witho...

"I tend to spend a lot of time in my own head questioning every decision I make and second-guessing and analysing." Being able to speak German unbeknownst to him helped Simon Lightbody enter the insurance industry. He admits that he is “not the sort of character who has this kind of myopic view that I'm going to do this and I am absolutely right set on it” and that flexibility has a...

"If you want to learn and grow, and exceed, you just have to put in the work and hustle." Starting an insurance broking business when you have a four-year-old and are pregnant with your second child is not for the faint-hearted. Having decided she wanted to spend more time with her children, starting out on her own was Lisa’s way of being present for her children whilst creating an insur...

"You will be offered opportunities. Take them, try things, do different things, challenge yourself and take yourself out of your comfort zone because that's how you learn." Understand what your values are and what you stand for, and what you don't stand for. What's right for you? What's wrong for you? And what are you prepared to compromise on? Because this will guide...