Business Made Personal

"It's not what happens or what you're going through. It's how you react to it (that counts)" Megan Duckworth may be a third-generation insurance person. However, her desire to carve her path is very evident in how she views her contribution to the insurance sector. Apart from her parents' work ethic, Megan credits her time in the sport of rowing as being crucial to he...

"For (my) family to get on to a rickety boat in the middle of the night and sail across the sea, they're doing that out of desperation and the want of something better for their children." After qualifying as a lawyer, Suzi realised on her way to the train station that she didn't want to be a Partner in a law firm. The learning, challenge and team environment provided by insura...

"The first two years out of cricket were the most horrible times in my whole life. You have no idea what you want to do and what your purpose is (and that is challenging) in your mid-30s." Speaking of both his cricketing career and his business career, Jon Moss says “What I’m most proud of is every move that I made to better my career, the key thing had to be that I was going to an envir...

"I don't think expectations have changed but I think what goes to meeting those has." Starting off as an insurance litigator gave Samantha O’Brien an interesting view into the world of insurance. Now as a corporate commercial lawyer in the insurance sector, she is of the opinion that the more you know about a sector, the better adviser and lawyer you become. Being authentic, being y...

"(My grandfather) had a really good strong work ethic, built a career, and still had time for family - I hope I can live up to that as well." Shane Moore discovered that starting a business was a lot more difficult than he thought it would be. He found it challenging to develop leads and handle the client-facing role and do both well. Added to that, challenges in business partnerships, n...

"Giving ‘time’ is one of the greatest gifts you can give someone." The evolution of the industry every eighteen months (as he sees it) is something that inspires and challenges Stephen Nguyen. Having learned the value of resilience, teamwork, and gratitude as a son of Vietnamese migrants, Stephen is a living example of the new generation of insurance people making their mark and further...

"Everyone ‘falls’ in it (insurance), but no one leaves, so we must be doing something right." Changing the perception of insurance brokers and the industry as a whole is the underlying aim that is the lynchpin of Kirsty Macleod’s professional ambition. She gauges how well she is doing this by the number of clients that subsequently become friends and the satisfaction she gets in leading...

"I found insurance incredibly fulfilling in a way that I suppose hadn’t resonated with me in my previous marketing role." Listening to her views as a younger person entering the insurance space on many aspects, including the challenges of COVID, the expectations of the younger generation from their employers, the ‘super power’ of being a young woman in the industry and what we can do to...

"It was a big challenge for me as a young person to go slowly." Diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurship and listening to the ‘oldies’ are some interesting topics we cover with Kate Fairley - owner and insurance broker at Macedon Ranges Insurance. Her remarkable tenacity and superior client focus come from her belief: "If we’re not the cheapest, if we're not the most suitable...

"I remember early in my career, and I was dissuaded from taking on a front-line role because it involved working in the ‘rough and tough world of the (male) dealers’. " Forgoing her initial dreams of being an airline Pilot, her degree in electrical engineering has assisted Shilpa Strong in taking on high-profile global roles with several first-tier global insurers and transforming compan...

“Push yourself to learn more, do that extra bit of research, peel the covers back and get excited about what it is you’re doing. That motivation can fuel you!” A firm advocate for self-motivation, Shane Brady started his own insurance broking business, having left a secure well paid role he had occupied for 11 years and at a time when his wife had their first child who was a few months old and dur...

"Sometimes it easy to decide where you want to go by ruling out what you know you don’t want to do". Having researched the insurance sector before entering it at a more advanced age than many, Matt Crewe still pinches himself every time he is exposed to the multi-faceted opportunities and career paths he is presented with. Having recently left to assist his father in his business, Matt c...

"I probably aligned it (Insurance) with Accounting…but what I noticed really quickly when I went to some Young Insurance Professional Groups is WOW… There are so many opportunities for young people in our industry and it’s a hidden gem." Coming from an ‘insurance family’ Kathryn McClunie did not rely on their credibility to forge her own path. An entrepreneur by nature, she started an on...

"I went through a stage where I thought I had to be tough and I thought I had to be different to who I was to fit in. I was trying to change the stripes that I had been born with and failed miserably." There isn’t much that can take Jessica Jenkins off her career trajectory as you will gather from her views on work and client service in this podcast. There is one thing that has caused he...

"You have to be willing to fail …..and willing to give the effort and the emotional investment that it takes." Living proof that the insurance sector welcomes people from a variety of backgrounds, AFL Geelong Cats footballer, Sam Menegola is just such an individual. In this episode, Sam shares how his AFL career has helped to shape his work as an Account Executive at International Broker...

We will release the first podcast of our 2023 season in the coming weeks. This short episode outlines what's new in Season 2 of 'Business Made Personal'. How to contact Mark Silveira: Email mark@bmppodcast.com.au   Phone +61 (0) 409235975  Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira , exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond. Never miss an epis...

" 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 b...

"We can’t call ourselves a Profession if we don’t have qualifications!" A country boy from Mooroopna in country Victoria and one of 6 children, Allan Reynolds talks about opportunities, travel, personal brand and jet skis all of which he credits directly to his time in the insurance industry. Over the years and due to his involvement with Brokers, he had formed a deep understanding and r...

"All of the magic, all of the solutions, all of the opportunities are in the negative comments, the detractor comments from Clients." Roger Abel has a genuine interest in people and commerce and believes that has propelled him to seek opportunities and beneficial change. Growing Rothbury from 7 staff and one office to over 400 people and 25 offices, Roger discusses the important aspects...

"I lost 12 months of my memory (due to a serious car accident)!" Following a serious accident when she was 15, Jenny Bax was unable to complete year 10 and not expected to survive let alone achieve the stellar national and international career she has carved out in the insurance industry. Jenny’s stories of overcoming adversity through resilience will echo loudly with many people. In her...

"A lot of the time we go so fast that we forget the little things and the little things matter." Dr Pat Boulogne a Functional Medicine practitioner and Chiropractor has made it her life’s ambition to target the root of health problems and asks that we don’t ignore important signs that may become a disease that will kill you. In her words, “Genes can’t be changed. You can change the messa...

"Embrace it all. Don’t look back. Just go after it and trust your gut." Having started in the insurance sector at 17 years of age, Steve Ord reflects back on his time in Australia, UK and Europe and how it impacted him both positively and negatively in business and in his personal life. A firm believer in the concept that ‘it’s the ability to adapt and move forward’ that makes individual...

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 Business Made Personal is hosted b...

"To go through life without (making) mistakes I think is probably THE greatest mistake." With a diverse background in drama and theatre prior to migrating to Australia, Matt Ennis had to curtail his ‘free spirit’ to learn how to apply himself and develop his insurance career. Credibility, positivity and constant evolution through learning and thinking outside the box has culminated in Ma...

"Be open to whatever might come. Don’t think that life is in a box." You can not fail to be impressed and inspired by Nick Cook. His view on life when things don’t go as planned and his honest appraisal of the insurance sector is sure to strike a chord with most people. One of the industry’s true gentlemen, the glass is always half full with Nick and he sees the future of and shares with...