More than 850 insurance professionals attended the Star Event Centre in Sydney on Thursday night for the 21st Australian Insurance Industry Awards.

Hosted by the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance, the awards recognise outstanding service and professionalism across the sector. 

ANZIIF says the “highest honours of the evening”, the lifetime achiever awards, were presented to “two iconic industry leaders”.

Robert Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Steadfast, was recognised for “his visionary leadership and tireless commitment to strengthening the broking community”.

Ian Carr, founder of Insurance Advisernet, was honoured for his “pioneering spirit” and “dedication to building one of Australia's most successful broker networks”.

In her welcome address, ANZIIF CEO Katrina Shanks paid tribute to the collective strength of the insurance profession.

“Our industry stands as a pillar of trust and resilience – always ready to support customers through times of uncertainty and change,” she said. “Tonight, we honour not only exceptional achievement, but our shared mission to protect and support communities across Australia.”

The other award winners were: 

• Small-medium broking company of the year – Warren Saunders Insurance Brokers
• Large broking company of the year – Aon  
• Authorised representative network of the year – Community Broker Network
• Underwriting agency of the year – NTI 
• Small-medium general insurance company of the year – Adica Insurance
• Large general insurance company of the year – QBE
• Claims team of the year – NTI
• Life insurance company of the year – NobleOak Life 
• Insurtech start-up of the year – Claims Gateway 
• Professional services firm of the year – Finity
• Service provider to the insurance industry – EML
• Excellence in workplace diversity and inclusion – Swiss Re
• Young insurance professional of the year – Ben McInnes, MHIA Insurance