Headquarters:

Sydney, Australia

Year founded:

2017

Number of employees:

Phone:

02 9003 1660

Email:

quotes@ftainsurance.com.au

Website:

FTAinsurance.com.au

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/fta-insurance

“We prioritise embracing cutting-edge technologies, creative problem solving and continuous improvement to enhance our premium funding solutions and provide exceptional value to our clients”

Brett Bastow, IQumulate Premium FundinG

Christian Garling

Managing Director

Colin Pausey

Chief Operations Officer

Jeff Gonlin

Head of Underwriting and Product Development

Leadership

Christian Garling has worked in the insurance industry for 30 years. He was the founder of Berkley’s insurance operations in Australia. Subsequently, he founded FTA Insurance, a Lloyd’s coverholder. He has successfully run insurance operations in the Australian market for 20 years. As the founder and managing director of FTA, Garling enjoys bringing value to brokers by providing excellent service, competitive prices and a fast turnaround on quotes (regardless of the size of the risk). In his personal life, Garling is married and has two kids. Most weekends, he can be found actively involved in his kids’ sport or working, either at FTA or around the house. Garling just loves being busy.

Managing Director

Christian Garling

Colin Pausey has more than four decades of legal, insurance and management experience. He is unique in that he has managed underwriting agencies during his in-house episodes and advised insurers and underwriting agencies during his private practice as a lawyer. Pausey is an insurance law specialist. Prior to joining Emergence, he set up and managed the cyber insurance practice at a national law firm. His involvement with Emergence dates back to the first days of the company. He drafted the first Emergence cyber insurance policy and handled claims on behalf of the company before “retiring” from Emergence in 2021.

Chief Operations Officer

Colin Pausey

Jeff Gonlin has over 40 years of insurance and reinsurance experience across all casualty lines of business and every major market globally. He joined Emergence in 2017.

Head of Underwriting and Product Development

Jeff Gonlin

BRETT BASTOW, IQUMULATE PREMIUM FUNDINGs

Leadership

Blake Baxter

Head of Claims and Incident Response

Blake Baxter is an insurance professional with over a decade of experience and a broad background in insurance, accounting and the legal profession. He is a cyber insurance specialist with extensive experience building an incident response and claims handling function. He has worked in financial lines claims, including professional indemnity, D&O and cyber sectors. Baxter joined Emergence in March 2020 to build an in-house claims handling and incident response function. Having an in-house incident response gives Emergence a competitive advantage, but more importantly, it provides a better response to insureds, enabling them to get back to their best lives faster.

Head of Claims and Incident Response

Blake Baxter

Nikil Deo

Head of Technology

Nikil Deo is an experienced technology professional with over 20 years of technology and cyber experience in the financial services sector. He has been fortunate to have a career spanning the transition from mainframe computing to today’s cloud ecosystem, along with experiencing the evolution of cyber risks along the way. Deo has been fortunate to be involved in a few local firsts, including being the first APAC customer of Microsoft’s BPOS cloud offering and being part of the team that implemented the first “pay-as-you-drive” product in Australia. He is excited to be part of the Emergence team that helps find cyber insurance solutions for the Australian market.

Head of Technology

Nikil Deo

Stevens & Associates Lawyers is a leading and trusted employment law firm based in Sydney known for delivering high-quality legal expertise in the area of employment law and industrial relations across Australia, alongside a proven track record of effectively and swiftly resolving a variety of workplace law issues. In the past year, the firm’s growth has been notable. It has: • experienced a 213% growth in the number of client matters, increasing from 149 client matters in the 2022 financial year to 390 client matters in the 2023 financial year • improved its online visibility, leading to over 50 online enquiries each month and a conversion rate of client leads of up to 40% • significantly expanded the breadth and type of matters that it advises on day to day, which has increased the firm’s skillsets, diversity and resilience • expanded its community outreach by collaborating with local Sydney venues for client seminars and continuing active participation in a Sydney small/family business group Stevens & Associates Lawyers has adapted to digital trends by implementing an effective strategy with SEO and web design, resulting in a structural shift that has seen increased representation of employees where the firm previously mainly advised employers. The firm’s recognition as a “Fast Firm” attests to its momentum in the employment law space.

“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started”

Wayne Tower, IQumulate Premium Funding

Rachael Walley

Head of Corporate Cyber

Shaun Oliver

National Underwriting Manager

Jeffrey Valdivia

Manager – Commercial Strata

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Rachael Walley is a seasoned risk professional with over 14 years of experience in insurance across both underwriting and broking. Prior to specialising in cyber, she had focused on broader speciality products, including directors and officers liability, professional indemnity, commercial crime and financial institutions underwriting.

Head of Corporate Cyber

Rachael Walley

Shaun Oliver brings more than 20 years of leadership and strategic insurance experience to Emergence and a proven track record of leading high-performing teams. Before transitioning into cyber, his expertise included multi-class underwriting, casualty for energy and construction within the APAC region, portfolio management, product development and continuous improvement.

National Underwriting Manager

Shaun Oliver

Cemal Akgul sees the head of risk and collections role as pivotal in guiding and influencing business decisions. He has more than 15 years of experience across financial and government services, most recently with the NDIS, where he was the leading consultant driving the Risk Management process’ nationwide. Prior to that, he served various roles at BMW Finance across the United States, Hong Kong, Germany and Australia. During Akgul’s tenure at BMW Finance, he predominately worked in risk management, guiding the organisation through seismic changes between 2016 and 2018. In his time prior, he was based out of New York, leading BMW Finance’s American subsidiary's market risk and data analytics teams between 2011 and 2016. Akgul values a balanced approach to business, encourages a positive work culture and is passionate about teaching and guiding the business and individuals at IQumulate.

Head of Risk and Collections

Cemal Akgul

Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager. As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

One culmination of these efforts has been the real-world, needs-based IQEdge solution. A one-stop online quoting tool designed for both the Australian and New Zealand markets, IQEdge delivers quotes in under 60 seconds. Plus, the solution offers quote comparison and quote versioning capabilities, enabling users to review vital historical and financial data in a single page view. IQEdge can streamline and automate application processing, underwriting document verification and payment collection, cutting the need for manual labour and minimising processing errors. A digital “self-service” platform, IQEdge, reduces the need for customer and administrative support. Meanwhile, borrowers can access their accounts, make payments and manage their policies independently and through sales and support teams, which are always available for further assistance. “We’ve created a quality platform that simplifies the quoting process yet amplifies the customer experience,” says Gordon. “It’s a real game changer.” IQumulate offers an online digital quoting tool to clients. The best-in-market solution enables IQumulate to tailor funding offerings to brokers that align with their prefered distribution channel.

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Medals

Financial lines

Management liability

Professional indemnity

Turnaround time – claims

BDM support

Broker communication, training and development

Overall service level

BDM support

Medals

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Professional indemnity

Management liability

Financial lines

What does IQumulate have in mind for the future? “IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur. “Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, with the potential to allow IQumulate to capture a larger market share, whilst continuing to deliver service excellence to clients.” “As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead. “We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”

https://iqumulate.com/

IQumulate invests in education and people, which are vital to attracting new business and talent to the company. “We have long tenures for several of our key staff, including some in leadership positions, and this sound working knowledge of our business, practices and industry provides great insights and a wealth of experience to offer our clients,” says Bastow. “Our new head of sales, Graeme Gordon, formerly manager for New Zealand, joins us in Australia to drive our sales strategy and lead our team to successful outcomes for our clients and our business. We look forward to great things ahead with Graeme as he continues to be active and present in the New Zealand market as well as building sound working relationships and new connections in Australia.” Clients can also expect a lot from working with IQumulate. “Through active engagement with our trusted broker network, IQumulate provides relevant information, education and training content,” says Graeme Gordon, head of sales. “Our clients can expect IQumulate to support their business in several ways, providing an understanding of what premium funding solutions are available and how IQumulate can spread the cost of insurance and help borrowers get the right level of insurance cover to free up their cash flow for other expenses or business growth opportunities. Premium funding is often considered a tool for those who simply cannot afford to pay their premiums in full. While this is certainly a significant driver for many, it is also successfully used by profitable companies who use premium funding to manage their cash flows more wisely or better manage their liquidity.”

What does IQumulate have in mind for the future? “IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur. “Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, creating a competitive advantage with the potential to allow IQumulate to command premium pricing or capture a larger market share. “As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead. “We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”

Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims

Product Manager

Claire Watson

Commercial Manager

Stephen McMillan

Claire Watson

Product Manager

Claire Watson

Product Manager

Claire Watson

Similarly, brokers can expect:

top-in-class service fast response times competitive financing options annual re-marketing of policies to get the best deal hassle-free claims experience dynamic brokers eager to impress who do not take the business for granted

“Our brokers understand their clients’ business needs and pair them with the right product and appropriate level of cover for any foreseeable risk or contingency”

Cynthia Yap, Dynamic Insurance Services

“Our brokers are encouraged to ‘specialise’ in a market niche because it allows them to negotiate an insurance scheme with the underwriters for the most competitive insurance premiums”

Cynthia Yap, Dynamic Insurance Services

•

FTA Insurance is a 5-Star Excellence Award-winning underwriting agency specialising in professional indemnity, professional indemnity combined with general liability for white-collar professionals, IT liability, management liability, design and construction, association liability and excess layers on all of its products. The company differentiates itself by providing a fast turnaround and competitive premiums. Its premium starts at $400, and it can accommodate all risk sizes, including corporate risks. It also offers long-term security through a three-year long-term capacity agreement with seven highly reputable Lloyd’s Syndicates who co-insure as security. FTA understands that effective communication, premium stability, competent underwriting, quick new business turnaround time and overall service quality are crucial. At FTA Insurance, the team has the expertise and confidence to ensure that clients get the right cover at the right price, and they achieve this with a fast turnaround time. The company takes pride in its service and loyalty to its brokers, and it is passionate about helping brokers shine in front of their clients.

•

the best mentorship and support for whatever stage of their business or clientele one of Australia’s most attractive commission rates

Ms Yap’s own experience drove her to devise a viable broker model and commission structure that can support many startup brokers with a fast-growing clientele. This allows for a greater number of authorised representatives who are incentivised to target particular industries to maximise economies of scale, while a robust IT and support system ensures that brokers can offer the best possible service 24/7. “Our clients never have to wait longer than two hours for a response, and our brokers are contactable over the weekends for urgent claims,” says Ms Yap. “Our brokers understand their clients’ business needs and pair them with the right product and appropriate level of cover for any foreseeable risk or contingency.” The firm has made extensive efforts to refine its offering, and in 2019, it commissioned a comprehensive competitor review of the broker network market and found several gaps in the support for smaller independent brokers. This resulted in a significant investment in IT infrastructure to onboard brokers from anywhere in Australia. The tiers in the commission structure were simplified to make it more attractive for the smaller independent brokers to join while providing them Steadfast member benefits.

Dynamic Insurance Services is also continuing to boost its growth with initiatives such as:

•

a 12-month branding and marketing campaign investment in digital assets and content that can support the marketing efforts of brokers strengthening their stable specialised insurance schemes to offer even better value for money for clients

Ms Yap says, “We have a supportive work environment with an emphasis on mentorship and wellbeing. This is especially helpful for female insurance professionals, who often have to balance professional goals with family duties. We actively encourage brokers to break new ground by establishing market niches and insurance schemes that best leverage their experience and contacts.”

•

Ivan Verescuk

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

Shaun O’Brien

Head of Underwriting

Emily Walker

Head of Strata and Development

Rex Oakman

Head of Operations and Risk

Sandy Newton

Head of Underwriting

Andrew Mitchell

Manager – NSW

Michael Prokopis

Manager – Southern Region

Pam Chhabra

Manager – Residential Strata

Jeffrey Valdivia

Manager – Commercial Strata

Adam Basaldella

Manager – Claims