Headquarters:
1/3 Hinkler Court Brendale, Qld 4500
Year founded:
2001
Number of employees:
45
Phone:
1800 096 829
Email:
info@hsua.com.au
Website:
hsua.com.au
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/high-street-underwriting-agency
“As leaders, we inspire our team, valuing collaboration and spearheading change while sharing our knowledge to mentor the upcoming legal minds”
Oatley Vigmond
High Street Underwriting Agency
Ben Allen
Liability and CPE Portfolio Manager
Katie Stranaghan
Financial Lines Portfolio Manager
Maddison Stewart
Property Portfolio Manager
Leadership
With 18 years of experience in the insurance industry, Ben Allen has developed a deep passion for the complexities of risk and the wide range of products designed to address it. What he values most about his role at HSUA is the opportunity to share his knowledge and experiences, helping to strengthen and grow the team’s expertise. Allen finds it incredibly rewarding to contribute to the development of the team while ensuring that clients receive the best solutions for their unique needs. Looking ahead, he’s excited about the future, with HSUA expanding its offerings and staying agile in an ever-changing market.
Liability and CPE Portfolio Manager
Ben Allen
With 11 years of experience in the insurance industry, Katie Stranaghan is captivated by its dynamic and ever-evolving nature. She’s always eager to stay ahead of emerging trends and new developments. At HSUA, she thrives on the variety her role offers, whether it’s collaborating with her team, working closely with brokers or addressing the unique needs of clients. Looking ahead, she’s excited about the launch of a new PI product early next year, with more innovative offerings in the pipeline. Stranaghan’s ultimate goal is to make HSUA the go-to, one-stop solution for both clients and brokers, providing comprehensive insurance coverage.
Financial Lines Portfolio Manager
Katie Stranaghan
With five years of experience in the insurance industry, Maddison Stewart thrives on the fast-paced and ever-evolving landscape that keeps her engaged and challenged. The continuous learning required to adapt to shifting risks, regulations and market trends makes each day exciting. At HSUA, she enjoys working alongside a talented, dedicated team, brainstorming creative solutions to ensure the company remains competitive and responsive to market demands. Looking to the future, Stewart is excited about the expansion of HSUA’s product offerings, including new binder products and a broader appetite. These innovations will create tailored, comprehensive solutions and open new opportunities for both clients and the team.
Property Portfolio Manager
Maddison Stewart
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Kyla Wood
National Business Development Manager
With 36 years of experience in the insurance industry, Kyla Wood is dedicated to continuous learning and finds fulfillment in helping brokers place business every day. In her role at HSUA, she enjoys meeting diverse, talented individuals and values the opportunity to contribute to both product knowledge and the development of the High Street portal. Wood is passionate about sharing her expertise and supporting others’ growth. Looking ahead, she’s excited about the future, as HSUA enters a phase of expansion, broadening its product offerings to include solutions for more complex, harder-to-place risks while continuing to meet standard market needs.
National Business Development Manager
Kyla Wood
Blake Baxter
Head of Claims and Incident Response
Blake Baxter is an experienced insurance professional with over a decade of expertise spanning insurance, accounting, and the legal sector. A cyber insurance specialist, he has a strong background in building incident response and claims handling functions. He has worked extensively across financial lines claims, including professional indemnity, D&O and cyber and has also gained valuable experience in corporate insolvency, managing complex claims portfolios, liaising with defence counsel and brokers and refining claims handling policies.
Baxter joined Emergence Insurance in March 2020 to establish an in-house claims handling and incident response function. This strategic move has given Emergence a competitive edge, providing quicker and more efficient support to clients and helping them recover faster from cyber incidents.
Head of Claims and Incident Response
Blake Baxter
Over two decades ago, husband-and-wife duo Alan and Jan Whittle noticed something missing in the insurance industry – the human touch. They saw that, despite being an industry built on caring for people, it often lacked the personal connection that makes all the difference. So, they decided to change that by founding High Street Underwriting Agency (HSUA).
Since then, HSUA has grown into a thriving team of over 45 people, with their son, Blair Whittle, now leading the company as CEO. With a dedicated in-house tech team, HSUA has embraced innovation and automation at lightning speed, staying ahead of industry trends while helping brokers save valuable time.
Despite its growth, HSUA’s founding values – family ties, innovation and exceptional customer service – remain at the heart of everything it does. The company continues to evolve, but its commitment to putting people first is as strong as ever.
“We’re committed to delivering the highest level of service, assuring clients that their welfare is the firm’s utmost priority”
Oatley Vigmond
Nikil Deo
Head of Technology
Gerald Chan
Partner
Nader R. Hasan
Partner
Liane Brown
Partner
Nikil Deo is a seasoned technology professional with over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector, specialising in technology and cyber solutions. Throughout his career, he has witnessed and contributed to the transition from mainframe computing to today’s cloud ecosystem, alongside the evolving landscape of cyber risks. He has been part of several pioneering initiatives, including becoming the first APAC customer for Microsoft’s BPOS cloud offering and helping launch Australia’s first “pay as you drive” product.
Now with Emergence Insurance, Deo is excited to apply his extensive expertise to help deliver innovative cyber insurance solutions to the Australian market.
Head of Technology
Nikil Deo
Gerald Chan has been named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada (Canadian Lawyer, 2019), one of the Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada (Benchmark Litigation, 2023–24), White-Collar Crime/Enforcement Litigator of the Year (Benchmark Litigation, 2023), and Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year, Toronto (Best Lawyers, 2024). He is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a faculty member with the National Criminal Law Program.
Chan is a bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. He serves as vice chair of the Law Society Tribunal, Appeal Division, and a Trustee of the Law Foundation of Ontario.
Partner
Gerald Chan
Nader R. Hasan, a partner at Stockwoods LLP, practises criminal, regulatory, and constitutional law at both the trial and appellate levels. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, where he has taught courses on the law of evidence and currently teaches a seminar on criminal punishment from a US-Canada comparative perspective.
He is a co-author of Search and Seizure (Emond, 2021), Digital Privacy: Criminal, Civil and Regulatory Litigation (LexisNexis, 2018), and Sentencing, ninth edition (LexisNexis, 2017), and an author of numerous articles on criminal and constitutional law.
Partner
Nader R. Hasan
Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.
Partner
Liane Brown
Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.
Partner
Liane Brown
Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.
Partner
Ben Irantalab
On a larger scale, HSH handles class action and mass tort lawsuits representing groups of people injured by dangerous products, medications, medical devices, and negligent organizations.
The HSH team is known for providing caring and attentive service to clients, and is proud of the firm’s excellent reputation within the legal and medical communities.
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“We will continue to strengthen our service proposition and customer experience as a key differentiator, as we build on the momentum we have achieved to date across multiple business lines and territories,” says McLean. “Our im is to continue to grow our market relevance and strengthen our partnerships with our strategic brokers as we expand our leadership position in key sectors.
“We will also continue to invest in talent. We are committed to drawing from the broadest pools of talent, and to creating an environment that attracts and retains stellar employees. We recognise the importance of building teams that are diverse, collaborative, and innovative and are dedicated to cultivating a supportive and inclusive workplace culture in which all our employees can thrive.”
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By partnering with FTA, businesses gain a trusted, reliable ally that’s fully committed to both their success and the protection of their clients.
Fast turnaround: FTA quotes more than 65% of new business submissions within 48 hours, helping clients secure coverage quickly.
Competitive rates: Whether your client’s risk is large or small, FTA offers premiums starting at just $400, making insurance affordable and accessible.
Long-term stability: With a three-year long-term capacity agreement in place with eight highly respected Lloyd’s Syndicates, FTA guarantees long-term security and reliability.
Award-winning expertise: As a five-time 5-Star award winner, FTA is recognised as an industry leader in risk solutions.
Expert underwriting: FTA’s team of experienced underwriters provides tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each client.
Exceptional service: FTA is known for its commitment to clear communication, quick responses and a relentless focus on exceeding client expectations.
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Ben Irantalab
Partner
Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.
Partner
Ben Irantalab
Ben Irantalab
Partner
Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.
Partner
Ben Irantalab
Ben Irantalab
Partner
Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.
Partner
Liane Brown
Medals
Directors and officers
Financial lines
Hospitality
Product liability
Public liability
Brokers’ Pick – Public and products liability
Overall service level
BDM support
BDM support
What FTA covers:
Professional indemnity (standalone and combined with general liability for white-collar professionals)
Information technology liability
Management liability
Design and construct liability
Public and products liability
Associations liability
Cyber insurance
Excess layers
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