LinkedIn:

au.linkedin.com/company/pi-direct-insurance-brokers-pty-ltd

Website:

pidirect.com.au

Email:

pidirect@pidirect.com.au

Phone:

07 3387 2800

Number of employees:

Year founded:

1998

Headquarters:

Level 4, 15 Astor Terrace Spring Hill, QLD 4000

“It is a priority for us to continue to tap the unmet needs of our clients and grow with them to understand how to service them properly and give them what they need in this ever-changing landscape”

Vivianne Gauci, HomeEquity Bank

PI Direct Insurance Brokers (PI Direct) is one of Australia’s leading financial lines markets for retail brokers. It provides access to specialist financial lines products, advice, services and support through its long-established local and international relationships and exclusive facilities. Established in 1998, the company brings decades of financial lines insurance experience, which, coupled with the strength of Steadfast, enables it to provide scale, leverage and additional power in today’s complex and difficult market. PI Direct partners with brokers to ensure the best experience and outcome for their clients. From submission through its in-house claims service, the PI Direct team ensures brokers are in the strongest position with the best insurance solution for their clients.

Brigid Rauwhero

Claims Manager

John Hogan

Head of Claims

Meg Dempsey

Operations Manager

Robert Collins

Head of Underwriting

Anthony Porter

Head of Business Development

Gemma Sturgeon

Account Director

Michael Behm

Claims Counsel

Emma Burke

Account Principal

Paul Burton

Managing Director

Leadership

Micah Ponto serves as senior vice president, head of financial services for Arch Insurance, a position he’s held since 2021. He joined Arch Insurance as an assistant vice president in the large commercial department in 2009. His prior roles at Arch Insurance included senior vice president, national manager of the large commercial department, regional vice president – central region, head of employment practices liability and head of the real estate investment trust group. Ponto previously worked at The Hartford in their financial products division, where he focused on management liability risk in both financial institutions and large commercial D&O. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance, investments and banking from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Senior Vice President, Executive Assurance, Financial Services

Micah Ponto

Chris Christon is a senior vice president at Arch Insurance where he oversees the large commercial group and transactional risk portfolio nationally. Christon has nearly 20 years of experience specializing in directors and officers, employment practices and fiduciary liability. Prior to joining Arch in 2009, Christon held various roles at Hartford Financial Products. He has a BA in English from Emory University and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.

Senior Vice President, Executive Assurance, Large Commercial Group

Chris Christon

Stephen Swartley is the chief underwriting officer and senior vice president of executive assurance at Arch Insurance. He has over 20 years of experience in management liability and product line expertise in directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, fidelity, kidnap and ransom and cyber liability. Prior to joining Arch Insurance in June 2009, he served in a variety of underwriting and managerial positions in management liability at The Hartford and as an underwriter at Reliance National. Swartley holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Chief Underwriting Officer and Senior Vice President, Executive Assurance

Stephen Swartley

Hela Trerotola is a senior vice president at Arch Insurance, where she oversees the growth and middle market team. She has almost 20 years of technical, management and sales experience, specializing in directors and officers, employment practices, fiduciary, fidelity, kidnap and ransom and cyber liability insurance. Trerotola joined Arch Insurance in 2009 and previously held various roles at Hartford Financial Products. She holds a BA in mathematical economics from Colgate University and an MBA from NYU.

Senior Vice President, Executive Assurance, Growth and Middle Market

Hela Trerotola

Jamie Schibuk serves as executive vice president of professional liability and cyber for Arch Insurance. In 2009, Schibuk joined Arch Insurance North America as an underwriting manager in executive assurance. Prior to joining Arch Insurance, Schibuk spent four years working for The Hartford in the financial services department within the Hartford Financial Products unit. Schibuk has a master’s degree in risk management from St. John’s University in Queens, New York, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He has also earned the chartered property casualty underwriter and registered professional liability underwriter designations.

Executive Vice President, Professional Liability and Cyber

Jamie Schibuk

After a career in retail broking, Sturgeon joined PI Direct’s former subsidiary, Professional Risk Placements, in Perth. In 2018, she joined the Brisbane office and has now progressed to become an account director. As a design and construction risk specialist, Sturgeon assists with the company’s corporate business while lending her wealth of experience across all financial lines products to assist the broking team with difficult and difficult-to-place risks.

Account Director

Gemma Sturgeon

Before joining PI Direct as the company’s claims counsel, Behm enjoyed 25 years’ experience as a claims manager and risk management consultant, holding roles with APILL, GIO and St Paul. A qualified solicitor, Behm has expertise not only in assisting the company’s clients through the often difficult and lengthy process of financial lines claims; he also provides invaluable insight to the company’s brokers when working through potential exposures on a risk.

Claims Counsel

Michael Behm

Emma Burke manages the company’s broking operations, focusing primarily on corporate accounts, and has over 20 years of experience in financial lines products. A true “local product,” Burke joined PI Direct from school. She has worked in numerous roles within the company, which has enabled her to develop an in-depth knowledge of its products from various perspectives. Having a strong customer focus, she uses this knowledge and her long-standing relationships with the company’s underwriters to leave no stone unturned in finding a solution for her clients.

Account Principal

Emma Burke

As managing director, Paul Burton is responsible for strategic planning, managing relationships, providing leadership and using his expertise to assist the team with larger and more difficult placements. With over 40 years of insurance experience through various underwriting and management roles, he uses his wealth of experience and product knowledge to provide a framework for the broking team to deliver for its retail brokers.

Managing Director

Paul Burton

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Bio

“Our long-term vision is to reimagine our customer and partner journeys to deliver a simple, efficient and highly pleasing experience supported by empowered teams and enabled with leading digital capabilities”

Vivianne Gauci, HomeEquity Bank

Management Liability Arch Insurance’s professional underwriting team specializes in providing management liability insurance to a broad range of industries. Cyber Arch Insurance’s experienced underwriting team takes a forward-looking approach to writing network security, privacy and media liability. Professional Liability Arch Insurance’s professional liability team is positioned to offer liability insurance solutions for lawyers, architects and engineers; design-build professionals, contractors and consultants; franchisors, insurance agents and brokers; real estate agents and brokers; property managers; registered investment advisors; travel agents and tour operators; and a host of other miscellaneous professional classes.

Medals

Overall service level

Financial Lines

Product innovation

Directors and Officers

Turnaround time – claims

BDM support

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support