Peter and I caught up for coffee and a treat at the Portuguese Bakery in Gymea so I could hear all about Peter, and how he got to doing what he does.
Peter, although born and raised in The Shire, spent most of his career in in the City working in the General Insurance Industry. In his personal life, Peter enjoys travelling, eating out, paddle boarding and we shared lots of stories about our dogs! We both own Staffordshire Bull Terriers, which means part of our chat turned into a counselling session of sorts - sharing stories of furniture destruction and general hilarity. You Staffy owners out there I’m sure can relate!
Peter has been married for 28 years, has three children, and has been in the Insurance business for 30 years. Peter worked his way up the ranks to the role of General Manager of QBE Insurance, and knows the insurance business inside and out. He was responsible for three profit and loss businesses at QBE for several years, so as you can imagine – Peter knows Insurance! In 2009, QBE assumed majority ownership of the long-established Elders Insurance business which had been operating in Australia for over 100 years – mainly in rural towns helping farmers and companies in regional and rural areas. Elders Insurance is now a member of the QBE Group of Companies, with QBE being one on the largest insurers and reinsurers globally.
Elders has now over 180 branches in Australia and turns over more than $70O million in annual premiums. Due to the success of the Brand and business model in regional and rural Australia, the decision had been made to expand the Brand into Metro Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Why you might ask? Well QBE and Elders identified that businesses and consumers were seeking local, personalised and tailored service from a local person who understood their business and the area, and the Elders Insurance Local Agency model could deliver this outcome. Elders understands that business owners and consumers still seek human interaction via face-to-face contact when it comes to insurance, and allows advisors to give a more tailored accurate service. Those in a small business appreciate the local, personalised touch as they want to ensure they aren’t being sold insurance they don’t need, and most importantly, speak to someone local as a trusted advisor.
With the expansion strategy of Elders Insurance, Peter decided that corporate life had taken enough toll on his family time and decided he needed a bit more “life” on the work-life balance scale. He gave QBE 8 months’ notice to leave, with the intention of taking 1 year off work to travel, and decide his next steps upon his return. Peter’s boss suggested that perhaps Peter should think about starting an Elders Insurance Agency in The Shire. This would provide Peter with more work-life balance, keep him local, and keep him doing what he loves in working in the Insurance Industry.
Not wanting to turn down an opportunity, or a challenge, Peter decided this was a great next step and decided to open Elders Insurance Sutherland.
Peter’s goal is to continue with the Elders brand philosophy of a personalised service from a local person who cares about their client’s needs. With Peter having so much experience in the Insurance sector, he’s the perfect person to provide advice to small business owners on what insurance they need, if their coverage is correct, and ensuring they are mitigating risk. Peter offers insurance payments spread over a 12-month period without the need to use Premium Funding – which means his clients are saving money on fees or interest charges.
I asked Peter what common issues he sees when having his first meeting with new clients. He said most people are chronically underinsured, or aren’t aware of the insurances they need for their businesses. One of the issues with being able to buy insurance online is that there is no human interaction, so clients can’t ask specialised questions and find solutions for unique business models. The result is that people can end up underinsured or with the wrong insurance.
Peter’s main message to Shire Women Members and the wider community is to not set and forget when it comes to your insurance. It is important to regularly check your insurance coverage. The market changes regularly, as does the legislation, so it’s something you should stay on top of. A great service offering of Peter’s is that he offers free reviews/policy health checks of current insurance policies. If upon review your coverage or policy is sufficient he will be honest and recommend you continue with your current insurer or recommend Elders Insurance if the coverage, pricing and service offering is better. If you do happen to be under or over insured, he will recommend next steps.
Elders Insurance Sutherland can provide cover for your small, medium or large business, your commercial vehicles, motor and home insurances, landlords insurance cover, NSW CTP Green-slips. Travel Insurance, Injury and Illness cover, Farm Insurances, Boat and Motor Cycle Insurances.
Please get in touch with Peter directly at
Peter.Jamieson@elders.com.au or call him directly on 0416 279 039 for any queries on your insurance, or to share Staffy ownership stories. He’d love to chat anytime!