Two members of the team at Sunshine Coast brokerage Crucial Insurance and Risk Advisors were today crowned Queensland’s 2021 National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) award winners.

MD Tony Venning won Broker of the Year while his colleague Alishia Oliver is this year’s Young Professional Broker. The pair now proceed to vie for national honours.

Mr Venning competed against Queensland finalists Austbrokers Comsure Senior Insurance Advisor David Kimber and Aon Client Manager Tamara Trotman in a virtual ceremony.

He now joins the WA and Victoria/Tasmania winners - GSK Insurance Brokers’ Jeff Booth and Capital Innovation’s Ian Goninon - and NSW/ACT and SA/NT winners in competing for the Stephen Ball Memorial Award, which is sponsored by QBE.

“Tony has shown a strong commitment to providing excellent service to his customers and has established himself as a provider of technical excellence for his customers, teams, local community and the broader industry,” QBE GM Sales & Relationship Management Elliot Hill said today.

The NSW/ACT winners will be crowned on Friday and the SA/NT winners at a gala lunch in Adelaide on July 23.

Ms Oliver was up against fellow under-35 brokers Aon Client Executive Lachlan Hastings, Cornerstone Risk Group MD Business Development Scott Mitchell and CorpSure Insurance Broking Regional Manager Taela Bloemers.

She now competes with Albany District Insurance Brokers’ Luke Cameron, Geelong-based Integral Insurance Services’ Mitchell Wight and yet-to-be-named NSW/ACT and SA/NT winners for the Warren Tickle Memorial Award, sponsored by Vero.

The win also earns her a place in Vero's prestigious Young Brokers Alumni Program, a 12-week mentoring initiative, which this year heads to Cobargo, 400km south of Sydney, to meet local communities and help with rebuilding and regeneration activities.

“Alishia has forged an impressive career working with a diverse range of clients,” Vero State Distribution Manager Queensland Peter Roberts said. “She is a talented young broker and has already built a reputation for high standards.”

NIBA was forced to take most of its award ceremonies online due to recent COVID-19 outbreaks and restrictions on gatherings and travel. Under a radically revised 2021 line up, NIBA will now host a five-day hybrid convention, visiting Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney from September 28 to October 28. Delegates can attend in their home state and also access the entire national program virtually.

The NIBA/UAC Queensland Underwriting Expo and gala lunch has been rescheduled to Wednesday September 22 while the WA gala lunch has been rescheduled to August 6 and the NSW lunch to August 20.