Dear reader,  

My name has been on every issue of insuranceNEWS.com.au as the publisher since it was founded in 2008, and this issue is the last time it will appear. I have decided that after working for 57 years – 33 of them in insurance – it really is time to do something different. 

I’ve been lucky to have had several remarkably interesting and diverse careers across journalism and public affairs. I joined the Insurance Council in 1991 from the resources sector, later consulting to NIBA for 11 years. I also edited its magazine, and concurrently set up the online Sunrise Exchange News, which morphed seven years later into insuranceNEWS.com.au. I’ve been fortunate to have been immersed in all the dramas as the insurance industry shrugged off its uncertainty to become the beast it is today. 

When my co-founder Naomi Conway wanted to sell her share in Insurance News in 2019, I convinced Andrew Silcox, the managing director of The Lead Agency, to buy in. Andrew is a digital marketing specialist with considerable insurance industry experience. He has greatly expanded our online presence and services, and happily, he’s also a keen supporter of our much-loved but costly print magazine.

Some things haven’t changed. Insurance News’ reputation was built around the work of some remarkable journalists. Our editor, John Deex, has worked with me for more than 11 years, and with him and deputy editor Wendy Pugh in charge, I don’t doubt the future for an independent and informative Insurance News is bright. 

I’m grateful for the many friendships I have in insurance; for the support I have always received from industry leaders who were prepared to treat us honestly because they knew we’d do the same; and to our more than 31,000 subscribers who turn to us every working day for information that’s independent, researched and reliable. 

The next few months will be spent getting used to unemployment, but my email address, terrym@insurancenews.com.au, will be accessible until the end of the year. Thank you for supporting Insurance News, and me personally. I wish all our readers every success in the future.  

Terry McMullan