Major broker cluster group Steadfast will become a more familiar name in the wider Australian community following members’ agreement at the weekend to “push” the brand as a major insurance distributor.

Steadfast is also offering a wide range of back-office facilities to its members as it moves to consolidate its place in the market and increase members’ profitability and value.

A significant majority of members attending the annual Steadfast Convention in Adelaide since Saturday have agreed to put the Steadfast name on their business signs and stationery, with their own companies’ names taking less prominence.

The Steadfast logo will be redesigned and carry the sub-line “– the strength”.

“Members agreed that ‘Steadfast’ is a strong name in the industry and has never been used to its full potential,” Executive Chairman Robert Kelly told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “We feel now is the time to push the name into the general market.”

He says the signage will emphasise the fact that the broker is an owner of a substantial insurance distribution company.

Members also voted for Steadfast to provide a “hub” in its new Sydney CBD offices providing facilities like taxation, IT, compliance, human resources and HR and operational procedures. It is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

“The important thing is that the member remains the owner of their own business portfolio,” Mr Kelly said.

Some 85% of members also said they want to centralise their claims delivery services through Steadfast.

By working with members to improve their financial performance, Mr Kelly expects the value of their businesses and the Steadfast Corporation to improve dramatically over time.

“This is a better model than the straight aggregation line,” he said. “We want to end up with businesses worth far more than they are now.

“It also gives us tremendous flexibility in the way we go forward. It completely opens our options up.”