Rebecca Tomic, pictured, has been around broking since the age of 16, but is as passionate as ever when it comes to helping clients.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background and how you got into broking?

I grew up in a small country town in Lincolnshire, where at 16 I started working part time at an insurance brokers while I was studying.

Over the next few years, with the help of a great mentor, I quickly progressed from personal lines to commercial account handler to account executive.

My career saw me on the road, and I moved to London where I met my now husband who was on a working holiday from Australia.

In 2010, after travelling around Europe, we relocated to the sunny Gold Coast where we bought a house near the beach and enjoy kayaking, bush walks and swimming with our four-year-old daughter.

After 10 years of broking on the Gold Coast it was time for me to start my own business, Insure Gold Coast.

How do you try to approach broking?

I wanted to provide a more personalised local experience for my clients. I am passionate about being a part of the community and I believe that building longstanding trusted relationships is what insurance broking is all about.

I want to make sure that each client is given the time needed to ensure that they really understand what exposures they face and tailor a package that suits their individual needs and budget requirements.

Claims management is also a key focus of mine and something I think often gets sidelined. As brokers I think we can learn so much from managing our own claims.

After 18 years of insurance broking, I still learn something new every week and strive to do so.

How important is it for the industry to give back to the communities it serves?

I wanted to combine my passion about helping create a sustainable future with my business and I am incredibly proud to be a member of the 1% for the Planet network.

I have committed to donate 1% of my total revenue to approved non-profit partners each year with 100% going to local environmental organisations. I also participate in regular tree planting with local bushcare groups.

A second charity I donate to is Bravehearts Children’s Charity, located here on the Gold Coast. Bravehearts is Australia’s leading child protection organisation working holistically to prevent child sexual assault and exploitation.

What are the main issues/challenges facing you and your clients?

It has been a challenging time for business owners with staff shortages, lockdowns, increased premiums and working from home requirements. But as always people manage to put their heads down and push through the hard times.

As brokers we need to be proactive during this time to make sure we are reviewing turnover, sums insured and policy requirements and keeping our clients up-to-date with the current exposures they face like cyber and management liability, which are more relevant now than ever.

With the increasing cost of freight and materials underinsurance is also becoming more of an issue in the industry and something we need to be discussing with our clients.

I started my business in the middle of a pandemic and a hard market, and while it has been challenging, I am going strong and looking forward to seeing what the future holds.