New CEO Richard Klipin says the National Insurance Brokers Association needs to be a strong advocate for the profession and the value it brings.

Mr Klipin, who spent eight years leading the Financial Services Council of New Zealand, has taken over from Phil Kewin, who has moved to the UK.

He says he is “delighted” to return to his native Australia for the NIBA role, and stresses the critical importance of advocacy and engaging effectively with stakeholders.

“The NIBA mission is to be the voice of the profession – so that voice needs to be clear, it needs to be loud, it needs to be thoughtful,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“There’s a huge amount of value that brokers bring to the table, not only for clients, but also to insurers, definitely to our key government and regulatory stakeholders, but more broadly to all Australians. I think that perspective is nuanced, and it needs to be well heard.”

Mr Klipin says many issues facing brokers are similar to those he experienced in the financial advice sector.

“I think there’s a broad regional and global discussion around how consumers access affordable and accessible advice.

“That’s true in insurance broking. It’s also true on the superannuation and wealth front.” 

He says NIBA supports its 15,000-strong community through events, awards and the annual convention, and plays an important role in members’ lives.

“Communities are powerful when they bring people together, when they allow lots of interaction, where there’s a lot of education, focusing on the issues that impact everybody.”

Another crucial pillar is professionalism, Mr Klipin says, with the latest review of the NIBA code beginning this year.

“We not only need to advocate, but we also need to hold ourselves to account. The code conversation is really important, both about setting standards, but then also holding ourselves accountable, and also educating the members in the community about what good looks like.

“We are obviously really keen to engage with all our key stakeholders and our members to make sure we land in the right place. And that’s evolutionary because nothing’s static – things are always moving.”

Mr Klipin says NIBA is “in really good shape” and he has been made to feel welcome.

“It’s a really vibrant community, and there’s an awesome board, which has a very clear focus on governance.

“I’ve picked up the baton from Phil, who picked up the baton from [former CEO Dallas Booth]. So there’s been a history of capable, hard-working people delivering on the purpose and the mission. 

“I'm really looking forward to continuing the legacy of NIBA and building on it.”