Victorian country broker Alan Wilson has won the inaugural NIBA Zurich Broker of the Year award.

He has won a trip to the Zurich Golf Classic in New Orleans next April – which is on at the same time as the world-famous New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The prize includes return business class travel, seven nights’ accommodation, invitations to three rounds of the tournament, seats at the welcome dinner and victory party, participation in the St Bernard Project Build and two business sessions run by Zurich North America.

Mr Wilson, the principal of Alan Wilson Insurance Brokers in Traralgon, impressed the judges with his emphasis on the need for brokers to work with their clients to identify and minimise their risk exposures.

In an emotional acceptance speech, he noted the “extraordinary depth” of his fellow award finalists, who were selected in regional competitions around Australia.

The award recognises high-performing National Insurance Broker Association (NIBA) brokers of any age and was presented at the association’s convention on the Gold Coast yesterday.

It honours a broker who is “an inspirational role model, has demonstrated excellence and has made a significant contribution to the broking community”.

The new award was established to mark the 20th anniversary of the introduction of the qualified practising insurance broker (QPIB) membership designation.

The other finalists were:

Queensland: Peter Roberts, a director at Assurity, Brisbane;
WA: Ashton George, Regional Director at EBM Insurance Brokers, Kalgoorlie;
NSW: Spyros Stathakis, a director of Warren Saunders Insurance Brokers, Sydney;
SA: JLTA State GM Gary Okely, Adelaide.