Finsura Insurance Broking Corporate Account Manager Barry Sonter has won the 2023 Broker of the Year award, the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) has announced. 

Sydney-based Mr Sonter was presented with the QBE-sponsored award at the NIBA Convention Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at The Star Gold Coast last week.  

Brisbane-based East West Insurance Brokers Head of Client Services Taylor Burstow won the Vero-sponsored 2023 Young Broker of the Year award. 

"The finalists this year demonstrated a high standard of professionalism and an awareness of their responsibility to be positive role models for the community,” NIBA CEO Philip Kewin said. “All the finalists should be incredibly proud, they've set a very high benchmark for the broking profession.”  

Melbourne-based Edgewise Insurance Brokers Chairman Gary Seymour was presented with the 2023 Lex McKeown trophy in honour of outstanding service to NIBA and a significant contribution to the broking profession. 

Vero won Large General Insurer of the Year, Liberty Specialty Markets is Specialty Insurer of the Year, and NTI is Underwriting Agency of the Year. These awards are determined based on the feedback from an annual Broker Market Survey and reflect excellence in servicing, flexible products and winning broker trust. 

Mr Sonter started in underwriting and transitioned to insurance broking in 1981, joining Finsura in 1993. QBE Australia Pacific GM Partnerships Lorelle Hillman says he has fostered strong long-term relationships across the industry, enabling him to achieve great customer outcomes. 

Vero Head of Distribution Commercial Insurance Anthony Pagano says Mr Burstow has an outstanding work ethic and his "thirst for knowledge, drive and inquisitive mind truly shone through.” 

Mr Seymour, a past NIBA board director, is Chair at Community Broker Network (CBN) and Whitbread Holdings and a Director at Chubb Insurance Australia & NZ and Partners Wealth Group and Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) Senior Associate. 

He set up what is now Steadfast’s IQumulate Premium Funding and established Edgewise with other brokers in 2009, taking up the Chairman role in 2015 after a stint as PSC Insurance Group CEO. 

NIBA President Gary Okely thanked Mr Seymour for his “tireless efforts and contributions to the broking profession over what has been a remarkable career," and said he has been a “distinctive pillar of our broking profession for more than four decades and has made an invaluable contribution to NIBA”.  

At last week’s convention NIBA also announced Sydney-based Integrite Insurance MD Paula Cruden won this year’s Community Excellence Award, while North Queensland Insurance Brokers claims manager Charmaine Field won the Claims Broker of the Year Award.