Six of the insurance industry’s rising stars employed by Steadfast members have won excellence awards at the group’s convention in Melbourne.

The awards, jointly sponsored with the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF), celebrate young professionals’ outstanding achievements.

ANZIIF CEO Joan Fitzpatrick announced the winners yesterday, naming Christopher Ragusa of Victorian-based Kinnane Insurance Brokers as winner of the Young Insurance Professional Scholarship.

The scholarship is presented to an insurance professional under the age of 35 who has shown excellence in the ANZIIF Diploma of Financial Services (Insurance Broking) course.

Mr Ragusa won free registration and accommodation to the convention and a scholarship to pay for the rest of his diploma studies. He also won the module award for his outstanding achievement in the “providing customer advice” module.

Other module winners were Clinton Vonow (Finance & Insurance Brokers Australia) for claims handling, Adam Mott (Associates Insurance Brokers) for insurance law and regulation, and Bree Williams (Finn Foster & Associates) for risk assessment and management. Ms Williams has now won an award for each module she has undertaken in the past three years.

The module award for managing insurance broker operations went to Emily Stevens (Bricher Insurance Brokers), and Leigh Playford (Cowden SA) received the insurance products award.