Aon secured both individual broker categories at NIBA's NSW/ACT awards in Sydney on July 8, with Deb Gibson named Broker of the Year and Laith Parissi named Young Broker of the Year. The double result lands against NIBA's own research finding that brokers aged 18 to 29 make up just 11% of the profession - the same share as those aged 60 and over, and the smallest of any age cohort - giving the Young Broker of the Year award a significance that extends beyond a competitive result.
NIBA's Data to Direction report, published in June 2026 and produced with Allianz Australia using CoreData research from 418 brokers alongside APRA data, found the two largest cohorts are brokers aged 40 to 49 at 31% and 30 to 39 at 28%, with a median age of 44. The early-career cohort matching the near-retirement cohort in size is the clearest single indicator of where the profession's pipeline pressure is concentrated. The report links the low share of early-career brokers to limited or delayed entry pathways.
In response, NIBA will introduce a young professionals program at the October convention - the first dedicated early-career track in the event's history - with a masterclass facilitated by past Young Broker of the Year winners. Parissi's win gives that program its most recent exemplar.
The awards were announced at the 2026 NIBA NSW Gala Lunch at The Fullerton Hotel, attended by close to 550 professionals. Gibson received the CGU-partnered Broker of the Year award, which recognises senior brokers. Parissi received the Vero-partnered Young Broker of the Year award, open to brokers under 35. The Broker of the Year award is sponsored by Insurance Australia Limited, trading as CGU Insurance, part of IAG. The Young Broker of the Year award is sponsored by Vero, issued by AAI Limited and Suncorp's primary intermediated insurance brand, which distributes exclusively through brokers.
Aon's result extends a run in the young broker category for the firm in this region - Aon's Derek Turner won the NSW/ACT Young Broker of the Year award in 2025 before being named a national finalist. Under NIBA's award terms, previous state or national winners are not eligible to re-enter, meaning two consecutive Aon wins required two different individuals. Both Gibson and Parissi will represent NSW/ACT at the national awards, to be decided at the 2026 NIBA Convention at RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast from October 18 to 20, competing against state winners from Victoria/Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia/Northern Territory.
A NSW/ACT state win has not reliably translated into a national title: in 2025 the national Young Broker of the Year went to James Still of Still Insured rather than to Turner, who reached the national finalist round.
Aon Risk Services holds an estimated 13% of Australia's intermediated general insurance GWP, placing it third behind Steadfast Group at 34% and Marsh at 20%. Brokers handled $35.6 billion in intermediated GWP in the year to June 30, 2025, or 46% of all general insurance written in Australia, out of a total market of $77.9 billion, growing at a compound annual rate of 6.1% over the prior decade against the wider market's 5.7%. New South Wales is the largest single state for brokers at 28% of the national workforce, ahead of Victoria at 26% and Queensland at 22%.
NIBA president Nick Cook said the awards program spotlights "the depth of talent coming through the ranks in our profession" - a characterisation the early-career pipeline data makes both appropriate and pointed.
Broker of the Year finalists alongside Gibson: Peter Boshell of Momenta Insurance Advisors and Harpal Singh of INSURE TODAY. Young Broker of the Year finalists alongside Parissi: Justin Micale of Marsh and Jason Wang of 111 Insurance Services.
