Two of the three finalists for the 2026 Vic/Tas Young Broker of the Year were from the same firm. The Broker of the Year went to a brokerage whose staff have won the equivalent award at state level in each of the past two years. Neither result is coincidental, and both reflect documented investments in talent development – at a time when the profession’s own data shows its early-career pipeline is the smallest it has been on record.
Alyssa Sanfilippo of Lockton Companies Australia won the Vero-partnered Vic/Tas Young Broker of the Year at the 2026 NIBA Vic Gala Lunch on Friday, July 17, at The Sofitel in Melbourne, before more than 540 industry professionals. Fellow Lockton broker Ashleigh Woodman was also a finalist, with Jessica Cudia of Simplex Insurance Solutions the only representative from outside the firm. In the CGU-partnered Broker of the Year category, Jodi Sharman of Gallagher took the title, with Kunal Monga of Arcuri & Associates and Lois Walters of Stone Lane Broking & Risk Advisory as finalists. Both winners advance to the national awards at the 2026 NIBA Convention in October.
The Lockton double-finalist result is traceable to specific, named programs. Lockton Australia operates an Ignite Cohort – described explicitly as “a professional growth community for 35s and under” – alongside a cross-Australia mentoring program, a Leadership Essentials Accelerator Program (LEAP), and a study assistance policy, all within a documented learning and development framework. The existence of a dedicated under-35 career development track within the firm is the most direct publicly available evidence linking organisational investment to the awards outcome; a confirmed connection between that program and the specific Vic/Tas results would require direct comment from Lockton, which has not been sought for this article.
That infrastructure sits alongside a broader expansion posture. Lockton Pacific CEO Marcus Pearson stated in March 2026 that the firm intends to grow its Australian workforce by 20% through recruitment – not as a target but as a requirement to sustain its mid-teen to 20% organic growth ambition – while “most of our competition are taking headcount out.” Globally, Lockton received the 2026 Handshake Early Talent Award for consecutive years, which the firm linked to its commitment to “developing young professionals who will shape the future of our industry.”
NIBA CEO Richard Klipin said of the category: “Alyssa should be very proud of this result. The standard was exceptionally high. I want to recognise every finalist for the dedication they continue to bring to this profession.” Megan Lewis, Vero’s state distribution manager for Vic/Tas, said Sanfilippo had built her career around client advocacy and professional growth. “She brings energy, professionalism, and a clear sense of purpose to her work, and we’re proud to continue backing exceptional brokers like her,” Lewis said.
Sharman’s win for Gallagher in Vic/Tas extends a pattern across the 2025 and 2026 NIBA awards cycles. In 2025, Gallagher’s Caleb Richards won the NSW/ACT state title, and Richards subsequently won the 2025 national Broker of the Year award – meaning Gallagher has produced a state Broker of the Year in at least two consecutive cycles across different regions.
Gallagher’s Australian graduate program is a 12-month rotational placement, offered as a permanent position from day one, with participants supported through Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) Tier 1 broking qualifications, mentoring, and continuing professional development (CPD) before progressing to account executive roles.
The Broker of the Year category recognises senior practitioners rather than emerging talent, so Sharman’s win reflects individual achievement over a full career – but it lands in the context of a firm with a documented, recurring investment in building brokers from the ground up. Gallagher Bassett’s 2026 Carrier Perspective whitepaper found that 68% of Australian insurers now prioritise training and development as a retention tool alongside compensation and benefits – a finding from within the broader Gallagher group that reflects the industry environment in which both firms are competing for talent.
NIBA president Nick Cook said: “NIBA’s award program is an important platform to recognise the exceptional talent that is leading our profession towards being future ready.” CGU’s Damien Gallagher, executive general manager of customer experience and growth, said: “On behalf of CGU, congratulations to Jodi, our Vic/Tas Broker of the Year. This award recognises those who make a real difference to people, businesses, and communities, and we’re proud to acknowledge Jodi’s impact.”
Both firm-level results sit within an industry confronting a structural workforce problem its own research has now quantified. NIBA’s June 2026 report Data to Direction: Insights from the General Insurance Broking Profession – produced with Allianz Australia using CoreData research from 418 brokers alongside Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) data – found that brokers aged 18 to 29 represent the same proportion of the profession as those aged 60 and over, both at 11%, with a workforce median age of 44.
With 85% of brokerages reporting growth or opportunistic growth strategies, demand for entry-level talent is structural rather than cyclical. Yet the 2026 Young Broker of the Year drew a record 96 nominations nationally – the highest in the program’s 37-year history, according to Vero head of distribution Anthony Pagano – a surge that sits in tension with the pipeline data and may reflect growing firm-level awareness of the succession problem as much as actual cohort growth. In direct response, NIBA will introduce a dedicated young professionals program at the 2026 Convention – the first early-career track in the event’s history – with a masterclass facilitated by past Young Broker of the Year winners. Sanfilippo and Sharman will both compete for national titles there, at RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast from October 18 to 20.
