Three Underwriting Agencies Council (UAC) directors have been re-elected today, with each set to sit a further two-year term on the board.

Steadfast Underwriting Agencies Holdings CEO Simon Lightbody, Millennium MD Heath Amber and Axis national development manager Emily Walker were all re-elected at UAC’s annual general meeting today.

Heath Amber was also elected as company secretary and public officer while an additional vacant board role was filled by Trent Brown, director of Allstate Underwriting.

NM Insurance CEO Lyndon Turner was also re-elected as chair while Lion Underwriting MD Kurt Nilsen was re-elected as deputy chair.

Peter Fryer, underwriting governance manager at AXA XL, stepped into the role of treasurer after Sterling Insurance director Linda King chose not to stand for re-election.

Addressing attendees at the AGM, chair Lyndon Turner said UAC has enjoyed an outstanding year, running a total of 15 educational forums and seminars across the country. There were also six underwriting expos, attracting more than 1,720 brokers.

“UAC’s future is bright. Membership has continued to build. During 2018, we welcomed 12 new underwriting agency members and 10 new business service members,” he said.

Turner also noted that the UAC website had continued to be popular with brokers, hosting more than 50,700 broker searches, up from 32,700 in 2018.

Brokers also asked members to place more than 300 hard-to-place risks during the year, compared with 183 in 2017.

“We have built a solid foundation on which to further expand. Our goal is to see every eligible agency - in both Australia and New Zealand - join UAC and gain access to the many benefits UAC membership entails.”

Correction: This article originally referred to Simon Lightbody as Steadfast CEO. He is in fact the CEO of Steadfast Underwriting Agencies Holdings Pty Ltd. The article has now been updated to reflect this.