Steve Pappas (pictured) has two new starters within his team at Honan Insurance Group, with the global & networks head needing all the help he can get, now that he has also taken charge of the brokerage’s business in New Zealand.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” Melbourne-based Pappas told Insurance Business, referring to his recently widened remit. “New Zealand has always been closely tied with our global networks that we’re a part of. And there’s a lot of fronting policies there, but also a lot of new business as well via referrals from the network.”
The company, which was granted access into the Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) in 2001, exclusively represents Australia and New Zealand within the WBN – Honan being the only member from the two countries. Pappas, as part of his existing position, has been heavily involved in the network giant.
He noted: “It’s just exciting to adopt what we’ve done in the global networks team in Australia and adopt it to New Zealand and focus on our key verticals in terms of our client focus groups, increase the pipeline, and start really ramping it up.
“We’ve got a really good team there. James Baxter has been with Honan New Zealand for as long as I can remember. He’s built a good book, and I’m just really looking forward to working with the team and just really growing, actually.”
Baxter, the broker’s general manager for NZ, will now be reporting to Pappas. According to Honan, its New Zealand business has become an integral part of the firm’s global portfolio – thus the NZ unit’s switch from the corporate division.
When borders reopen, said Pappas, he will be looking forward to going to New Zealand regularly to work closely with the local roster, meet clients, and build out Honan’s NZ referral network.
“There’s three people in the team at the moment, and we’d like to grow that out, in the next 12 months, to five or six and potentially have teams within that team,” shared the Honan executive, who has been with the company since 2012. “So, a financial lines team, a general broking team – really focus on key verticals and get them to grow.
“If everything goes to plan and if we keep growing like we do, essentially we’d have to [hire].”
Back in Australia, where Pappas’s global networks unit has been growing 40% in the last three or four years, one new starter has come onboard while another is joining in 2022. What’s critical, according to the head, is making sure Honan has all the structures in place to allow it to keep growing.
Chief executive Andrew Fluitsma, meanwhile, is confident about the internal move.
Fluitsma previously commented: “Steve has an outstanding track record in building our global offering and working with our valued global insurance partners over the last three years. The New Zealand business has established a strong and sustainable foundation within our global network, and Steve has the ideal skillset and experience to take it to the next level.”
That next level, said Pappas, will be all about growth. And with the New Year nearly upon us, the business leader has one lesson he’s bringing with him as he takes on his additional role.
“Nothing’s really a surprise anymore, whether it’s in insurance or just in life, I guess,” Pappas told Insurance Business. “So, just expect anything and be prepared, pretty much.
“Obviously, there are hard conversations going on in the market around premiums and that kind of thing, but if you do the work with your clients and you talk to them early and you take them on the journey of the renewal, essentially they’ll understand what’s happening in the market.”
He is also keen to see clients and partners in the flesh again.
“I’m looking forward to 2022,” said Pappas. “We see our clients as much as we can, but in the COVID environment it’s pretty hard. So, we’re looking forward to getting back to a lot more face-to-face meetings with our clients. I think that’s really going to be important.
“And [I also look forward to] seeing our partner brokers around the world, hopefully. I’m excited to do that, and just reconfirm the relationships we have with our partner brokers. And I’m looking forward to, hopefully, hitting the ground running in 2022.”
