Applications for the 2023 NIBA Mentoring Program are now open

The 2023 NIBA Mentoring Program is inviting applications to join as a mentor or a mentee. The program will run from August to October in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.  

The program empowers young professionals to enhance their industry knowledge, establish clear development objectives, and work on their goals by pairing them with mentors who are experienced industry leaders. 

Cameron Shield, Strategic Risk Adviser, Corporate at Lockton Companies Australia has been a previous participant of the program as a mentor. He shared that the strong relationships that he formed with his mentees continued after the program ended.  

“I supported five mentees through the NIBA Mentoring Program and every now and again, I drop them a note to say I’m here,” he said.  

“Some mentees have written to me quite regularly for advice, and there are others that I sometimes catch up with. Coming out of COVID-19, I didn’t want the mentoring relationship to end once the program finished, so I decided to organise an annual networking event for my mentees going forward.” 

An opportunity to build strong relationships  

Shield highlighted the importance of networking and building lasting professional relationships, something which is invaluable in the broking profession. He believes this is one area where the program adds value for mentees.  

“The more time brokers and underwriters spend speaking to each other, the better the outcome is for the client,” he said.  

“You will come across situations where you may need a favour from someone in your network, and that’s where having relationships becomes invaluable.” 

Promoting insurance as a career 

The program is also an opportunity to highlight the many pathways and benefits of the insurance broking profession as a career.  

“In addition to having my mentees network with each other, I wanted them to spread the word about insurance broking,” said Shield.  

“Being involved in promoting insurance broking as a career with NIBA, I want younger people to hear about broking not just from senior brokers like myself, but also from young people who are early in their careers.  

We talked about different aspects of their jobs and how it differs between brokers and underwriters and across different countries. By encouraging these conversations, I hope to inspire my mentees to talk about the benefits and offerings of the industry with their networks.” 

The value for mentors 

The program isn’t just about mentees learning from senior industry leaders. It’s a reciprocal relationship which also benefits the mentors.  

“Mentoring has been hugely rewarding in teaching me how younger brokers think and how they use technology,” said Shield.  

“It has also helped me by making me revisit the concepts I learnt years ago. Sometimes mentees don’t know what they want and as a mentor, you need to throw out ideas to help them figure out what they need to improve on. It teaches you to listen and structure open questions.  

I encourage brokers who haven’t been involved to join the program. I hope to demonstrate how rewarding it is to put in just an hour a week, and to see that they can obtain something really valuable and rewarding in return.” 

You can apply to become a mentor or mentee for the 2023 NIBA Mentoring Program here.