NIBA names 2023 Lex McKeown Trophy recipient
Gary Seymour, Chairman of Edgewise Insurance Brokers, has been presented with the 2023 Lex McKeown Trophy.
The Lex McKeown Trophy is presented by the NIBA President in consultation with the NIBA Board and the CEO to a long-standing NIBA member who has provided outstanding service to NIBA and has made a significant contribution to the broking profession.
"Gary has been a distinctive pillar of our broking profession for more than four decades and has made an invaluable contribution to NIBA over the years and through his tenure as a Director on the NIBA Board," said Gary Okely, NIBA President.
With a career spread across 45 years, Gary first joined the insurance industry in 1978, while growing up in Shepparton in Victoria. In the early 1980’s, he established GIS with the late Graham “Bear” Stevens, growing GIS into an international business, and connecting with Bradstock in the UK. By 2000, Bradstock GIS Insurance Broking had grown to become one of Australia’s largest privately-owned insurance broking groups.
In January 2001, Bradstock GIS merged with Willis Australia, and Gary was appointed Managing Director, a position he held until 2008. He then became the first CEO for a joint venture in premium funding with Macquarie Bank. For the next 5 years, through his connections in the broking world and development of a first-class team, he established a market leading business that’s now owned by Steadfast and rebranded as IQumulate Premium Funding.
In 2009, Gary partnered again with Graham Stevens and other brokers, including Richard Coloretti to establish Edgewise Insurance Brokers. He’s still involved with the organisation to this day. In August 2013, Gary was appointed as CEO of PSC Insurance Group, a private insurance broking and services group with interests in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Currently, Gary is on several boards and advisory roles within the financial services sector.
Among his many roles, Gary is the Chairperson of Community Broker Network (CBN), the Chairperson of Whitbread Holdings, a Non-Executive Director of Chubb Insurance Australia & NZ, and a Non-Executive Chairman of Partners Wealth Group. He’s a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Past Board Director of NIBA, Past President and Honorary Life Member of the Australian Insurance Institute and an ANZIIF Senior Associate.
"On behalf of the NIBA Board, I extend my warmest congratulations to Gary on being the Lex McKeown Trophy recipient for 2023 and thank him for his tireless efforts and contributions to the broking profession, over what has been a remarkable career," Okely added.
