Risk advice, transparency, & growth

Clear Insurance is well-known for punching far above its weight, with transparency and sound risk advice at the heart of our success.

It’s been a busy time for Clear Insurance, winning the ANZIIF Small Broking Company of the Year in 2022 and being a 2023 Queensland State finalist in the Telstra Best of Business Awards. We also joined the Steadfast broker network last year.

Pictured: Lisa Carter, CEO & Managing Director (left) and Jen Bettridge, Director & Clear Leader (right).

Led by Managing Director Lisa Carter, a multi-award-winning risk and insurance expert with over 25 years in the industry, Lisa shares some of the team’s focuses in the fast-changing insurance broking industry.

The importance of becoming ‘risk advisers’

Using a fee-for-service model, our six-strong team views themselves as ‘risk advisers’ rather than brokers.

“That’s what we’re here to do; we are here to provide comprehensive risk advice to our clients,” Lisa says. “At the end of the day, if we’re not sitting down with our clients to understand their business and complete a risk review, we’re not doing our job properly. Through everything we do, we demonstrate our clarity, care, and competence. We have a wide range of risk tools and services at our fingertips that add value for our clients.”

Transparency and building long-term relationships 

Lisa encourages fellow brokers not to fall into the well-worn trap of selling on price.

“We haven’t looked back from our transition to a fee-for-service model. It’s one of the reasons we won the ANZIIF Small Broking Company of the Year in 2022 alongside our commitment to transparency and building solid relationships.”

“We need to create long-term relationships with clients by taking the time to understand them. Insurance has so many complexities, and it’s our job to make it simple for our clients. That demonstrates our value as insurance brokers,” Lisa says.

“I’d also encourage other brokers not to be scared of exploring the fee-for-service model.”

Supporting women in insurance 

Beginning her insurance career as a broker in her early 20s, Lisa remembers being asked to do her colleagues’ administrative tasks all too well.

Those experiences as a young woman fuelled her passion for empowering other women and helping them excel.

Clear Insurance’s entirely female team – most of whom are working mums – are empowered to work flexibly, whether part-time or from home.

While the all-female team wasn’t deliberate, Lisa admits, “if you want something done – ask a busy working mum.”

Together, we’ve created a culture where the women support each other, trusting each other to do what needs to be done.

Our team focuses on holistic wellbeing – instead of going to the pub for a drink, we opt for regular group training sessions with a personal trainer, sometimes joined by underwriters and clients.

What does 2024 hold? 

Throughout 2024, the team aims to grow and expand as a Steadfast brokerage.

Lisa meets with the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) as part of the RBA Small Business Finance Advisory Panel for the second year of a three-year tenure. It’s a forum to share insights on the financial challenges experienced by business owners and the general challenges her team sees clients facing.

The team continues to grow and upskill to provide the best possible advice to clients.

As technology advances and the fast-changing industry continues evolving, Lisa says it’s important to grow, too.

“We want to attract like-minded professionals and continue to grow. The industry has a lot of work to do, but I’m proud of our work so far, offering more transparency and creating more opportunities for women,” Lisa says.

You can read more about Clear Insurance here.