Sovereign v Partners. Who will win?

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In an ironic twist Sovereign and Partners Life are competing against each other for the life insurance company of the year award.

Friday, September 28th 2012, 6:00AM 1 Comment

The category one of 11 in this year’s Insurance Industry Awards being run by the Insurance Brokers Association (IBANZ) and the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF).

It is the upstart new player versus the industry giant. It is also personified as Partners founder Naomi Ballantyne left Sovereign to set up Club Life (now OnePath Life) and then went on to establish Partners – sometime referred to as Sovereign III.

In the Small/Medium Broking Company of the Year life and mortgage broking company Lifetime Insurance is up against two commercial brokers Emerre and Hathaway and ICIB.

Likewise Wellington adviser Damian Alexander is one of three finalists selected for the Broking Professional of the Year Award category.

He is up against Wilkinson Insurance Brokers general manager Conrad Shanly and another commercial fire and general broker Stuart Speirs from The Abbott Group.

Alexander is a member of the national insurance broking and financial adviser group Plus4 Insurance Solutions (Plus4).

The finalists were selected by a panel of 10 national and international industry experts, all leaders in their field.

Amongst the judging panel are Partners Life managing director Naomi Ballantyne and FSCL general manager Trevor Slater and Insurance Broker Association chief executive Gary Young.

Plus4 chairman Grant Uridge said “Becoming one of three contenders for the Broking Professional of the Year category, is a considerable accomplishment and more so since this recognition comes from such an eminent panel of experts.”

Alexander has more than 17 years experience in financial services and is the Director of New Zealand Financial Brokers Limited, as well as a member of the Plus4 Insurance Solutions group and Insurance Advisernet New Zealand (IANZ).

The winner in each category will be announced at a Gala dinner in Auckland on November 1.

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