A SUTHERLAND shire broker who started business on his own 40 years ago has been named Broker of the Year for NSW.
Brian Salisbury, 67, of Austbrokers SPT Insurance Brokers, has won the National Insurance Brokers Association NSW/ACT Insurance Broker of the Year Award, sponsored by Zurich Australia Insurance Ltd.
The Miranda businessman said he was "slightly embarrassed" at receiving the formal recognition in front of 300 of his peers.
He said the was the first time he had entered the association's award process and described the growth of his business.
"It's been a lean and tight operation, and now there's about 20 on the staff, some of them part-time," Mr Salisbury said.
The national award, for which he has now become a contender, includes $20,000 worth of educational world travel.
Mr Salisbury is the managing director of the business, the shire's largest insurance broking firm.
It has been based in Miranda for more than 35 years, having previously traded as Salisbury Payne Tinslay Pty Ltd (SPT).
In 2005, SPT moved into the Austbrokers stable which enabled it to grow with what it offered and marketed to customers.
Today it is part of a public listed broking group, Austbrokers Holdings Ltd, giving it a greater strength and buying power while also offering personalised, competitive and professional services and still being able to develop close relationships with clients.
The business also supports the Tom Payne Memorial Grant through North Cronulla Surf Club, a grant set up by Mr Salisbury to honour a former colleague and brokering director Tom Payne, who died in 2008.
This grant aims to recognise a club member who enhances the reputation of the club, or surf lifesaving in general.
Mr Salisbury was supported by several of Australia's largest insurance companies in setting up the grant with Austbrokers SPT.
