The
NEWS
MARCH Edi on 2014
“There’s no limit to how much you’ll know,
depending on how far beyond zebra you go.”
– Dr Seuss, on Beyond Zebra
In this edi on:
15 Years of Proclaim
1
The long and the short of it...on long-tail claims
4
Sydney is on the Hunt – for Hazards
2
When claimants are le to their own ‘electronic devices’
5
Women In Insurance Event
2
Risky Business – 15,000
6
Training at Adelaide Airport
3
Staff Anniversaries
6
NIBA NSW Young Professionals
3
Proclaim Team News
7
15 YEARS
up in the sky!
OF PROCLAIM
By Jon Broome,
Managing Director
Image credit: Mike Watson, Dreams me Stock Images
In May this year Proclaim will celebrate its fi eenth birthday. Which is a long
me, and a great achievement, and as we systemise and add specialist roles
to the business, we certainly feel like a maturing company. However we are
determined to hang on to some of the best parts of growing up – like challenging
the tradi onal processes that some mes don’t make a lot of sense. At the same
me turning 15 gives us a sense of confidence that the way we think and the way
we work with our clients has an important spot in today’s insurance landscape.
As part of our celebra on of turning 15 we are
‘rebranding’. In the next month you will see new
website, new sta onary, new business cards and
new collateral. Some tradi onal elements remain –
our predominant colour will s ll be orange; our logo
will look pre y much the same; the rhino zebra will
make an appearance, albeit slightly scaled back; and
our people will s ll be marketed as our key asset
and their profiles will be front and centre on the
website. What will be different – we hope – is that
the overall package – from our website through to
the customer experience – will be a much be er
representa on of who we are and how we deliver
what you want. Hopefully a er 15 years we have a
be er handle on what that means. And for those who
have visited our site and know how content heavy it
is, you will be pleased to hear we have pared it back
– hopefully to simple messages simply conveyed.
We expect the changes to be made
in April and look forward to your
feedback when it goes live. We also
look forward to celebra ng our 15th
birthday on May 24.
02
SYDNEY IS ON THE HUNT – FOR HAZARDS!
By Lara Douglas and Albert Hong,
Account Managers, Sydney
On Friday 21 February 2014, the Sydney office held a Hazard Hunt. Spli ng
into teams, we scoured the city for trip hazards in cracks in the pavement, shop
displays ge ng in the way, our names in signage and a whole host of other
items. Statues were kissed, construc ons workers were cajoled into having
their photos taken (and their hard hats temporarily appropriated), and one
‘wet floor’ sign was even found to double as a trip hazard! Even more fun
than finding the hazards and other items on the list (including a video of Chris’
dancing and singing in Pi St Mall!), was the totaling of the scores by Kate Ellis
who acted as adjudicator as each team jus fied their findings. As an example,
a photo of an ad for Jamberoo
Recrea on Park does not cut the
mustard for a Summer-related
hazard, but an ice cream sundae
glass does!
Above: Funny photo with a statue – Laika Hussein
The Hunt was a great opportunity
for us to look at our work from a
prac cal perspec ve (hazards are
everywhere!) and it didn’t hurt
that we ended up at Opera Bar for
a drink together in the sun either!
Above: Take a photo of one team member with a Construc on worker
wearing his/her’s hard hat – Laika Hussein
Above: Find your name in signage – Kate Rumpler
WOMEN IN INSURANCE Summer Luncheon Feb 2014
By Pat Theodor,
Na onal Business Development Manager, Sydney
The Women in Insurance luncheon is always
a great way to start the year with friends and
clients.
In usual exci ng and fresh form, the Women in
Insurance Commi ee prepared a beau ful event.
We were all smiling a er listening to Dr Timothy
J Sharp (a.k.a Dr Happy). He has been heard and
read by millions around the world, he shared
hints and ps on how to make small changes
to maintain a happy disposi on. It can make
an amazing difference to our health, our work
environment and our families.
A: Jus n Harty, Amy McGiver from Colliers,
A: Lina Naumcevska from Glad Group,
Crombie Pi s from Crombus Pty Ltd
Sam Alan from Bayton Group
Proclaim also had the pleasure of having our
friends and clients at our table as seen in the
photos below. Congratula on to Leonie Hawkes
who walked away with the flower arrangement
and a huge thanks to all those that shared a meal,
great conversa on and fun stories at our table .
We are proud to support Women In Insurance A: Leonie Hawkes from Beazley,
and find it a great forum to entertain, network, Kate Ellis from Proclaim,
Patricia Fernandez from QBE
learn and have FUN!
www.proclaim.com.au
A: Pat Theodor from Proclaim,
Leonie Hawkes from Beazley
Going
Beyond
Training at
Adelaide
Airport
03
By Lara Douglas,
Account Manager, Corporate
Proclaim has been busy providing training
to personnel at Adelaide Airport. Lara Douglas
and Laika Hussein conducted an interac ve training
presenta on with the Airport’s staff in mid February. The
objec ve of the training was to provide staff with the tools
to recognize and deal with public liability incidents as
they arise, how to best respond to claimants and collect
appropriate inves ga ve informa on about the incident.
In the course of training, we debunked myths about public
liability incidents such as ‘should you say sorry?’ and ‘a
claim can’t be made if we’ve done everything right, can it?’
We provided useful techniques for dealing with customers
who have hurt themselves and with lawyers or inves gators
that turn up unannounced wan ng to conduct inspec ons.
We also discussed the sort of informa on that should be
collected contemporaneously about an incident and why.
The unfortunate fact is that no ma er how well run your
business is, claimants may s ll make claims against you.
So, it is vital that you protect your business’ reputa on
(and bo om line) by ensuring your staff have the tools
to appropriately deal with public liability incidents as and
when they arise.
If you are interested in having Proclaim train your staff,
please feel free to contact us.
NIBA NSW YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS
Interac ve seminar
outlining the history and
future of Lloyd’s of London
By Chris Prabu,
Account Manager
As a proud employee of Proclaim and a commi ee
member of the Young Insurance Professionals (YIPS) - I
was invited to a end an interac ve seminar outlining the
history and future of Lloyd’s of London, through the NIBA
NSW Young Professionals seminar series. It was a chance
to mingle and share experiences with fellow insurance
professionals of a younger demographic. The seminar was
hosted by Lloyd’s General Representa ve for Australia,
Adrian Humphreys. The themes of the presenta on
discussed Lloyd’s incredible 325-year journey as well as the
key differences between the Australian and UK insurance
markets. Apart from the jovial English cricket banter, the
seminar was a good source of clarity regarding the Lloyds
market and its services within the Australian market. It
was enlightening to hear the first hand experiences of a
Lloyd’s representa ve.
www.proclaim.com.au
Lloyds represents a large por on of the insurance market
and also a large por on of Proclaim’s business. Proclaim’s
Insurance team has been working with Lloyd’s since 2002
and now manages claims for around 25 different syndicates
across public liability, professional indemnity, property,
motor and accident business. However, being a member
of the Corporate team, my area of exper se is with public
liability for local companies. So the opportunity to interact
with a Lloyds representa ve was an interes ng and fulfilling
experience.
At the end of the seminar, a snap quiz was undertaken,
with the winner receiving a mini iPad. Unfortunately for the
writer, the mini iPad did not reach his grasp.
Going
Beyond
04
The Long & the Short of it ...on Long-tail claims
By Marianne Emerson,
Na onal Manager, Corporate
Our liability claim account managers handle claims at different stages. The ideal claim is reported within 7
days thus we can resolve it promptly and directly with the claimant, inves gate early to determine liability,
reserve and the strategy to either se le commercially or defend. If a lawyer represents the claimant the claim
will increase by about $5,000.
Long-tail claims
Long-tail claims (i.e. those open for more than 12 months)
tend to have higher reserves (e.g. above $20,000, although
claims as li le as $10,000 can take longer than 12 months
to resolve). Long-tail claims involve more work because
they tend to be mul -party and are o en reported late with
informa on that is sparse or non-existent. Other complica ons
can be caused by missing contracts, staff or witnesses
cannot be located, no-one remembering the incident and
there is no CCTV or no cleaning rota on wand reports.
The first no fica on tends to be by a law firm represen ng
the claimant and/or the other par es, and therefore the
claim gets dragged through a slow and laborious process of
discovery, expert opinions, medical and factual inves ga ons.
Nego a ons over indemnity or contribu on can delay the
claim. Correspondence on the file o en quadruples. There
are a empts, o en fu le, to se le the claim at informal
se lement conferences and media ons.
These claimants and their legal representa ves are o en
more willing to keep figh ng for their day in court even if the
evidence favours the defendants.
For these claims, we add value by con nually pressuring and
driving all par es to a resolu on; assis ng with subpoenaed
material and inves ga ons; upda ng all stake-holders
(especially the insured and their brokers) and working hard
to achieve a se lement.
We s ll have opportuni es to keep claims out of the court process
and thus save thousands in defence costs.
We just se led a claim that
was open for three years –
from incep on we dealt direct
with the claimant’s lawyer.
Liability prospects
were poor for our
cleaning client.
We were no fied of the claim in mid-2010 from the centre owner.
The incident had occurred six months prior and this was the
Cleaner’s first no fica on. The claimant alleged she had slipped on
a chip. Our cleaning client could not find any informa on.
Our client agreed to our advice to contractually indemnify the
owner based on the cleaning service contract. There was a year
delay while the claimant recovered from surgery before she could
quan fy the claim. In November 2012 the claimant sought $99,000.
We organised an independent medical examina on (“IME”),
assessed quantum and recommended a emp ng se lement
between $30,000 to $40,000 all inclusive of costs.
In June 2013 we made a counter-offer of $15,000 all inclusive. They
finally agreed to se le for $30,000 all inclusive. We prepared the
Deed of Release – it took another two months for this to be returned
executed by the claimant. We also liaised with Medicare and the
Department of Educa on, Employment and Workplace Rela ons
(“DEEWR”) whom required payment from the compensa on.
www.proclaim.com.au
The opening offer
from the claimant
was $99,000.
...and we managed to
se le it for $30,000 all
inclusive a er three
years.
•
Significant cost savings were made because we did not
automa cally appoint a law firm to handle the claim.
Also on our advice our client indemnified the shopping
centre owner at an early stage rather than put off the
inevitable and run up needless costs for legal advice.
•
A great result considering that the claim was open for
just over three years – the only costs to the client was
our compe ve long-tail claim fee and the cost of the
IME...a significant saving on defences costs that would
have been incurred if a law firm had been retained.
•
While it highlights how our model can save significant
costs on tradi onal models where lawyers are retained
as default posi on, this case also demonstrates how
some cases can take so long to resolve – a long tail
indeed!
Going
Beyond
05
WHEN CLAIMANTS ARE LEFT
TO THEIR OWN
‘ELECTRONIC’ DEVICES
By Laika Hussein, Manager Corporate, NSW
Our December 2013 newsle er had two ar cles about the discussion group in Melbourne social media and the
impact on claims and the admissibility of informa on found on such mediums like Facebook. In Sydney, we ran
a similar discussion group in the New Year. It was a ended by Crombus Pty Ltd; Bayton Group; Aerosure and
Luna Park Sydney.
In addi on to the points raised in the Melbourne discussion group
h p://www.proclaim.com.au/december2013issue/ what came out of the Discussion Group:
•
Some Plain ff law firms are now advising claimants to close down their
Facebook pages given the adverse impact informa on on Facebook can
poten ally create.
•
Reputa onal Risk – clients who a ended were very much concerned
about how social media impacts their reputa on in a nega ve way. It was
agreed that companies should act immediately if something nega ve is
said about their company. Also, the impact of cri cs remaining anonymous
was discussed which would have a bearing on how companies would
respond.
•
Defama on & Libel – Clients were interested to know what recourse they
had when patrons/customers use social media to defame their brand/
image. It was advised that there could be avenues of legal recourse if what
is being said is actually within the scope of the meaning of defama on
under the legisla on and case law.
•
Clients agreed that Social Media such as Facebook is an emo onal tool
which is used by individuals to share their own personal views, but
these days society does take it the extra step as a pla orm to share their
complaints and concerns about various companies/en es.
•
There is no policing watchdog/body to control what is said and by whom it
is said; so many clients find it hard to control
any nega vity which may be posted about
their business.
In conclusion, the majority of our clients
believed that social media outlets actually
have a posi ve side to them when they
are used by customers to share thanks and
gra tude. On the flip-side there can be a
nega ve side, since in the current social
climate, these outlets are the first pla orm for
customers/patrons to share their complaints
and concerns about a service experience.
www.proclaim.com.au
Going
Beyond
06
Risky Business 15,000
up in the Sky
Our NSW Corporate Manager took assessing risky ac vi es quite literally and went on a tandem Skydiving
Adventure of her own. Laika Hussein bravely skydived for the first (but maybe not the last) me. She enjoyed
seeing the world from up high and overlooking North Wollongong beach. It was the ul mate thrill of freefall
at over 200km/hr for an insane 65 seconds and then floa ng under a canopy for 5 minutes soaking up the
spectacular views of Wollongong.
One of the Proclaim values is FUN and this definitely takes FUN to a whole new level and we think the
expression all over Laika’s face says it all!
By Laika Hussein, Manager Corporate, NSW
STAFF ANNIVERSARIES
We have a number of Proclaimers celebra ng anniversaries with us this quarter, so
please join with me in congratula ng the following people:
January
February
Lara Douglas ............... who started with Proclaim in 2013
Jo Carrazzo ........... who started with Proclaim in 2007
Ashley Singer .............. who started with Proclaim in 2011
Rhiannon Bradshaw ... who started with Proclaim in 2008
Jacqui Steffen ............. who started with Proclaim in 2010
Lane Palmer ......... who started con nuous service with
Proclaim in 2009
Barbara Pradeaux ....... who started with Proclaim in 2009
Ray Gichuru .......... who started with Proclaim in 2012
And a very special men on to both Dianne and Richard,
who celebrate a wonderful service milestone with us
this year!
March
Dianne Nguyen ........... who started with Proclaim in 2004
Petrina Creighton . who started with Proclaim in 2011
Richard Thomas .......... who started with Proclaim in 2004
Paul Graham......... who started with Proclaim in 2012
www.proclaim.com.au
Vicki Jovanovski ... who started with Proclaim in 2010
Going
Beyond
MEL
07
Welcoming new starters to Proclaim
Eleni Dados
Claims Administra on Assistant – Corporate
Janet Peters
Account Manager – Property
On 17th February Eleni Dados joined Proclaim in a full me
role as our new Corporate Administra on Assistant. Eleni
reports to Evie Armoutoglou and her role services the
administra on needs of the Corporate team across both
NSW and Victoria.
Janet started on the 24th March in a full me role in our
Property and Motor team. Janet reports to Jus n Harty
and will be responsible for a por olio of both Property and
Motor claims.
Late last year Eleni completed her Advanced Diploma of
Jus ce at RMIT – which included units involving Law, Human
Rights and Risk Management. During her studies she worked
part me roles in the retail sector and also undertook
placements as a Legal Assistant in a law firm and also at the
Melbourne Magistrates Court. Eleni had been looking to
commence in a support role within the Insurance industry
and so was very excited about joining us.
Below Eleni shares a li le bit about herself:
My name is Eleni and have lived in Melbourne all my life, I
can’t see myself calling another city home. I have a secret
fascina on with photography and music. If there is such
thing as an introverted extrovert it is me. I love reading. As
an avid dog lover my perfect morning is a cup of coffee and a
paper on the porch with my staffordshire terrier. On the other
hand I love exploring Melbourne’s hidden treasures and I love
people. I believe there is something great to learn from every
single person you meet.
Geraldine Joyce
Account Manager – Professional Risks (part- me)
Originally hailing from Ireland, Geraldine has been in
Melbourne since 2005. Over that me she has held roles as
a paralegal in a couple of Melbourne law firms, as well as
working as a Solicitor for the Women’s Legal Service Victoria
– a not for profit community legal centre. Most recently
she has been employed in a part me capacity as a solicitor
in a bou que Melbourne law firm where she has handled
personal injury, medical negligence, workers compensa on
and professional indemnity ma ers.
In her spare me Geraldine loves reading fic on when she
gets a chance. She also loves catching up with girlfriends
from me to me over dinner and a glass of wine or two...
and her secret vice is trashy reality shows. Geraldine shares
that life is pre y busy, but not like it used to be, as most
weekends are now spent ferrying children to Auskick or
cricket and birthday par es.
Geraldine has been recruited to the Professional Indemnity
side of the business in a part- me role (3 days per week)
to work alongside our current part me Account Manager,
Jacqui Steffen. Jacqui and Geraldine will now report to
Richard Thomas. Geraldine will be working three days a
week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in this new role to
ensure full coverage for our PI clients.
www.proclaim.com.au
Janet moved from New Zealand two and a half years ago
with her family and since that me had been employed
as a claims consultant with Electricity and Gas distributor
SP AusNet. But she missed working in the insurance industry
and had been looking for the right opportunity to jump back
in so was excited about joining Proclaim. Prior to her move
to Australia Janet held various roles in the Insurance sector
across her career including that of Insurance Consultant for
IAG, Broker support to a insurance broker firm, and claims
consultant for both Vero Insurance and then Rothbury
Insurance Brokers.
Janet was heavily involved in handling large volumes of
claims post the Christchurch earthquake.
Janet describes herself as a very proud Kiwi who loves The All
Blacks, and especially her home provincial rugby team The
Crusaders.
She enjoys BBQs and spending me with family and friends,
Game of Thrones and has a love of music and dancing (she
used to salsa dance and is currently looking into taking it up
again). Janet also has a love of animals, especially her dog
Diesel who made the journey over with her from NZ.
Samantha Burris
Account Manager – Corporate
Samantha Burris joined us on the 3rd March as a fullme Account Manager in our Melbourne Corporate team,
repor ng to Evie Armoutoglou.
Samantha successfully completed a double degree - Bachelor
of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Deakin University
in 2011. Throughout her course she volunteered as a
paralegal at both the Women’s Legal Service and Fitzroy Legal
Service. Upon gradua ng she spent me working as a junior
lawyer in two firms, before taking on her latest role as a
solicitor in a bou que law firm within the Insurance industry dealing in motor vehicle collision ma ers and debt collec on
claims. Samantha is looking forward to expanding into other
insurance prac ce areas in her new role at Proclaim.
In her spare me Samantha loves to travel – having travelled
extensively throughout the USA, Europe and Canada as well
as to Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Her favourite books include “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “In Cold
Blood” and the “Harry Po er” Series. Samantha also enjoys
par cipa ng in sports and watching her Navy Blues – Carlton
– in the AFL.
Going
Beyond