Business Made Personal

"Insurance was never on my radar. It didn't strike me as a career."

Eradicating doubt is imperative in clearing the first hurdle to a successful career, and Kara McInnes discusses how she managed to do that in her life and career. In dealing with clients suffering significant stress during major catastrophes, she believes that using emotional intelligence and remaining emotionally resilient is critical to assisting those Clients and ensuring those stressful circumstances do not overrule and take over your entire day. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"You've got to put the hard yards in, and there’s no easy path, no shortcut; you have to do the hard work!"

Jonathan's first foray into insurance was with the Nottingham City Council In England. He felt he had found his calling in their insurance claims department. He then moved to Australia in 1994 and met some great people. His love affair with loss adjusting began with GAB Robins, where he was given the role of trainee liability adjuster. Thirty years on, his is an interesting story. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I always wanted to be better for myself. It was never that I wanted to be better than somebody else."

Migrating from Ireland with a background in banking meant that Shaneika had to take a step back and start from the beginning in the insurance world. Her thirst for learning has seen her escalate her career in a very short time frame, and in 2023, Insurance Business honoured her with the Rising Star Award.

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I found it (Antarctica) the most incredible place to be (for work). The scenery, the shades and the colours and the vastness of where you change your whole mindset"

Complex, interesting, major losses helped pave the way to become the loss adjuster and person Nick is today. In his own words, “When I left the farm, I never ever imagined I would be doing what I now do or become what I am now.” With experiences in Antarctica, Exmouth and the Pilbara,  when Nick was forced to leave his farming life, he never ever imagined he would be doing what he now does or become what he is today.

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"Your footprint should be bigger than yourself."

Influenced by a grandmother and father, both of whom devoted their time to public service, Katrina Shanks has established a huge presence public presence in New Zealand and, as a recent migrant to Australia, hopes to continue that work in her new role as CEO of ANZIIF. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

The Business Made Personal team wishes to thank all those who have supported the podcast series, including our fabulous guests, our awesome listeners, and those wonderful people who have taken the time to provide us with their suggestions. 

How to Connect with Mark:
Email: [email protected]

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I learnt pretty quickly when I was young that nothing great comes without hard work."

A professional rugby player for 13 years, Tim looks back on that time - a time when he says, “You earn really good money, you don't even have to buy running shoes or lunch”, what it taught him and how he was able to apply it in his business journey. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I think women have a tendency to need to feel confident about what they do before they step into an opportunity."

Sitting in law school, going to lectures, and learning about the law, Isabell was uncertain as to what her career would look like. She knew she was not interested in attending Court, and that’s when fate stepped in. A brief experience in the insurance industry convinced her that she wanted to make a difference in people's lives, and she has not looked back since. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I wasn't going to let anyone prevent me from getting to where I wanted to be."

Being challenged as a young female by a plethora of difficult personalities, Heather has had to learn the sometimes difficult art of standing up and calling people out. Having now worked out her own strengths and immersed herself in education, Heather believes she is in an excellent position to provide support to her team as well as others facing similar challenges. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"One of the biggest challenges for me was being made redundant because the world economy had collapsed."

Finding herself as a solo parent in London with two small children caused Deborah to reevaluate life. Most would have moved back home to New Zealand for the safety of family and friends, but Deborah decided to pack up and move herself and her two small children to take up a role in Barcelona, much to the surprise of her boss. Deborah’s view on life: you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find new opportunities because your best performance is still ahead of you.

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]