Our people have a broad range of academic qualifications and practical experience enabling them to deal with technical and complex claims.

EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining the Insurance industry, Steve was employed in his capacity as a civil engineer. His experience involved the investigation, design and construction of civil works and structures. This included tunnelling, major and minor reticulation pipe works, canals, water retainment structures and associated road and building works. The work involved such activities as contract administration and project management.

Steve joined the Insurance industry in 1979. During the next 7 years he worked with two international insurance brokers in Sydney, specialising in the fields of construction and energy related risks. This involved the management of insurance portfolios and risk management activities. Steve’s experience included a period working in the London and U.S. insurance markets.

Steve founded Technical Assessing in 1986.

Steve has been involved in the loss adjustment of both major and minor losses. His experience encompasses claims involving contract works, public liability, products liability, professional indemnity, general property and home warranty insurances. This has included losses involving road works, high rise buildings, factories and domestic buildings, bridge works, power stations and transmission lines, sub-divisions, tourist resorts, pipelines and all manner of renovation works. Steve has handled some of the more significant civil engineering and building work claims that have occurred throughout Australia. Activities include investigation of loss, coordination of consultants, estimation and monitoring of construction costs and settlement negotiations.

Steve has also been involved in pre-risk analysis and examination.

EXPERIENCE

Derek commenced his working life in 1979 as a legal liability claims officer with Prudential Assurance of Birmingham. In 1982 Derek was transferred to Prudential’s head office in London where he became a senior liability claims examiner across all product ranges. 

In June 1989 Derek emigrated to Australia to open the offices of Brocklehurst Chartered Loss Adjusters. Brocklehurst was subsequently acquired by Crawford & Company where Derek remained until August 2006 as NSW Liability Manager.

Derek is well known and highly respected in both the London Market and Asia Pacific as a legal liability expert specialising in construction, public and product liability and professional indemnity claims. Derek’s clients include Lloyd’s Syndicates, insurance companies and the legal profession, for whom he provides litigation support.

CURRENT FOCUS

Derek continues his focus on providing expertise on the investigation and quantification of construction, public and product liability and professional indemnity claims.

EXPERIENCE

Andrew has worked in the Insurance industry since 1978, primarily in Claims and Loss Adjusting roles, but has also had experience in Underwriting, Product Management and as a Corporate Counsel.

In recent years, Andrew has specialised in Liability Loss Adjusting, and worked with Sydney firms LAC, GAB Robins and Echelon, before joining Technical Assessing in 2008.  In addition to Public & Products Liability, Professional Indemnity and Contract Works claims, he has experience in Property and Personal Accident claims.

Andrew has handled matters involving Local Government, sporting bodies, tourism, hospitality and security businesses and the mining and construction industries, as well as general commercial liability claims, for both local and overseas insurers.

He is active in the industry and has been involved in various committees and discussion groups.

CURRENT FOCUS

Andrew is part of the Sydney Liability Team and undertakes a full range of assignments in the Liability field.

EXPERIENCE

Richard commenced his career as a cadet aeronautical/mechanical engineer at Hawker de Havilland. During this time he worked on aircraft, assisting with the repair of gas turbine, piston engines and air frames.

Richard joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1983 where he completed his engineering degree at the University of NSW. During this time Richard produced a paper on fracture mechanics that included the studying of fatigue strength of certain materials.

During his period with the Navy, Richard became qualified as a marine engineer, which involved him in such projects as the multi-million dollar refurbishment of ships and as an engineering officer on board the HMAS Jervis Bay.

In 1991 Richard entered the insurance industry, becoming involved in the underwriting, risk management, risk inspections, and assistance with claim adjustments in the specialist areas of engineering and construction insurance. His role included the provision of advice to staff on a range of technical matters.

In late 1998 Richard became a self employed property developer which involved buying, renovating and selling a number of properties, requiring skills of project coordination as well as contract administration and financial management.

From 2001 to the present, Richard has been working as a loss adjuster for major national loss adjusting firms and has been responsible for the handling and administration of technical claims and providing advice to others within the company. Richard’s loss adjusting experience includes a broad range of technical matters involving property, contractor’s machinery, engineering, computer, liability and marine losses.

Richard has also been called upon as an expert witness in complex engineering and marine matters.

AFFILIATIONS

• Education Director - Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters
• Examiner for Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters
• Director of Education Committee for Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters

EXPERIENCE

Ian is a law graduate from the London School of Economics and has had 20 years experience in loss adjusting, dealing in the main with building related claims. He has worked both in the UK and Australia.

His adjusting experience covers the spectrum of construction related claims including contract works, public liability and general property claims. Much of his work today involves the investigation of construction and related professional indemnity matters.

Since joining Technical Assessing in 1991 Ian has handled claims associated with factories, warehouses, domestic buildings, power generation plants, arterials handling facilities, retaining structures, high rise buildings etc.

He has extensive experience in negotiating losses with Third Parties and Insureds and agreeing quantum. Ian has also provided professional advice in connection with insurance claims to insurers’ legal representatives on many occasions.

Ian has been called upon, in a number of instances, to assess costings only in relation to construction related matters, as well as valuing Third Party stock losses where damage has been caused during construction and related activities.

EXPERIENCE

Sydney born, Gary has worked in both city and regional environments in NSW and Queensland and in PNG (4 years) holding down various positions from claims clerk to state manger. Conscripted into the army, he qualified as a land surveyor. In seeking a change, Gary took time out for two years to own and very successfully run a country pub in Urana NSW. Following this venture, Gary became general manager and held the license for a brokerage in Gympie Qld for a number of years. Ever chasing challenges, he purchased and developed virgin acreage to farm status, installed fencing and other improvements, designed and owner built a home and became involved in genetic engineering around the breeding of cashmere goats. A people person with a high sense of social justice, Gary also spent time as the President of the local Chamber of Commerce.

Over time, Gary has renovated a number of properties encountering and overcoming many challenges, all of which provides Gary with great insight into the building industry. A passion for food saw Gary attend Sydney’s prestige cooking school where he qualified with distinction as a chef. In his “spare time”, Gary also has a passion for travelling around Australia on his motor bike. His longest trip to date being to WA.

A trained mediator, Gary believes this additional knowledge is invaluable in handling the stressful situations many clients find themselves in. In addition to his accumulated life skills, Gary holds examination qualifications as an insurance professional and chartered loss adjuster (specialising in liability), mediator and is a Justice of the Peace.

A loss adjuster for over 20 years, Gary’s broad range of experiences, coupled with his intimate knowledge of a range of businesses and industry, has seen Gary achieve a premier reputation of being able to proficiently handle complex and delicate matters that require that “extra special” attention.

Gary has specialised in Liability Loss Adjusting as well as Major Property Adjusting, and worked with Sydney firms McLaren Dick & Co (now MCY), Commercial Adjusters, Freemans, before joining Technical Assessing in 2004. In addition to Public & Products Liability, Professional Indemnity and Contract Works claims, he has experience in Property and Personal Accident claims.

Gary has handled Liability and Property matters involving Local Government Agencies, the Hospitality Industry, the gaming industry, security businesses and construction industries, for overseas interests as well as local insurers.

CURRENT FOCUS

As part of the Sydney team Gary undertakes assignments in all areas of claims where he can devote his expertise.

EXPERIENCE

Kaushal began his loss adjusting career in India in 1983 after completing his tertiary studies. He started his own loss adjusting practice in 1986 in Mumbai and was mainly involved with commercial property and business interruption claims.

After working for two major general insurers in Australia, Kaushal started his loss adjusting career in 1994. He continued his professional development to complete his qualifications with the Australian & New Zealand Institute of Insurance & Finance and the Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters. Rapidly progressing through the ranks, Kaushal has worked as a specialist financial loss services adjuster since 2001. In 2003, he joined Technical Assessing in a specialist role.

Kaushal’s financial loss expertise includes Business Interruption, Fidelity Guarantee, Money, economic loss and stock reconciliation matters. His loss adjusting experience spans across a range of industries such as mining, agribusiness, hospitality, retail and manufacturing. Kaushal is equally competent with Material Damage claims and continues to manage large property damage losses under commercial and industrial special risks policies.

EXPERIENCE

Peter has worked as a loss adjuster since 1978. After completing a Law Degree with Honours at Liverpool University Peter Joined one of the major insurance companies where he trained for a year before joining McLarens in 1978 based in their Watford office. He has subsequently worked as a loss adjuster in Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Alice Springs and Brisbane (including an assignment in the Caribbean after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and time in Newcastle after the earthquake also in 1989) before moving to Sydney in 1995 to join Crawford & Company. Peter then worked with McLarens in their Sydney office for 10 years before joining Technical Assessing in 2009.

During his time as a loss adjuster Peter has handled the full range of material damage and liability claims before in more recent years specializing in Public Liability (both property damage and personal injury), Product Liability, Professional Indemnity and Contract Works and Construction Liability matters of increasing size and complexity. During that time Peter has worked for local insurers, overseas insurers and the London market.

In recent times Peter has also developed the niche business of Film, Entertainment and Contingency claims for both the local market and overseas insurers.

Peter has also had extensive experience in senior management roles with both Crawford & Co and McLarens prior to returning solely to the practical handling of claims.

Peter has also been active in the insurance industry sitting at differing times on the NSW committees for both the Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters and Australian Insurance Law Association.

EXPERIENCE

Kevin began his Insurance career in 1991 working for Nicholson Chamberlain Colls Lloyds Brokers. Working initially as a Non Marine Claims Broker, then later as a Placing Broker. This experience enabled Kevin to develop his technical knowledge of Non Marine Products and advance his problem solving skills with Claims Managers and Underwriters alike. During his time as a Lloyds Market Broker, Kevin represented his employers at several market conferences, most notably The National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII) and The Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA).

Kevin emigrated to Australia in 2000, to work for Cobalt Runoff Services as a Senior Claims Handler. Here he was responsible for the aggressive management of GIO runoff claims.

In 2005 Kevin moved to Ace Insurance where he spent four years working as a Senior Property Claims Handler. At Ace Kevin was responsible for managing ISR/BI claims for major corporate clients and MB claims for energy clients. This gave Kevin and in depth knowledge of ISR/BI and MB policies.

Kevin joined Technical Assessing in 2009 and is currently midway through his completion of the Diploma in Loss Adjusting with the Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters (AICLA).

MEMBERSHIPS

• Member - Australian & New Zealand Institute of Insurance & Finance
• Member - Australian Insurance Law Association
• Provisional Member - Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters

EXPERIENCE

Maria completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Rural Technology at the University of Queensland wherein she specialised in agronomy and land resource management. She subsequently attained her law degree from the University of New South Wales.

Maria has ten years dispute resolution experience primarily within insurance claims.  She has been engaged to manage risks within the fields of workers compensation, life insurance and general insurance across minor and major claims involving personal injury, public liability, product liability and general property. In addition to managing a group of dispute resolution practitioners she has experience in advising and assisting claims staff with complex claims. She is skilled at identifying risks, negotiating outcomes and resolving complex matters with numerous stakeholders.

Maria recently commenced at Technical Assessing.

Maria is part of the Sydney Liability Team and will undertake a full range of assignments within the liability field. She will focus on providing expertise investigating, quantifying, negotiating and resolving insurance claims. She also has an understanding of agricultural and livestock insurance claims.

Maria is soon to commence the Diploma in Loss Adjusting with the Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters (AICLA).

EXPERIENCE

John qualified as a civil/structural engineer in 1996, and immediately practiced as an engineer with a leading Australian engineering firm, where he was responsible for the successful completion of a number of projects. This involved the design and supervision of construction of a number of concrete and steel structures, and required John to be familiar with all manner of standards and codes associated with building construction, including the Building Code of Australia.

In the ensuing years, John has worked for major companies as an engineer/account manager in the design and implementation of a series of new structural products. This involved feasibility studies, design, and responsibility for implementation of a wide range of asphalt, precast, and structural steel products, requiring John to be familiar with a wide range of technical and building and construction codes and requirements.

John joined Technical Assessing in 2010 as a specialist engineer, handling matters such as civil and building losses involving roadworks, desalination plants, major infrastructure projects, and multi-storey buildings.