Changing perceptions

Profile: Andrew Lillico, AILA National Board Secretary
By Resolve Editor Deb Eccleston

From standing onstage in the final three to managing the program, Andrew Lillico’s Ron Shorter Award journey has come full circle.

You’d be forgiven for assuming the Australian Insurance Law Association was a membership organisation for insurance lawyers.

I know I did. So, when AILA National Board Secretary Andrew Lillico proudly declared he wasn’t a lawyer, I was slightly taken aback.

Turns out I’m not alone – Andrew said there was a general perception that the organisation was for lawyers, but AILA is “meant to be read and digested as insurance and law”.

Which explains how Andrew, Claims Manager with the Insurance Commission of Western Australia, became involved. And his drive to raise awareness of AILA as benefitting industry professionals from both sides.

“We (AILA) provide the deeper level, more comprehensive and sophisticated analysis and commentary on insurance issues and legal issues,” Andrew said.

“We recognise that we're all participants in this scheme and we all have to work together, each having our own kind of expertise and part to play in managing a claim and we can do that more effectively by understanding the issues each other are dealing with.

“The philosophy is that lawyers need to know about what's going on in the legal world, but also they want to know what insurers are worried about to allow them to provide a better service to their clients.”

Making connections

Andrew first started working in insurance while studying for his commerce degree in Perth. Following his heart to London with his girlfriend (now wife) Holly, Andrew was open to taking a new career path, but fate had other ideas. Living in “the centre of the insurance world” he experienced firsthand where it all started.

“I got to see the real world of insurance and how it all works globally and then started to find a bit of a passion for that industry,” Andrew said.

Five years later the couple returned to Perth to be closer to family. Joining the Insurance Commission of Western Australia, Andrew was keen to establish “good networks and relationships” in Perth and began hunting for an association to join.

An advertisement by AILA calling for nominations for the Ron Shorter Award piqued his interest, and his presentation on claims harvesting earned him a place in the final top three. While he didn’t win the award, the overall experience led to him joining AILA’s Western Australia committee and later the national board.

Paying it forward

In a full circle moment, Andrew was given the opportunity to facilitate the Ron Shorter Award program which continues to evolve.

While much attention is on the presentations given by finalists, Andrew said the real value of the awards program is in the lead up to the big event in the form of education, training and networking opportunities.

“The education and practice of coming up with an influential argument on something and presenting it in a concise way is hugely beneficial,” he said.

“We want the Ron Shorter Award program to be a way of bringing people into the association like it did for me. I think it’s one of the few programs that doesn’t really look at just the law.”

Andrew said exciting changes were being made to this year’s awards, including a substantial increase in prize money. For details, keep an eye on the AILA website.