Corinne Beadsmoore, IT Pack winner 2011

Previous IT Pack winners and finalists have praised the benefits and experience they gained from taking part.

Last year’s competition saw young brokers take part in regional events around the country, showing their skills at set challenges and hearing presentations from industry experts and inspirational sporting personalities such former England rugby captain Kyran Bracken.

Corinne Beadsmoore, who accepted her award from TV presenter Vernon Kay at the 2011 Insurance Times Awards, said the main advantage was the profile boost the competition gave her.

She said: “Winning the IT Pack member for 2011 has been the highlight of my short but rewarding career in insurance.

“It has boosted my profile within the industry, which is priceless, and I have met people whom I would never have had the chance to meet otherwise.

“A massive thankyou to Aviva and the Insurance Times for creating these opportunities for young brokers, a truly incredible experience.”

Loading the player...

A highly-commended 2011 IT Packer, Higos commercial account executive Rachel Wells, recommended the event and said it let young brokers develop their skills and network.

She added: “The 2011 IT Pack final event, in particular, has taught me to think outside of the box and has helped me to adapt to different and challenging situations, which I can now use to relate to new experiences I encounter in the workplace.”

The 2010 winner, JLT Specialty associate Leon Walker, said the IT Pack had an “absolutely stellar” impact on his career.

Walker said: “Simply being surrounded by brokers who were so driven and so determined to achieve something big, encouraged me to raise my game, to push myself and the firm I work for has benefitted as a result.

“I would highly recommend it to any aspiring broker, in my opinion this is the only competition able to provide such a high profile opportunity.”

The IT Pack’s first winner back in 2009, Bloomhill Insurance Solutions managing director Matthew Stringer, found that the experience he gained from the IT Pack let him overcome many of the problems involved in starting his own broker aged just 21.

“I went into the IT Pack competition in 2009 as a brand new start up broker with no network of broking colleagues, and had faced opposition from some insurers in granting such a young broker an agency,” he explained.

“Being nominated as a finalist and eventually winning the IT Pack member of the year took me by total surprise and is still a great honour.”