About Joe Owen
Following a holiday to Cairns to visit family shortly before, the chance to emigrate to Cairns and enjoy all that the FNQ lifestyle offers on a permanent basis proved too great an opportunity to miss; and so having purchased a one way ticket, my partner and I packed up our lives in the UK arriving in Cairns on Australia Day 2005. Leaving a successful career in engineering sales and project management in the UK motorsports industry, where I had been working hands on with motorsports teams such as Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin and Tripe 8 Racing; a transition to the fast paced, high octane of insurance broking in FNQ may seem strange to some however, after a challenging few months adapting to my new role and the Cairns heat, I knew I had made the right decision to join the family business.
Whilst Bill Owen Insurance Brokers was very much in its infancy with only one employee, by developing excellent working relationships with our clients we rapidly established a respected reputation for expert insurance advice and high service standards within the local SME and aviation industry community, subsequently becoming a member of Australia’s largest general insurance network the ‘Steadfast Group.’
Working with a broad variety of business owners in the local SME sector over the next four years; I witnessed first-hand the critical role and value that expert insurance advice and services play as businesses recover after disaster strikes. This was particularly apparent after the devastating impact of Cyclone Larry on our region in 2006, as our strong relationship with Insurers enabled us to manage and prioritise claims on behalf of our clients to minimise the impact recovery to their businesses and speed up the recovery process.
Seeking to further expand my insurance knowledge, in 2009 I took roles with OAMPS Insurance Brokers (part of the Wesfarmers Group) as Branch Manager for their Cairns office, and later Jardine Lloyd Thompson (one of the five largest brokers in the world), working alongside and learning from other experienced insurance professionals. Whilst servicing and managing the insurance requirements of larger organisations across a broad range of industries, also enabled me to specialise in servicing clients operating in the Construction and Transport sectors.
Returning ‘home’ to re-join the family business in 2015 to share the knowledge, skills and expertise with the growing team of thirteen staff at Bill Owen Insurance Brokers, my responsibilities were to manage the larger commercial clients, mentor staff as part of the succession planning for the business; culminating in the acquisition by the Steadfast Group in early 2022.
Launching ‘Joe Owen Industry & Business Insurance’ in late 2022; we seek to form close relationships with our clients and thereby provide them with experienced professional advice combined with the highest level of service for their insurance needs. With more than 15 years of first-hand experience across a broad range of industries in the exceptionally challenging FNQ insurance market; means that our clients have access to invaluable insights, expertise and peace of mind when addressing their insurance requirements.