Damien joined Honan, the family business, in 1984 and became CEO in 1993. His passion for delivering relevant client solutions, coupled with his vision to grow the business, saw Honan transform from a small suburban broker to a national business, and then global organisation.
He was instrumental in Honan gaining exclusive Australian membership into the Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) in 2001. WBN is the world’s largest network of independent property and casualty brokers and employee benefits consultants. He was elected Chairman of the WBN in 2009 and served in this position for two years. Since that time he has been a Non-Executive Director of the network.
Damien is a member of the YPO (Young Presidents Organisation) and has been for over 15 years.
Ed Sippel
Non-Executive Director
Ed is a Managing Director at TA Associates. He is Co-Head of Asia and manages the Hong Kong office which he opened in 2011. Ed has over 20 years of investment experience in deal sourcing, due diligence, structuring, and portfolio management. On behalf of TA Associates, Ed currently serves on the Board of Directors of Yarra Capital Management (formerly Goldman Sachs Asset Management Australia) in Australia, Fisher Funds in New Zealand, YeePay in China, MISA in Vietnam, Gong Cha Companies in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan; and was formerly on the Board of Forgame Tech (HKSE:484) in China, Speed Cast (ASX:SDA) of Hong Kong and Nintex in Australia. Previously, Ed was a Partner and Head of Asia at Quadrangle Capital Partners, a global private equity firm. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director and Partner at TVG Capital Partners and worked at The Asian Infrastructure Fund (AIF) private equity firms based in Hong Kong. Prior to moving to Asia in 1997, Ed worked at Morgan Stanley in New York. Ed received a BA degree from Georgetown University.
Andrew Tay
Non-Executive Director
Andrew is a Senior Vice President at TA Associates where he helps lead deals across the Asia-Pacific region. Apart from Honan, Andrew is actively involved in TA’s investment in MISA in Vietnam. Andrew has over 10 years of investment experience in deal sourcing, due diligence, structuring, and portfolio management. Previously, Andrew was a Vice President at Baring Private Equity Asia, one of Asia’s largest private alternative investment firms where he served on the Board of Directors / as a Board Observer for the Vistra, Clarivate Analytics, SAI Global and Nord Anglia investments. Prior to returning to Asia, Andrew worked at Snow Phipps Group and Lazard Freres & Co. in New York City. Andrew received a B.Sc. degree in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Damien Honan
Executive Chairman
Damien joined Honan, the family business, in 1984 and became CEO in 1993. His passion for delivering relevant client solutions, coupled with his vision to grow the business, saw Honan transform from a small suburban broker to a national business, and then global organisation.
He was instrumental in Honan gaining exclusive Australian membership into the Worldwide Broker Network (WBN) in 2001. WBN is the world’s largest network of independent property and casualty brokers and employee benefits consultants. He was elected Chairman of the WBN in 2009 and served in this position for two years. Since that time he has been a Non-Executive Director of the network.
Damien is a member of the YPO (Young Presidents Organisation) and has been for over 15 years.
Andrew Fluitsma
Chief Executive Officer
Andrew is the Chief Executive Officer of Honan Insurance Group. He is passionate about building a client centric culture that utilises knowledge, creativity and market clout to build tailored solutions.
Andrew has strategic leadership experience in risk, risk financing and insurance. During his career, he has held several senior executive roles specialising in designing and managing complex programs for global and local clients. He has worked at international brokerages such as Marsh and Aon.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Commerce and Masters of Insurance of Risk and Management. He is also an Associate of the Risk Management Institute of Australia, a member of YPO and a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.
Andrew is married with two children and is a keen sports fan, particularly the Carlton Football Club, for which he’s been a long-term supporter.
Laurence Basell
Chief Operating Officer
Laurence joined Honan in early 2019 as Chief Operating Officer, where he oversees the business’ corporate functions, including Finance, IT and Projects, Risk and Compliance and Legal.
Before joining Honan, Laurence held senior positions at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Strategy, and as a management consultant specialising in business strategy. Laurence has also held executive positions at Jaggad as Chief Finance Officer and Head of Strategy, Planning and Reporting at Dairy Australia. Laurence also contributes back to the community by holding a position in the Portfolio Governance Group with Beyond Blue. He has also held director positions at multiple businesses and not-for-profit organisations.
Laurence is a keen amateur athlete, participating in triathlon and cycling events. He is the father of two young daughters currently training for the 2036 Olympics.
Brad Tymmons
Group Head of Client Engagement
Brad joined Honan in 2016 and is currently responsible for driving market activity and realising new business opportunities as Group Head of Client Engagement.
Brad has 18 years risk consulting and insurance advisory experience. He also specialises in developing solutions for our clients evolving and complex risk needs. Prior to joining Honan, Brad held several positions in insurance at Aon, Willis Towers Watson and Energy Australia.
Brad holds a Bachelor of Business (International) and a Graduate Diploma of Finance (Risk). He is a Fellow ANZIIF and a former President of RIMS Australasia.
Outside of work, Brad enjoys spectating and supporting local community amateur football and junior basketball.
Carly Hendon
Group Head of People & Culture
Carly joined Honan in 2018, overseeing the strategic direction of the business’ global human resources function. Carly’s position as Group Head of People and Culture sees her supporting enterprise-wide change, improvement initiatives and the development of our people.
Prior to joining Honan, Carly held senior positions delivering both strategic and operational results across several industries. She started her career in Perth in the resources industry working with international organisations such as ThyssenKrupp, Laing O’Rourke, WorleyParsons, Enerflex and BP. Carly’s experience in the FMCG industry stems from positions at Staples Australia/New Zealand and also their merger and acquisition activity to Winc ANZ.
Carly holds a Bachelor of Business degree, with double majors in Human Resource Management and Accounting and is a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner.
Outside of the office, Carly enjoys cooking, showcasing her culinary skills through entertaining family and friends and staying active with hiking trails around the outskirts of Melbourne.
Eliza White
Managing Director – Honan Asia
Eliza joined Honan in 2019 and manages our Asia operations by overseeing both the Singapore and Malaysia offices. Before joining Honan, Eliza worked for Starr International Insurance across their offices in Melbourne, Hong Kong and Singapore, where Eliza specialised in underwriting, business development and operations. Eliza currently leads the Asia arm on their growth and development.
Eliza holds a Bachelor degree in International Business and is a Senior Associate of the ANZIIF.
Outside work, Eliza is a proud member of the Carlton Football Club Singapore Supporters, Secretary of the Singapore Cricket Club and is currently studying an MBA at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Despite her international placements and differing time zones, she remains close with her family who are based in Victoria, Australia… and her dad is still her best friend.
Alexandra Slimming
Head of Global Benefits
Allie joined Honan in early 2016. As Head of Global Benefits, she is responsible for the strategic direction, growth and operations of Honan’s Global Employee Benefits offering across Australia and Asia.
Throughout her time with Honan, Allie has specialised in Professional and Executive risks and has lived in the United States where she has worked closely with our global networks to continue to build quality partnerships and drive business growth. Before joining Honan, Allie worked at Zurich in underwriting and business development. Outside of work, Allie loves painting and traveling with friends and family.
Lea Mac
Head of Strategy
Lea joined Honan in 2020 as the Head of Strategy. Responsible for building and nurturing commercial partnerships with our clients, Lea’s work spans go-to-market strategy, business development and leading Honan’s continued growth through dynamic internal strategies. Prior to Honan, Lea spent nearly 10 years with Macquarie Group.
Lea thrives on solving complex problems. With energy and conviction, she loves nothing more than inspiring, empowering and supporting others to perform at their best. Alongside gritty commercial challenges, she enjoys any opportunity to travel, meet new people and share a good red.
Travis Wendt
National Head of Corporate Insurance & Risk Solutions
Travis joined Honan in 2018 and is responsible for the Corporate Risk & Insurance Solutions team and oversees our offices in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and New Zealand. Travis’s role extends to lead the Group’s placement strategy and overall carrier management for the region. Travis previously worked for Aon and Marsh, where he specialised in client strategy, program design and placement of property, mining, power and energy risks in the local and overseas markets.
Friends and family are important to Travis, so when away from the office, he makes sure he spends as much time as he can with them. Travis has tremendous passion for the game of golf and has limitless love and devotion for the Richmond Football Club.
Poppy Foxton
Head of Claims
Poppy joined Honan in 2013 and leads our Value Add Services Division, including managing the overall strategic growth and service delivery for Honan Claims and our subsidiary TPA service, Risksmart Claims Management. Before joining Honan, Poppy worked at Aon managing under deductible liability claims and large ISR losses for corporate clients. Poppy is a Lead in our Sydney Office, driving staff engagement and collaboration whilst communicating company strategic direction at a grass roots level.
Outside of work, Poppy enjoys spending time with her husband, two young boys, and two groodles at their local beach on the Central Coast. Poppy is a keen hiker, and had the memorable experience of being caught in a blizzard at the saddle of a mountain in New Zealand during a three day back country hike.
Steve Pappas
Head of Global & Networks
Steve has been with Honan since 2012 and oversees the direction of global strategy for the Asia Pacific region, encompassing business development and relationship management. With his Accounting & Finance background, Steve has expertise in financial lines placement and client management. Steve is also heavily involved in the Worldwide Broker Network.
Away from work, Steve is a big sports fan, closely following AFL, NBA and cricket. Spending time with family and friends is important to Steve, usually around the lunch or dinner table. Whether it’s in the workplace or over the weekend, Steve is always keen to meet new people and learn about their experiences.
Kieran Drum
National Head of Strata
Kieran joined Honan in 2015 and oversees National Real-Estate and Strata Insurance and Risk Solutions operations. Prior to this role, Kieran was responsible for establishing Honan’s Workplace Risk and Risk Consulting division. He has insurance experience in broking, claims and risk consulting and was previously based in London at a multinational insurance brokerage firm for global energy companies. Kieran has worked extensively in Australian workers’ compensation and occupational rehabilitation fields. He holds an ANZIIF insurance broking qualification and a Bachelor of Health Science (OT).
Outside of work, Kieran enjoys spending time with his young family, visiting his parent’s farm in rural NSW and tries to watch a few quarters of the Geelong Cats playing Aussie rules football on a weekend.
Henry Clark
Head of Professional and Executive Risks
Henry joined Honan in 2012, and is responsible for managing the performance of our Professional and Executive Risk Specialty Team. Prior to Honan, Henry worked for Marsh FINPRO.
Henry oversees the growth and execution of our corporate financial lines placements, including transactional advice for mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings.
Along with his wife and daughter, Henry lives in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. He is an avid sports fan (particularly rugby), and is the old boys representative for Mosman Rugby Club.
Drones/UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) are becoming extremely popular in both the private and commercial sectors. Owning a Drone/UAV can be an enjoyable hobby or a useful tool for a business, however in both circumstances, operating such a device can present a number of unique risk factors.
Drone insurance risks are categorised into two sections; third-party property and personal injury risks; and the loss or damage to the drone equipment. Due to the rapid increase of Drone/UAV usage, the rules and regulations in Australia continue to change at similar rate. Honan’s insurance specialists can help you navigate the relevant regulations and tailor an appropriate solution to your circumstances. For further information, please call our team on (02) 9299 0767.