Dan Donaldson
Dan Donaldson
Dan has held a number of senior roles within New Zealand’s largest insurance companies and broking houses over the past 20 years. He has won multiple industry awards and is highly regarded as one of New Zealand’s top insurance brokers. Dan founded Donaldson Brown on the principles of innovation and the disruption of an insurance value chain bloated with cost and lacking in actual value.
“Market consolidation over the past years has seen the options available to customers drastically reduce to a handful of large ‘corporate players’. This has led to a more transactional approach to insurance broking with less focus on actual customer needs and proactive advice. Our mission is to challenge the established players through transparency and by being smarter, quicker and better than everyone else.”
Alex Brown
Alex Brown
Alex has over 15 years of industry experience within large multinational broking companies, bringing extensive expertise in global and local placements focusing within the commercial and corporate sectors. His desire to leave the “corporates” to become a partner in Donaldson Brown was based on his belief that the New Zealand insurance industry needs to be disrupted and that a broker should always be totally transparent and do the right thing for their clients.
“Loyalty is a two-way street. If I’m asking for it from you, then you’re getting it from me.”
Stefan Azzopardi
Stefan Azzopardi
Stefan joined Donaldson Brown (DB) in April 2023 as their first ever full time CEO after owners Dan Donaldson and Alex Brown started the business in 2014. Prior to joining DB, Stefan worked at Southern Cross Health Society as CFRO in 2014 where he was responsible for the business’ Finance, Risk, Compliance, Integrity, Investment and Analytics functions. Stefan is an accomplished executive and leader, with a broad range of experience gained over 25 years and across five countries. For two years before Southern Cross, Stefan was the Head of Business Unit Finance with Westpac in New Zealand. Prior to that, he spent eight years at American Express, including working in Singapore in the Regional Business Planning and Strategy team and as the Chief Financial Officer here in New Zealand. Born in Canada of Maltese parents and raised in England, Stefan holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Bristol University. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (England & Wales) and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.
Annalize Lategan
Annalize Lategan
Annalize joined as Chief Operating Officer in September 2023 with over 25 years’ experience across the Financial Services and the Professional Services Industries. She has experience in building new capabilities, enhancing business processes and controls and developing and leading teams specifically in environments faced with change, such as business growth or the introduction of new regulations. During her career Annalize has held various roles and has been involved in several complex projects where she developed competencies relating to Finance, Programme Management, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs and Governance. Annalize is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Debbie Fraser
Debbie Fraser
Debbie has over 20 years’ experience in the industry holding various broking roles. During this time, she has worked for small and large broking firms managing a variety of diverse and technical clients including large property portfolios, food industry, primary and manufacturing industries, sporting institutes & activities as well as bespoke private insurance programmes. This background coupled with Debbie’s operational experience, has led her to heading our Broking Operations and Private Assets teams.
"The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces." --Thomas Aquinas
Stret Cvetkovski
Stret Cvetkovski
As head of Life and Disability Insurance, Stret is acknowledged as one of New Zealand's top advisers in both the business and private insurance sectors. Stret is bringing a fresh approach to life and disability insurance with a specific focus on total transparency coupled with a commitment to deliver long term value, service and advice.
"The Life and Disability industry in New Zealand has traditionally focussed on sales and commissions rather than long term advice and service. My goal is to help my clients make eyes open decisions based on a tailored “what if” program. It’s not about making quick commission but providing real education about risk management”
Racheal Greer
Racheal Greer
Racheal has over 15 years’ experience in the industry holding underwriting and broking roles before specialising in proactive claim management and resolution for the past 10 years. Racheal was Corporate Claims Manager winning Claims Person of the Year 2015 and successfully managed a myriad of claims including multimillion dollar earthquake, complex liability, marine, and motor claims.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. “ – Michael Jordan
Hayley O'Connor
Hayley O'Connor
Hayley has over 20 years experience in the insurance industry at one of the largest multinational broking houses, specializing in the Transport and Logistics sectors in New Zealand. Hayley is passionate about providing a high level of customer service and providing proven added value to her customer base and challenging the status quo. Hayley was announced as an Insurance Business Young Gun in 2019, is a Senior Associate CIP and holds a Diploma of Financial Services, Certificate IV in Financial Services and Compliance for Advisers.
“The most important property of humankind is the capacity to form and maintain relationships” – Dr. Bruce Perry.
Emma McKain
Emma McKain
Emma joined the Donaldson Brown team in September 2023 as HR Manager. With a strong People & Capability background, cultivated both within New Zealand and abroad, she has a wealth of experience in the delivery of high-calibre HR services to a diverse range of organisations, spanning from SMEs to large corporations. Emma is passionate about fostering a culture of inclusivity, high performance and continuous learning and is committed to growing and developing DB’s already exceptional team.
Grant Robertson
Grant Robertson
Grant has over a decade of industry experience and comes from a boutique corporate broking background, specialising in financial lines and intangible risks. He has acted for a number of firms in the financial institutions, professional services and technology industries. Grant holds a Bachelors of Applied Economics and Finance from Massey and brings a fresh quantitative approach to broking and advisory services.
“Insurance advisory is on a precipice and there is a real need to bring professionalism, transparency and demonstrable value to the industry. The explosion in the availability of data in recent years allows firms to be more accurate in identifying and quantifying intangible risk exposure and making informed decisions based on that.”
Daniel Ackroyd
Daniel Ackroyd
Dan has over a decade of industry experience, having started out with New Zealand’s top direct insurer working in sales, claims and underwriting. With over 7 years’ experience as a Broker & Risk Adviser specialising in tailored property placements, retirement villages, aged care and construction, Dan is committed to providing the best possible solutions to the risks our clients face. Dan holds a Diploma in Business & Finance from Massey University and New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services Level 5.
Shane Treacy
Shane Treacy
Shane started his insurance career when he moved to New Zealand in 2007. Over the years he has held several underwriting and broking roles, with most of that time being with one of New Zealand’s largest broking houses where he held a senior role. Shane has worked with a broad range of different business risks and as a result has extensive technical knowledge. He is committed to providing the best possible outcome for his clients by providing honest and transparent advice.
Ben Pearson
Ben Pearson
Ben has been working in the insurance industry for 10 years. He has held underwriting and broking roles in various firms during this time, gaining invaluable experience in different environments. Ben has dealt with a wide range of business risks and has developed extensive technical knowledge as a result. He is committed to providing his clients with honest and transparent advice to achieve the best possible outcomes, while ensuring his goals and advice align with the Donaldson Brown’s values.
Tom Flexton
Tom Flexton
Tom is a commercial Fire and General Risk Adviser. He started his insurance career in 2016, working at a New Zealand direct insurer, before moving to a commercial broker role with a large multinational company in 2019. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications. Tom was attracted to joining Donaldson Brown as their values in transparency, customer focus, and doing the right thing; aligned with his own.
Paul Yang
Paul Yang
Paul has over 15 years’ sales and business development experience in the banking and insurance industry, specialising in the Chinese migrant market. He is committed to utilising his knowledge and experience to make more NZ Migrant businesses prosperous and feels his values align to the DB values in helping him achieve this.
Winston Stowers
Winston Stowers
With a decade of expertise in the insurance industry, Winston thrives on evolving alongside his clients' risk requirements to ensure he’s not just advising on current requirements but also considering his clients’ future plans and needs. Winston believes in fostering lasting relationships and partnerships built on trust, sound advice and tailored solutions. Communicating with clarity is a must and he is dedicated to supporting his clients to successfully navigate intricate and complex insurance details. A background in rugby has instilled in him the values of teamwork and resilience, traits he seamlessly integrates into his professional approach.
Jared Sun
Jared Sun
Jared started his insurance career in 2014 which included six years working in the London insurance market. He has held both underwriting and broking roles, managing Lloyd’s of London backed facilities and placing risks on behalf of a specialist Lloyd’s of London broker. Jared has considerable experience within the Financial Lines space and takes extreme pride in achieving the right solutions when arranging insurance programmes on behalf of his clients. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Massey University and Diploma of Insurance from the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Mandy Boyde
Mandy Boyde
Mandy has worked in the insurance industry for a combined total of 15 years. Her roles have included underwriting, claims and broking in both domestic and commercial fields. Mandy has a passion for the Private Assets area as she loves talking to people about what’s precious to them and enjoys chatting to people from all walks of life. Mandy looks forward to being able to share her knowledge with the growing team.
Vijita Gounder
Vijita Gounder
Vijita has joined Donaldson Brown as a Private Asset Risk Adviser and has worked in the insurance industry for 10 years in Australia and New Zealand. Vijita has worked in both Commercial and Domestic Insurance and decided to expand into Domestic Insurance, as she is passionate about helping her clients understand insurance and ensuring they have the right cover for whats most valuable to them. Vijita enjoys building rapport with her clients and thrives on getting the best result for her clients. Vijita enjoys working for Donaldson Brown as their values for doing the right thing for their clients aligns with her values.
Daniel Leckner
Daniel Leckner
Daniel’s been in the insurance industry since 2014, working with NZ’s largest health insurance provider. As a relationship manager he specialised in supporting organisations retain and attract the best people. Daniel aims to add value to any relationship by finding relevant solutions to gaps in wellness, retention, and employee benefits. Being reliable, attentive, and transparent is what you can expect from Daniel.
Mark Norton
Mark Norton
Mark has worked in the insurance industry since 2015 developing an understanding of how to add value in every interaction, to achieve supporting great outcomes for people. He has worked day-to-day with customers and takes time to understand their whole situation to provide the best experience. He loves working with people and in a team environment, has great attention to detail and will look to ensure the clients of Donaldson Brown are well looked after.
George Carver
George Carver
George has over a decade of experience giving Life, Disability and Health Insurance advice to both families and business owners. Having worked for several large corporates as well as running his own advisory business, George joined Donaldson Brown in 2022 attracted to the company’s values of trust and total transparency. George prides himself on the personalised advice and service he gives to his clients, tailoring a solution to their specific needs and helping them to make an informed decision about how to protect themselves, their family and their business. George holds a Master of Arts degree in Economic History from the University of Edinburgh.
Sylvia de Brakeleer
Sylvia de Brakeleer
Sylvia has joined Donaldson Brown Insurance Brokers as Broker Executive Support, supporting the Head of Life and Disability Insurance. She has a lot of experience in various administration and support roles and thrives in a busy, dynamic environment. Sylvia is valued for her attention to detail, positive attitude and professionalism and loves to be part of the team at Donaldson Brown.
Aimee Dang
Aimee Dang
Aimee has joined Donaldson Brown as an Associate Risk Adviser. She has completed her Bachelor of Science, majoring in Statistics and Pharmacology from University of Auckland. She has two years of experience within the insurance industry and is working towards advancing her skills and knowledge in this role.
Erica Tibbitts
Erica Tibbitts
Erica was born and raised in Toronto Canada before moving to New Zealand in 2022. With a decade of experience in the Canadian insurance industry, she’s collaborated with diverse business, from small local shops to major corporations. Erica is driven by a passion for pinpointing client risks and delivering high quality customer service.
Ruben Santillana
Ruben Santillana
Ruben started his insurance career 15 years ago after working in the financial sector for several years. Originally from South America, he has worked in several different financial institutions in New Zealand and overseas. Ruben has gained a wide range of knowledge and experience in the industry including life and health insurance, investment banking, sales and kiwisaver. For Ruben his clients are always his first priority and developing a positive relationship is at the forefront of all his actions.
Jody Smart
Jody Smart
Jody has been in the insurance industry for approximately 2 years, working for a direct insurer. Jody is passionate about unpacking and discovering the needs of the customer and loves working in a collaborative team environment. Jody is focused, positive and looking forward to learning and growing in her new career path and being part of the DB team.
Laurence McFall
Laurence McFall
Laurence first joined the insurance industry in 2016 working at one of the largest insurance companies in New Zealand specialising in domestic underwriting, customer service and commercial insurance. Coming from a Pacific Island background, Laurence has a passion to be able to raise awareness in these wider communities of the importance of having insurance as well as being able to provide clear advice with no hidden agendas. Laurence is excited at joining the Donaldson Brown family whose core values are second to none in the industry and make it possible for this to happen.
Ivy Xu
Ivy Xu
Ivy joined Donaldson Brown in 2023 and brings over two and a half years of experience in the insurance industry. In her first role, Ivy served as a commercial insurance broker support at a NZ brokerage, which built her understanding in insurance and saw her gain valuable industry experience. During this period, she also achieved her Level 5 certification from ANZIIF New Zealand in Compliance for Advisers (General Insurance Broking). Ivy resonates with DB's commitment to prioritising client interests, aligning with her own expectations for the insurance brokerage industry. As a highly motivated and results-driven insurance professional, she is enthusiastic about advancing her career at DB and delivering top-quality service to a wider clientele.
Kyle McKean
Kyle McKean
Kyle has over 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, with a strong background in claims ranging from motor, property, liability, and travel. Kyle is committed to ensuring the delivery of an effective, professional, and customer-focused claims service. He loves being part of the reason why business and communities can take risks, grow, and operate. His aim is always to make the claims process a seamless experience for our clients.
Mobeen Rostamy
Mobeen Rostamy
Mobeen Rostamy is an accomplished professional in the insurance industry. He embarked on his journey in the insurance world as a call centre representative. Through dedication and hard work, he swiftly climbed ranks and explored various claims roles, focusing on fire and general claims as well as commercial motor insurance. Driven by a passion for continuous growth and a thirst for knowledge, Mobeen made a pivotal decision to join Donaldson Brown. Here, he aims to expand his expertise in claims management while delving into different product lines, embracing new challenges with enthusiasm. Mobeen's unwavering commitment to providing exceptional customer service has earned him respect and admiration in the industry. He takes pride in assisting clients during their times of need and strives to ensure their claims process is smooth and stress-free.
Mathew Scott
Mathew Scott
Mathew started his career in the financial services working for a major United Kingdom bank as a financial crime associate and then worked for a highly regarded New Zealand travel insurance company as a claims assessor. He has developed a passion for customer service excellence and is committed to achieving optimal insurance outcomes for Donaldson Brown clients in his role as a claims associate.
“Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.” – Babe Ruth
Stacey-Joy Burnett
Stacey-Joy Burnett
Stacey has joined Donaldson Brown with a background of 4 years Loss Adjusting experience in the Insurance industry, having specialised in the Domestic & Commercial space of loss and handling property, contents, and material damage claims. Stacey has a wide range of policy knowledge from working on behalf of many different insurance companies and recommends appropriate outcomes for settlement based on her assessments. Stacey strives to build great relationships with others through her bubbly personality, dedicating herself to customers by giving 110% and advising on technical situations with flexible thinking and empathy. Stacey has adapted well into the broking field from her adjusting background and looks forward to expanding her knowledge even further in the industry.
Ashley Sharpe
Ashley Sharpe
Ashley has embarked on her new professional journey with Donaldson Brown as a Claims Associate. Although Ashley is new to the insurance industry, she has brought with her a wealth of knowledge from running her own successful construction business and previous management and operational skills in the construction sector. Ashley is valued for her ability to hit the ground running, passion for problem solving and professionalism. Ashley is excited to be a part of the Donaldson Brown family.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” - Jackie Robinson
Danielle Leach
Danielle Leach
Dani has started at Donaldson Brown as an Executive Assistant after spending 6 years in the Advanced Beauty Sector in operational management, her experience compliments the running production of the Donaldson Brown organisation. Dani looks forward to working towards expanding her wealth and knowledge of the insurance industry.
Madison Fraser
Madison Fraser
Madison started at Donaldson Brown as an admin associate, then moved into the personal broking space. Due to her knowledge of our systems, organisational background working in administration and over 5 years’ experience at Donaldson Brown, Madison has now taken a new role within the business as an Operations Adviser. Madison has her Level 5 Financial Services Certification and will be working between the broking and operational aspects of the business.
Paula Mills
Paula Mills
Paula has over 30 years as a Fire & General Insurance professional and has held a variety of roles within the industry including underwriting, claims, broking, compliance and operations management. For the last 10 years she has worked in Compliance, Operations and Learning & Development for a brokerage collective. These roles have involved process development, auditing, complaint handling, risk management and training. Paula has a passion for customer care and is also a natural problem solver and loves supporting customers and passing on her knowledge.
Constance Chandigere
Constance Chandigere
Constance has joined Donaldson Brown as a Financial Accountant. She holds a Bachelor of Financial Management & has over 8 years in the finance profession. Although new to the insurance industry, Constance believes in making a difference & adding value to the organisation.
“To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know”. Stephen R. Covey
Christine Chan
Christine Chan
Christine joined Donaldson Brown as an Admin Associate to explore the insurance sector, after becoming acquainted with its property aspects whilst previously working as a legal assistant in property conveyancing. Christine looks forward to adding value to the team by gaining more knowledge and insight in the industry.
Hazel Finlayson
Hazel Finlayson
Hazel started at Donaldson Brown as an Admin Associate. After working in the beauty industry for 3 years, she is looking forward to starting a new career path in Insurance. Hazel is excited to apply her experience working in a fast-paced team environment and ensuring maximum client satisfaction.
Joel Simpson
Joel Simpson
Joel has joined Donaldson Brown as an Admin Associate keen to explore and learn about the insurance industry. With 3 years of administration experience Joel is eager to see how his skills can be helpful and how he can hone them even further.
Kaneesha Lakau
Kaneesha Lakau
Kaneesha has joined Donaldson Brown as an admin associate, with a background in reception and administration within the law and health industry. She loves working in a team, solving problems, enjoys a variety of tasks and helping others. Ambitious and driven she is looking forward to gaining knowledge and expanding in the insurance industry.
Chantelle Rogers
Chantelle Rogers
Chantelle has started at Donaldson Brown as an Admin Associate. After working in the health and beauty industry in versions roles, she thrives on multi-tasking and a fast past environment. Chantelle is excited to start her new career in insurance.
Ashka Warwick
Ashka Warwick
Ashka has joined Donaldson Brown as an Admin Associate for the Life and Disability team. For the past 4 years she has created and run her own successful food manufacturing business. Ashka has a passion for health and wellbeing and makes a conscientious effort to prioritise it. Her kind and positive approach, aligned with her eye for detail make her a valued member to Donaldson Brown.
Stevie Finney
Stevie Finney
Stevie has joined Donaldson Brown as an Associate Risk Adviser in the Life & Disability team. Having worked in the insurance industry for 5 years she has gained the knowledge and passion to provide a high level of client service. She is ambitious and driven and is looking forward to gaining further knowledge in the insurance industry.
Emily Sinclair
Emily Sinclair
Emily has joined Donaldson Brown as an Admin Associate for the Life and Disability team, although new to the industry, Emily is looking forward to starting on her own path in the insurance sector. Emily’s aim is to a add value and be a personable staff member they can connect with. Emily enjoys working within a team environment and will look to ensure the clients of Donaldson Brown are well looked after.