Guardian Insurance Brokers’ 2026 award win shows how a fiercely client-focused Adelaide brokerage has turned personal relationships, claims advocacy and investment in its people into a powerful formula for growth.

When Guardian Insurance Brokers was named Small to Medium Broking Company of the Year at the 2026 ANZIIF Australian Insurance Industry Awards, Client Relationship Manager Shannan Gardner admits the Adelaide team hadn’t been expecting it.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” she says. “We’re a small brokerage from Adelaide and we really didn’t expect to receive an award, so it’s fantastic to be recognised.”

For Gardner, however, the award reflects something bigger than a successful year. It recognises an approach to broking that the business has spent decades developing: know your clients, advocate for them when it matters, invest in good people and build relationships for the long term.

“We’re big client advocates, so we always strive to achieve the best result for our clients,” she says. “We’ve got a great team, and integrity and honesty are really important to us. We just love building relationships within the industry.”

That philosophy has helped turn a business that began as a one-person operation into a growing brokerage with specialist capabilities across a diverse range of industries.

Growth built on trust

Guardian’s recent growth is particularly notable because its business model is grounded in referrals and recommendations rather than advertising. For the brokerage, that makes growth an important measure of something less easily quantified: trust.

“We want people to come to Guardian because somebody they trust has told them about the experience they had with us,” Gardner says.

“That means we have to earn that recommendation. It comes back to giving good advice, being responsive and being there when clients really need us.”

As the brokerage has expanded, it has also worked to ensure growth does not come at the expense of personal service.

Guardian operates an account-team model designed to provide continuity and responsiveness, complemented by Client Relationship Managers with specialist knowledge of sectors including construction, not-for-profit, disability and medical, defence, education and community services.

“We are growing, but we don’t want to lose what made Guardian successful in the first place,” Gardner says.

“Clients need to know who they’re dealing with and feel that the people looking after them understand their business. You have to keep that personal relationship even as the organisation becomes bigger.”

Being there when the policy matters

Perhaps nowhere is that philosophy more important than at claims time.

Through its dedicated claims capability, Guardian provides hands-on support from lodgement through to negotiations on more complex matters. Its approach includes helping clients gather evidence and documentation, coordinating communication with insurers and assessors and escalating issues when necessary.

For Gardner, claims advocacy goes to the heart of what an insurance broker should provide.

“Insurance can look very different when you’re discussing a policy at renewal compared with when a client has actually suffered a loss,” she says. “That’s when customers need someone who understands the policy, understands their circumstances and can advocate for them.

“We want to take some of that pressure away. It’s about keeping people informed, helping move the claim forward and making sure they know somebody is in their corner.”

The same philosophy shapes Guardian’s approach before a loss occurs. Rather than focusing solely on premium, its brokers examine clients’ changing exposures, coverage, exclusions and conditions and the practical consequences these could have at claim time.

“We don’t think the conversation should just be about finding the cheapest premium,” Gardner says. “It has to be about what the client actually needs and what happens if something goes wrong. Sometimes that means having a very honest conversation about risk and the trade-offs involved.”

People behind the service

Guardian also sees the client experience as inseparable from the experience of its own people.

The brokerage has strengthened its approach to employee engagement, recognition, career progression, workload management, mentoring and leadership development. It has also introduced an internal mentoring program designed to transfer knowledge from experienced team members to emerging insurance professionals.

For Gardner, retaining knowledge and developing people is particularly important in a relationship business.

“You can put all the systems and processes in place, but ultimately clients build relationships with people,” she says. “If you have a team that feels supported, understands what good service looks like and has opportunities to keep developing, clients feel the benefit of that as well.”

Guardian actively supports professional qualifications and ongoing learning, while encouraging employees to participate in the broader insurance profession through industry boards, assessment roles, mentoring and professional recognition.

“It’s important that people can see a future for themselves in insurance,” Gardner says. “We want our team to keep learning, take on new responsibilities and know there are opportunities to progress.”

Part of the community

Guardian’s relationship-driven philosophy also extends beyond the office.

The brokerage maintains long-term partnerships with community organisations and charities, supports employee volunteering and provides practical assistance to local initiatives. Its involvement ranges from health and inclusion initiatives to sporting, cultural and community organisations.

One particularly longstanding relationship is with South Australia’s Odyssey Art Prize, which celebrates Greek history, language and culture and provides a platform for emerging artists. Guardian has supported the initiative for many years.

That commitment reflects how the brokerage sees its place within the communities it serves.

“As an Adelaide business, local relationships matter to us,” Gardner says. “Supporting the community isn’t separate from who we are as a company. Our people live here, our clients are part of these communities and we want to contribute where we can.”

That community mindset also influences how Guardian works with clients experiencing vulnerability. The brokerage emphasises plain-language communication and adapting its service to individual circumstances, including clients facing language barriers, financial pressures or other challenges that can make navigating insurance more difficult.

“Insurance can be complicated even when everything in your life is going well,” Gardner says. “When somebody is already under pressure, taking the time to explain things clearly and make sure they understand their options becomes even more important.”

Looking to the next chapter

Winning at the ANZIIF Australian Insurance Industry Awards provides an opportunity for Guardian to celebrate how far it has come, but Gardner says the team is already looking ahead.

“We’ve grown enormously since the company started more than 30 years ago and we’re constantly evolving, so we’re really looking forward to the future.”

The challenge will be to keep evolving without losing the qualities that built the brokerage in the first place.

For Gardner, those foundations remain remarkably straightforward.

“It comes back to integrity, honesty, advocacy and relationships,” she says. “You want to achieve the best result you can for your clients, and you want to build relationships that last.

“To receive this recognition as a smaller brokerage from Adelaide is incredibly special for all of us. We’re very proud of what we’ve built and very excited about where we can take it next.”