Matthew McHutchison has a head for hard numbers. This is what led him to a career in insurance. But it’s the softer skills that have kept him at the top of his game.

As founder and managing director of IVAA Jewellery Claim Management in Brisbane, Matthew provides independent assessments to insurers and claimants. Services include jewellery validation, settlement recommendation and the allocation and fulfilment of jewellery claims. “We don’t take a commission or kick-back from any supplier and we don’t take a percentage of any savings,” he says. “We’re completely transparent, which I think is so important.”

Matthew never actually planned to start his own company. After graduating from Brisbane’s QUT in 2006 with a degree in business, he took on a logistics role with a jewellery wholesaler and soon gained a deep respect for the local jewellery industry, including the gemmologists and valuers who grade and appraise the precious stones, and the jewellers who craft beautiful pieces that hold such sentimental value for their owners.

Soon he saw an opportunity to combine his growing knowledge of the jewellery industry with his interest in insurance. Matthew joined Claims Advisory Services in 2008, where he helped insurance companies procure jewellery. When the business closed, he decided to go out on his own.

Starting a business takes a lot of courage at any age. Matthew was only 23 and had just started paying off a mortgage. “It was pretty rough in those first few months trying to learn the ropes quickly,” he says. “It had its ups and downs but we were really lucky to get clients in the early stage of the business.”

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