Tate Harris, partner at insurance broker firm allinsure. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Tate Harris is a personable, easy-to-talk-to guy. He grew up on a farm at Hall, where his grandmother and father now run one of Canberra’s oldest and most respected kennels: the Dog’otel & Purrrfect Cattery.
He remembers running around chasing chickens when he was three or four years old, and riding his 50cc PeeWee motorbike around the farm. When the kennel business opened on the property, Tate was the one cleaning out the kennels every day, a job he didn’t particularly relish, he preferred to go yabbying in the dam, or building a cubby in a tree. He continued to work weekends right through to his late 20’s to help out his family.
“I grew up outside,” says Tate. “I wasn’t into video games and stuff like that. I loved getting around the farm and being around all the animals. I wasn’t an inside kid.”
Tate went to Rosary Primary School, Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School, Ginninderra High School, Daramalan College and Hawker College. After finishing school, he began working as an account executive in a global insurance broking firm. He got his first taste of risk management and mitigation in the insurance industry in that role and at another brokerage, which diversified into financial management, before he moved to insurance broker firm allinsure in 2013.
“For a lot of businesses, insurance is often an afterthought until they need to make a claim,” he says. “We work closely with each of our clients to conduct a risk analysis of their business and identify their exposures. We’ve got some brilliant tools that allow us to use data to analyse risk and tailor programs specifically to each client, to enable them to make an informed decision on what to insure and how to do it.”
“We’ve established long lasting relationships with our clients so they can rely on us for business advice. Many of our clients come to us for guidance on decisions that will impact their operations, much like their accountant or lawyer, and that is something that we’re very proud of.”
Tate began working for allinsure – which is 100 per cent Canberra owned and operated – as an account executive, and he was made a partner in the business in 2016. He has a diverse portfolio of clients, many of who are in construction and development, and Canberra businesses and trades, from sole traders working as tradesmen in construction to builders and developers.
Tate is very much a Canberra born and bred man. He visits his wife’s family in Batemans Bay as often as possible and he goes to his local gym every lunchtime. He also loves running and can do 5km in 20 minutes. He is entrenched in the local basketball community and trains on Monday nights, with games on Thursday nights.
However, he finds his thoughts frequently turn to his clients.
“Unfortunately, we live in a litigious society where it’s always somebody else’s fault, and you’re guilty until proven innocent,” says Tate.
“Then allinsure comes into that equation when there’s an incident. We’re probably more in tune with the fine print of an insurance policy than most of our underwriters and assessors are. We can tell a client immediately whether they’re covered in most circumstances, but it has been a year of unforeseen events.”
Named as a finalist in the 2019 Insurance Business Awards Australia in the Young Gun for Brokerages (1-19 Staff) and Broker of the Year (Authorised Rep) categories, Tate has been advising clients on flood, fire, hail and COVID-19 this year, and helping business in Canberra continue to operate in an adverse business climate.
Despite his busy professional and social life, Tate and his wife managed to spend three weeks in Thailand during the Christmas/New Year period. It was a welcome escape from business life and a well-timed pre-COVID-19 getaway. Recharged by the experience, he has immersed himself in insurance brokerage with energy and enthusiasm.
Whatever risks your business faces, allinsure can help you customise the ideal insurance solution to protect your livelihood and give you peace of mind.
Visit allinsure to find out how partnering with the firm can take the stress out of insurance and let you focus on running your business.
This is a sponsored article, though all opinions are the author’s own. For more information on paid content, see our sponsored content policy.
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