MHIA’s Ben McInnes wins ANZIIF Young Professional of the Year

The accolades keep coming for Ben McInnes, the 2025 winner of ANZIIF’s Young Insurance Professional of the Year.

In addition to being named the Caravan Industry Association of Australia’s Future Leader of the Year in 2024, he was appointed managing director of MHIA Insurance in 2021, aged just 30.

A specialist insurance provider for residents of land lease communities, MHIA has its policies underwritten by certain underwriters of Lloyd's of London and was acquired by UK-based Argenta Group in 2016. 

A long journey in a short time

McInnes has come a long way since joining MHIA at age 18 as a trainee in 2009. 

As a child, his plan was to go into business and become a CEO. He had no special industry in mind and no particular desire to attend university directly from school – only an aspiration to earn money. “The trainee opportunity was the best of both worlds.”

His first role at MHIA involved handling inbound sales and claims calls. A switch to NRMA Insurance (part of IAG) to take on a customer service officer role followed two years later, as did a series of promotions over the next four or so years.

Then, MHIA came knocking on the door again, offering him a position as its 2IC because its founder was preparing for succession.

Insatiable desire to improve

The high achiever attributes his success to an insatiable desire to improve on what’s before him, a passion to continue learning and the ability to change his views when receiving new information.

Winning the ANZIIF Young Insurance Professional award in August is expected to boost MHIA’s brand and help with the launch its new home insurance brand next year.

“It is a market disruptor that will have affordability and accessibility as its core principles," McInnes says.

"This initiative will broaden our market reach and provide new development opportunities for our internal team.”

McInnes sees winning the award as recognition not only of his individual journey from trainee to managing director, but also the collaborative success of MHIA’s small but growing team.

“We had 10 team members there on the night. It got everyone enthusiastic about the future and the opportunities available in the industry. The team is now quite eager to win more awards next year.”

Diverse and rewarding

The 34-year-old family man views insurance as an incredibly diverse and rewarding field. 

“It allows me to work across every part of the business, from underwriting and claims to IT, finance, marketing and beyond.

"I am constantly learning, solving problems and adapting to an evolving landscape and that energises me every day.”

Since joining the industry, McInnes has completed a host of formal qualifications and development programs, and has benefited from a string of role models and mentors.

He’s also committed to contributing to the broader insurance ecosystem and community. That’s led him to give talks about career opportunities in the industry and to ensure MHIA sponsors charities and events in land lease communities. 

Unfortunately, insurance can sometimes be clouded by negative perceptions. “That’s why I’m a strong advocate for demystifying our profession by helping customers understand how insurance works and how we genuinely help people, especially in times of crisis," he says. 

“There’s no greater reward than guiding a customer through a difficult claims experience, particularly after a total loss and giving them peace of mind when it matters most. That is the human side of insurance, and it’s why I’m so passionate about what I do.” 

Great wins in 2024

Leading MHIA through its most successful year in its history last year is one McInnes's proudest achievements. The company saw a 23 per cent increase in gross written premium and gained a market share of 20 per cent in its niche.

It also attained the strongest underwriting result in its 30+ year history and a 90 per cent engagement score in an external WorkBuzz cultural survey.

“Perhaps the most meaningful metric, however, has been our public reputation," McInnes says.

"In 2024, we surpassed 400 verified Google reviews, with an average rating of 4.5 stars, reflecting consistently positive feedback on our service and claims outcomes.” 

These results are attributed to innovation, operational improvements and team capability building. McInnes is highly focused on staff development, mentoring juniors and creating structured career pathways for his employees.

“These efforts have positioned MHIA as the most trusted name in our niche and laid a strong foundation for sustainable growth.”

An inspiration is a famous cartoon where the CFO asks the CEO: “What if we train people and they leave?” And, the CEO responds: “What if we don't train them and they stay?”

Working to the future

MHIA’s goals are to deepen its impact, including expanding its offerings, and to continue to contribute at an industry-wide level. 

Now that MHIA’s underwriting and operations are strong, the focus will shift to brand growth.

“We’ve recently appointed international cricketer Glenn McGrath as MHIA’s brand ambassador,” McInnes shares.

Over the next three years, the attention will also shift to building MHIA’s formal leadership and succession pipeline as well as strengthening its digital capabilities while still retaining the personalised service that sets it apart. 

There’s no expectation that everything will be plain sailing for the insurance industry, though.

Challenges ahead include insurance affordability and minimising underinsurance.

“While automation improves efficiency, it will be vital to maintain empathetic, human-led service, especially for vulnerable customers. And, customers increasingly expect insurers to deliver social impact, not just financial protection.”

Building a wider contribution

One current focus is to collaborate with actuaries and tech partners to build scalable, ethical pricing models and looking to embed AI tools, including large language models and call analysis, into training and coaching frameworks. 

For McInnes, a future desire is to serve on an advisory board or working group focused on workforce development, innovation and customer affordability within the industry.

“These milestones will enable me to have a broader impact, helping shape not just MHIA’s future, but also the next phase of innovation and inclusivity in our industry.” 

The message to other young professionals in the industry is to put in the required hours and energy and leverage the experiences of those “who have been there and done that”.

“Show up in the office, be present and deal with people you look up to. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Be bold and willing to outwork people in a similar role.”

Find out more about the 2025 ANZIIF Insurance Awards winners