Young Achiever Award 2020

The Insurance Institute of Cardiff Young Achiever Award is a prestigious award given to the those who have gone above and beyond in their roles in insurance or financial services in the Cardiff region.

Normally awarded at our Annual Dinner in the Spring, the award has been disrupted like so many other institutions this year by Covid-19. We did not announce the winner of the award following the cancellation of our dinner in April for hope that it would go ahead in September. Alas, the postponed dinner was also cancelled. We have therefore decided to give the award finalists the recognition they deserve.

Please find below what the judges had to say about the winner and runner-ups.

The winner of the Insurance Institute of Cardiff Young Achiever Award 2020 is...

Winner

Matt Wiltshire

Managing Director, Niche Sport and Finance

"Matt stood out to the judges, not only because of his rapid rise from Trainee to MD by the age of 32, but also for the changes to the business and its ethics that he’s managed to implement in such a short time. In his time at the business, the company has grown from a team of 3 advisors to now over 20. Matt has also overseen the development and launch of one of the UK’s most popular cashflow planning tools, used widely by financial advisers all over the country. Matt is now a Chartered Financial Planner also, and he has managed all this while raising two young daughters. He was also a founding member of the Insurance Institute of Cardiff’s Young Professionals Group (Novus). We congratulate Matt on his success and wish him and his business all the very best for the future. Matt receives the award, a cash prize of £250 and £250 towards further training."

Runner Ups

Joe Catris

Account Executive, Marsh

"It is testament to Joe’s hard work and wonderful personality, that someone so young should be such a recognisable and successful face in the South Wales insurance industry. It wasn’t just Joe’s personal success that saw him make the final of this award. As well as excelling in his new business role, Joe has also proven to be a fantastic leader and mentor to other young professionals in the industry. Supporting them with their learning and helping them network and integrate into the Cardiff business world. Joe is the President of Novus (the Insurance Institute of Cardiff's young professionals networking group) as well as being South Wales’ Young Broker Ambassador for BIBA. He has also been accepted onto the highly prized Allianz Scholarship Academy and is studying towards his CII Diploma. Joe also touched the hearts of the judges with stories of his tireless fundraising efforts and charity work. Definitely one to watch for the future! We wish Joe the best of luck and thank him for all his selfless endeavours. Joseph receives a runners up award and a £100 cash prize."

Abbie Morgan

Trading Underwriter, Zurich

"Abbie has only been in insurance 4 years, but in that time has already achieved national recognition within her company and through her role as Chair of the Organizational Health Council for Zurich UK she regularly meets with the CEO and Leadership Team to give her fellow colleagues a voice in the business. She has also become the company's Underwriting Knowledge Champion and lead underwriter in the department for Cyber Liability. Abbie has also helped support the CII’s Discover Risk campaign, helping to host a number of events across South Wales and taking part in the social media campaign, helping to promote Insurance as a profession to young people. We commend Abbie for the impact she has been able to have on such a large company at such a young age and hope she continues to promote such positive change in the future. Abbie receives a runners up award and a £100 cash prize."

Many congratulations to Matt, Joe and Abbie!

We will announce the nomination process for the 2021 award shortly.