WK APIG Scholarship (Australia)
The annual Wotton Kearney APIG Scholarship supports the development of young professionals practising in professional indemnity and financial lines insurance in Australia.
For over a decade, the annual Australian WK APIG Scholarship has recognised outstanding contribution and talent in our industry and connected the successful candidate with a lifetime educational experience aimed at enhancing their professional career.
The scholarship takes the form of AUD$9,500 towards attending an international conference of your choice with direct relevance to your career. Funded by Wotton Kearney, past scholarship winners have attended the international PIF Conference at Cambridge University in the UK and taken part in a hosted visit of Lloyd's in London.
Applications for the 2026 scholarship are now open! Full details including a link to our Information Pack and Entry Form are below.
APPLY HERE
DOWNLOAD INFORMATION PACK
Key Dates
Applications Open: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Applications Close: 5.00pm (AEST) on Friday, 17 July 2026
Winner Announced: Thursday, 10 September 2026 (at the 2026 APIG Conference)
Prize / Learning Package
The 2026 Scholarship Package consists of AUD$9,500 funding towards attending an international conference of your choice directly related to professional indemnity insurance or your specialist product area.
A key part of the package is for the winner to share their experience with APIG members on return by way of a brief update and video Q&A.
Entry Criteria
- Applications for the Scholarship are open to current APIG members under the age of 36 on the submission close date (Friday, 17 July 2026).
- Applicants must be actively involved in financial lines or professional indemnity insurance in Australia.
- Approval from your company / employer to attend your nominated conference.
- Members of the APIG National Committee and employees of Wotton Kearney are ineligible.
How to apply
Complete the online application form below before 5.00pm (AEST) on Friday, 17 July 2026.
If you have any trouble completing the form, please email us at APIGScholarship@wottonkearney.com.
Your submission should address the following questions:
- Briefly tell us about your current role and its focus.
- What you see as a major issue for your area of insurance and how it could be resolved (video up to 3 minutes, or text up to 500 words).
- In a few words, what makes you proud to work in the financial lines insurance industry in Australia.
APPLY HERE
2025 Winner
Dominic Parkes-Dolan, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
APIG and Wotton Kearney are pleased to announce that Dominic Parkes-Dolan, Underwriter at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, has won the 2025 WK APIG Scholarship. The judging panel was particularly impressed by Dominic's video submission, Changing of the Guard, which explored the growing leadership and talent pipeline challenges facing Australia's financial lines insurance industry.
Dominic's submission highlighted a looming demographic shift across the sector, with an ageing workforce and significant retirements creating a potential structural talent gap. He argued this is not only a workforce issue, but a broader strategic challenge for an industry being reshaped by AI, regulation, and rising client expectations. His recommendations focused on accelerating leadership development, improving perceptions of insurance as a career, and strengthening the importance of soft skills such as communication and adaptability alongside technological change.
View Dominic's submission here.
Previous winners
2024 – Grace Coleman, Senior Claims Specialist, AXA XL
Grace's video submission The Risk of Digital Monocultures explored the vulnerabilities created by modern infrastructure's reliance on standardised systems, using a hypothetical worldwide cyber event to illustrate how a single threat could trigger widespread disruption. Her submission stood out for offering both short and long-term solutions tailored to the Australian market.
View Grace’s submission here.
2023 – Ben McCallum, Senior Claims Advisor FINEX, Willis Tower Watson
Ben's submission examined the imposition of cyber exclusions in PI and D&O policies, using real-life breach scenarios to expose potential coverage gaps for third-party claims. The judging panel was impressed by his practical recommendations for brokers and insurers to develop tailored market solutions in response.
View Ben’s submission here.
2022 – Ben Hine, Vice President and Claims Expert, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions
Ben's submission on financial lines insurance as a tool for fighting climate change and bolstering energy security impressed the panel for bringing genuine thought leadership to a topic rarely associated with the financial lines sector. His proposals included a green risk fund developed collaboratively between insurers and government to drive product innovation and positive environmental outcomes.
View Ben’s submission here.
2021 – Raymond Loh, Senior Claims Specialist International Financial Lines, AXA XL
Selected from a record number of applications, Raymond's submission tackled the commercial tensions that arise when insurers hold different interests within D&O insurance towers, proposing practical resolutions including super limit layers and standardised excess wordings. The panel praised the clarity and precision of his delivery.
View Raymond’s submission here.
2020 – Nikolce Stojcevski, Senior Underwriter Financial Institutions, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Nik's submission addressed the challenges facing SMEs in accessing adequate professional liability insurance, arguing that consolidating data across the industry could meaningfully improve coverage availability for financial planners, mortgage brokers and similar businesses.
View Nikolce’s submission here.
2019 – Kelvin Hui, Senior Account Manager Professional Risks, Proclaim
Kelvin was selected for his forward-thinking proposals on making PI insurance within the construction sector more viable, and the broader positive ramifications for the market in doing so. He also demonstrated an active role facilitating industry seminars on domestic construction issues.
View Kelvin’s submission here.
2018 – James Skiba, Senior Claims Officer, DUAL Australia
James's submission analysed the rise of Securities Class Actions and the implications for D&O policies, making a compelling case for reforms to continuous disclosure obligations and litigation funding to protect both shareholder rights and corporate access to adequate insurance cover.
View James’ submission here.
2017 – Mitchell Spurr, Complex Claims Examiner, AIG
Mitchell's submission on the growing exposure of directors to climate change-related claims secured him the win from a competitive field of over 20 entries, with the panel noting its thought-provoking framing of an emerging risk that was only beginning to gain market attention at the time.
View Mitchell’s submission here.
2016 – Michael Forster, Suncorp Group
Michael's application stood out for its unique approach to integrating technology and modern management techniques within the financial lines industry, drawing a creative parallel to recent updates to Sherlock Holmes as a lens for reimagining the sector.
View Michael’s submission here.
2015 – Kristine Salgado, Willis Australia
Kristine won the inaugural WK APIG Scholarship for her thought-provoking account of the way forward for the insurance industry and her contribution to financial lines at such a young age – setting the tone for a program that has since recognised outstanding talent across a decade of competition.
View Kristine’s submission here.
APIG thanks Wotton Kearney for its generous support.
