The specialist services provided by IEA Brokers Pty Ltd since 1979 to the Australian Sport and Recreation industries, and more recently to the Amusement industry, has been further enhanced by the companies amalgamation with Australia’s only publicly listed insurance broking group, OAMPS.

On 1^st March 2004 IEA Brokers joined OAMPS with IEA’s owners taking up shareholding in the OAMPS Group.  Management and staff were integrated into existing branch offices in mid March.  This amalgamation has underscored the belief of both organisations that specialisation is one of the key drivers to success in the world of general insurance broking and risk management.

Like IEA, OAMPS is a business built around partnerships.  In both cases our ability to recognise the exacting and often unique requirements of certain industries sets us apart in today’s insurance market.  At the same time our commitment to personalised service and continuity of staff ensures that we stay ahead of the needs of our clients and continue to improve the service and products we offer.

IEA is well known in the sport and recreation industries in particular as experienced and respected professionals in providing insurance and other risk management services.   The ongoing liability insurance crisis is causing considerable problems in terms of cost and availability of adequate cover. IEA’s solution has been to promote the importance of effective risk management to overcome these issues.

In addition to our work with sporting organisations we have been active in assisting the Australian Amusement Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) establish a ‘best practice’ industry accreditation program known as AM-SAFE.  The AM-SAFE program has  been of considerable importance  by enhancing the service and safety standards within their respective industries.

AM-SAFE  has also enabled AALARA members to obtain affordable and sustainable public liability insurance protection from secure underwriters .

It is extremely pleasing to advise that not only will IEA be continuing to provide their specialist services as part of the OAMPS Group, but indeed these services will be enhanced and expanded.  There are many similarities in the risk profiles and associated issues of the Sport, Recreation, Amusement, Entertainment and Leisure industries.  With the specialist expertise of IEA and the professional knowledge and resources of OAMPS we now have a team which can provide an unparalleled risk management and insurance service to these industries.

To underscore our commitment to the Leisure, Amusement, Sport, Entertainment and Recreation industries we have established a new, dedicated operating unit called “LASER” which will be headed by co-chief executive of IEA, Rod Hughes. LASER will focus entirely upon the delivery of risk products and services for the protection of these businesses.

The enthusiasm and commitment to the OAMPS/IEA amalgamation, and the ‘LASER’ business unit in particular, are evident in the comments of the Group Chief Executive Officer of OAMPS Ltd, Tony Robinson.  “Our Group is delighted to have secured another broking specialist.  IEA adds significant volume to our rapidly growing Broking Division and will introduce a range of additional opportunities for us in the longer term.  The depth of experience within IEA, together with their knowledge of what is a quite distinctive segment of the Australian insurance market, gives OAMPS another boost in our quest to become the leading insurance broker for Australian businesses.”