The Envest Group has appointed Belinda Steedman as Chief Executive Officer of Envest Agencies. Belinda brings more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, having held executive roles across the South African, Australian and UK markets.
Belinda spent 14 years at QBE, where her last role was General Manager, SME. She then moved to London for four years where she was appointed Aviva’s Head of Multinational before finishing as Director of Global Proposition, overseeing Multinational, Delegated Underwriting Authority (DUA) and the Lloyd’s Service companies.
As well as leading Envest Agencies, Belinda will join the Envest Group Executive Team.
Envest Group Chief Executive Officer Greg Mullins said Belinda's appointment is an important step for the Agencies pillar.
"We've known Belinda for many years and watched her build an outstanding career in Australia and on the global stage. Her experience in SME, multinational and delegated underwriting fits our agencies perfectly. We're thrilled to welcome her back to Australia to lead the next chapter of growth for Envest Agencies."
The Envest agency portfolio includes some of the industry's most successful underwriting and insurance ventures, including Blue Zebra, Ando, Club 4X4, ATL, LAUW and Chase Underwriting, each recognised for creating specialist solutions, delivering exceptional customer experiences and challenging traditional insurance models.
Belinda said she was excited to be joining the team.
"Envest Agencies has a strong foundation of specialist underwriting businesses, each with deep expertise and strong broker relationships. What attracted me to Envest is its entrepreneurial culture, combined with the scale and global backing of The Ardonagh Group. I'm looking forward to working with our agency leaders and partners to grow our existing businesses, bring new capability to market and create more opportunities for brokers and their clients."
Former Agency CEO Richard Heilig has moved into the role of Envest Group Chief Investment OƯicer. He and Colin Fagen (Interim CEO, Envest Agencies) will continue to support Envest Agencies through the Agency Board.
In 2027, the Envest Agencies collective will rebrand to align with Ardonagh’s global Managing General Agent (MGA), Orvia Underwriting.
The global build-out of the Orvia Underwriting brand, announced this week, will start in the UK and is designed to create a shared identity for Ardonagh’s global underwriting collective.
The new name combines the concepts of Ór (gold) and Via (path), representing "the golden path" and reflecting the qualities of underwriting expertise, clarity, growth and opportunity that underpin the business.
As Orvia Australia and New Zealand, Envest agency businesses will continue to champion specialist underwriting expertise while leveraging the scale and connectivity of Ardonagh’s global Orvia Underwriting platform. The underlying business brands that operate day to day remain unchanged.
About The Envest Group
Envest is one of Australia’s largest privately owned insurance and financial services distribution groups. It has more than 2,500 people and handles over $4 billion in Gross Written Premium each year. Envest is part of The Ardonagh Group.
The Envest agency portfolio started in 2016 with four underwriting agencies generating approximately $2 million in Gross Written Premium (GWP) and has grown into one of Australia’s largest and most successful underwriting collectives, today comprising 14 specialist businesses, employing 830 staƯ and underwriting more than $1.5 billion in GWP.
