Adviser Profile - Les Mills
Our principal, Les Mills (AR Number 450400), is a results driven, client focused insurance veteran with over 30 years’ experience across a range of industries and insurance classes.
His ability to understand the actual exposures that his clients face has seen him write specific policy wordings to suit and adequately deal with those exposures. Reviewing complex insurance and indemnity clauses in contracts and negotiating with the parties to achieve equitable outcomes continues to be a major focus of his service to our clients.
Having designed and managed insurance programs for some of Australia’s largest and most well known companies such as Woolworths, QBE Insurance and James Hardie (to name a few) together with a large number of public, private and government entities such as Aristocrat Leisure, Colliers Jardines, Metcash, Sirtex, Peptech, Hamilton James & Bruce, Stadium Australia Management, Cash Converters, Cedar Woods Properties, Lotterywest, RAAFA WA and Device Technologies Australia, he can provide the right advice to any sized business from start-up to multi-national.
With a number of years experience as the Manager – Aged Care & Community Services at Gow-Gates in NSW and as the founding president of Blacktown City Orchid Society where he was responsible for writing the constitution and By-Laws for this non-profit group, he understands the needs of not-for-profit organisations.
An insurance policy or program is only as good as its ability to pay a claim when one occurs. Les was responsible for overseeing the placement of the Directors and Officers Liability policy that was used in the Aristocrat Leisure Class Action and that policy payed out to it’s full limit of indemnity. AUD $100M.
Les is a past President and Treasurer of the Australian Professional Indemnity Group – Western Australia Chapter.
Holding a Diploma of Financial Services (Broking), recognised as a Qualified Practicing Insurance Broker (QPIB) and a Certified Insurance Professional (CIP) with ANZIIF (Assoc.), he is fully qualified to provide advice on any insurance requirements.
Please review Les’ Adviser Profile
Financial Services Guide (FSG) and Privacy Policy
You can access our FSG and Privacy Policy here.
Insurance Brokers Code of Practice
Apollo Risk Services and Mills Insurance Solutions subscribe to the Insurance Brokers Code of Practice
Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
Clients who are not fully satisfied with our services should contact the Apollo Risk Services customer relations/complaints officer on (08) 9228 3332. Apollo Risk Services is a member of AFCA (member 26453).
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with AFCA:
Online: www.afca.org.au
Email: info@acfa.org.au
Phone: 1800 931 678
Mail: Australian Financial Complaints Authority
GPO Box 3, MELBOURNE VIC 3000
General Advice Warning
The advice on this website is General Advice and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.
Before acting on any advice, please consider its appropriateness for your circumstances and review our disclosure documents.
Product Disclosure Statements from insurers are available on request
The following information is applicable to all clients
Your Duty of Disclosure
Before you enter into a contract of general insurance with an Insurer, you have a duty, under the Insurance Contracts Act 1984, to disclose to the Insurer every matter that you know, or could reasonably be expected to know, is relevant to the Insurer’s decision whether to accept the risk of the insurance, and, if so, on what terms.
You have the same duty to disclose those matters to the Insurer before you renew, extend, vary or reinstate a contract of general insurance.
Your duty, however, does not require disclosure of matter:
- that diminishes the risk to be undertaken by the Insurer;
- that is of common knowledge;
- that your Insurer knows, or in the ordinary course of his business, ought to know;
- as to which compliance with your duty is waived by the Insurer.
Non-Disclosure
If you fail to comply with your duty of disclosure, the insurer may be entitled to reduce his liability under the contract in respect of a claim or may cancel the contract.
If your non-disclosure is fraudulent, the Insurer may also have the option of avoiding the contract from its beginning.
Our Remuneration
Unless we agree otherwise with you, in arranging cover for you, Apollo Risk Services and Mills Insurance Solutions will be remunerated by a commission payment from the insurer and/or a broker fee.
Please refer to our Financial Services Guide and Les Mills adviser profile which provides further information on remuneration.
Where we have used an electronic data interface (Sunrise) to process your policy, we receive an additional commission amount of between 1% and 2% for utilising this system. This amount is included in the commission paid to us by the insurers and is not an additional charge to you.
If we arrange premium funding for you, we may be paid a commission by the premium funding company. We may also charge a fee for our services (or both). The commission that we receive is typically calculated as a percentage of your insurance premium (including government fees and charges).
Our commission rates for premium funding range between of 0% and 3% of the funded premium. Apollo Risk Services also receives 1% of the funded premium as an overrider from the premium funding company.
Any interest that may accrue on any premium paid by you and held in the Apollo Risk Services Trust Account shall be solely for the benefit of Apollo Risk Services.
Other Relationships and/or Benefits
Apollo Risk Services is part of Australasia’s largest general insurance broker network, the Steadfast Group.
We leverage Steadfast’s scale to ensure our clients have access to a wide range of insurance companies, a broad range of products, exclusive policy options and of course, competitive pricing.
And when the time comes and you need to make a claim, you will have the backing of Steadfats behind you.
From time to time, we may receive certain training allowances and ‘hospitality benefits’ (such as tickets to sporting events, movies, meals and hampers). The receipt of these benefits is not based upon the volume of business placed with the provider but more of an ad hoc reward based on our relationships with certain insurers. The maximum value of these during the year is unable to be determined. However, the details of such benefits, so far received, are able to be viewed on our soft dollar benefits register upon your request.
Utmost Good Faith
Insurance contracts are subject to the doctrine of utmost good faith and this is part of the Law. All parties (Client, Insurer and broker) must adhere to the doctrine of utmost good faith. As a client, if you fail to do so you may prejudice any rights you have to make a claim.
It is our duty as your insurance broker to provide you with sound professional advice, however that advice can only be sound and valid if we are kept properly informed of changes to your business or personal circumstances.
Hold Harmless Agreements
Preventing your Insurer’s Right of Recovery (“Hold Harmless” and “Waiver of Subrogation” Clauses)
If you have an entered an agreement, without the express prior consent of your insurer, that will prevent your Insurer from recovering the costs of a loss from a responsible third party, you may prejudice your rights to make a claim on your policy.
These “hold harmless” clauses are often found in commercial property leases, maintenance agreements and supply and tender contracts.