Russell Power joins us as a Fire & General broker.
Russell has nearly 30 years experience in the insurance industry in both the UK and NZ and knows insurance inside out. Since emigrating to NZ in 1994 with his Kiwi wife, Russell has worked for brokerages in both Christchurch and Dunedin. He also spent 12 years at Lumley General insurance where he looked after, among others, the Abbott Group. Russell is delighted to have joined the Abbott team; “It’s exciting to be part of a flexible and professional organisation like Abbott where the effort you put in directly contributes to the immediate close-knit team and end results. Having worked for an international brokerage and corporate-owned insurer, sometimes the results of your hard work are lost.”
Russell is a proud Kiwi by citizenship, with his family including Kiwi wife Robyn, teenagers Luke (17) and Isabella (15), and two Labrador dogs. In his spare time, Russell is a keen cyclist and loves fitting a ride in among family activities.
And things that annoy Russell? “Drivers not indicating early enough, and flies!”
Craig Savage joins us as a Life and Health broker.
Born and bred in Christchurch, Craig specialises in personal and risk insurance. Craig loves to take an educational approach with his clients, helping them understand their insurance needs and how their lives could be impacted by not having the necessary covers in place. With a degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Canterbury, Craig believes his strong financial background and analytical approach are a huge advantage, particularly when working with business clients and self-employed people.
Out of work, Craig is a passionate triathlete and has been a National, South Island, and Canterbury champion across various distances. He enjoys getting outside in the sunshine and training with friends, as well as catching up with friends at local bars and restaurants.
Darryl Philpott joins us as Home Loan Advisor.
With 30 years experience in the banking and financial industry, Darryl loves helping clients realise their financial goals and making sure their home loan is working best for them. He has been working with all forms of Lending since 1998 (commercial and home loans), with the last 8 years spent at the ANZ as a business banking manager and home loan advisor. Here at Abbott, Darryl is available to help with purchasing of a new property, refinancing, restructuring or topping-up existing lending, or renewing fixed rates. He can also provide advice on business and commercial lending.
Born in Ashburton, Darryl has lived in Christchurch most of his life. He enjoys sports and cooking. Having previously played rugby and cricket “in my younger days”, he now enjoys an occasional round of golf.
Harriet Scott joins us as Broker Assistant.
Harriet brings 4 years experience in insurance, having worked in the Claims teams of two of NZ’s largest insurers, State and NZI. In 2015 Harriet moved into an underwriting support position at NZI, working with the Abbott team as part of a portfolio of clients. So when she returned from a 5 month OE backpacking around South America and Europe, Harriet was delighted to see a job at Abbott advertised on Seek – and we were delighted to snap her up!
Prior to joining the insurance industry, Harriet worked in a wide range of industries including floristry, dance teaching, and waitressing, and even a stint as Assistant Manager of Subway Hills Road. She has an equally varied range of interests outside work,such as travel, singing in a choir, baking, dancing, jigsaw puzzles, and catching up with friends.
