Q. What is your current role, and what does it entail?

I'm currently the Chief Valuer at Dawes, a role I started in April 2023. As my knowledge around car valuation is drawn on a regular basis within the business, we decided to formalise it as part of our underwriting process. This isn't a new role for Dawes and is more of an extension of my role as an underwriter.

If any of our underwriters don't feel they can reach a value through normal research avenues due to rarity or vehicle modifications, they will refer it to me. With nearly 20 years of experience in the insurance industry and a strong knowledge of the auto industry, I act as the central point of reference to provide consistency and structure for brokers.

Q. Why is Chief Valuer an important role in prestige motor insurance?

In the current market, multiple factors can affect vehicle values. For instance, in the classic and collector car market, there are usually two types of purchasers, those who buy cars as an investment and those who buy with their heart. Both types of purchasers will sometimes spend more money than 'what the book says'. Sometimes however, values can vary due to the market and other external factors. This is where the role and knowledge of a valuer comes into its own. We aim to provide peace of mind for our clients and their financial interests.

Q. How do you keep up with the evolving landscape?

To strengthen my knowledge of the car markets, I make sure I am always learning. I follow classic and collector car markets here and abroad and attend car events such as Summernats, Motorclassica and Prestige concourse events. I have also attended Hot Rod association shows such as SEMA in the US, and I hope to attend the Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance in the future. For the more modern and high-value vehicles, values are more reliant on purchase information and local sales data.

Q. How long have you been working at Dawes, and where did you work previously?

A. I’ve been at Dawes for just over two years, and I initially joined as a general motor underwriter. Prior to joining Dawes, I was a motor underwriter at Shannon’s for ten years and before that, I was with AAMI for about eight years. I started out working on CTP insurance in the call centre before moving on to become a repair co-ordinator and finally a claims consultant.

Q. How did you end up working in insurance?

Before working in insurance, I was in a sales role, working on a commission basis, and I wanted a job with more income stability. A friend thought I’d be perfect for the AAMI job as I’m very passionate about cars, so I guess you’d say I fell into insurance. But I really enjoy it. Every single risk is different from the one before it. As they say, if you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life.

Q. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I’ve been in love with cars since about the age of eight when my uncle pulled into the driveway in his SLR 5000 Holden Torana. I taught myself about them and have met some pretty smart people in the car industry. I’ve also done a lot of tinkering with cars over the years. Right now, I’ve got a mid-1980s VL Commodore in the garage, which I’m restoring with a couple of mates.

Aside from cars, I love fishing with my 15-year-old twins and five-year-old. I spend most of my time baiting hooks and untangling knots, but it has nothing to do with anything in the rest of my life, and I can just focus on relaxing.

Q. What type of car do you drive and what is your dream car?

My daily drive is a Honda Civic, it’s good for running to the train station and back, and easy to park. People think that as I work with high-end prestige cars, my dream car would be something exotic, but it's actually a 1949 Mercury Eight, otherwise known as a 'lead sled'. It's swoopy, curvaceous, and just gorgeous.

Q. Is there a road trip you'd love to do?

Actually, there are two road trips I'd like to do. One would be to drive from London to Budapest via the Nürburgring in Germany. The second would be to drive the second half of Route 66 in the US. I drove the section from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with a few friends in 2016, and I'd like to drive from Las Vegas to New York.

Q. Is there anything about you that other people find strange?

Well, some people find it really weird that I enjoy mowing lawns. It gives you an instant, perfect result when it's done, which is very satisfying. I've got all the lawn-mowing toys you could possibly have, and no one is allowed to touch my mowers.

To contact Mark, Chief Valuer at Dawes, you can email him at mark.petersen@dawes.com.au.

Dawes Underwriting Australia Pty Ltd t/as Dawes Motor Insurance (ABN 18 050 289 506, AR No. 342982) (‘Dawes’) is an Authorised Representative of SGUAS Pty Limited (ABN 15 096 726 895, AFSL 234437) (‘SGUAS’) and acts for the insurer, Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (ABN 15 000 122 850, AFSL 234708) (‘Allianz’). Consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination available by contacting Dawes on 1300 188 288 or visiting www.dawes.com.au, before deciding if it is right for you.