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

A. I've been at Dawes for over seven years now. In early 2022 I was appointed senior technical underwriter, which involves helping the rest of the team with underwriting, working on pricing reviews and underwriting our large complex risks and high value cars. I joined Dawes as an underwriter in 2016 and before that I worked at Shannons as an underwriter for five years.

Before that, I was the editor of a car magazine, and before that, I was in the banking industry working first in customer support at the Commonwealth Bank and then as an account manager at Colonial.

Q. How did you end up working in insurance?

A. I am a car guy and have always been a hardcore car guy. So, running the car magazine was a bit of a dream job for a car enthusiast like me, but the print media is a tough business. When I found myself looking for a job after that, working in motor insurance presented an opportunity to combine my financial services experience with my interest in cars.

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

A. I am a passionate sailor and crew on a 52-foot race yacht. I’d done some sailing when I was younger and through Steadfast, I got involved in Wednesday night twilight sailing on Sydney Harbour. I haven’t done the Sydney to Hobart but participate in regatta sailing and events like Hamilton Island Race Week, the Port Stephens Regatta and a bit of offshore racing.

Q. Where did your love of cars come from? 

A. My grandfather loved classic trucks, of all things. When I was a kid, he had 20 to 30 classic trucks. When I was growing up and going to his place in the country, he always had cars everywhere. Then it somewhat got a bit out of control when I purchased my first car, a Honda Civic, and I realised I quite liked driving and tinkering cars. I ended up building a race car and was a semi- professional drift racer for a long time. I've owned 50 cars over the years including a few classic cars.

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

A. Today I own a 1933 Chevrolet, which my grandfather left to me My pride and joy is my Nissan Silvia – which is my weekend car that I also do the odd track day in, and my daily drive is a Volkswagen Amarok. Unfortunately, I had to sell my classic F100 pickup truck because I have a young child, so it was time to be sensible and get the family car.

My dream car list is about 200 cars long and it changes every day, but my realistic dream car currently, is a classic car, the Jaguar XK150 drophead, which is Jaguar-speak for a convertible. And my “money-is-no-object” dream car has always been a Ferrari F40.

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

A. My wife and I have done road trips all over the world. We’ve driven across Germany and done the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and we enjoyed a holiday in the South Island of New Zealand where we drove around in a motorhome rather than a sports car. But the one I’d really love to do is the Atlantic Road around the fjords in Norway.

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

A. Most people find it strange that I can tell the difference between a Series 1 flat floor Jaguar E-type and a Series 2 Jaguar E-type and that I know far more about cars than any normal human should. Cars really are my expert subject, and I can look at them and value them in detail. Even in a business-like Dawes, where almost everyone is into cars, I’m the car guy.

To contact Tom, senior technical underwriter at Dawes, you can email him at tom.hall@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.