Who we are and how we work.
Ardent Insurance Solutions are an insurance broker and risk advisor in Brookvale, on Sydney's Northern Beaches. We look beyond the annual renewal: mapping exposures, testing programs against real losses, and building cover that holds when it is needed.
Our broking team
Our advisors' experience in insurance adds up to more than a century between us, each looking after our own clients from the first conversation to a claim.
QPIB · Dip. Fin. Serv. (Ins Broking) · ANZIIF (Snr Assoc) CIP
Mining, aviation, construction, retail and property
Steve has 40 years in insurance, most of it in construction and civil engineering, with underground mining, aviation, national retail and property development alongside. He is one of Ardent's founders, works from inside a client's business and keeps those relationships for the long term. Outside work he loves golf, and gives his time to charity work and mentoring.
QPIB · Dip. Fin. Serv. (Ins Broking) · Dip. Integrated Risk Management · ANZIIF (Snr Assoc) CIP
Risk management and program design
Stephen co-founded Ardent and has 17 years in insurance, with clients from sole traders to multinational corporates. He works through the risks a business faces and helps decide what to avoid, reduce, retain or insure, balancing cover against cost. He has served on the committee of NIBA's NSW Mentoring Program. Outside work it's motorsport, photography, football, the outdoors and his three kids.
QPIB · Dip. Fin. Serv. (Ins Broking)
Client relationships and team leadership
Lynne co-founded Ardent after 45 years in insurance broking, and strong client relationships have run through all of it. In recent years she has worked as a General Manager, bringing general broking experience together with managing a team. At Ardent she supports the staff and keeps the workplace positive, which clients feel in every dealing they have with us.
QPIB · Dip. Fin. Serv. (Ins Broking) · ANZIIF (Snr Assoc) CIP
Compliance, management and corporate clients
Eliza has worked across claims, personal insurance, small and medium businesses and corporate accounts. Before co-founding Ardent she managed a portfolio of ASX-listed companies, investment funds, and Lloyd's specialty and international placements. She now leads Ardent's compliance and management and still looks after her own clients, working as one of their team. Outside work she's at the beach with her young family.
QPIB · Dip. Fin. Serv. (Ins Broking) · ANZIIF (Snr Assoc) CIP
The jewellery trade, childcare and commercial risks
Sarah co-founded Ardent and has more than 30 years in insurance in the UK and Australia, across commercial, property and casualty, professional risks and claims, with a focus on the jewellery trade and childcare. She works with each client to solve problems, plan ahead and see a claim through smoothly. Away from work she walks the dog and catches a show or concert.
Mid-market businesses and jewellers
Sophie has almost 10 years in insurance broking and is studying for her diploma in insurance broking. She looks after mid-market clients across a range of industries, with a long-standing focus on jewellers. She gets to know each business, its risk profile and its appetite for risk before advising, and keeps in touch through the year.
Cyber, property, motor fleet and technology
Kye has two and a half years in insurance broking, after working in retail management, and is studying for his diploma in insurance broking. He looks after a general book of clients, with a focus on cyber, property, motor fleet and technology. Clients find him thorough, efficient and understanding. Outside work he heads for the golf course or the outdoors.
The team behind the advisors
Every advisor works with Ardent's broking and support team: the people who prepare renewals, place cover with insurers, issue certificates of currency, lodge claims and pick up the phone when your advisor is with another client. They know your account, so a question does not wait on one person being free.
Why Ardent exists
Ardent was set up on one conviction: an annual premium comparison is not enough. We take a strategic view of how risk is identified, controlled, financed and transferred across a business.
We are a small firm with the resources, insurer relationships and buying power of the Steadfast network behind us. That is what lets a small team give risk advice and still get strong terms in the market.
We have also worked together a long time. Four of our management team here have worked alongside each other for more than twenty years, and with one exception everyone on this page has been part of the same team for at least a decade. That is unusual in broking, where people move every few years and clients get handed on. This means longevity and consistency in relationships.
Total cost of risk. We look at claims frequency, operational controls, program structure and how the cover performs under a real loss, as well as the premium.
Involved all year. We review claims mid-term, watch for operational changes, and build a long-term picture of your exposures so the program keeps up with the business.
Regulated and accountable. NIBA Code of Practice subscribers, operating under AFSL 550275 and ASIC's broker obligations.
What we hold ourselves to
Integrity
We recommend the cover we believe serves your interests, not ours.
Expertise
Insurance is complex, so we keep investing in our team's training. Every client gets advice from someone who understands their kind of risk.
Plain English
We explain your cover in terms you can act on, including what is not covered and why, so the decision you make is an informed one.
Involvement between renewals
We review claims as they happen, keep an eye on how your operations change, and use every loss to improve the program before the next renewal.
Memberships
Our support for The Charity Challenge
The Charity Challenge is a series of charity golf days that Gary Dawson OAM and Matthew Laverty started in 2003. It runs around a dozen events a year and a gala ball, raising money for smaller charities such as the Australian Leukodystrophy Support Group, Sunnyfield disAbility Services and Wheelchair Sports NSW.
Ardent is a sponsor of the series and enters teams in its charity golf days.
Latest from our LinkedIn
Are You Covered When Stock Leaves Your Premises?
One of the most common gaps we see is jewellers assuming stock is automatically covered when it's away from their premises. In reality, cover can change the moment an item leaves your workshop.
The three most common situations: Sendings (shipping/postage), Outwards Entrustments (stock entrusted to cutters, setters, polishers), and Personal Conveyance (staff carrying stock to and from the post office, appointments or the vault).
With over 40 years' combined experience in Jewellers Block Insurance, Sarah & Sophie are passionate about educating clients to better understand and manage their risk.
Risk Reminders for Jewellers 🗓️
As we move into the new year, it's a timely opportunity to reset the fundamentals insurers commonly expect to see, and to ensure your procedures still reflect how you operate day to day.
✅ Security Systems - Has your alarm been tested in the last 12 months? Is your CCTV covering key risk areas with footage retained for 30+ days?
✅ Opening & Closing Procedure - Most Jewellers Block policies contain specific opening and closing conditions. Ensure your procedures align.
✅ Stock Levels & Operational Changes - Additional unsold Christmas stock? New staff? Refurbishment? Trade shows? These all affect your cover.
An informed client is a confident client.
What a day! ⛳️
Our team was proud to tee off at the Tribute to Great Mates 2025 charity event at The Lakes Golf Club - coming together with industry friends to raise vital funds for a cause close to all our hearts.
Huge thanks to the organisers Gary Dawson OAM and Matthew Laverty PGA, the volunteers, and every player who made the day such a success.
Here's to great mates, great golf and an even greater impact. 🏌️♂️💙