This article originally featured in Insurance Business Australia’s Special Edition UAC Underwriters Guide 2026 and has been shared with permission.
Australia’s newest underwriting agency combines three legacy businesses under one unified brand, targeting niche client segments that expect more from their cover.
When is one better than three?
In an industry where paperwork piles high and complexity often clouds clarity, David McMurdo is betting on simplicity. His aim is to turn what he calls “the most inefficient corner of insurance” into something sleek, digital and human.
Formed in October by merging three long-established agencies – Mansions, Dawes and Argis – new underwriting agency Prevail represents a strategic reset for Australia’s high-net-worth insurance market. By uniting decades of expertise under a single brand and investing more in technology, McMurdo, chief executive of the new entity, hopes to make Prevail “the easiest MGA to deal with” – a company built for brokers but designed to serve the evolving risks of their affluent clients and their livelihoods.
Prevail aims to carve out a stronger position in niche markets that mainstream insurers often overlook. The three agencies behind Prevail have a legacy that gives the new entity what McMurdo calls “a huge track record” and substantial intelligence to draw from.
But the fragmented structure – three names, three websites, three teams – wasn’t working any more. “We outgrew the three names as we felt these no longer matched the ambition we’re building towards. We wanted one clear face to market, making sure that face spoke to the next generation of clients.”
Since going live on 13 October, McMurdo says the change has created much more clarity, while Prevail stays true to the businesses and people it protects. The consolidation also unlocks something the company had long recognised. “High net worth isn’t a product; it’s actually a segment,” McMurdo says. “It’s a segment with diverse needs.”
As Australia’s largest multiline insurance specialist in this space, Prevail can now serve that entire segment properly across homes, prestige vehicles, motorcycles and farms.
Targeting the underserved
Prevail has divided its business into three segments: high net worth, specialty (niche small business), and lifestyle and leisure. The strategy is to go deep rather than broad.
“One thing we don’t want to be is a generalist,” says McMurdo. “Part of a really good strategy is choosing what not to do.”
Prevail wants to be the obvious choice for clients in those three segments, focusing energy where its skills and expertise make the biggest difference. That typically means areas where mainstream insurers leave gaps, or underserved niche segments – places where clients expect considerably more from their insurance.
McMurdo points to some of the homes Prevail insures as examples. They’re private estates with commercial-grade risk management programs, multiple structures and significant locations. The owners are distinguished individuals with substantial travel patterns and purchasing habits that differ markedly from the broader population.
The digital risk layer
Risk profiles in this space are changing quickly. NBN recently reported that the average Australian home has about 25 devices connected to the internet, but high-net-worth homes typically have far more, many of them Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as wearable fitness trackers, smart home appliances and voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home. This means many more potential entry points for cyberattack.
“In the old days, criminals would break in through the front door, whereas now they can get through many more points of entry,” says McMurdo. When you add larger amounts of sensitive data and greater financial means to the equation, these individuals become attractive targets. Cyber hygiene and digital protection are now just as important as locks and alarms.
High-net-worth individuals are early adopters of technology, and catering to this more complex customer helps set up Prevail to lead the market as more people become able to afford more IoT devices. IoT devices are projected to exceed 32 billion globally by 2030. Cybersecurity firms are already issuing warnings about poor security standards and surveillance risks in some devices.
Constantly evolving risk profiles also extend to motor vehicles. Prevail conducted a portfolio analysis recently and discovered that what used to require two simple parts to fix a damaged bumper bar now takes about 11 parts because of cameras, sensors and calibration requirements.
“The risk profile is changing really quickly,” says McMurdo. “Given that demands are changing quickly, client expectations are changing quickly.”
Building ‘the Netflix of insurance’
Technology sits at the heart of Prevail’s pitch to brokers. McMurdo believes that MGAs need to run lean and cost-effectively while being underpinned by technology. The industry’s inefficiency shows up in every quote, renewal, endorsement and cancellation – transactions that must translate into legally binding documents, creating administrative burdens for underwriters and brokers alike.
Based on commissioned research with 1,600 brokers to understand what they wanted, Steadfast Underwriting Agencies unveiled the Simplafy Connect ecosystem in February 2024. Since its adoption by Prevail’s predecessor firms, McMurdo and his team internally now refer to the system as “the Netflix of insurance platforms”.
Brokers can quote, bind, endorse, cancel, renew and generate documents in one spot, all on demand. The adoption numbers suggest it’s working. Since launching, Simplafy Connect has attracted about 9,500 registered users.
“The simple response is we built what they asked for,” says McMurdo, when asked about the uptake. “We know brokers deeply, and we know they’re winning off the back of it.”
The platform already hosts Prevail’s Elite Home, Elite Motor Vehicle and Elite Motorcycle insurance products. When Prevail Extra Farm Insurance joins Simplafy in 2026, it will create a single, streamlined digital marketplace for brokers to access all of the company’s insurance solutions.
Bringing three agencies together has also unlocked what McMurdo calls “investment firepower”, fuelling a stronger risk and compliance lens, which he sees as critical to Prevail’s long-term sustainability.
Freeing up underwriters
The platform has delivered internal benefits too. Before investing in Simplafy Connect, Prevail modelled capacity and output and discovered that 40% of an underwriter’s time – roughly 15 hours a week – was consumed by non-core administrative tasks. That time now goes into what McMurdo calls higher-value tasks and human connection. Underwriters spend more face time with brokers, increasing visibility and improving interactions.
The company is also capturing more data to improve portfolio performance, which McMurdo says helps insurers win alongside brokers. For Prevail itself, the results show up in better conversion rates and retention.
Data over opinions
McMurdo’s approach to running the business centres on three areas: empowering people, adopting a laser focus on customer service, and using data to make evidence-based decisions.
On the last point, he’s particularly emphatic: “The Prevail data and actuarial team are not tucked away at the back of the house. They’re right up front, giving us real-time insights so that together we’re making much stronger and faster decisions.”
Brokers are critical to the equation at Prevail, and McMurdo pushes as much decision-making power as possible to the edge of the business, where brokers and partners interact with underwriters. “They want to speak with empowered decision-makers,” he says.
Service measured in minutes
The expectations in Prevail’s target market differ from those in more general insurance. McMurdo says the company is sometimes measured in minutes rather than days, requiring tight organisation and coordination through to the claims stage.
“We have to be really organised and coordinated, particularly all the way through to the claim stage, in making sure we satisfy these expectations. It really is up to us to find ways to keep remaining relevant and keep improving, even if it’s only by 1%.”
The feedback since launch has been strong. Prevail activated the rebrand at the 2025 NIBA Convention, achieving what McMurdo describes as “amazing cut-through” across distribution partners from all cluster groups. “Our distribution partners thought it was the right logical step forward.”
With over 20 years of experience arranging high-value home insurance through Mansions, nearly four decades of prestige motor expertise through Dawes, and established farm insurance capabilities through Argis, Prevail now has the scale to invest in building for what’s next.
“Everything that we’re doing is creating better experiences and outcomes for the end customer … it really is a customer service game. Insurance probably tends to be a more technical or regulated service, but it’s still a service.”
Did you know?
- High-net-worth focus: Prevail is Australia’s largest multiline insurance specialist in the niche high-net-worth segment
- Trusted legacy: Prevail combines the strength and expertise of Mansions, Dawes and Argis – now united under one specialist MGA
- Bespoke solutions: Prevail is committed to the niche retail and specialty business sectors and will continue to expand its bespoke insurance solutions
- 9,500+ users: Prevail’s digital trading platform, Simplafy Connect, has attracted 9,500 registered users since launching in February 2024
- Premium protection: Simplafy Connect is spelled with ‘PLA’ to represent ‘Protecting Lifestyles and Assets’