Kona Recruitment boss shares top tips for attracting and retaining talent

Insurance Business has recently released this year’s list of rising stars in the Australian insurance industry, composed of excellent professionals aged 35 or under as of May 31, 2022.

James Toth (pictured), managing director of Kona Recruitment and named one of Insurance Business Australia’s (IB) rising stars for 2022, shared some tips on how insurance companies can attract and retain talent – no matter the age.

Insurance recruitment is all Toth has known during his professional life, having entered the insurance industry in London when he was only 18, with almost no knowledge of commercial insurance. He quickly fell in love with the expansive and diverse market and became interested in the “best-kept secret” in financial services – pushing him to dedicate his entire professional life to helping insurance professionals find the right company for them.

“I understood very quickly that what clients want in a supplier is reliability, so implementing things like a four-day work week and full remote working means my consultants are happier, balanced, and sticking around for the long term,” he told IB.

Toth is also committed to helping businesses thrive and fill gaps: “If I can lead a business that retains its staff better than anyone, our clients receive a better service as the relationship they share with a recruiter only gets better over time. The longer you work on an account, the better you know them. And since recruitment is as much about culture as competency, having a recruiter who knows your business as if they worked there themselves is invaluable.”

Find out more about Toth and what made him one of IB’s rising stars for 2022 by checking out his profile here. See the rest of the list by reading the IB Rising Stars 2022 report.