Richard Penberthy – Director, Fire & General

Although he has an accounting background, you could never categorise Richard as simply “a numbers man”.

What he is most passionate about (other than sport!) is understanding the unique risks that each of his clients face and formulating a policy that will protect their lifestyle that they have worked so hard to achieve.

His qualifications are extensive and impressive:

• Chartered Accountant
• Qualified Professional Insurance Broker
• Bachelor of Commerce and Finance and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting awarded from Auckland University.

He is also a member of the Insurance Brokers Association New Zealand.

On graduation from Auckland University, Richard joined the graduate program at Ernst & Young within the Audit team and it was here that he achieved his Chartered Accountant status. After a very successful four years at Ernst & Young, Richard then spent three years working in London within the finance sector of the media and marketing industry. His senior positions included project and tax accountant for one of the UK’s biggest newspapers; The Daily Mail. He was also involved in the merger and acquisition process during his time as management accountant at IPC Media – the UK’s leading consumer magazine publisher.

In 2004 Richard returned to New Zealand and joined the family business eager to apply what he had learnt from the corporate world to a local context and has been the key figurehead in driving Penberthy’s forward over the recent years.

Born and raised on the North Shore, Richard is a keen sportsman enjoying rugby, cricket, touch football, fishing and scuba diving.

Steve Prater  

With natural business acumen and a flair for building long lasting relationships, it comes as no surprise that Steve Prater says the best way to do business is with your friends. Many of his clients have become close friends, working with him for decades as they know he has their best interests at heart.

He brings a wealth of experience to Penberthy Insurance. He previously set up his own independent business Steve Pratner Insurance, and prior to this he had successful careers at both Security & General and NZI.

Steve left school with no clear focus as to exactly what he wanted to do. Charismatic and full of life, he excelled at his first job in advertising sales, and then quickly made his mark in the insurance industry, establishing himself as a high calibre candidate oozing with enthusiasm and a real go-getter attitude.

36 years since entering the insurance industry Steve is still passionate about insurance and enjoys the fact that under the Penberthy umbrella he can focus on giving top quality service, knowing that the back office systems and processes are all taken care of. A family man, with a hands on, can-do approach to everything he does, Steve takes his position at Penberthy personally fully embracing the culture that Penberthy is about a person, not a number. 
 

John Penberthy - Director, Life & Disability

Taking after his father, a strategic thinker and passionate about business, from a young age John wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and take control of his own destiny and be actively involved in the success of the family business.

On graduation from Auckland University with a Bachelor of Engineering in 2004, John spent three years at Opus where he was involved in the planning and management of roading construction projects on the Coromandel.

John took the valuable skills and experience he learnt at Opus Consultants and joined Penberthy in 2007 to head up and drive the Life and Disability Division.

Driven and motivated by delivering superior customer service, John’s clients are at the heart of everything that he does. John works closely with all his clients to fully understand their risks to ensure that if they were to suffer a downturn in health, or if the worst was to happen, that the insurance policy would provide their family with financial security and continuity of their business that they require.

In his spare time, John can be found playing rugby at a competitive level, fishing, diving or on a cricket field.