About Us

Sarah joined the Film and Entertainment insurance industry with Film Insurance Underwriting Agencies (FIUA) in 2011 with previous years of customer service experience in the hospitality industry.

Sarah has gained a number of different skills over the years from working in various roles from receptionist to now an Assistant Underwriter and continues to strive towards achieving goals and growing within the industry. She has completed a Cert III in Hospitality & Tourism, Cert IV in Frontline Business Management and Cert IV in General Insurance. Sarah is passionate towards health and fitness, loves working as a team and enjoys facing new challenges.

Nicole joined the SURA Film and Entertainment team in early 2019 as an Assistant Underwriter after graduating from University of New South Wales with Master’s Degree in Financial Analysis and Taxation.

Nicole has made a significant progress in understanding and mastering the Film & Entertainment Insurance and was promoted to her current position of Underwriter in August 2021.

Nicole’s extreme dedication, commitment and professionalism have led Nicole to gain an in depth knowledge of our company’s product lines along with strong technical skills in underwriting various Film & Entertainment risks. Her favorite part of her daily role is working closely with clients and other team members to build customised insurance policies tailored to each client’s unique needs and circumstances.

Nicole is looking forward to continually growing her career knowledge and committed to work diligently with clients to deliver the best insurance solutions.

Paul has over a decade of experience in the industry, both as an underwriter and as a broker.

He enjoys working in the industry, particularly in film and entertainment insurance as he has an interest in film, entertainment and music. Furthermore, he enjoys the opportunity to work with people and assist them in meeting their insurance requirements.

He has completed a degree in Communications from the University of Newcastle.

In his spare time, he enjoys languages, listening to music, reading, film and travelling.

Carol has over 30 years’ experience working in Claims.  She commenced her career at Mercantile Mutual in Hobart, working in the Motor Claims Department, reaching the position of State Claims Supervisor before making a move in 1997 to Mercantile Mutual in Sydney.

Achievements during her time at Mercantile Mutual included implementing a computer-based training program, establishing relationships with Brokers and providing assistance and training to the claims team to ensure that claims were processed efficiently and effectively.

Carol’s current role is Technical Claims Manager and she is passionate about achieving equitable outcomes for brokers and clients.

For over 10 years, Katie has been a noteworthy leader as an Entertainment and Film Underwriter, specialising in Event Cancellation, Non Appearance, Prize Indemnity and Public Liability.

Driven by continuous learning and development, Katie takes pride in providing excellent service standard as well as a high attention to detail, and maintains strong relationships across the Insurance Industry. She has worked for a large corporate Insurer, as well as in the Lloyds and MGA space, and is well respected amongst Insurance professionals as an expert in her field, both in Australia and overseas.

Katie has a degree in Financial Mathematics and Economics (Hons) which compliments her statistical analysis when underwriting on a day to day basis.

Damian has worked in the insurance industry for 30 years specialising in Film & Television Production, Contingency, Sports and Live Events insurance specialities. In that time he has working in both the corporate insurance and underwriting agencies space providing global entertainment insurance solutions for both local and multinational clients. Prior to Cinesure Global, Damian was Asia Pacific Head of Entertainment for Allianz working in a global specialty team providing off the shelf and tailored complex solutions for entertainment industry clients.

Damian along with Joe Lo Surdo will be responsible for the day to day operation of Cinesure Global and hold full underwriting authority.

Damian is known globally as an expert in entertainment insurance and often contributes to industry groups and government associations on education, panel discussion and advice on industry trends and key issues (e.g. COVID-19). He has also completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics & Marketing) and a Diploma of Financial Services (General Insurance).

Since beginning her career in Insurance, Cherie has been providing her knowledge and expertise to the Film and Television Industry for over 20 years.

With the everchanging landscape of Film and Television, Cherie has continuously pivoted with the times and enjoyed working with clients to find solutions for their business needs.

She prides herself with providing and maintaining long term client relationships with an excellent customer service experience.