What is Marsh?
Marsh is a global insurance broker and risk advisor, and part of Marsh McLennan. With over 45,000 employees across 130 countries and more than 2,000 staff in Australia, it is one of the largest brokerages in the world.
Marsh serves businesses of all sizes, from SMEs through to multinational corporations. Its scale provides access to global insurer relationships, proprietary data and analytics, and specialist risk consulting services.
What is Tank Insurance?
Tank Insurance is a specialist Australian brokerage focused on professional services firms and growing businesses. The model is built around direct relationships: one dedicated broker who understands your business, reviews your contracts, and manages your claims.
Tank does not operate at global scale. That is deliberate. The focus is depth of service rather than breadth of reach.
When does a global broker like Marsh make sense?
Marsh is well suited to businesses with:
- Operations across multiple countries requiring coordinated coverage.
- Complex risk profiles that benefit from dedicated risk consulting.
- Large employee bases needing integrated benefits and insurance programs.
- Internal risk management teams who can liaise with a larger broking structure.
If your business has grown to the point where you need global placement capability or specialist enterprise risk services, Marsh has the infrastructure to support that.
When does a specialist broker like Tank make sense?
Tank is built for businesses that:
- Want a single, dedicated point of contact who knows their file.
- Value personalised advice over standardised processes.
- Are growing but not yet at enterprise scale.
- Prefer transparent, competitive broker fees without large-firm overheads.
If you have outgrown DIY insurance but do not need a multinational broking structure, a specialist broker offers the expertise without the complexity.
How do the service models differ?
The difference is not quality. Both Marsh and Tank employ qualified brokers. The difference is structure.
At a large brokerage: You may interact with an account team rather than a single contact. Team members can change. Processes are standardised to manage volume. This works well when the business itself has dedicated staff to manage the relationship.
At a specialist brokerage: You deal with one broker who holds your history, understands your contracts, and answers when you call. The relationship is more direct, but the firm does not have the same global infrastructure.
Neither model is better. The right choice depends on what your business needs at its current stage.
What about cost?
Larger brokerages carry higher operating costs: larger teams, global offices, enterprise technology platforms. These costs are reflected in broker fees and service structures.
Specialist brokerages operate with lower overheads, which can translate to more competitive fees for mid-market businesses.
That said, cost should not be the only factor. The value of a broker is in the advice, the policy wording review, and the claims advocacy. A cheaper fee means little if the service does not match your needs.
Can I switch brokers easily?
Yes. Switching brokers in Australia is straightforward. Your new broker can manage the transition and work with your existing insurers to ensure continuity of cover. There is no lock-in.
If you are considering a change, a good starting point is to have a conversation with a prospective broker about your current coverage, any gaps, and how the service model would differ.