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Insurance chiefs rough it to help the homeless

Some of Australia’s top insurance executives will sleep rough next month in support of St Vincent de Paul, which hopes to raise more than $7 million for homeless people.

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout takes place on some of the longest and coldest nights of the year, and has been running since 2006.

On June 20 more than 1000 business leaders will participate.

IQumulate Premium Funding CEO Raj Nanra has signed up for the first time.

“I wanted to put more actions around my words and try to make a difference,” the former Zurich General Insurance boss says on his LinkedIn page. “I expect this to be an eye-opening experience.”

His successor at Zurich, Tim Plant, has also signed up, while Marsh CEO Australia and Pacific Scott Leney is in his sixth year sleeping out.

Mr Leney already has commitments of almost $13,000 this year, lifted by $1510 donations each from Zurich, Liberty International Underwriters, CGU, Vero, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Axa XL, Alliance Global and Allianz Australia. That has helped provide 428 meals and 107 beds, St Vincent de Paul says.

RACQ Insurance CEO John Myler will sleep out again after raising almost $10,000 last year.

“Vinnies has helped me see how easy it is for people to fall out of the system and how hard it is to get back in,” Mr Myler said. “It’s so easy to make a tax-deductible donation.”

STeadfast MD and CEO Robert Kelly and Tim Bailey from Zurich Life and Investments will also take part. Don Shields, CEO of Geelong Insurance Brokers, and Kim Gilbert, director at Zenith Insurances Services in Perth, have said they will sleep out on June 27 when the event hits their cities.