One of the great rewards of volunteering with RIMS leadership is having the opportunity to contribute to planning and goals that help shape the future of our Society. Made up of risk professionals like yourself, I can attest that your RIMS Board of Directors is a passionate group, dedicated to making RIMS as great as it can be.
Two weeks ago, the Board met in New York for its annual planning meetings. In the course of lively discussions, we reviewed upcoming initiatives and the Society’s plans and objectives for moving forward. A key aspect was around RIMS’ global initiatives, and their importance for enhancing our ability to develop new and relevant content for members. We continue to see great value in initiatives to support and connect the world’s risk management community.
Conferences and events were also a hot topic, and we are very pleased with the interest and support that our specialized and international events continue to receive throughout the year.
On August 29-30, 2017, RIMS will host the fifth annual RIMS Australasia Forum in Sydney, Australia. The Forum brings together the Australasia region’s thriving risk management community with outstanding educational sessions to advance the profession. We are excited to welcome celebrity speakers including Michael Pascoe, one of Australia's most experienced finance and economics commentators, and Michael O’Loughlin, an Australian Football League hall of famer and one of the most celebrated players of all time. I’m looking forward to meeting with our Australasia Chapter and delivering welcome remarks to kick-off the Forum.
It seems like it is a long way off, but the RIMS ERM Conference scheduled for November 6-7 in Los Angeles will be here before you know it. Already, we’ve seen a great response to our registration kick-off, and we are delighted to welcome Professor Colin Coulson-Thomas as our keynote speaker. Just a quick reminder; submissions for RIMS ERM Award of Distinction – presented at the event – are still being accepted through August 15.
Our in-person learning opportunities do not end with events. RIMS offers a full calendar of workshops, held in cities across North America. New to the lineup is our Pre-Loss Scenario Analysis course scheduled for October 19 in New York City. RIMS’ in-person workshops, as well as our wide selection of webcasts, offer you the opportunity to learn and interact with risk management leaders in a more intimate setting.
RIMS’ strategy also includes advocacy efforts focused on potential and existing legislation that impacts our work. In July, we saw the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Office of U.S. Trade Representatives agree to sign the EU-US Covered Agreement – an issue that RIMS officially supported back in April. In addition, RIMS advocacy efforts will be focused on the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. If this program is not reauthorized by September 30th it will cease to exist.
Finally, this month, RIMS added new membership categories, making the path for membership more accessible. The Society now offers new membership categories for international professionals, rising risk professionals, another for risk professionals in regions where chapters are not available or for those who unable to join with an organization.
RIMS’ Board of Directors and staff are excited to bring the Society’s strategic vision to life and offer the world’s risk management community an even greater variety of risk management resources and professional opportunities. Your contributions continue to be the driving force behind these initiatives and we truly appreciate your support. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Nowell R. Seaman
RIMS 2017 President