From Las Vegas to India to Canada to Japan. RIMS has been represented in every corner of the world in the first quarter of the year. Truth is, our Leadership Summit in January, our India Delegation last month and my visit to RIMS Japan Chapter events in Osaka and Tokyo were not only enlightening, but also inspiring to me.
The global risk management community’s work continues to impress. It is a privilege to represent this Society around the globe, and to be able to share what I have learned with you.
The presentation that I delivered in Japan focused on risk management’s role and ability to support organizational growth and innovation. Risk professionals are in a prime position to help their organizations leverage uncertainties and turn them into opportunities. This concept aligns with the advanced risk programs already in motion in Japan, and will be a leading theme as we ‘disrupt the status quo’ at RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Philadelphia.
RIMS Annual Conference is less than a month away, and the excitement is palpable. Philadelphia has such a rich history, especially in the insurance world, and will be the perfect backdrop for the industry’s biggest event.
New to this year’s conference is the RIMS Risk Manager of the Year Award breakfast and panel discussion. The winners have already been announced and congratulations are in order for Loren Nickel, Director of Business Risk and Insurance at Google, this year’s RIMS Risk Manager of the Year, as well as our Honor Roll inductees Benjamin Evans from the University of Pennsylvania, Juliana Keaton from CSX Transportation and Scot Schwarting from Whirlpool Inc. All attendees are welcome to honor the winners with us at breakfast on Tuesday, April 25th. The award presentation will be followed by the interactive “Risk Managers of the Year Talk High Performance Risk Management” panel discussion. You won’t want to miss it.
The Spencer RIMS Risk Management Challenge is another exciting RIMS 2017 program. Nine university teams – including our first from outside North America – will compete in Philadelphia, presenting their risk management solutions to a case study provided by PayPal Inc. Three teams will make it to the final round, and the champion will be announced on Monday evening at the Spencer Educational Foundation’s reception. Good luck to all of our student participants.
If you haven’t yet, download the conference’s mobile app. RIMS EVENTS can be found in your app store and is a great guide for the RIMS 2017 experience. It gives you the layout of the Marketplace Exhibit Hall, a schedule of sessions and events, videos from RIMS-TV, shuttle bus information, connections with presenters, session handouts and more.
In my travels it has been apparent that, no matter the country, cyber issues ranked among the greatest concerns for all risk professionals. There are countless ways to address these risks and insurance products continues to become a more viable option. I encourage you to check out RIMS’ new professional report titled, “Cyber Insurance: Considerations for Businesses” that is available in RIMS Risk Knowledge library.
Recently, your Board of Directors approved a series of amendments to the Society’s bylaws. The most significant changes include the creation of four new individual professional membership classes. These new categories are:
· Individual Professional Member
· Individual Young Professional Member (for new members age 25 and under)
· Individual International Professional Member (Developed Countries)
· Individual International Professional Member (Emerging Countries)
As RIMS looks to expand its influence worldwide, it has become increasingly evident that new member categories are needed to address the needs of global organizations and practitioners, especially in regions where RIMS’ chapters are nonexistent. Additionally, is critical to the future of the Society to provide greater incentive to Rising Risk Professionals, and to allow practitioners to take their memberships with them as they transition between jobs.
These membership changes will make the path to a RIMS’ membership even more attainable. More information will be available soon. If you have any questions regarding these new categories, please reach out to RIMS Membership Development Manager Josh Lamangan at jlamangan@RIMS.org.
I look forward to meeting you in Philadelphia. With attendees that operate in all facets of risk management and from around the world – 60 countries to be exact – RIMS 2017 is a can’t miss event. I hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Nowell R. Seaman
RIMS President