Podcasts about Axa

Fan Mail: Got a challenge digitizing your intake? Share it with us, and we'll unpack solutions from our experience at Cytora.In this special compilation episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro revisits our conversations with industry leaders Carl Bach, Johan Slabbert, Bettina Dietsche, Cassandra Vukorep, and others to explore how digital transformation and AI are revolutionising the commercial insurance sector. This episode provides a discussion on efficient operating models, integrating external and historical data for better risk assessment, and balancing automation with human expertise. Our featured guests share insights on scaling AI adoption, building future-ready teams, and tackling the complexities of data standardisation. With a focus on practical implementation and change leadership, this episode offers valuable guidance for insurance professionals navigating the evolving landscape of risk, technology, and human capital.To receive a custom demo from Cytora, click here and use the code 'Making Risk Flow'.Our previous guests include: Bronek Masojada of PPL, Craig Knightly of Inigo, Andrew Horton of QBE Insurance, Simon McGinn of Allianz, Stephane Flaquet of Hiscox, Matthew Grant of InsTech, Paul Brand of Convex, Paolo Cuomo of Gallagher Re, and Thierry Daucourt of AXA.Check out the three most downloaded episodes: The Five Pillars of Data Analytics Strategy in Insurance | Craig Knightly, Inigo 20 Years as CEO of Hiscox: Personal Reflections and the Evolution of PPL | Bronek Masojada Implementing ESG in the Insurance and Underwriting Space | Simon Tighe, Chaucer, and Paul McCarney, Moody's

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews James Swanke, Lecturer in Risk and Insurance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Wisconsin School of Business. He currently serves as Director of the Risk Management and Insurance MBA program. Justin and Jim talk about his 42 years of experience in Risk Consulting with Willis Towers Watson, and his specialties there, particularly with captives. They discuss the University of Wisconsin-Madison Risk Management and Insurance MBA program, what the students learn, and the competitions they have won in the last year, and they look forward to winning this year. Also, Jim tells of disc jockeying in college, from Classic Rock to Polka.   Listen to learn about captive design, how to prepare for emerging trends, and who wrote the best music of the '70s.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. This is our special International Podcast Day episode because it's released on September 30th. We will be joined by Jim Swanke. He's a lecturer in the Risk Management Program of the University of Wisconsin. [:46] Jim started his career in broadcasting, and he still has the voice. We've got a lot to talk about today! [:54] RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops! The next RIMS CRMP Prep Workshops will be held on October 29th and 30th and led by John Button. [1:06] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Virtual Workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found through the Certifications page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:23] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. [1:39] On November 11th and 12th, Chris Hansen will lead “Fundamentals of Insurance”. It features everything you've always wanted to know about insurance but were afraid to ask. Fear not; ask Chris Hansen! RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on virtual workshops! [1:58] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [2:09] Several RIMS Webinars are being hosted this Fall. On October 9th, Global Risk Consultants returns to deliver “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes”. [2:22] On October 16th, Zurich returns to deliver “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape”. On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:39] On November 6th, HUB will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:51] We're very excited that today is International Podcast Day! Before we celebrate, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and mourn the passing of Todd Cochrane. Todd was a podcast pioneer. [3:06] I've linked in this episode's show notes to a wonderful obituary from Podnews®, about his career, starting with his time in the Navy up to launching his own podcast, and writing Podcasting: The Do It Yourself Guide, from Wiley Publishing in 2005. [3:25] Over the last couple of months, I've had the pleasure of communicating with Todd over email for the Podcast Awards, and it was only last week that I saw the unfortunate news of his passing, which occurred suddenly on September 8th. [3:30] Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and the greater podcasting industry. [3:47] On with the show! This is our special International Podcast Day episode, and I am delighted to be joined by James Swanke, the Director of the Risk Management and Insurance MBA Program at the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [4:06] Jim spent four decades at WTW, specializing in financial and strategic planning issues, as well as captive insurance company design. [4:18] Jim was recently quoted in a new professional report, available on the RIMS Risk Knowledge page, and sponsored by LineSlip Solutions, titled “The Future of Captive Insurance: Governance, Technology, and Performance Optimization.” [4:32] Jim got his start at the University of Wisconsin in broadcasting. We're going to talk about his career path and how being a disc jockey led him to where he is today, educating the next generation of risk professionals. Let's get to it! [4:50] Interview! Jim Swanke, welcome to RIMScast! [5:38] When Jim was in high school, he competed in forensics, in extemporaneous speaking. He did very well. He did well at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and it got put in the newspaper. WLDY, in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, saw it in the newspaper and contacted him. [6:03] They were looking for a radio jock to “spin vinyls,” do some DJing, and read sports and news. That job helped Jim get into the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [6:21] Jim studied actuarial science and risk management. He went into the Bachelor's program, the MBA program, and the graduate program in risk management, insurance, and corporate finance. [6:40] Jim was hired by the Wyatt Company and did lots of feasibility studies. After 42 years at Willis Towers Watson, he retired. Now he teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [6:57] Broadcasting set Jim on his path. He says that everything about what we do in the captive and risk management area is about communication. If you're not communicating, listening, helping out, and building stuff, you're not going to be a success. [7:28] When Jim was a DJ at WLDY, they played different kinds of music. On Sundays, he played polka music. On Saturdays, it was country western, and Monday through Friday, it was rock music. Rock music is what he enjoys. At the top of every hour, he did the news and weather. [8:13] Justin recalls his own career. He was just waiting for podcasting to be invented, then he was able to make it all work out. [8:31] Jim worked with captives at Willis Towers Watson. He is quoted in a new LineSlip paper, “The Future of Captive Insurance: Governance, Technology, and Performance Optimization.” Justin saw his name there and thought it would be good to have him on RIMScast. [8:53] Jim described captives as a lifeline during extreme market conditions, comparing today's hard market to the turbulence of the 1980s. Jim tells what makes captives effective under hard conditions. Captives allow organizations to control their own destiny. [9:20] When you're in a hard market, having a captive allows you to take premiums that you normally pay to a commercial insurance carrier and put them into your captive insurance company. A captive is a subsidiary of the captive owner. [9:41] Most of the Fortune 500 companies in the United States have a captive. It allows them to arbitrage whatever's going on in the insurance marketplace. When we're having a difficult market, they put more of their premiums into the captive and rely on the captive more. [9:58] When the market softens, carriers may provide insurance at premiums that are lower than the expected losses. Organizations will buy commercial insurance all the time when the premiums are less than their projected losses. [10:14] Depending on where it is in the market, a captive has a role in an organization's risk management program. [10:27] Jim says a lot of organizations have looked to captives since 2020. We were in the midst of the pandemic, with all kinds of economic hardship. The insurance industry was in despair, as well. A lot of insurance companies cut back on the limits they were willing to offer. [10:49] Insurance companies put additional exclusions onto their insurance, so organizations had to rely on their own sophisticated ways of financing their losses. If they hadn't set up a captive, they set up a captive. If they had a captive in the past, they re-engineered it to do more. [11:15] They also used their captives to access the reinsurance marketplace. Reinsurance is insurance for insurance companies. A captive can be used as a platform to access reinsurers. [11:37] Even in difficult markets, having reinsurers involved created more competition, provided more limits, and there was more flexibility in the coverage terms. [11:48] That was when the pandemic was going on, which triggered the hardening of the market and the lack of availability of insurance. Organizations with captives relied on them and did more. Organizations without captives had captive feasibility studies done and formed captives. [12:09] Jim says the CEO of a captive should be a senior person who will monitor what's going on, fairly senior in the organization. It's not a full-time position. It takes three or four hours a month, plus board meetings. [12:46] A captive is required to have a captive manager, who is an accountant. They keep the books and interface for the captive with the regulator. The President or CEO of the captive relies on the captive manager to do a lot of the daily work. [13:09] Jim says you need a senior person involved so people take the captive seriously. The senior person is going to be the driver in reducing the severity of loss through loss prevention and loss reduction. Having a senior person is so important to the success of the captive. [13:40] There are lots of considerations when you're looking to make changes to your captive. Changes could include adding emerging types of risks, like cyber risk. If you're a hospital, a lot of medical malpractice captives have been hugely successful and have grown surplus. [14:08] Healthcare institutions are passing on some of their capitated risk exposures into their captives because they've done quite well with their medical malpractice. These risks are not correlated with each other, so there is a diversification benefit. [14:22] As you look to make these changes, you need to look at increasing risk assumptions, different attachment points on reinsurance, and changing your investment policy. You have lots of levers, and if you make changes, you need to analyze what the impact will be on your captive. [14:52] Jim talks about leaning into technology. Before 9/11, we didn't have the sophisticated software we've created in the last few years. [15:06] To look at covering all the possibilities and changing your captives, from adding new coverages to reinsurance reattachment points, was a monumental amount of actuarial work to figure out how to optimize your captive. [15:19] Recently developed software looks at all the possibilities in terms of changing your captive to optimize what you're doing. 20 years ago, Jim would spend months doing the actuarial work, working with an investment bank and charging them heavy fees. [15:39] Now, with new software, what took Jim months and months to do can be done in a matter of two to three days. The productivity today, in terms of optimizing your captive, is far greater than it was 20 years ago, because of the software that has been developed. [15:55] Jim likes that the software looks at all the risks and how these risks interact with one another. Looking at risks in a captive holistically is very important because many of these risks are hardly correlated with one another. [16:15] Looking at risks holistically, you can figure out the diversification benefit of having all of these risks within your captive, which has a major impact on the amount of economic capital that your captive will need to maintain. This software has been a game-changer. [16:34] RIMS Events! On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [16:55] On November 17th and 18th, join us in Seattle, Washington, for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025. The agenda is live. Check out Episode 357 for Justin's dialogue with ERM Conference Keynote Presenter Dan Chuparkoff on AI and the future of risk. [17:14] Visit the Events page of RIMS.org to register. [17:17] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when you register by September 30th! [17:32] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle! Do not miss out on this chance to plan and score some of these extra perks! [17:46] The members-only registration link is on this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us! Visit RIMS.org/Membership and build your network with us here at RIMS! [17:56] If you are listening to RIMScast on our broadcast day, that means today is September 30th. It is last call for registration at the Earlybird rate! [18:08] In the spirit of it being September 30th, which is International Podcast Day, let's return to our interview with Jim Swanke! [18:22] Jim is the Director of the Risk Management and Insurance MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The curriculum includes technology, AI, and automation. In his classes, Jim is using the new software he discussed earlier. [18:46] Jim taught a class the day before on the principles of risk management. He talked about how risks are interrelated with each other and how you need to analyze them holistically, figuring out how they are correlated, not in siloes. [19:13] The holistic view will give you the best answer in terms of the economic capital that will be required to put into your captive. If you're analyzing risks silo by silo for each risk, that will lead you to having more economic capital in your captive than you need. [19:35] Jim has learned, in 42 years of consulting, that the CFOs in these organizations don't want to trap cash in their captives. Teaching this software to this new generation of students, they will be able to step into the roles of captive managers that the industry will need. [20:07] We're at the tip of the iceberg with AI. We're still learning in Academia what the power of AI is going to be. Jim foresees AI being very important in handling claims and in underwriting. [20:30] AI will allow commercial insurance companies to have a better way of doing their pricing and making decisions on whether or not risks should be accepted. It will also be beneficial to captives. [20:43] Jim thinks AI will advance the technology far ahead. We're just beginning to touch on some of the advantages within the insurance industry and within captives. [21:05] Jim started teaching in 2011. When University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Dan Anderson retired, Jim was chosen to teach a class on sustainability that was started by Professor Anderson. He has taught it since 2011. [21:41] At the time, some students did not think anything was going on with climate change. A couple of students stood up in class and said all of this was just made up. It was a fantasy. [22:03] Today, when Jim goes into class, students are there a half-hour early and stay late. They are very connected and working together to figure out how to reduce CO2 emissions to slow down the heating of the planet and the extreme weather events that are coming more often. [22:24] The class has evolved over the years, and the students are more engaged than they ever have been. [22:33] The students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison were the winners of the Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge at RISKWORLD 2025 in Chicago. Jim knows all of those students and had a couple of them in his class yesterday. [23:04] The students won with the Huntington, West Virginia case study, a six-month project. Huntington is on the Ohio River, and with extreme weather events, flooding has become a big issue in that community. They competed with students around the world to solve the issue. [23:49] Each school's team came up with things that could be done and conducted an analysis on what they thought was the best way of handling it. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's team focused on resiliency with levees and dikes to hold back the flooding. [24:27] The four Wisconsin students presented their paper and won, out of 61 schools competing. The University of Wisconsin-Madison received $10K. The second-place university, DePaul, received $7.5K, and the third-place school, IIRM Hyderabad (past year winner), got $5K. [25:04] The University of Wisconsin-Madison team entered two other contests last year and won them both. The CICA Captive competition involved case studies around Kaneka captives. It required an essay and a PowerPoint deck. [25:52] The MBA students entered the A.M. Best competition for insurance solutions to a global issue. The students used a combination of parametric and indemnity triggers to provide insurance to the disadvantaged in the Caribbean and Latin America. [26:23] If there was hurricane damage, it would trigger a parametric to allow an amount of money to be paid immediately to these disadvantaged families. Then there would be the indemnity insurance that would look at the actual losses and true them up to the loss amount. [26:49] It involved the combination of parametrics and conventional indemnity insurance, which was noteworthy and probably pushed the team over the top. [27:11] The professor who was the advisor in the Spencer Challenge is Carl Barlett. Carl is an attorney by training, and he has the energy to work with bachelor's students. He's graduated hundreds of people out of his program over the last four or five years. [27:59] The University has Career Fairs where 60 or 70 companies will come to meet with students. That's a credit to Carl. Not a lot of companies will come to a university to meet with students. Because of the program he put together, lots of organizations want to hire students. [28:21] The University of Wisconsin-Madison business school is typically ranked number 1. [28:31] A Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [28:50] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process is now open through October 15th, 2025. [29:06] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [29:19] Let's Get Back to Our Interview with Jim Swanke of the University of Wisconsin-Madison! [29:46] Jim tells his students that we don't know today what the emerging risks are going to be. What we need to do is design our risk management program and keep our eyes and ears open to what is going to happen next. [30:04] Jim cites The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It gets into what we need to do as people of risk management and societies to try to identify the emerging risks that will impact us going forward. [30:21] In risk management, we look at the past to try to project what's going to happen in the future. We were caught by the pandemic. Very little business interruption insurance was offered. If we had been forward-thinking, we would have thought about coverages for the emerging risks. [31:19] An emerging risk after 9/11 was that insurance companies put exclusions on their insurance policies, excluding terrorism. The Federal Government passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) and offered it as a backstop to insurance companies. [31:55] Anybody with a captive could access that reinsurance through the U.S. Treasury, using their captive insurance company. [32:23] Jim sees more employee benefits going into captives. The advantages you have in the P&C area are also in place for employee benefits. Organizations with large workers' compensation self-insurance programs are putting excess workers' compensation into captives. [32:57] Jim says you need to be nimble and on your toes. Emerging risks are going to come out over the next 10 to 15 or 20 years. Keep your eyes and ears open so when they emerge, you can deal with them to reduce the frequency and severity of loss and see how to finance them. [33:19] Jim highly recommends reading The Black Swan. It's a good way to begin to think about how you should think about emerging risks. [33:42] Jim says school is going really well. One thing he noticed this year is the diverse nature of his students. There are more disciplines within the risk management area that people are interested in. [33:56] In class recently, Jim had a group that was in the investment banking area, a group that was in HR, and a couple of students from China. There was a broad diversity in the class. [34:16] It enriches the conversation to have people coming from different places with different backgrounds and different educational experiences. It shows the power of having diversity in the classroom. It's exciting. [34:32] The class will write papers on Enterprise Risk Management and talk about captives, and more. They'll compete in the CICA Captive Competition again, to maintain their number one rating there! They're off to a great start! It's nice to see students so highly energized! [34:53] Jim says the future is bright with the students graduating from the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [35:22] Justin and others have liked Jim's broadcasting voice. Jim thanks Justin for commenting on it. [35:55] Jim's time as a DJ was 50 years ago. He recalls two or three instances of hot mikes, when some of the FCC's seven deadly words may have been spoken. He says nobody wants that, but it was a real learning experience. [36:29] Jim recalls when the studio tower was hit by lightning. Jim was alone in the radio station when it happened. Lightning bolts were flying around the building after the tower got hit. The station went off the air, and Jim had to figure out a way to put it back on the air. [36:58] Jim highly recommends to young people, if you get an opportunity to get involved with radio or TV, give it a shot, because it's a lot of fun! Justin ties it to podcasting and video blogging. [37:42] Jim likes all the music of 1976 and didn't have a favorite album. He likes Deep Purple and Bob Seger. He says there's no better songwriter than Bob Seger. There was a diversity of good music going out at that time. It was a wonderful time to be working in a radio station. [38:47] Justin is a father of two young people under 12 who like to listen to classic rock. “Dancing in the Moonlight,” by King Harvest, is a greatest hit in the family. They love Van Morrison. [39:56] On the subject of podcasting, Jim thinks there is an opportunity to develop content that helps the everyday American with their personal insurances, like homeowners, auto, health, life, and how they buy their insurances. [40:45] In class recently, the MBA students, the brightest and best, designing plans for New York investment banks and worldwide financial institutions, told Jim that they had questions about what to buy in auto policies and homeowners policies. [41:07] Jim states that an insurance podcast for the everyday American is something the industry needs to be doing. Justin suggests that members of the global RIMScast audience could pick up the baton and get to work! [41:27] Maybe it becomes part of the coursework for a class like Jim's. It could be part of a challenge, like the Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge. [41:48] Jim says being able to talk about this with graduate students gives them some familiarity with what risk is, in terms of the instability of results. They can relate to it because they need to buy an auto policy or a homeowners policy. [42:03] While these coverages don't match up perfectly with what's going on in the commercial insurance marketplace, learning about them gives students a sense of what insurance is about, what risk management is about, and how to reduce the frequency and severity of losses. [42:22] Jim, it has been such a pleasure to speak with you and to pick your brain on risk management education, broadcasting, and music! Thank you so much for joining us here on RIMScast! [42:33] Good luck to you and your students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as you look to the 2026 competitions. I can only imagine they're going to do great things! [42:58] Special thanks again to Jim Swanke for joining us here on RIMScast! For more information, check out the links in this episode's show notes. [43:06] Remember to check out “The Future of Captive Insurance: Governance, Technology, and Performance Optimization”, a Professional Report sponsored by LineSlip. It is available through the Risk Knowledge Page of RIMS.org. That link is also in this episode's show notes. [43:22] The paper features a lot of Jim's fascinating perspective and insights on captives. [43:28] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [43:56] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [44:14] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [44:33] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [44:48] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [45:02] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [45:15] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration through Sept 30! — Last Call! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now “The Future of Captive Insurance: Governance, Technology, and Performance Optimization” — Professional Report, Sponsored by LineSlip | Featuring insight from James Swanke University of Wisconsin-Madison Wins 2025 Spencer-RIMS Risk Management Challenge Internationalpodcastday.com Obituary for Podcasting Trailblazer Todd Cochrane RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes” | Oct. 9 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape” | Oct. 16, 2025 | Sponsored by Zurich “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by HUB   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Virtual Exam Prep — Oct. 29‒30, 2025 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Risk Appetite Management | Oct 22‒23 | Instructor: Ken Baker Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham Fundamentals of Insurance | Nov. 11‒12 | Instructor: Chris Hansen Leveraging Data and Analytics for Continuous Risk Management (Part I) | Dec 4. See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes about Education, Risk Talent, and Captives: “Risk Management Momentum with Lockton U.S. President Tim Ryan” “RIMS 2025 Risk Manager of the Year, Jennifer Pack”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: James Swanke, Lecturer: Risk and Insurance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Wisconsin School of Business, Director of the Risk Management and Insurance MBA program Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin divides this episode into three segments. He first interviews Eddie Tettevi, Sandbox Mutual Insurance CRO and RIMS Canada Council Chair — DEI and Comms, about his risk career and his service on the RIMS Canada Council. In the second segment, Justin interviews Janiece Savien-Brown, Metro Vancouver, and Shaun Sinclair, BCIT, about the C2C Challenge and the winning student team. The third segment is a recording of "Intentional Mentorship," an improvised session from the DEI Studio, featuring Dionne Bowers, Co-Founder & Chair of the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals (CABIP), Ray Chaaya, Head of talent for Zurich Canada, and Natalia Szubbocsev, Executive Vice President at Appraisals International Inc.   Listen to learn about some exciting events of the RIMS Canada Conference 2025.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. This episode was recorded live on September 15th, 16th, and 17th at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, at the Telus Convention Center in Calgary. We had a blast! We will relive the glory of the RIMS Canada Conference in just a moment, but first: [:50] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. [1:07] On November 11th and 12th, my good friend Chris Hansen will lead “Fundamentals of Insurance”. It features everything you've always wanted to know about insurance but were afraid to ask. Fear not; ask Chris Hansen! RIMS members enjoy deep discounts on virtual workshops! [1:26] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:37] Several RIMS Webinars are being hosted this Fall. On October 9th, Global Risk Consultants returns to deliver “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes”. [1:50] On October 16th, Zurich returns to deliver “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape”. On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:07] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:20] On with the show! It was such a pleasure to attend the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 in Calgary. There's always electricity in the air at RIMS Canada, and I wanted to capture some of it!  [2:33] We've got two interviews, and then an improvised session I recorded at the DE&I Studio. The sound came out great, and I used it here with the panelists' permission. [2:49] We've got excellent education and insight for you today on RIMScast! My first guest is Eddie Tettevi. He is the Chief Risk Officer at Sandbox Mutual. He's a very active member of the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter and a member of the RIMS Canada Council. [3:11] We're going to talk about his risk management career, his RIMS involvement, and how his insights from one of his RIMS DE&I sessions led to this discussion. [3:24] First Interview! Eddie Tettevi, welcome to RIMScast! [3:38] Eddie is the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Sandbox Mutual Insurance. He's also the Corporate Secretary, which means he helps the organization navigate strategic initiatives within the boundaries of risk appetite and regulatory compliance. [4:12] Eddie has been at Sandbox for approximately two years. When he joined the company, Sandbox was going through a period of rapid growth and taking the right risks. That was something Eddie looked forward to being involved in. [4:54] The CRO role was not an independent role at Sandbox before Eddie started. It was held by the Chief Financial Officer. The CCO role was held by HR. The Corporate Secretary role was held by the CEO. Eddie fills the three roles in his new position. His background fits all three roles. [6:06] Eddie normally leads a risk group of three. Eddie was previously in cyber for 13 or 14 years. His background is in electrical engineering and computer science. He helped organizations secure their software and network. [7:02] Eddie doesn't think risk management is any different. He's helping organizations make the right decisions. The difference is that the portfolio is much larger. Cybersecurity is one aspect of Eddie's risk management work. [7:33] Eddie says cyber attacks are growing. Individuals who may not be skilled are using AI tools to perpetrate cyber attacks. The attacks are increasing exponentially in skill and sophistication. [8:09] Eddie co-hosted a session in the DE&I Studio with Aaron Lukoni and Tara Lessard-Webb, focused on understanding how mental health plays a part in risk management and how organizations should think about mental health as part of a risk management framework. [8:31] The session was “Building Resilient Workplaces, the Role of Mental Health in Risk Management.” In it, Eddie revealed he is skilled in multiple languages, but an expert in none, including English. He grew up with influences from English, French, Malay, and Creole Patois. [9:38] Eddie loves learning about new cultures. That has influenced his accent. In every language he speaks, he has an accent, which makes it interesting. He has worked in French and English organizations. He learns languages in six months. He picks them up quickly. [10:50] Eddie, Aaron, and Tara emphasized making sure we are thinking about and embedding mental health in our risk framework. [11:02] When designing any strategies and initiatives, risk professionals should consider what's happening in the organization. An organization going through a lot of change is already a stressed organization. You have to consider that as you introduce more change. [11:40] Eddie says the award-winning Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter is exciting. It's great to work with people who are interested, dedicated, and committed. He says the chapter is doing some incredible things, such as introducing risk courses into the universities in the province.  [12:15] Eddie was a RIMS member before joining Sandbox. You can be a RIMS member without joining a chapter. Moving to Saskatoon created the opportunity for Eddie to join the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter, which he had been looking forward to, to connect with people. [12:36] Justin gives shoutouts to various Saskatchewan Chapter members. [13:03] Eddie serves on the RIMS Canada Council as Chair of the Communications, External Affairs, and DEI Committee. [13:22] The committee is responsible for making sure that all RIMS communications have a DEI lens and advocate for the risk community, partnering with other advocacy groups around Canada. [13:52] Justin says it's been such a pleasure to meet you and hang out with you! I look forward to seeing you at more RIMS Canada and RIMS events. [14:02] Our next guests organized the 2025 C2C Coast to Coast Challenge. This is a competition for risk management students based in Canada. We'll learn about the case studies and what it took to produce their presentations, and also have a chance to acknowledge the winners. [14:19] We will hear from Shaun Sinclair, the Program Head of General Insurance and the Risk Management Program at British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Janiece Savien-Brown, the Manager for Risk and Claims Management at Metro Vancouver. [14:35] We're going to learn about their various roles, as well. Let's get to it! [14:39] Second Interview! Shaun Sinclair and Janiece Savien-Brown, welcome to RIMScast!  [14:47] Janiece Savien-Brown is the Manager of Risk and Claims Services with Metro Vancouver by day. She has been involved with BCRIMA for 17 or 18 years. BCRIMA started the Coast 2 Coast Legacy Challenge three years ago. Last year was its first year in Vancouver. [15:07] Shaun Sinclair is the Program Head of the General Insurance and Risk Management Program at BCIT, an institute of technology in Vancouver and Burnaby, B.C. [15:17] They teach students insurance and risk management courses. Students graduate with a CRM and a Chartered Insurance Professional designation. [15:26] Shaun is also the President of BCRIMA this year. He has been a BCRIMA member for a long time. This C2C Legacy Challenge was awesome for Shaun because two teams from BCIT got into the finals. Shaun had to recuse himself.  [15:51] Janiece says the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 was fantastic! Shaun was there with seven students, and it was awesome to see what they were learning. The students told Shaun they loved everything about it. [16:45] The two finalist teams were The Deductibles and Insure and Conquer. This year's submissions were highly creative and impactful. [17:10] Shaun has been involved in Risk Management Challenges for years and has been to the nationals several times with groups. Shaun stays pretty hands-off. The students get the challenge, and Shaun discusses it with them. He figures out what they need from him to do it. [17:42] In this case, a root cause analysis wasn't needed. They learned how to do a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), a heat map, and gather general knowledge. Then he let them go. They came up with the 10-page report. He didn't watch their presentation until they went live. [18:14] Their champion for the challenge was Ken Letander. The challenge was a procurement question. If your organization's ownership is 51% Indigenous, and you keep your staff 33% Indigenous, money comes your way for contracts. [18:48] When the contract is over and it's time to get the money, but the organization refuses to give that information, how do you make sure they have the 33% Indigenous staff and 51% Indigenous ownership? Do you need pictures, or can you use Elders to say it's enough? [19:12] The students had to read a lot about risk and the rules and regulations regarding this question. They had to read the Canadian government's language on what the rules are. It was an interesting case. [19:38] Janiece didn't envy them at all. The students came up with some solutions for Ken Letander, and he was thrilled with what came from all of the reports. [20:33] Janiece says the presentations were phenomenal from both teams, as well as the written submissions. The collaboration came through and showed they owned the essence of the project. You could see the desire of the top team to make it work. [21:12] Shaun says the cases used in C2C are pretty much real cases. Janiece says last year's case competition had to come up with an equitable access tool to use in the system. After Janiece had surgery, she was given a survey, and she recognized it from the case study. [22:26] Justin says it's great that the students collaborate. You need teamwork. [22:54] Shaun says you hear a lot about isolation. He says BCIT is sometimes called “Being Crammed Into Teams.” Shaun and the other teachers assign projects where students are forced to work with at least three or four people. [23:13] After two years of group projects, collaboration is relatively easy. Shaun also makes the students hand-write their exams. They learn how to think through a problem and put it down on paper. Afterward, they go outside and talk about what they did. [24:52] Shaun's advice to academics and students entering a C2C challenge is to follow the rules. If they say 8-point font, 10-page maximum, don't send 14 pages. The instructor should help students understand the material and then step back. Let the students do it. It's on them. [25:42] Janiece says it is key to engage at the conference. While the Challenge is the key feature, the experience at the RIMS Canada Conference is a large part of it. Be present. Don't be on your phones the whole time. Attend sessions. Come to the events, have fun, and network. [26:07] Janiece was at an event, and five people came up to her and asked if she had brought the BCIT students (Shaun had). [26:22] People were absolutely amazed at how engaging the students were, willing to put themselves out there, and setting meetings with people in BC for opportunities when they come back. That's part of the experience. [26:40] Shaun points out that a couple of the students are quite shy and have come out of their shells because they've had to talk to people. The more you do it, the better you get at it. [27:01] Janiece reports that at one of the events, the students who were in Vancouver from Calgary came out and met with her students. RIMS, RIMS Canada, and the local chapter promote engagement. [27:31] The 2025 C2C Challenge Calgary winner is The Deductibles, 1.95 points ahead of Insure and Conquer. Insure and Conquer did an awesome job as well. [28:11] The Deductibles team is: Rabia Thind, Triston Nelson, and Ryan Qiu. [28:32] Parting advice for risk students as they step into their careers: Shaun says, if you're going to be an accountant or finance student, think about insurance risk management. Amazing career opportunities in fields that cover everything are all within your grasp. Put it on your radar. [29:26] Janiece says she is living proof of that. She was going to be an accountant. After a car accident, she switched to insurance and risk. It's a lifestyle. She has gained many friends, colleagues, and mentors. She started as an adjustor and after 31 years, she's still in the industry. [29:54] Shaun says you can swap jobs from broker to underwriter, to claims, to risk manager, to education, and not start again at the bottom. It's an amazing career. [30:26] Justin says Thank you so much, it's been such a pleasure to reconnect with you here at the Telus Convention Center in Calgary, for RIMS Canada Conference 2025. Shaun and Janiece are already thinking about the C2C Challenge in 2026. We'll see you there! [30:51] As I said at the top, we're going to close things out with an improvised session called “Intentional Mentorship,” which was produced at the DE&I Studio. [31:19] Improvised Session, “Intentional Mentorship,” at the DE&I Studio! With the insights of Dionne Bowers, the Cofounder and Chair of CABIP, Ray Chaaya, the Head of Talent at Zurich Canada, and Natalia Szubbocsev of Appraisals, International. Please enjoy! [31:40] Natalia Szubbocsev introduces the panel. Natalia is the Executive Vice President at Appraisals, International, an insurance appraisal company, global but small, with a diverse, inclusive team. Natalia has been a mentee and a mentor and is glad to contribute her insights. [32:38] Dionne Bowers is the Co-founder and Chair of the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals, a nonprofit organization, and has recently joined Markel Canada as one of their business development Colleagues. [32:57] Ray Chaaya is head of talent for Zurich Canada. Ray oversees talent acquisition, talent development, and talent management, as well as the culture portfolio for the company, DEIB, and community impact. [33:15] Natalia asks What does mentorship, particularly inclusive or intentional mentorship, mean for you? Dionne says that it is a strong commitment by both the mentor and the mentee to work together for growth opportunities. [33:38] Intentional mentorship is the dedication that each party has to bring to the table, and fulfilling any sort of mandates that have been asked by both. Depending on the program, it's making sure that everyone is on the same page in terms of what they want from each other. [34:04] Ray agrees with Dionne. There has to be a mutual benefit. Ray has been a mentee and a mentor, and finds that the most valuable mentorship relationships are where the mentor and the mentee walk away feeling like they're learning something every day, having a conversation. [34:30] Ray says it's a two-way street and a relationship that can often last for years, because it is a relationship where the value is long-term. Ray talks to young people, and they ask, You're my mentor, what do I do? It doesn't work that way. It's a long-term investment. [34:56] Natalia says that traditional mentorship, besides being one of the best ways of professional development, is also to transfer knowledge from someone who has the experience to someone junior in his or her role. What other purpose does mentorship serve? [35:19] Dionne says it's also recognizing that it's an opportunity for learning from one another. A mentor is a seasoned insurance professional who is working with someone who is a new entrant to the industry. [35:37] It's recognizing that a mentor and a mentee are learning from each other. Strength in development is making sure that you are taking away something from each other, each time you meet, connecting and learning trends and thoughts, and diversity of thought. [36:10] Dionne asks, How can we do things differently? She has learned a lot from young people. Dionne thought she was cool, but apparently, she's not. And she's just taking away a lot of that into her own world, professionally and personally. [36:23] Natalia says her experiences are not just intergenerational, but in Canada and beyond, intercultural. She says what needs to be respected and adapted to, both by the mentor and the mentee, is that you're coming from different backgrounds. [36:45] In a global setting, that will affect communication, that will affect the thought processes, that will affect everything; the way we do things. Because Natalia leads a global team, she has to be adaptable, sensible, and respectful of the cultural nuances. [37:07] At the same time, she asks her mentees or team to do the same for her, because she comes from a very specific background. She has an Eastern European background. It doesn't matter that she's lived in Canada for 25 years. [37:25] Her background defines the way she communicates, thinks, and handles things. Every culture communicates differently. That's an overall mutual understanding, knowing that we all come from different backgrounds. [37:47] Dionne says there has to be a willingness to learn. There's no point in having a mentor-mentee relationship where it's just going to be closed off, and this is what we're going to talk about. There has to be a willingness to learn. [38:07] Ray says there's a learning agility piece. You have to be flexible in how the relationship is going to go. Every mentorship relationship is different, too. There are no steps on how to be a good mentor or a good mentee. [38:25] It's the chemistry between the two, the value that you bring to each other, and the conversations. The maturity of a mentorship can also go into sponsorship. [38:37] When Ray has a conversation with somebody, and they get to know each other, and feel what they want to get out of this, he can be a voice for that person. It goes back to the conversation of lifting others when you can. [38:54] When Ray thinks back to his mentors who stick out in his mind. He has a lot of respect for them. They are the people who spoke about him when he was not in the room, and had his back in that room when he was not there. [39:15] Those are the people, as Ray matures in his career, he doesn't know that he would be here today if it weren't for those mentors. And that is what he hopes he can bring to somebody else as a mentor. [39:29] Natalia says, in a global setting where she works, boosting confidence is very important. In a multicultural global setting, it's important to encourage someone in a different country, who communicates differently, that it doesn't matter, they can do it. [39:50] We are working on a common goal. That's part of the sponsorship/mentorship/training. [40:08] Ray says you have to be honest as a mentor. The toughest times for Ray were when he realized he was trying to make this work for a person, but to be honest with himself, as a mentor, he should be encouraging this person to look somewhere else, at what their passions are. [40:33] He went into it thinking he wanted this person to be the best they could be at this job. And he realized that's not his job as a mentor. [40:43] His job is to understand what they want out of their career, where they bring value, where their passion is, and guide them to make sure that they ultimately are happy with their career, and they're bringing value to society, and they're contributing to the community. [41:06] One specific person Ray was mentoring, he was desperate to fit them into the insurance industry, because that's how he was programmed. He was thinking, Why is this not working? And he realized it's not working because they don't want to do this. [41:25] And as a mentor, Ray's job now is to say, What do you want to do, and let's help you get there. And when he made that mind shift, it just clicked. That was a little bit of a learning opportunity. Now he's a better mentor for learning that. [41:42] Dionne agrees with that. She had one mentor who told her, If you plan to give back as a mentor, don't have any expectations, or you're setting yourself up for failure. [42:05] A lot of mentors have a similar approach, because we don't know. We want it so badly. We want to be able to say, I did that. I helped them get to wherever. If you have a mentee who is not in the mindset, and you're not sure that this is for them, have that conversation. [42:38] It's important to recognize that you're going to impact their lives differently. Even though you have that mentor-mentee relationship, you may be asking them to reconsider dipping their foot into the industry. [42:55] Natalia says not making assumptions about the other person and having that curiosity, openness, and mutual communication is very important. [43:05] How do you build in mentorship or inclusive or intentional mentorship into your organization? Ray says mentorship programs should be part of any industry, any corporation, or any organization. If you expect people to learn and grow, they need mentors. [43:30] Ray says Zurich has baked in mentorship programs into a lot of its development programs. Your development means you get a mentor, and you learn from that mentor. They bake it into the development strategy that's already there, and don't make it an off-site thing. [43:57] It shouldn't be another thing; it should just be part of your growth and development. And so, whenever they can bake it in, that's what Zurich does. [44:04] Zurich also has amazing employee resource groups that champion a lot of its programs, and the Zurich African and Caribbean Alliance, ZACA, which has worked with KBIP, is a massive champion of its mentorship program. [44:19] Just two or three months ago, Zurich held a mentorship day and increased the mentors on its mentorship platform by 48%. It was just another thing that was out there that nobody was talking about, and another thing people had to sign up for. [44:39] Zurich's employee resource group put a spotlight on it, and they showed the value, and they made it part of the ERG's culture to participate in mentorship. Then all of those ERG participants signed up to be mentors, and now are actively mentoring. [45:00] You really need to look at it from a strategy perspective. It can't just be an extracurricular activity that you add on. [45:08] Dionne agrees. KBIP works with organizations like Zurich, and with the ZACA program and the team, but also does the work for organizations that are not there yet or not willing to put the extra effort in to embed it into the DNA of the organization. [45:33] Part of KBIP's mandate is to create a mentorship program specific to Black insurance professionals. It doesn't matter where you're from, international or domestic student, or anyone who wants to be part of the organization and get extra support to build on their career trajectory. [46:02] What do mentors get out of mentorship? Dionne says as a mentor, she gets satisfaction from seeing someone excel, not necessarily from start to finish. You could be at the tail end of their journey, you could be at the beginning, or you could be in the middle. [46:36] If there is a desired outcome for both parties, and there's success, when someone calls you or texts you and says, You know what, I got that job, or I was recognized for doing XYZ, that is satisfaction. That is success. [47:00] Ray says his passion is helping people grow and develop. He started his HR career in learning and development, because he used to be intrinsically rewarded when he saw somebody learn something he taught them, or he trained them on. That felt like a superpower. [47:21] When Ray can do that with the programs Zurich runs, and he interviews people and watches their growth, and they are so grateful; to Ray, that is worth it all. You don't even have to pay him for that. He will volunteer and do that his entire life because of what he gets out of it. [47:47] Natalia agrees. There are obvious advantages from an organizational point of view, but from an individual point of view, Natalia feels that she has arrived at a point where there's no ego anymore. She wants to transfer her knowledge to someone. [48:04] Natalia wants to tell someone that they can do it. Because she did it, they can do it as well. And that's a very important aspect of mentorship. [48:15] How do you make mentorship intentional and inclusive? Ray says it means they have to see the value. It has to be part of the business strategy. Anything that is not intentional, people think, Why do I have to do this, on top of everything else that I need to do? [48:36] The second we are making it intentional, it has to make sense. This is why I'm doing this, because it's going to benefit me, it's going to benefit the company, and it's going to benefit the people I'm impacting. [48:47] They have to see the strategic business value, and with mentorship, it's easy. Because there's massive value for the organization, there is a massive competitive edge if you're doing it properly, and there is massive learning and development for your workforce. [49:05] You just need to sit down with professionals like KBIP, with people who have thought through it, and understand how to help you bake it into the strategy. Just do the work. Anything intentional has to make sense. If it does not make sense, it can't really be that intentional. [49:28] Dionne says that in every organization, when you are constructing your missions and your value statements, it's sitting down as an executive team, and asking, How can we execute on this? What does that mean? Mentorship is something that bleeds into your brand. [49:57] The brand recognition from a competitive edge standpoint is huge. Dionne says she can walk into a school for outreach programs and say, Zurich is a market of choice. You would want to work with Zurich because of this, this, and this. [50:14] If you can tell them that they're going to be supported along the way with their career, that's added value. That is something that will definitely differentiate Zurich in the marketplace. [50:26] Dionne adds that being intentional is huge because when you are not, people can see right through that. That is where you create toxic cultures. [50:39] It's not in a company's best interest to ignore the opportunities that stem from mentorship programs. [50:47] Natalia says she's not an HR professional, but she imagines that mentorship has a great role in not just attracting the right talent, but in retention as well. [50:58] Ray affirms, 100%. It's part of your growth and development. Sure, you can use it as a competitive edge to attract people, but if you're not doing it right, then they're not going to develop and grow, and that competitive edge is really just smoke and mirrors. It's not real. [51:15] So, if you're going to do it right, you have to develop people and grow people through your mentorship programs, and you have to show the results for it. [51:26] Dionne adds, That speaks to the inclusivity part of diversity, equity, and inclusion. If you can build a strategy that equates to inclusion, it equates to retention. It's not rocket science.  [51:49] Ray says Zurich is really good at that. [51:52] Final thoughts on intentional mentorship. Dionne says, “Just do it. I'm a Nike gal. Just do it.” [51:59] Ray says, “I wouldn't be where I am in my career if it weren't for my mentors and my sponsors. And so, if you see potential, mentor the heck out of that potential, because they will thrive.” [52:15] Dionne says, “And acknowledge it. I think that's a big part of that strategy.” [52:21] Natalia thanks Ray, Dionne, and the RIMS DE&I Studio for picking up this topic, a very important topic, and she hopes you enjoyed the session. [52:38] Justin says special thanks again to all of our guests here at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025. Be sure to mark your calendars for October 18th through the 21st, 2026, for RIMS Canada, which will be held in Quebec City. [52:55] Shout out to the RIMS Canada Council for producing another fantastic conference and to the RIMS Events Team and all my RIMS colleagues who worked tirelessly to make the last three days so smooth. It's such a pleasure to work with you all. I look forward to seeing you next year. [53:14] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [53:43] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [54:02] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [54:19] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [54:35] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [54:50] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [55:02] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: From RIMS Canada: “RIMS Ontario Chapter Honours Bombardier's Daniel Desjardins with the 2025 Donald M. Stuart Award” RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMSCanadaConference.ca RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes” | Oct. 9 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape” | Oct. 16, 2025 | Sponsored by Zurich “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Risk Appetite Management | Oct 22‒23 | Instructor: Ken Baker “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Nov. 11‒12 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “Leveraging Data and Analytics for Continuous Risk Management (Part I)” | Dec 4. See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes with 2025 RIMS Canada keynotes: “Distilling Risk and Resilience with Manjit K. Minhas” “On Resilience with Amanda Lindhout” “Thoughts and IDEAs on Inclusivity with Michael Bach”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Eddie Tettevi, Sandbox Mutual Insurance CRO RIMS Canada Council Chair — DEI and Comms Janiece Savien-Brown, Metro Vancouver Shaun Sinclair, BCIT "Intentional Mentorship" improvised session from the DE&I Studio, featuring: Dionne Bowers, Co-Founder & Chair of the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals (CABIP); Ray Chaaya, Head of talent for Zurich Canada; Natalia Szubbocsev, Executive Vice President at Appraisals International Inc.    Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Episode #225 of The High Flyers Podcast features Andrew Penn, Recent CEO of Telstra (2015–2022) and Group CEO of AXA Asia Pacific. Today, he chairs Visit Victoria, sits on the Coles board, and advises Government on cybersecurity and national security.In this conversation, Andy reflects on dropping out of high school and working two jobs before studying nights and weekends to complete his MBA, moving to Australia with AXA and learning empathy through global cultures, leading Telstra's $30B transformation and 5G rollout, and building calm leadership under public scrutiny while balancing family life. He shares crucible moments, lessons from Kafka, his rituals for performance reviews and carrying bad news, and life today with art, painting, Spanish lessons and a home in Mexico.+++To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high→ Get up to 6 months of Notion's Business plan for free with Notion AI included (worth $12K): Go to - https://ntn.so/highflyers & click “Apply Now”If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today!Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more. ***CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries, including The CEO's of multi-billion dollar companies like Telstra, Bunnings, Australia Post, Woolworths, Airwallex, Eucalyptus, Tennis Australia etc; Board Members at Macquarie Bank, ANZ, Reserve Bank etc; Former Prime Minister of Australia; Globally renowned Tech CEO's from Google, Microsoft, Xero etc, Successful Venture Capital and Family Office Investors; CIO's at the world's biggest superannuation funds; Leading Entertainers; Olympic Gold Medal Winning Athletes and interesting minds you wouldn't have heard of that are changing the world. Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com***   

Merryn Somerset Webb sits down with  Mark Wood, Chairman of Everest Funeral Concierge, Chair of PensionBee, and former CEO off Prudential UK and AXA, to discuss how sweeping pension reforms could transform the way UK earners save and draw down their pensions.Update: We wanted to add clarification to a point made in the show. In the interview, it was suggested that taking your 25% tax-free lump sum at age 55 or later means you’ve “retired” and can no longer put money into your pension with tax relief. It is correct that from the normal minimum pension age (currently 55, rising to 57 in 2028), you can access up to 25% of your pension pot tax-free. The restriction only arises if you also start taking taxable income (for example, via drawdown or as a lump sum payment). At that point, the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA) rules apply, and your future tax-relievable contributions are capped at £10,000 per year (current rules). However, withdrawing this lump sum alone does not mean you are treated as retired. You can continue to contribute to your pension and receive tax relief on those contributions, subject to the standard annual allowance.Thanks as always to those who wrote in seeking clarification.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vistazo a SAP, Kering, AXA, Nestlé o Safran con Alberto Roldán, profesor de finanzas de la Universidad Europea.

Fan Mail: Got a challenge digitizing your intake? Share it with us, and we'll unpack solutions from our experience at Cytora.In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro is joined by Jean-Jacques Henchoz (JJ), Non Executive Director, Brit Insurance  and a non executive director across the insurance value chain, to explore the future of insurance. With over 25 years of industry experience, JJ shares his perspectives on how insurers can remain relevant by addressing protection gaps, improving affordability, and embracing cultural and technological transformation. The discussion highlights how AI, automation, and innovation are reshaping customer experience while reducing inefficiencies. Juan and JJ also examine the importance of attracting tech-savvy talent, breaking down silos, and fostering collaboration across the sector. Packed with insights, this conversation offers a roadmap for insurers seeking to stay customer-centric and resilient in a rapidly evolving world.To receive a custom demo from Cytora, click here and use the code 'Making Risk Flow'.Our previous guests include: Bronek Masojada of PPL, Craig Knightly of Inigo, Andrew Horton of QBE Insurance, Simon McGinn of Allianz, Stephane Flaquet of Hiscox, Matthew Grant of InsTech, Paul Brand of Convex, Paolo Cuomo of Gallagher Re, and Thierry Daucourt of AXA.Check out the three most downloaded episodes: The Five Pillars of Data Analytics Strategy in Insurance | Craig Knightly, Inigo 20 Years as CEO of Hiscox: Personal Reflections and the Evolution of PPL | Bronek Masojada Implementing ESG in the Insurance and Underwriting Space | Simon Tighe, Chaucer, and Paul McCarney, Moody's

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Dan Chuparkoff, the CEO and founder of Reinvention Labs, about his risk career, from an insight at age 17, leading at tech giants, to founding a startup to help organizations reinvent themselves with AI. Dan asserts that if you're not keeping up with AI, you're falling behind your industry. Dan previews his upcoming November 17th opening keynote address at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington.   Listen to learn more about AI, innovation, and staying ahead of the competition.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by the CEO of Reinvention Labs, Dan Chuparkoff. Dan will deliver the opening keynote at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 on November 17th in Seattle, Washington.  [:47] We will get a glimpse into Dan's risk philosophies, when it comes to AI and innovation, and get a preview of his keynote. It's going to be a lot of fun! [:55] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:16] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:33] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:44] Several RIMS Webinars are being hosted this Fall. On September 18th, Origami Risk will present “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration”. [1:57] On September 25th, we will have a special webinar, hosted by Merrill Herzog, about active shooter preparedness in 2025 and beyond. That session will be complimentary for members and nonmembers. So, be sure to put that on your calendar for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. [2:16] On October 9th, Global Risk Consultants 07returns to deliver “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes”. [2:25] On October 16th, Zurich returns to deliver “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape”. [2:33] On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:42] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:54] On with the show! As you know, the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 will be held in Seattle, Washington, on November 17th and 18th. Our guest today will be kicking off the conference with his keynote, “AI and the Future of Risk Management.” [3:11] His name is Dan Chuparkoff, and he is the CEO and Founder of Reinvention Labs. He's going to talk to us all about innovation and how AI can enrich our risk management processes. This conversation today will be a preview of what he will bring to the stage in Seattle. [3:30] Be sure to visit the link in this episode's show notes to register. You can also visit RIMS.org/Events and click on the ERM banner. I had such a great time recording this interview, and I know you are going to love it. Let's get to it! [3:43] Interview! Dan Chuparkoff, welcome to RIMScast! [3:52] Dan is super excited for this conversation. He says he doesn't always get this chance before an event to dig into some of his thoughts about the event and the industry. [4:37] Dan had a meandering career. He worked for 32 years in technology. He worked for some massive organizations, a 100-year-old company, McKinsey, some new startups, more mature startups like Atlassian, and Google. [5:15] Working for major enterprises and new startups, Dan got exposure to risk management perspectives from both extremes. He built a blend of how he thinks about risk that mixes the best of both worlds. That has helped make him successful. He'll talk about that in his keynote. [5:44] Dan brings some things he learned from nimble startups about experimentation, and keeps his eye out for the pitfalls that are coming in the future, which the major enterprises had more risk awareness to avoid. [6:08] Dan worked alongside risk managers, who were the Chief Legal Officer, or even the CEO, to figure out when they were taking smart risks and when they needed to stop doing something they had started. [6:40] Dan learned of Enterprise Risk Management while working at a marketing services software development agency. They were building software for global enterprises. As they built software, the enterprise would have a review board evaluate it for quality and policy adherence. [7:09] From 2002 to 2010, Dan got real exposure to global risk management. He learned things like the risk philosophy of European countries and the European Union, as it differs from American risk philosophy.  [7:35] Dan notes that the risk management profession tunes you to be a systems thinker, not just a siloed thinker. You're not just thinking about what your team is doing, but you're thinking of the downstream ripple effects of every decision that you make. [7:53] As you become a leader in charge of more of the organization, systems thinking prepares you to understand the ripple effect of your decisions and think about how decisions need to be coordinated across the different streams of the organization. That makes you a great leader. [8:40] About 15 years into Dan's career, he realized there were some things he knew deeply and was really passionate about. When those things came up in meetings, he was outgoing. He stood up and marked on the whiteboard. [9:06] He had this passion, and he knew it would be helpful to share it. Before he started thinking about audiences and microphones, he started thinking about the content he was passionate about. That content was about people's ability to change and adapt to new technology. [9:29] Technology changes all the time. New technology is confusing and filled with risk. At some point, you have to get on that new bus, or the organizations in your industry will pass you by. Dan became excited about that. It became easier for him to talk in bigger groups. [9:54] One day, Dan found himself onstage at a Gartner conference in front of 800 people, and that was the beginning of a journey he says is now the best job in the world. [10:34] RIMS Events! On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [10:49] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [11:06] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through the 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [11:21] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Do not miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [11:34] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your network with us here at RIMS. [11:46] Let's Return to Our Interview with ERM Conference Keynote, Dan Chuparkoff!  [11:58] Justin asks how Dan's experience of building and leading teams at Google, McKinsey, and Atlassian, delivering software to billions, informs his current approach as the CEO of Reinvention Labs to helping organizations reinvent work with the power of AI. [12:15] Dan was an intern at an architecture firm when he was 17. One architect had AutoCAD, and all the others were drawing on paper. The architect with AutoCAD used copy-and-paste to accelerate his work. That changed the way Dan looked at technological change. [12:39] From the age of 17, Dan started looking for those copy-and-paste moments. He found them, over and over again. Spreadsheets improved our analysis. The internet improved our ability to look for information. AI improves our ability to juggle more data than before. [12:58] All those things were coming at a predictable cadence. It takes about five years for new technology to become part of the infrastructure. Dan realized that you have about five years to tackle something new before the next new thing comes at you. [13:21] People wait for the dust to settle. They don't start figuring out how to build this new thing into the way they work. You'll get passed by. You'll be working too slowly, and your customers will expect more of you. Or you'll do it too quickly, make mistakes, and create unnecessary risk. [13:44] Figuring out how to manage these five-year cycles of change became Dan's strength. [13:57] Dan will expound on his copy-and-paste moments in his November keynote. This was a preview. It was the moment that changed the way he thought about tools and technology, and their impact on the way we work. [14:23] Justin says Dan takes complex topics and makes them simple and useful for a non-technical audience. Dan says a lot of people are talking about AI now. [14:52] AI is an umbrella term that includes a lot of things. It's on the level of “math.” You don't say, “We're implementing math at work, right now.” Math is part of everything we do. [15:09] One of the things Dan helps people do is to start breaking AI down. Are we talking about a chat interface on top of our customer service knowledge base? Are we talking about a sophisticated AI image-recognition system to look at MRI scans? Those are different things. [15:29] They're both using AI, but as you're evaluating the risk of AI features, AI deployment, and AI use cases, it will be helpful to understand the difference between a chatbot, image recognition, and AI-based research. They all have different amounts of risk. [15:49] If you try to have a single AI policy that covers all those things, it will be challenging. That's how Dan helps to break it down. [16:14] Dan will have 60 minutes for his keynote. He will spend 45 minutes covering content he thinks is important for risk management professionals and about 15 minutes of open Q&A. He will also be around all day, if people want to talk to him in the hallway or at lunch. [16:44] Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [17:03] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process is now open through October 15th, 2025. [17:20] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [17:33] Let's Conclude Our Interview with ERM Conference Opening Keynote, Dan Chuparkoff! [17:53] Dan says the fundamental and most important thing to remember is that AI shouldn't make your decisions for you. Ask AI for 10 things that you should do, and you decide which one of those things is the right thing. You have a lot of things in your head that AI doesn't know. [18:20] You have things you remember from your first job, the things you remember your mother telling you when you were nine. Those things influence your decisions, and AI doesn't know any of them. Always use AI as a recommendation and make your own decisions. [18:43] Dan almost always says to give him 10 of whatever he is looking for. Some answers are too conservative, some are too risky, and some can work. No one is good enough at prompt engineering to put all the context in. Dan asks for choices and picks the one that feels right. [19:43] Why is there a gap between crafting an AI policy and putting it into practice? Some people are creating policies with a different level of understanding of what AI is capable of doing and what it is not. Sometimes, policies are just early in their maturity. [20:17] Three years from now, it will be a better policy that understands some of the discrepancies a little bit more, and that gap will start to close. [20:25] Some people have policies, and their people are ignoring them. When ChatGPT came out in November 2022, students started using it for homework. It became a part of their lives. They didn't stop using it when they went to work, regardless of the company policy. [21:14] There's a shadow AI use at a lot of organizations. The more your AI policy is crowdsourced, and you're asking your people what they need, what they want, and what they're doing already, the better your policy will match what's happening in your organization. It evolves. [21:44] Dan adds that email is already susceptible to IP leakage, but because of user training and judgment, people in the organization know what data to keep out of the email system. With training, people will learn what data to keep out of the AI system. [22:48] The best add-on to email, according to Dan, is sending calendar invites. Justin says the best add-on is scheduled send. He loves how people think he sends an email at 5:01. Dan says an AI tool, Fixer, will draft a reply to every message you get, and you can send or edit it, or not. [24:00] Dan foresees AI-powered email things that will be life-changing. Justin says Google will already generate a message for you if it's something simple. [24:37] Dan says before every keynote, he tries to get a deep understanding of the audience and what they care about. He goes through their website, watches videos, reads blogs and articles, and listens to podcasts. All those things influence the research and the content he brings. [25:04] What Dan will do for his keynote is dig into the ways AI is changing the work that risk management professionals are doing now and how that will continue to change over the near term. [25:15] Dan won't talk about 20 years from now, but about six months to three years from now, what that's going to look like, so that people can start anticipating the future and building a safe, risk-controlled future that they're trying to build. [25:38] I'm looking forward to it. You've been a wonderful guest. You've piqued the interest of a lot of our audience, and we hope they'll make it out to Seattle on November 17th, when you kick off the conference for us. [25:56] Dan looks forward to hanging out with everybody in Seattle. His parting advice is to tell AI, “Give me one thing every Monday that I should learn about AI.” Every week, you'll be a little smarter about AI. You don't have to do the things, but they're little nudges along your AI journey. [26:30] Special thanks again to Dan Chuparkoff for joining us here on RIMScast. We are so excited for him to kick off the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington, on November 17th. The registration link is in this episode's show notes, or visit the Events page of RIMS.org.  [26:50] We want to see you on November 17th and 18th. We will have more ERM Conference presenters on RIMScast in the next six weeks. Be sure to subscribe to RIMScast through your favorite podcasting app and catch all the risk management goodness! [27:05] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [27:34] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [27:52] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [28:10] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [28:26] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [28:41] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [28:53] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration through Sept 30! Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025, in NYC! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration” | Sept. 18 | Sponsored by Origami Risk “Active Shooter Preparedness” | Sept. 25 | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog | Complimentary for all “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes” | Oct. 9 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape” | Oct. 16, 2025 | Sponsored by Zurich “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Risk Appetite Management” | Oct 22‒23 | Instructor: Ken Baker “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Leveraging Data and Analytics for Continuous Risk Management (Part I)” | Dec 4. See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Tom Brandt on Growing Your Career and Organization with ERM” “Risk and Clarity with Huw Edwards, RIMS Texas Keynote” “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “AI Risks and Compliance with Chris Maguire” “Change Management and Strategy with Jay Kiew, RIMS Canada Conference 2024 Keynote” “(Re)Humanizing Leadership in Risk Management with Holly Ransom” “AI and Regulatory Risk Trends with Caroline Shleifer” “Live from the ERM Conference in Boston!” (2024)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Daniel Chuparkoff, CEO and Founder at Reinvention Labs   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Manjit K. MInhas, Calgary-born entrepreneur, engineer, venture capitalist, and Co-founder and CEO at Minhas Brewery, Distillery, and Winery, from the age of 19. Manjit appears on Dragon's Den on the CBC and is a multiple entrepreneur. Justin and Manjit discuss her entrepreneurship journey, how she insists on risk professionals at the table from the beginning of any business, and what her risk philosophy is. Manjit shares thoughts on business resilience and her upcoming opening keynote at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 on September 15th in Calgary. She offers a Q&A at the end of her keynote.   Listen to learn about startups, innovation, and having risk management at the decision table.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Manjit Minhas. You might know her from Dragon's Den in Canada. She's also the Co-founder and CEO of Minhas Brewing and Distilleries. [:45] We will get a sample of her keynote, which will kick off the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 in Calgary, on September 15th. We've got a really fun episode for you today! [:56] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:16] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:33] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:44] Several RIMS Webinars are being hosted this Fall. On September 18th, Origami Risk will present “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration”. [1:56] On October 9th, Global Risk Consultants returns to deliver “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes”. [2:06] On October 16th, Zurich returns to deliver “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape”. [2:14] On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:23] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:35] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through the 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [2:49] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:02] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:17] On with the show! Our guest today is Manjit K. Minhas, a Calgary-born entrepreneur, engineer, and venture capitalist. [3:28] You know her from the Minhas Brewery, Distillery, and Winery, which has grown into a global empire, with over 90 brands sold across North America and 16 countries. [3:38] You also know her from CBC's Dragon's Den, which premieres its new season, featuring Manjit, in September 2025. Manjit will distill her risk philosophies on reliance and leadership today, here on RIMScast. I'm so excited to have her join us! Let's get to it! [4:01] Interview! Manjit K. Minhas, welcome to RIMScast! [411] Manjit loves risk professionals and loves working with them. She is very excited to speak to risk professionals from many industries at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025. [4:27] Manjit has worked with risk professionals in her companies and through the boards she sits on and the companies she advises or invests in. She sees a variety of talents and skills in risk professionals. They have a technical expertise and a strong foundation in methodologies. [5:01] Manjit says risk professionals identify not just the basic operational and financial risks but strategic risks and mitigation risks. There is so much M&A happening in every sector. Their technical expertise is very important. [5:22] Manjit explains, they are really good at data analysis and modeling, and making that data and a large volume of information into something that matters, that decision-makers can use to make great decisions, and think about the pros, the cons, and sometimes the blind spots. [5:57] The risk officers Manjit hires have her ear. She always likes them to be at the table. She wants their perspective beforehand rather than after. They are good at listening, taking it all in, succinctly communicating, and helping with stakeholder management. [6:18] Manjit believes that with their business acumen and their wealth of knowledge from so many parts of the business, risk managers should be at the table all the time. She wants their input from the outset. [6:42] Manjit believes that more business leaders with that viewpoint are coming up. It's a matter of how long you've been an entrepreneur or founder. Manjit has been an entrepreneur for 26 years. She and her brother started when she was 19. The drinking age in Canada is 18. [6:58] Manjit was studying engineering at the University of Calgary and came up with the idea of getting into the private label spirits business, and a couple of years later, the beer business. They started as a sales, marketing, and branding company, and then got into manufacturing. [7:16] It went step by step. It was not overnight, by any means. She just started young and has been at it for a long time. With that time comes experience, knowledge, and understanding that there are a lot of smarter people than she, that she needs to collect around the table. [7:34] At year four or five, she didn't have the same perspective she has now. Founders and entrepreneurs in early stages are still figuring it out and don't have the resources to have the same perspective as Manjit. As they gain self-awareness, they look to risk professionals. [8:14] As a 19-year-old, Manjit says she had no concept of risk. She didn't have money or a reputation at risk. Now, she has a lot more of those things, plus a list of a dozen more, that are at risk. A young person doesn't think they're risking anything other than time and energy. [8:48] Manjit thinks time definitely makes all of us a bit smarter.  [8:52] The risk professionals working for Manit work under the legal department. [9:42] Manjit talks about her risk professionals. As a business owner, you want to have the confidence that you have someone there identifying risks, assessing the impact, prioritizing risks, developing mitigation plans, and assigning responsibility. The list goes on. [10:18] In this day and age, things are changing so fast, from policy, regulation, and the labor environment. There's a long list of things that companies need to be aware of. They can't just close their eyes. They have to have a plan. [10:47] Manjit is an optimist. She wakes up thinking that where there is a challenge, there is an opportunity. She believes that when things are tough, there are a lot of problems to solve. That's when great businesses are born. Great entrepreneurs are good at solving and discovering. [11:29] RIMS Events! On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [11:43] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [12:00] On November 17th and 18th, elevate your ERM Program and career at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Register now to save $110 and secure your spot at the ERM event of the year. [12:16] Canadian listeners, take note, that's just a little bit South of the border in British Columbia. That's a great way to extend your knowledge after the RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2025 to register. [12:31] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS Canada Conference 2025 Opening Keynote, Manjit K. Minhas!  [12:41] Minhas products include a beer for Trader Joe's, and a fair number of private-label, controlled-label, and white-label brands throughout North America, including food service. If you've had a beer-battered onion ring or French fry on the East Coast, you've had Minhas beer. [13:28] Minhas has a diverse business within the liquor industry. [13:37] Manjit discusses reputational risk. There is reputational risk in any consumer-facing business. She says, often, what separates you from the flurry of competitor advertising is taking some risks with your brand image. [14:15] She shares an example of making a decision early on that was to get noticed, but also to protect the Minhas brand. Marketing professionals are more forward-thinking, and risk professionals are more conservative. Manjit comes to a happy middle-ground decision. [15:40] Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [15:58] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process is now open through October 15th, 2025. [16:14] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [16:28] Let's Conclude Our Interview with RIMS Canada Conference 2025 Opening Keynote, Manjit Minhas! [16:39] Manjit states that innovation is one of the fun parts of R&D. Manjit talks about different vodkas and beers. Innovation has a financial and reputational cost, and the cost of pushing away another product from retail shelves, for a variety of marketing reasons. [17:40] There are a lot of reasons you don't want to innovate and upset the apple cart. The risk professionals help by getting the metrics for the decision. When will you see if the risk is paying off? It's an art. There are a lot of people involved, so that leadership can make a decision. [18:33] Manjit says there are a lot of nerves in the launch phase of innovation, after being in business this long. It's different when you're new. Once it's out and Manjit sees the execution phase, that's when she gets excited. All of the pieces of the puzzle have come together. [19:18] When Manjit started the business, it was super cool to see her brand offered on the menu or in the bar. It still is, going to the grocery store with her daughter and seeing their craft sodas. Her daughter went up and turned the bottles so the logos were forward-facing. [19:40] It never gets old. Her brother is the same way. They send photos to each other all the time. They package 600 cans a minute at all their facilities. It's a big operation. But to Manjit and her brother, it's like it's still the two of them against the world. [20:29] It's the drive to keep winning that gets Manjit up every day. Minhas is the 9th largest brewery in North America. How are they to keep climbing that ladder and keep getting better, compared to themselves? [20:53] Some Minhas facilities in the States offer tours. But they have secrets they want to protect. It's a very competitive industry. [21:23] Manjit explains operational resilience and risk strategy in the light of supply chain disruptions and tariffs. It's something we all need to look at and not take for granted. Look at critical operations, people, facilities, technology, third-party dependencies, ownership, and more. [22:08] They look at every part of that as to how they can be resilient and be better than their competitor, and do it more efficiently, quicker, with faster adaptation, and recover when things don't go right. Everybody is a part of it. They're doing more scenario testing than ever before. [22:44] Minhas is looking at different impacts and how long they can get through them. What are the tolerance levels? Their culture is more transparent to both issues, where they are winning and where they are not. Manjit lists the many types of business resilience. [23:26] If your business is not looking at using technology and AI to your advantage, what are you doing? Resilience is more than the easy definition. [23:57] How does Manjit keep a consistent approach to risk across all her verticals? It's communication. Manjit doesn't think there is such a thing as too much communication. Ideas have to be shared. It has to be a collaborative space to understand everything that comes. [24:25] A lot of people know Manjit from Dragon's Den. She has been on for 10 years and just finished filming her 11th season, which is airing soon. She'll let people take selfies with her. [25:11] Some of what to expect from Manjit on September 15th, in Calgary: She'll talk about her story, lessons learned, mentorship, the courage, skills, and talents that have brought her success, and fun stories about leadership. [25:37] Manjit will give some advice on how to build confidence, self-awareness, negotiation, and lots of fun things. She will leave about 15 minutes for an open Q&A session. She always enjoys learning what people in the audience are wondering. It's fun! [26:08] We look forward to seeing you on September 15th, 9:00 a.m. In Calgary! It's been such a pleasure to meet you! Thank you for joining us on RIMScast! [26:44] Special thanks again to Manjit Minhas for joining us here on RIMScast! We are so excited for her to kick off RIMS Canada 2025 with her keynote on September 15th at 9:00 a.m. in Calgary. [27:00] Be sure to register today! This is the last call! Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information and to register! I've also got a link in today's show notes to the closing keynote interview, Amanda Lindhout. She was fantastic, as well. See her on September 17th. [27:20] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [27:49] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [28:07] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [28:25] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [28:41] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [28:55] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [29:07] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Last week to register! RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration through Sept 30! Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025, in NYC! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration” | Sept. 18 | Sponsored by Origami Risk “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes” | Oct. 9 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape” | Oct. 16, 2025 | Sponsored by Zurich “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “On Resilience with Amanda Lindhout, RIMS Canada 2025 Closing Keynote” “Thoughts and IDEAs on Inclusivity with Michael Bach” (RIMS Canada 2025 Keynote, recorded in 2024) “Live From Vancouver! with Maryam Salmasi, Fred H. Bossons Award Winner 2024” “Exploring Risk in Extreme Environments with Kevin Vallely” “Change Management and Strategy with Jay Kiew, RIMS Canada Conference 2024 Keynote”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Manjit K. Minhas, Co-founder and CEO at Minhas Brewery, Distillery, and Winery Calgary-born entrepreneur, engineer, and venture capitalist   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Hugo Hamad, Head of AI/Gen AI Factory, AXA en France, ex-director of AI, Decathlon, points out a common pitfall in how organizations approach AI adoption. “Many companies invest in platforms, clusters, and big data without realizing that what we truly need are data engineers, ML engineers, and AI experts,” he explains.He continues, “Some businesses focus only on hiring data scientists. But in reality, we need much more than data scientists alone to deliver real value and build AI solutions.”According to Hugo, tech companies often emphasize practice and talent but neglect implementing the right AI technologies and tools. “To succeed, we must concentrate on three pillars: process, platform, and people. Only then can we deliver meaningful AI solutions, whether for clients or internal teams.”⚡ The AI equation isn't complete without balance: People + Process + Platform.Listen to the full podcast now- https://bit.ly/46iLetz#AI #MachineLearning #DataScience #FutureOfWork #TechInnovation #DigitalTransformation #Decathlon

Fan Mail: Got a challenge digitizing your intake? Share it with us, and we'll unpack solutions from our experience at Cytora.In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro speaks with Bilge Mert, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Brit Insurance, about what it takes to drive meaningful digital transformation in commercial insurance. Bilge shares her approach to standardising processes across lines of business, leveraging AI to unlock efficiency, and building scalable technology foundations that support long-term innovation.Discover how combining insurance expertise with cross-industry experience can accelerate digital transformation, and learn practical approaches to breaking down silos while driving organisational change. Whether you're leading technology initiatives in insurance or interested in industry innovation, this conversation delivers actionable strategies for building scalable, future-ready insurance operations.To receive a custom demo from Cytora, click here and use the code 'Making Risk Flow'.Our previous guests include: Bronek Masojada of PPL, Craig Knightly of Inigo, Andrew Horton of QBE Insurance, Simon McGinn of Allianz, Stephane Flaquet of Hiscox, Matthew Grant of InsTech, Paul Brand of Convex, Paolo Cuomo of Gallagher Re, and Thierry Daucourt of AXA.Check out the three most downloaded episodes: The Five Pillars of Data Analytics Strategy in Insurance | Craig Knightly, Inigo 20 Years as CEO of Hiscox: Personal Reflections and the Evolution of PPL | Bronek Masojada Implementing ESG in the Insurance and Underwriting Space | Simon Tighe, Chaucer, and Paul McCarney, Moody's

In this episode, Karen speaks with Cali Wood, Head of Data & AI Strategy & Culture at AXA UK, about what it really means to future-proof your career in a world where GenAI is reshaping the skills landscape. From the rise of AI agents and natural language as a “coding language” to the growing importance of human skills like communication, ethics, and business understanding, Cali shares her experience based view on how AI is changing our field. She delves into: Practical AI use cases at AXA and their impact on data democratisation, and on the data team How the skills landscape is shifting and provides practical advice for early- to mid-career data professionals — and the leaders guiding them. How to stay relevant, collaborate with AI instead of competing against it, and use new tools to work smarter, not just faster.  Cali also reveals why curiosity, boldness, and a willingness to challenge the status quo will be the superpowers of tomorrow's data workforce. If you've ever wondered where our industry was heading, or what your role might look like in the future — and how to make sure you're ready — this conversation is for you.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   The Spencer Educational Foundation, a leading nonprofit organization to nurture the next generation of risk management and insurance professionals, will hold its annual Funding Their Future Gala in New York City on Thursday, September 18, 2025. This eagerly awaited event will occur at the renowned Cipriani 42nd Street, uniting industry leaders and supporters to acknowledge achievements in risk management and insurance.   This year's gala recognizes Tim Ryan, U.S. President at Lockton, for championing the next generation of talent and shaping the future of the risk management and insurance industry. Since being named U.S. President in 2024, Tim has been pivotal in positioning Lockton for the future. With over 30 years of industry experience, Tim brings a strategic and enduring approach to leadership. He is committed to fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence that carries Lockton's momentum forward. Tim's vision is to build on Lockton's strong foundation, guiding the company through evolving market demands while maintaining its reputation as the best place to work in insurance.   “Tim's commitment to attracting and developing top talent has been instrumental in Lockton's continued success and evolution as an industry leader,” stated Julie Gibson, Spencer board member and Chief Marketing Officer at Lockton.   In this episode, Justin interviews Tim Ryan on his career, his risk philosophy, his leadership vision on mentorship, and his recognition by the Spencer Educational Foundation.   Listen to learn about attracting top, rising talent to the risk management and insurance industry.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] The call for educational content submissions for RISKWORLD 2026 is open through September 4th! A link is in this episode's show notes. [:28] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by Tim Ryan. He is the U.S. President at Lockton and the honoree at this year's Spencer's Funding Their Future Gala on September 18th. We'll get his perspective on leadership and the future of risk management in just a moment. [1:00] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:20] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:37] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:48] The next RIMS Webinar will be held on September 4th and will be led by AXA XL. It is titled “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals”. [2:01] On September 18th, Origami Risk will present “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration”. [2:10] On October 9th, Global Risk Consultants returns to deliver “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes”. [2:19] On October 16th, Zurich returns to deliver “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape”. [2:28] On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:37] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:49] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through the 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:04] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:17] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:31] On with the show! On September 18th, 2025, the Spencer Educational Foundation will hold its annual Funding Their Future Gala in New York City at the renowned Cipriani 42nd Street. [3:44] This year's Gala recognizes Tim Ryan, U.S. President at Lockton, for championing the next generation of talent and shaping the future of risk management and insurance. [3:54] Tim Ryan is our guest today. He has over 30 years of industry experience. We're going to dive into his philosophies on leadership and what it takes for the next generation of risk professionals to be successful in the short and long term. Let's get to it! [4:11] Interview! Tim Ryan, welcome to RIMScast! [4:32] Tim Ryan is excited to be here today to talk about the Spencer Educational Foundation! He says it's an exceptional organization, doing important work. It's a unique organization that brings the entire industry together to rally around an issue that's important to us all. [4:52] Tim says the recognition is humbling and gratifying. It's nice to be recognized, but he doesn't view it as a personal achievement. He sees it as a reflection of the incredible work being done by Lockton and Associates throughout the country, more than it is of his individual efforts. [5:14] Tim says he is honored to be recognized, and he's proud to be part of a company that sees this as a priority. [5:26] Tim has been at Lockton for 20 years. Before Lockton, Tim worked on the carrier side for 10 years. Tim became the U.S. President at Lockton almost a year ago to the day.  [5:49] Tim's leadership style has changed over time, through the wisdom of maturity and a lot of trial and error. He started in the industry straight out of college. Working at a couple of different organizations exposed him to different leaders along the way. [6:10] Tim learned a few foundational lessons. First, leadership is rarely about title. People follow people, not the position. When Tim was first made a team leader, he was excited to be in charge. He promised himself he wouldn't make the same mistakes his managers had made. [6:37] He made the same mistakes. He started to realize that a leadership position isn't about you. Your job is to set the vision, align stakeholders, make sure there's clarity on roles and responsibilities, and create and foster an environment that allows people to be successful. [6:58] Tim's leadership style is about building teams with complementary skill sets. It's not about being the smartest person in the room; it's about making sure the room is filled with smart and motivated people. [7:08] Put the right people in the right place and trust them to get the job done. People want to believe in what they're doing and who they're doing it with. It's critical to bring together people with a diversity of thought and background. Bring a variety of different viewpoints to the table. [7:28] Tim believes it's critical to get to know your people. What motivates and drives them? What are their goals and aspirations? How do they like to absorb information? [7:55] Tim views it as his job to listen, to motivate, and to remove obstacles. It's about being authentic. Don't play the role, especially for first-time leaders. You have to be open and transparent, and true to yourself. [8:32] Tim says the role of the broker has changed with the world. If brokers did the same things they did 10 to 15 years ago, they would be at risk of being obsolete. [8:44] Fifteen years ago, there was no Instagram or TikTok. You were probably on MySpace, playing music on your iPod. Some of the emerging risks that are at the forefront of today's discussions range from autonomous vehicles to data centers to digital assets and currency. [9:04] The pace of change in the industry is fast, and it's only increasing. The constant emergence of new and evolving risks requires greater specialization and the use of data analytics to deliver deeper insights into our clients' businesses. [9:18] As you look ahead, you can start to see how AI is going to have a dramatic impact on how we do business in the not-too-distant future. [9:26] Despite these advances and changes, for a broker, one thing is unchanged. Clients want us to help them see around corners. They want us to help them understand what's coming next. They look to us to provide expertise and help make decisions. [9:46] Tim says our job is to be a fierce advocate for them, to be that trusted advisor. We need to know and understand their business, the industry they operate in, and the risks associated with it. We need to understand their risk tolerance and help them solve their business need. [10:04] Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [10:26] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process is now open through October 15th, 2025. [10:43] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [10:57] RIMS Events! On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [11:11] On September 14th through the 17th, we will be in Calgary for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca to register. [11:21] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [11:37] On November 17th and 18th, elevate your ERM Program and career at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and early rates are available until September 5th. Register now to save $110 and secure your spot at the ERM event of the year. [11:59] Canadian listeners, take note, that's just a little bit South of the border in British Columbia. That's a great way to extend your knowledge after the RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2025 to register. [12:14] At the top, Justin mentioned RISKWORLD 2026. Through September 4th, the RISKWORLD education content submission process is still open. [12:23] RIMS invites you to share your experiences, best practices, and innovative strategies that represent the global outlook of risk management. Send us your submission, and who knows? We might select you to speak at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia! The link is in the show notes. [12:41] Let's Return to Our Interview with Lockton U.S. President Tim Ryan!  [13:03] Tim Ryan talks about cultivating the next generation of risk and insurance professionals. His motivation comes from his story. It's all about paying it forward. He wouldn't be where he is today without the guidance and support of some great mentors throughout his career. [13:16] Tim's mentors had no reason to want to help him, but from early on, they decided to help him reach his potential. Tim started his career as a trainee at Fireman's Fund Insurance in a branch office North of New York City. [13:36] The office manager was incredible. He was generous with his time. He was never too busy to help or answer questions. He always found ways to give Tim opportunities in meetings, in projects, or with clients. [13:49] Opportunities that Tim probably wasn't ready for, but that were part of his developmental process. Tim is incredibly grateful for the impact this manager had on his career and his life. Almost 35 years later, Tim still thinks of him as a person that he tries to emulate. [14:12] Tim says, “ So, John Lience, if you're listening, thank you! It made a difference. Give me a call. I'd love to catch up.” [14:20] Justin is glad to hear the shoutout by name. It's a small world in risk management, and everybody knows each other. John may be listening. Tim agrees, for as big an industry as it is, it is definitely a very small world. [14:33] Tim continues, fast forward to today, this is something that we're passionate about because we see it as a strategic priority for the business. Lockton invests an incredible amount of time and money into the technical and professional development of all its associates. [14:53] It starts with the first-year analysts, many of whom came out of Lockton's intern program. Leaders have an obligation to grow and develop the next generation of talent. [15:04]  It's about creating a culture of continuous learning, one where people feel valued, included, and connected to the purpose of the work and the people that they work with. [15:14] What drives and motivates Tim is that shared sense of purpose that brings everyone together. [15:34] What must the sector do differently to attract, engage, and top rising talent? Tim says the industry has made progress, but we're still not where we need to be. We have to expand the talent pool by building stronger partnerships with different schools and organizations. [15:55] The Spencer Educational Foundation is already doing the work to engage more diverse communities. These relationships help us reach individuals who may not have considered a career in risk and insurance, but bring valuable perspectives and skills. [16:08] Tim continues, beyond sourcing talent, retention has to be a priority. It's great to get people into the industry, but can we keep them? That means investing in leadership development programs accessible to a broader audience, including underrepresented groups.  [16:22] It also means helping young talent understand their purpose and how they fit within the vision of the company they're working in. When people see a path for growth and feel connected to the purpose, they're more likely to stay and thrive. [16:35] Building that workforce that better reflects the communities and businesses we serve isn't just the right thing, but it also makes our industry stronger, it makes it more innovative, and it makes it better equipped to meet the evolving needs of our clients. [16:53] Tim has attended Spencer Educational Foundation's Funding Their Future Gala for years. He was there last year for Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray. She was great! The grant recipients also spoke. They were incredibly impressive. Lockton asked two of them for their numbers and resumes. [17:26] Justin comments that the event itself can be a networking and career advancement opportunity. Tim says it was great to hear from the recipients. It brings it back to what impact the Spencer Educational Foundation has. [17:50] Justin had a great time last year, and he looks forward to seeing Tim this year, on September 18th. The Spencer Educational Foundation supports students and educational programs across the risk and insurance professions. [18:14] Tim says most young people don't have any idea what a broad, vibrant, and dynamic industry this is. We have to do more to generate awareness and excitement about our industry. [18:23] Partnerships like the one with Spencer Educational Foundation are critical. They bring awareness and help us reach smart, young, talented individuals who might not otherwise consider a career in this field. The scholarship program is a big part of that. [18:35] Lockton has been involved in the Foundation since the early days. 20 years ago, they established the John T. Lockton Memorial Scholarship through the Spencer Scholarship Program. [18:47] Lockton continues to support that program, donating over $1 million in funding for about 200 scholarships. The program is just one of the many ways Spencer is driving awareness and engagement in the industry. [18:57] Tim praises the Spencer Educational Foundation for the great work they do with colleges and universities, helping build risk management programs, facilitating internships, and bringing new people into the industry through the scholarship program. [19:06] These partnerships are essential for the future of risk and insurance because they create pathways for students to discover the unique value the profession offers. Tim says many scholarship recipients are working at Lockton today, and they are excellent. [19:37] Tim shares advice to students or early career professionals discovering risk management. “Every year, I meet with our first-year analysts and interns, and I talk to them about this very subject.” [19:45] “We talk about how big the industry is and that there are so many opportunities and career paths available to them. But the backdrop of that conversation is about the pace of change and the importance of being a continuous learner.” [19:59] “You're going to have to reinvent yourself many times over the course of your career to stay relevant, so now, at this early stage of your career, is the time to invest in yourselves. Don't get caught up in worrying about the next promotion or the next step in your career.” [20:13] “Just be patient. You're going to have plenty of time for all that. All that's going to work itself out. Just focus on gaining new experience and knowledge, and figure out what you're good at. Don't just do things. Seek to understand why.” [20:27] “Look, you can have a job or you can have a career, and they're different. But that's ultimately going to be up to you. It's your responsibility. If you focus on what you're doing and do it well, your next job will likely come from someone you're impressing today.” [20:47] “Get out of your bubble, build relationships, network, and go meet with people. Make people want to invest in you.” [21:00] “If you take nothing else out of this conversation, try to remember these things: Be curious. Ask questions. Understand why you're doing things. Show up and be present. If you can do those things, you'll ultimately be successful.” [21:20] Special thanks to Tim Ryan of Lockton for joining us here on RIMScast! We look forward to seeing him on September 18th at the Spencer Funding Their Future Gala in New York City. Visit the link in this episode's show notes for tickets and SpencerEd.org for more information. [21:40] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [22:09] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [22:27] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [22:44] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [23:01] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [23:15] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [23:27] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025, in NYC! The call for RISKWORLD 2026 submissions is open through Sept 4. Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now “Tim Ryan to Receive Honor at Spencer Educational Foundation's 2025 Gala” RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals” | Sept. 4, 2025 | Sponsored by AXA XL “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration” | Sept. 18 | Sponsored by Origami Risk “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes” | Oct. 9 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape” | Oct. 16, 2025 | Sponsored by Zurich “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “The Strengths of DE&I Initiatives with Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray of Alliant Insurance Services”, Spencer Gala Honoree 2024   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Tim Ryan, U.S. President, Lockton Spencer Educational Foundation Funding Their Future Gala's 2025 Honoree   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Tim Thomas is the recent CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations, the federal body set up by the Australian Government to deepen ties between the two nations across business, technology, education, sport, and culture. With a career spanning senior roles at AXA, Prudential, and KPMG, and lived experience building businesses across India, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, he brings a unique cross-sector and cross-cultural global perspective. +++ To support this podcast, check out our some of our sponsors & get discounts:→ $1,000 off Vanta: Your compliance superpower — vanta.com/high→ Get up to 6 months of Notion's Business plan for free with Notion AI included (worth $12K): Go to - https://ntn.so/highflyers & click “Apply Now”If you're keen to discuss sponsorship and partnering with us or recommend future guests, email us at contact@curiositycentre.com today! Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG, University of Melbourne and more.  ***CLICK HERE to read show notes from this conversation. Please enjoy!***Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or TwitterGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our website to discuss sponsorship opportunities, recommend future guests or share feedback, we love hearing how to improve! Thank you for rating / reviewing this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show! ***The High Flyers Podcast is described as a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies -- redefining the "high flyer". Launched in 2020, we have ranked in the global top ten podcasts for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. Excerpts of the podcast have been featured in Forbes, AFR, Daily Telegraph, and showcased at SXSW.200+ guests have joined host, Vidit Agarwal on the show from 15+ countries, including The CEO's of multi-billion dollar companies like Bunnings, Australia Post, Woolworths, Airwallex, Eucalyptus etc; Board Members at Macquarie Bank, ANZ, Reserve Bank etc; Former Prime Minister of Australia; Globally renowned Tech CEO's from Google, Microsoft, Xero etc, Successful Venture Capital and Family Office Investors; CIO's at the world's biggest superannuation funds; Leading Entertainers; Olympic Gold Medal Winning Athletes and interesting minds you wouldn't have heard of that are changing the world. Our parent company, Curiosity Centre is your on-demand intelligence hub for knowledge, connections and growth to achieve your potential, everyday. Join 200,000+ Investors, Founders, Functional Leaders, CEOs and Emerging Leaders. Learn with the world's best and be 1% better everyday at https://curiositycentre.com***   

Welkom bij een nieuwe aflevering van Leaders in Finance. Deze week is te gast Menno Luiten, directeur van MUNT Hypotheken. Menno Luiten is een Nederlandse bestuurder en ondernemer. Na zijn studie Banking & Finance aan de Amsterdamse Academie voor Bank en Financiën begon hij zijn loopbaan bij AXA, waar hij verantwoordelijk was voor sales en distributie. Daarna bekleedde hij diverse commerciële managementfuncties, onder andere bij SPARCK Hypotheken en FDC, en richtte hij FranchiseLab op. In 2014 was Menno als commercieel directeur nauw betrokken bij de oprichting van MUNT Hypotheken. Hij speelde een sleutelrol bij de marktintroductie van het label. Vervolgens gaf hij leiding aan de commerciële strategie van De Hypotheker. In 2023 keerde hij terug bij MUNT Hypotheken, ditmaal als directeur. Tot slot, Menno Luiten is 52 jaar en woont samen met zijn vriendin en zoon in Den Haag. ***  Leaders in Finance wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door Kayak, EY, MeDirect, en Roland Berger.   *** Leestip Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson *** Op de hoogte blijven van Leaders in Finance? Abonneer je dan op de nieuwsbrief.   ***  Vragen, suggesties of feedback? Graag! Via email: info@leadersinfinance.nl en check de website leadersinfinance.nl.   *** Eerdere gasten bij de Leaders in Finance podcast waren onder andere: Klaas Knot (President DNB), Robert Swaak (CEO ABN AMRO), Frank Elderson (directie ECB), David Knibbe (CEO NN), Janine Vos (RvB Rabobank), Jos Baeten (CEO ASR), Nadine Klokke (CEO Knab), Gita Salden (CEO BNG Bank),  Annerie Vreugdenhil (CIO ING), Geert Lippens (CEO BNP Paribas NL), Karien van Gennip (CEO VGZ), Maarten Edixhoven (CEO Van Lanschot Kempen), Jeroen Rijpkema (CEO Triodos), Chantal Vergouw (CEO Interpolis), Simone Huis in ‘t Veld (CEO Euronext), Nout Wellink (ex DNB), Onno Ruding (ex minister van financiën), Maurice Oostendorp en Martijn Gribnau (CEOs Volksbank), Olaf Sleijpen (Director DNB), Allegra van Hövell-Patrizi (CEO Aegon NL), Yoram Schwarz (CEO Movir), Laura van Geest (Bestuursvoorzitter AFM) Katja Kok (CEO Van Lanschot CH), Ali Niknam (CEO bunq), Nick Bortot (CEO BUX), Matthijs Bierman (MD Triodos NL), Peter Paul de Vries (CEO Value8), Barbara Baarsma (CEO Rabo Carbon Bank), Jan van Rutte (Commissaris PGGM, BNG Bank, vml CFO ABN AMRO), Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen (Chair Aon Holdings), Annemarie Jorritsma (o.a. Voorzitter NVP), Lidwin van Velden (CEO Waterschapsbank), Don Ginsel (CEO Holland Fintech), Mary Pieterse-Bloem (Professor Erasmus), Jan-Willem van der Schoot (CEO Mastercard NL), Tjeerd Bosklopper (CEO NN NL), Joanne Kellermann (Chair PFZW), Steven Maijoor (Chair ESMA), Radboud Vlaar (CEO Finch Capital), Karin van Baardwijk (CEO Robeco) en Annette Mosman (CEO APG). 

In der heutigen Folge sprechen die Finanzjournalisten Anja Ettel und Philipp Vetter über den Swiftie-Push für Ralph Lauren, gute Nachrichten von Eli Lillys Abnehmpille und das bange Warten auf die Nvidia-Zahlen. Außerdem geht es um Novo Nordisk, AT&T, EchoStar, MongoDB, Okta, BASF, Commerzbank, BNP Paribas, Socitété Générale, Crédit Agricole, Axa, Procter&Gamble, SPDR MSCI Europe Consumer Staples ETF (WKN: A1191N), Nestlé, Unilever, L'Oreal, Anheuser Busch InBev, Amundi STOXX Europe 600 Consumer Staples ETF (WKN: LYX02J) und iShares MSCI EU Consumer Staples ETF (WKN: A2QBZ2). Die Tickets zum Finance Summit am 17. September bekommt ihr 40 Euro günstiger – aber nur mit dem exklusiven Code AAA2025, der ihr unter dem folgenden Link eingeben müsst: https://veranstaltung.businessinsider.de/BN5aLV Außerdem könnt ihr unter diesem Link euer Depot hochladen – und mit etwas Glück wird kein Geringerer als Christian W. Röhl euer Depot beim Summit checken und optimieren. https://form.jotform.com/Product_Unit/formular-finance-summit-depot-check Wir freuen uns an Feedback über aaa@welt.de. Noch mehr "Alles auf Aktien" findet Ihr bei WELTplus und Apple Podcasts – inklusive aller Artikel der Hosts und AAA-Newsletter. Hier bei WELT: https://www.welt.de/podcasts/alles-auf-aktien/plus247399208/Boersen-Podcast-AAA-Bonus-Folgen-Jede-Woche-noch-mehr-Antworten-auf-Eure-Boersen-Fragen.html. Der Börsen-Podcast Disclaimer: Die im Podcast besprochenen Aktien und Fonds stellen keine spezifischen Kauf- oder Anlage-Empfehlungen dar. Die Moderatoren und der Verlag haften nicht für etwaige Verluste, die aufgrund der Umsetzung der Gedanken oder Ideen entstehen. Hörtipps: Für alle, die noch mehr wissen wollen: Holger Zschäpitz können Sie jede Woche im Finanz- und Wirtschaftspodcast "Deffner&Zschäpitz" hören. +++ Werbung +++ Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte! https://linktr.ee/alles_auf_aktien Impressum: https://www.welt.de/services/article7893735/Impressum.html Datenschutz: https://www.welt.de/services/article157550705/Datenschutzerklaerung-WELT-DIGITAL.html

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Ondrea Matthews, Sr. Director, Risk Management & Benefits at CoorsTek. Ondrea is also on the board of RIMS. She will be presenting at the RIMS Western Regional on October 2, “Gone But Not Forgotten: Mastering Absence, Disability, and Risk Without Losing Your Sanity!” Justin and Ondrea cover her risk career, the history of CoorsTek, her risk philosophy, and her experiences on the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter Board and the RIMS Global Board. She suggests how risk managers can work with HR to bring value to the organization.   Listen to learn about Ondrea's upcoming presentation at the RIMS Western Regional Conference.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] The call for educational content submissions for RISKWORLD 2026 is open through September 4th! A link is in this episode's show notes. [:28] About this episode of RIMScast. We will discuss HR risks with Ondrea Matthews, the Senior Director of Risk Management and Benefits at Coorstek. She is also a RIMS Board Director. She will share her risk perspective. [:55] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [1:06] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:22] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:39] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:50] The next RIMS Webinar will be held on September 4th and will be led by AXA XL. It is titled “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals”. [2:03] On September 18th, Origami Risk will present “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration”. [2:12] On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:20] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:32] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is jam-packed with educational sessions that will resonate with risk practitioners in all stages of their careers. [2:53] See the full agenda at RIMS.org/ERM2025. [2:59] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:14] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:26] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:41] On with the show! Our guest today is Ondrea Matthews. She is the Senior Director for Risk Management at CoorsTek. She is also a RIMS Board Director. On October 2nd, she will have a key role at the RIMS Western Regional Conference at the Santa Clara Marriott in California. [4:02] On the afternoon of October 2nd, she will be co-leading the session “Gone But Not Forgotten: Mastering Absence, Disability, and Risk Without Losing Your Sanity!” We're going to get a preview of that session, and she'll be speaking to us from experience. Let's get to it! [4:19] Interview! Ondrea Matthews, welcome to RIMScast! [4:25] As of January 2025, Ondrea is on the RIMS Board of Directors. Ondrea will be a presenter at the RIMS Western Regional Conference on October 2nd, partnering with ESIS, talking about Gone But Not Forgotten, touching on absence management. [5:04] Ondrea started as an engineering major. With an engineering degree, Ondrea moved from Michigan to Colorado and landed in claims. She was a Workers' Compensation claims adjuster and manager for about 11 years. She decided that claims was not where she wanted to be. [5:29] Eighteen years ago, Ondrea moved to CoorsTek as their Risk Manager. It's been great at CoorsTek with a lot of opportunities, from Risk Manager to her current role, Senior Director of Risk Management and Benefits. She oversees insurance. [5:59] CoorsTek has nothing to do with beer. Adolph Coors founded CoorsTek in 1910. He is also the Founder of Coors Brewing. He branched out into ceramics. CoorsTek is the leading global manufacturer of technical ceramics in the world. It's headquartered in Golden, Colorado. [5:36] Justin and Ondrea comment on the beauty of Golden, Colorado. Justin likes the Coors Brewery and recommends the tour. He says Coors Ceramics (CoorsTek) is a close second. Both Coors Brewing and CoorsTek are owned and managed by the Coors family. [7:08] CoorsTek has 30 facilities across 10 countries. Ondrea has visited the majority of the CoorsTek facilities and has built relationships with the local leadership teams in Finance, Human Resources, and Health and Safety. [7:34] CorsTek manufactures thousands of parts, but the processes and materials are fairly consistent. They have a very low claim volume. That allows the risk team to focus on streamlining renewals, process improvements, and communication flow. [7:48] They prioritize larger strategic initiatives in alignment wth their corporate vision. It's not challenging when they all come together for the same common purpose. [8:13] Ondrea's team includes Ondrea, with a full-time Risk Manager and a part-time Workers' Compensation Manager. It's a department of 2.5. The work ebbs and flows. Between renewals and with low claim volume, there is some downtime to work on projects and other initiatives. [8:36] CoorsTek is looking at further developing its fleet management and maintaining alignment with global partners. The size of the risk team is good for CoorsTek. [8:51] Ondrea prioritizes risks by the largest exposure. CoorsTek pays attention to what is most impactful and prioritizes the health and safety of its employees. That's through Workers' Compensation, Health and Safety Partnerships with the global EHS staff. [9:12] CoorsTek looks at its property exposures. Its property insurer has a robust Risk Engineering department. CoorsTek has a dedicated Property Protection Engineer. CoorsTek prioritizes people first, and then the balance sheet and the financials. [9:31] CoorsTek is a very innovative company. The teams are always bringing a new product or process to the table. They look for ways to protect the company's financials while still enabling growth; for ways to say yes to the business while making them aware of the risks and costs. [10:17] Ondrea explains how she oversees benefits. Benefits represent a large strategic risk and opportunity, as well as increased fiduciary responsibility. [10:39] Ondrea explains that changing a health care provider requires not just a detailed financial analysis but also assessing the risk related to employee engagement, comprehensive communication, access to care, and employees' emotional well-being. [11:00] It's a framework of risk identification, assessment, and response. [11:05] Ondrea monitors risks like medical inflation, pharmacy management shifts, compliance, and vendor performance, to continually reduce financial exposure to the company and employees, related to large losses, changes in prescription coverage, deductibles, and more. [11:24] CoorsTek works with partners, consultants, and local human resource teams on responses to support and clarify for its employees. [11:44] At CoorsTek, risk doesn't just belong to Ondrea and her team. Risk is addressed by every function, every day. CoorsTek has a wide expanse of expertise, and they've brought everyone together to support the company. [12:01] They have a global trade department, a supply chain, and a government affairs position, and they've kept on top of the tariffs for the organization, reporting on changes weekly or bi-weekly. CoorsTek's Health and Safety team is also global. They stay on top of regulations. [12:19] Ondrea appreciates the collaboration they all have at CoorsTek. It makes her job easier. When they say risk, it doesn't mean Ondrea and her team. Every department comes together to face all the new challenges they are seeing recently in the economy. It's in the KoorsTek culture. [12:57] Ondrea is fortunate to have access to CoorsTek's leadership. Most of the employees do. The CEOs have direct email lines, and any employee is welcome to reach out at any time. [13:24] In Ondrea's unique role, combining risk and benefits, she has the opportunity to join the Human Resources team and the Finance leadership teams, and she reports directly to the CFO for the family company. [13:40] The family has helped build and support mechanisms for communicating with leadership. They do skip-levels. Everybody feels respected as individuals. Ondrea joined the company when they had one global location, and the company was a lot smaller. [14:05] Ondrea has been able to grow with the company and see the evolution that has come with that growth. It's exciting to see all the innovation and all the ways that CoorsTek continues to contribute to the communities and the world. [14:23] Quick Break for RIMS Events! On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [14:38] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [14:55] On November 17th and 18th, elevate your ERM Program and career at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and early rates are available until September 5th. Register now to save $110 and secure your spot at the ERM event of the year. [15:17] Canadian listeners, take note, that's just a little bit South of the border in British Columbia. That's a great way to extend your knowledge after the RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2025 to register. [15:32] At the top, Justin mentioned RISKWORLD 2026. Through September 4th, the RISKWORLD education content submission process is still open. [15:41] RIMS invites you to share your experiences, best practices, and innovative strategies that represent the global outlook of risk management. Send us your submission, and who knows? We might select you to speak at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia! The link is in the show notes. [15:59] Let's Return to My Interview with RIMS Board Director Ondrea Matthews!  [16:11] Ondrea is a member of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter. Rocky Mountain Chapter members Emily Buckley, Emily Bloedel, and Neil Colclough have been guests on RIMScast. Ondrea joined about 18 years ago when she started at CoorsTek. She's glad she joined. [17:02] The RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter has been amazing. It helped create a community for Ondrea. She joined, not knowing a lot about risk management. The chapter has been a source of support for her for her entire career. She wouldn't be where she is today without that community. [17:40] Ondrea joined the chapter board and has held a lot of board positions, including Past President, Community Service Chair, and Secretary. She finds her time with the chapter to be invaluable. She was excited that Neil Colclough won the Volunteer of the Year award. [18:07] It's exciting to see the energy that the current board has. [18:21] As of January of this year, Ondrea is a member of the Global RIMS Board. She loves her interactions with RIMS. She likes the camaraderie and impact that you have from serving on a board. [18:53] The opportunity to serve on the RIMS Global Board came up. It was an intense process to be nominated. She's learning a lot. She's surrounded by great leaders who have been on the board for a couple of years. She loves the energy Kristen Peed brings to the board. [19:46] RIMS emphasizes professional development, inclusivity, and innovation in risk management. Ondrea's passion is giving back to the community. She appreciates the inclusion that RIMS brings. It brings together people from every walk of life and level of risk management. [20:45] Ondrea feels that RIMS's culture is very inclusive. She was welcomed with open arms. She hopes that everyone else in the RIMS community is feeling welcomed and that we want their thoughts, ideas, and their participation. [21:03] Ondrea appreciates the inclusion around RIMS. Professional development and innovation go hand in hand. You need to educate to innovate. Risk managers need to stay ahead of innovation, bring ideas to the table, and not just solve problems as they are presented. [21:31] Ondrea talks about workforce well-being and risk management, and the risks of recruitment, retention, absenteeism, and presenteeism. These are not as easy to quantify as an actuarial analysis for future claims and IBNR projections. They rely on human behavior. [22:12] CoorsTek gathers data through annual engagement surveys and Great Places to Work surveys, and addresses those results with action items, identifying areas of risk to its human capital and employee well-being. [22:27] Ondrea thinks you need to look at employee well-being through a different lens than “How is everybody feeling today, and how are they reacting to surveys?” You need to look at them with respect to absenteeism. Why are employees not showing up? [22:56] What are you doing to improve their work-life balance or get them other supports that they may need in their lives so that they can be present at work? [23:07] A Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [23:27] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process is now open through October 15th, 2025. [23:43] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [23:57] The Spencer 2025 Funding their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 18th, at the Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. This year's honoree is Tim Ryan, the U.S. President of Lockton, and we look forward to having Tim join us here on RIMScast very soon. [24:16] A link to the Gala is also in this episode's show notes. Buy a ticket, enjoy a great night in the city, and support the future of risk management. [24:24] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Ondrea Matthews! [24:31] Ondrea will be at the RIMS Western Regional Conference on October 2nd. She is very excited. This is her 3rd Western Regional Conference. She's kicking herself for not having gone all these years in the past. [24:50] Ondrea says the vibe there is one of connections. It's a lot smaller than RISKWORLD. The Western Regional Conference is a little more laid back. There's more time to create connections and have meaningful conversations. [25:16] It provides the opportunity to create a network with people who have the same challenges as you. There's a session on wildfires. Someone in another region may not have a wildfire exposure like they have in the Western Region. It brings people together. [25:46] Ondrea will have a session on October 2nd, “Gone But Not Forgotten: Mastering Absence, Disability, and Risk Without Losing Your Sanity!” She will co-present with Brett Wilson of ESIS, a Chubb company. [26:04] The session title is a mouthful! Ondrea says she is excited to present the topic with Brett. They are getting to know each other now. [26:35] Ondrea has sat on the planning committee for the Western Regional Conference for the last couple of years. Ondrea is the conference liaison for ESIS. ESIS wanted to present this topic, and they asked Ondrea if she knew anyone who would be able to speak on this with them. [27:05] As Ondrea was already familiar with the ESIS team and currently leads absence management within CoorsTek, it seemed that she would be a really good fit, so she will be co-presenting with ESIS. [27:20] Ondrea says there are so many changes in compliance and regulation regarding absence management that it is an organizational risk. It's not just an employee well-being risk, but it's also a compliance and financial risk. [27:39] The regulations change quickly. If you are a national company across the U.S., every state has its nuance. You have to know what every state is doing where you have employees, whether it's a virtual employee or hundreds of employees.  [28:02] Regulations can put your organization at significant risk for non-compliance. There's also a reputational risk that goes along with non-compliance. [28:24] The presentation will include tips and thoughts on avoiding the common pitfalls that organizations face in navigating these regulations. [28:37] Ondrea suggests helping risk leaders connect more with their Human Resource partners, create more value for them within the company, and create more value for the company. [28:53] Ondrea will give the audience time to ask questions and share stories. Ondrea says the best sessions are interactive. Presenters learn as much from an audience as they hope the audience is going to learn from them. [29:12] Each attendee has a unique mindset and situation. Sharing unique situations helps broaden everyone's overview of how to address and potentially help solve problems. [29:27] If you're going to attend, everybody bring your questions! Ondrea's very personable and easy to speak with. Even after the session, people come up to her. She will be at the Western Regional Conference for the entire time, hoping to get some good sessions in. [29:43] Ondrea says she is available anytime through LinkedIn or email. She is happy to connect. [30:09] Ondrea shares how empathetic communication can help defuse a risky or contentious employee absence situation. Keep in mind that when an employee is on leave, it's because they are going through a significant life event. We need to have ongoing communications with them. [30:30] People think that when an employee's not at work, they shouldn't talk to them or bother them. Ondrea says you need to continue to let your employees know they're a part of the organizational family still and that you care for them. [30:51] Empathy goes a really long way. Listening and active listening help, even if you don't have answers for what they're going through. Let them know that you are going to help them navigate this. [31:04] CoorsTek has a great internal team that helps manage, leads, and is the point for employee communication. CoorsTek outsources its leave management to distance itself from the regulatory environment and focus on the employee as a person. [31:30] Justin adds that it's that sort of perspective that you're going to get at the RIMS Western Regional Conference when you go to Ondrea's session on October 2nd, “Gone But Not Forgotten.” Do not forget to go and attend! Ondrea is looking forward to seeing everyone there! [31:52] Special thanks again to Ondrea Matthews of CoorsTek and the RIMS Board of Directors for joining us here at RIMScast. Remember to see her at the RIMS Western Regional Conference from October 1st through the 3rd. [32:06] Ondrea will deliver the session on October 2nd, “Gone But Not Forgotten: Mastering Absence, Disability, and Risk Without Losing Your Sanity!” The conference will be held at the lovely Santa Clara Marriott in California. [32:20] Register, attend, and tell Ondrea that you heard her first here on RIMScast! [32:27] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [32:55] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [33:13] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [33:31] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [33:47] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [34:01] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [34:13] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 The call for RISKWORLD 2026 submissions is open through Sept 4. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025, in NYC! Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now www.coorstek.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals | Sept. 4, 2025 | Sponsored by AXA XL “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration” | Sept. 18 | Sponsored by Origami Risk “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Vendor Management with David Neikrug” “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Supply and Bike Chains with Emily Buckley”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Ondrea Matthews, Sr. Director, Risk Management & Benefits, CoorsTek   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

His links:https://www.pilleater.com/https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@pilleater⁩  https://www.tiktok.com/@pilleaterIG: https://www.instagram.com/polluteyoursoul/X: https://x.com/polluteyoursoulRumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2941880Website: polluteyoursoul.wixsite.comMerch: polluteyoursoul.bigcartel.comCD's: polluteyourears.bandcamp.comLinktree: https://linktr.ee/polluteyoursoulBuy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/mikehassiepenOUTLINE00:00 - How did he create the Safe Sleazy meme?04:37 - Online hate and Red Scare fans mass reporting him11:11 - Art and Politics intertwining16:24 - Dangers of Transhumanism22:31 - What is AxA?30:08 - The next president will be a “Based Democrat” (Newsom)32:42 - AxA and Dating 36:49 - Riots and race 39:55 - Japan's culture issues43:46 - How does pilleater describe himself philosophically and books he likes?51:03 - Wrap up and his future contentDonate:Paypal - https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/micha...Cashapp - $MikeSerpentineMonero: 47K9YNucSau4QEioqSbmWVWYbG7gmFPjVTiax2Hcfo38C7uzCn8YxYZgUQvQuC3t1gfaNiATSZiAq4ojp49Px8xFMVJfj9EUse my cashapp sign up link and we'll each get $5. TKTRWC7 https://cash.app/app/TKTRWC7DUBBY is an energy drink with many vitamins and nootropics. This tasty drink is for people who want to focus without jitters or a crash. Unlike other energy drinks, DUBBY developed a clean energy formula that is free from fillers, maltodextrin, and artificial colorings. Expect such flavors as Beach N Peach, Pushin Punch, Galaxy Grenade, and more!Use code: polluteyoursoul at checkout for 10% off all orders of your Jitterless Energy Blend! Or order with this link here! https://www.dubby.gg/?ref=yxxBfQ7H1OfEJDIntro and outro song for TPSYP Episodes: Tearing apart - 4th and 5th by SWISHH22PERCCSShare, Comment, Like, and Subscribe, or live execution!"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Fan Mail: Got a challenge digitizing your intake? Share it with us, and we'll unpack solutions from our experience at Cytora.In this episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro sits down with Greg Hendrick, CEO of Vantage Risk Companies, to unpack what it takes to build a modern underwriting company from the ground up, right in the middle of a pandemic. Greg reveals how Vantage has grown to $1.2B in equity by combining the best of traditional underwriting expertise with a business-driven risk data technology strategy.From creating an “Opportunity Score” to prioritise submissions, to fostering collaboration between underwriters and data scientists, Greg shares practical strategies for boosting efficiency and culture in a remote-first world. Whether you're an insurance professional embracing digital transformation or a leader refining underwriting workflows, this conversation is packed with lessons on thriving in today's complex risk landscape.To receive a custom demo from Cytora, click here and use the code 'Making Risk Flow'.Our previous guests include: Bronek Masojada of PPL, Craig Knightly of Inigo, Andrew Horton of QBE Insurance, Simon McGinn of Allianz, Stephane Flaquet of Hiscox, Matthew Grant of InsTech, Paul Brand of Convex, Paolo Cuomo of Gallagher Re, and Thierry Daucourt of AXA.Check out the three most downloaded episodes: The Five Pillars of Data Analytics Strategy in Insurance | Craig Knightly, Inigo 20 Years as CEO of Hiscox: Personal Reflections and the Evolution of PPL | Bronek Masojada Implementing ESG in the Insurance and Underwriting Space | Simon Tighe, Chaucer, and Paul McCarney, Moody's

Today's guest is Sidharth Ojha, Head of Process Optimization in Data and AI at the AXA XL Global Underwriting Office. AXA XL is the property and casualty and specialty risk division of AXA, serving mid-sized companies and large multinationals across more than 200 countries and territories. In this episode, Sidharth breaks down where insurers are seeing real GenAI adoption beyond the back office — including use cases in underwriting efficiency, regulatory alignment, and internal risk triage. He discusses how summarization tools are evolving into more advanced applications like quote comparison and submission prioritization, helping insurers shift from cost savings to growth-focused outcomes. We also explore how AI is helping insurers unlock unstructured policy data and why data governance is critical for enabling the prescriptive workflows many organizations are aiming toward. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the ‘AI in Business' podcast! If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews David Neikrug, CEO at Optimatum Solutions, about managing vendors of employer-sponsored healthcare and a recent Optimatum Solutions report, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare”. David explores with Justin the topic of applying risk management tools to HR programs and plans, an area that risk managers rarely visit. They touch on ways for risk managers to contribute at the table using the risk management skills and tools that they have applied to recognized risk areas for years.   Listen to learn about the benefits of managing benefit plan vendors.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is vendor management. We will dive deeply with Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug. [:40] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [:50] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:07] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:24] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:35] The next RIMS Webinar will be held on September 4th and will be led by AXA XL. It is titled “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals”. [1:48] On September 18th, Origami Risk will present “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration”. [1:56] On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:05] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:17] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is jam-packed with educational sessions that will resonate with risk practitioners in all stages of their careers. [2:38] See the full agenda at RIMS.org/ERM2025. [2:44] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [2:58] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:11] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:26] On with the show! You wanted to hear about vendor management, and that's why I reached out to Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug, to discuss the findings in Optimatum's new report, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare”. [3:50] It's got some fascinating insights, and I wanted to extend the dialogue beyond the PDF, so let's get started! [3:56] Interview! David Neikrug, welcome to RIMScast! [4:07] Justin hasn't covered vendor management much on RIMScast. Justin invited David on the show to talk about Optimatum's publicly available paper, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare.” This speaks to a risk management audience. [4:28] There is a link in this episode's show notes. The average cost of healthcare in 2025 is pushing north of $25K total cost, per employee per year, and it's an outsourced function. It's a large amount of money. [5:08] HR generally doesn't have the traditional service level agreements (SLAs) or performance guarantees that are present in an IT services agreement. That's a major disconnect that leads to financial, operational, and risk issues that go unchecked. [5:44] Traditionally, we don't see risk managers getting involved in HR things like employer-sponsored healthcare. David encourages risk managers to take the tools and skills they know and apply them to HR and employer-sponsored healthcare and retirement plans. [6:23] David suggests risk managers should demand vendor transparency when it comes to fees, debits, and credits. David talks about pharmacy rebates, segregation, and how credits are captured and applied. [7:09] David says vendor harmonization can be applied vertically or horizontally. The vertical side is when a company has acquired several HR benefits and programs, and then merges them into one program. The value creation by doing that is immense. [7:56] David says horizontal harmonization applies to anybody who aggregates companies of various kinds, including family offices. Each company may have a disparate benefits plan. Bringing plans together can save hundreds to thousands of dollars per employee per year. [8:46] Those are the types of numbers Optimatum Solutions is seeing as the opportunity for a risk manager to focus on as a quantifiable value proposition of bringing 10 vendor programs into one aggregated program. [9:14] From a risk standpoint, you have a single source to manage across enterprises. [9:31] David often speaks using numbers to convey the point. He says risk managers have a wealth of information and know what they are doing. When it comes to opportunities to create value, HR is an area they're not thinking about. [10:25] David suggests surveying risk managers and asking what percentage of risk managers are focused on the HR side, employer-sponsored healthcare, and retirement plans. You'll see the opportunity is almost endless. [10:44] Quick Break for RIMS Events!  On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [10:59] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [11:15] On November 17th and 18th, elevate your ERM Program and career at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and early rates are available until September 5th. Register now to save $110 and secure your spot at the ERM event of the year. [11:37] Canadian listeners, take note, that's just a little bit South of the border in British Columbia. That's a great way to extend your knowledge after the RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2025 to register. [11:52] At the top, Justin mentioned RISKWORLD 2026. Through September 4th, the RISKWORLD education content submission process is still open. [12:02] RIMS invites you to share your experiences, best practices, and innovative strategies that represent the global outlook of risk management. Send us your submission, and who knows? We might select you to speak at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia! The link is in the show notes. [12:20] Let's Return to My Interview with David Neikrug!  [12:42] David says the first thing to do is make sure risk managers have a seat at the table of employer-sponsored healthcare. They need to look at and understand all the terms and conditions of the contracts, looking for the low-hanging fruit. [12:55] Look for Service Level Agreements, Performance Guarantees, and Built-in Reconciliation Clauses for the vendor to provide a self-reconciliation of all the debits and credits from the plan year. Understand the contracts. [13:17] Second, make sure that you're a part of the team. Look at what you can do, bringing all the tools that you've acquired, dealing with the risk side over the years, and applying them to the HR benefits side. [13:54] For organizations of between 500 to 5,000 employees, there is ample opportunity. Those are going more unwatched than the larger organizations. The vendors aren't used to being held as accountable as they are for a Fortune 100. [14:21] David would say there isn't an organization that doesn't have an opportunity. It's a matter of focusing on it and bringing your expertise to the table to help your organization hold those vendors accountable, drive savings and performance, and create value. [14:59] David said Optimatum Solutions had a client that was a rapidly growing organization. They had acquired a company and decided to change the acquired company's vendor because they had been using a different vendor. [15:22] David mentions that Optimatum Solutions has a focus on improving or fixing relationships with vendors, versus running an RFP and finding a new vendor. It's better to fix a problem than to replace it. [15:40] Someone at the client company decided to move the pension plan business of the acquired company to a new provider. The plan was started in 1972, before the ERISA regulations on how pension plans are managed. The new vendor did no due diligence and took it over. [16:37] Within the first year, there was a claim by a retiree that the lump sum payment should have been 10 times what it was, stemming from one example in a plan document of how a benefit will be calculated. The company had to defend an $18 million potential claim. [17:11] It took three years to resolve. This taught the new vendor what the old vendor had been doing seamlessly for all those years. The former vendor knew how to deal with various situations, including payments to international employees. [17:49] The new vendor hadn't understood what they were acquiring. That led to a colossal mess. [18:10] It was an HR issue. They had a risk manager, but hadn't thought of having the risk manager at the table for this event. [18:20] A Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [18:40] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process is now open through October 15th, 2025. [18:56] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [19:10] The Spencer 2025 Funding their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 18th, at the Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. This year's honoree is Tim Ryan, the U.S. President of Lockton, and we look forward to having Tim join us here on RIMScast very soon. [19:29] A link to the Gala is also in this episode's show notes. Buy a ticket, enjoy a great night in the city, and support the future of risk management. [19:38] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug! [19:47] Behavioral and mental health are workforce concerns and reputational risks. David says the real number is productivity. If a factory has employees out for behavioral health issues, it has to replace those employees with temporary workers while still paying them. [20:43] The total cost of unmanaged behavioral health in a workforce is not just the behavioral health medical claims, pharmacy claims, or inpatient claims; it's also the lost working hours of those employees and the replacement costs of those employees. [21:15] That's a much larger number than just the surface of behavioral and mental health. Today, all health plans have strong behavioral programs. Organizations have Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). [21:38] There are also point solutions adding a layer of a microbenefit on top of the program to ensure that employees are receiving the right care at the right time, in the right place.  [22:01] Organizations have the right tools. An employer will have all these programs, but they're disconnected. No one is bringing everyone to the table. [22:24] For a certain cost per employee per month, an EAP vendor will provide a given number of behavioral health visits. They will support the process within the traditional healthcare delivery system. Organizations can have point solutions for behavioral health. [23:00] Organizations can have these vendors at the table to understand what's going on at the organization. Are there RIFs? Are there acquisitions? Does the organization have seasonal issues driving stress? Is there an issue with the community where the organization is located? [23:20] Look at it holistically. Bring all these vendors to the table and discuss what's going on.  [23:30] In an unfortunate situation where employees are very stressed and have some sort of episode while at work, that's a material reputational risk, internally, and it may become an external issue. Most employers today have the vendors in place who can support them. [24:05] The steps are bringing the vendors to the table and managing them to ensure that they're aligned with the intended outcomes, and everyone's goal is aligned accordingly. [24:20] When you're discussing the organization with vendors, what about trade secrets, such as expansion and strategy? David says if you have the right vendor, they're about confidentiality. [24:46] If you're about to announce a Reduction in Force (RIF) or an acquisition, you will want your EAP in place to train managers to deal with employees who may be stressed. [26:01] David talks about AI risks. Ensure that when your employees are using any AI platform, you have thoroughly vetted the platforms you are allowing them to use to make sure that none of your proprietary or confidential information lands in public. [26:36] When using AI with confidential information, unless it's a closed system, you have a material risk of it being exposed. [27:02] AI is here for the future. It will change the face of every single profession. Justin assures that there will be no bots hosting or guesting on RIMScast! [27:35] David asks organizations, in the face of AI, What are you doing about it? How are you training and supporting your employees so that they can be part of the future, versus being a former employee who has been replaced due to AI? [27:54] In analytics, AI is simplifying delivery and crunching numbers like we've never seen before. These are incredible benefits for organizations in the future. [28:27] David thinks that you need internal tools to ensure that your employees are not divulging confidential information within public tools and that your vendors and their vendors are all aligned to apply the same rules for confidentiality. [29:12] David, you have been such a wonderful guest! I'm so glad that you were here to provide a little extra insight into the recent Optimatum Solutions paper, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare”. A link is in this episode's show notes. [29:35] At the end of the paper is David's contact information. [29:53] Special thanks again to Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug, for joining us here on RIMScast. You can find the link to A Path Not Taken, the professional report, at OptimatumSolutions.com and in this episode's show notes. [30:11] I've also got links to RIMS coverage of vendor management in this episode's show notes. [30:17] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [30:45] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [31:03] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [31:21] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [31:37] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [31:52] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [32:04] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 The call for RISKWORLD 2026 submissions is now open! RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025, in NYC! Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now Optimatum Professional Report: “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare” OptimatumSolutions.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals” | Sept. 4, 2025 | Sponsored by AXA XL “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration” | Sept. 18 | Sponsored by Origami Risk “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Supply and Bike Chains with Emily Buckley”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: David Neikrug, CEO at Optimatum Solutions LLC   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   The inaugural RIMS Texas Regional was held Aug. 4‒6 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Nearly 500 attendees filled the hall for the groundbreaking event, which united the Texas RIMS chapters and welcomed risk management professionals worldwide.   In this episode, Justin interviews Conference attendees Tiara Wallace, DFW RIMS Inclusivity Chair and Director of RISK Invesco US, Jason Turk,  Director of Operations for Bondy Law Group, and Founder of Swag for Schools, and Maximilian Glodde, Co-Founder and CEO of MEO Continuity. They discuss their experiences at the inaugural RIMS Texas Regional Conference, their risk management backgrounds, and their advice for risk managers today.   Listen to learn more about this inaugural annual RIMS Texas Regional event.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast, recorded and produced live onsite at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 in San Antonio. We have three fascinating perspectives today. [:47] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [:58] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:14] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:32] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:43] The next RIMS Webinar will be held on September 4th and will be led by AXA XL. It is titled “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals”. [1:56] On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:04] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is jam-packed with educational sessions that will resonate with risk practitioners in all stages of their careers. [2:25] See the full agenda at RIMS.org/ERM2025. Nominations are open for the RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction 2025. The nomination deadline is Saturday, August 16th. The award is presented annually at the RIMS ERM Conference. There is a link in this episode's show notes. [2:52] If your organization's ERM program or one you know of deserves this recognition, we want to hear about it. Remember to send in that nomination form by August 16th. [3:03] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:18] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:31] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:45] On with the show! The RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 was a smashing success, with nearly 500 attendees in the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio! [3:58] Feedback has been wonderful, on everything from keynotes to educational sessions to networking opportunities. If you missed it this year, mark your calendar for August 10th through 12th, 2026. We will be back at the convention center in San Antonio next year. [4:14] Justin interviewed a few of the attendees, the first of whom is very well-known in the DFW RIMS Chapter. Tiara Wallace is a long-time DFW RIMS Chapter member, and she is also the Inclusivity Chair. [4:30] In her full-time job, Tiara is the Director of Risk Management for Invesco US. We're going to talk about construction risk in Texas and the power of inclusivity, and what it means for her and everyone at DFW RIMS. Let's get to it! [4:44] Interview! Tiara Wallace, welcome to RIMScast! [5:26] Tiara says it is amazing to see all four chapters come together with Global RIMS! It's been great meeting new folks, seeing new vendor partners, and meeting risk professionals from across the state of Texas. It's been a great event and a great turnout! [5:55] Tiara is part of the DFW RIMS Chapter and also sits on the Board for the Texas Regional as one of the contributors, to help bring together DFW's POV for the Texas Regional. [6:25] Tiara says we are stronger together, and it's been great to collaborate across the different chapters and meet folks she wouldn't ordinarily have met.  [6:44] Tiara is the Director of Risk Management for Invesco Real Estate. Invesco acquires real estate assets and develops and constructs new assets. Tiara handles the insurance for liability, property, environmental, claims management, and contract review. [7:07] Everything for risk management for a major property owner in Texas and across the U.S. [7:36] Tiara says that since the pandemic of 2020, Texas has seen an increase in folks flocking to DFW for the cost of living. That brought in more development, construction, and congestion on the roads. This required more labor and construction employees to build offices. [8:20] Tiara says there are issues in keeping up with the pace of people coming in. There is a labor shortage, and extreme weather with heat and flooding. For a couple of years, Texas had bad freezes that they were not prepared to handle. Justin says Texas faces unique exposures. [9:22] Tiara says, post-pandemic, we have supply chain issues. Some companies buy warehouses to store materials. Tiara worked for an owner-developer who had land and facilities to store materials. Manage great relationships with your vendors. Purchase locally. [9:53] Tiara looked at ways to shorten the pipeline so that when they had disruptions, they didn't delay projects. Invesco wanted to be able to continue construction so that folks would have a place to live, work, and play. [10:14] Tiara elaborates on partnerships and contract management. What does the contract say? What are we doing to protect not only ourselves but our vendor partners, to fulfill our fiduciary responsibility to continue to produce, build, and not go bankrupt? [11:37] Tiara thinks that safety takes a couple of things: first, your alignment and partnership with safety managers, even outside of your organization, to discuss challenges, and discussing claims history with teams on the ground to help them practice safety. [12:24] The second thing is to leverage your carriers' risk control/loss control department so they can come in and give you tools. [12:37] Typically, a risk manager is a team of one, so you have to be resourceful about whom you work with, and run it up to the organization to make sure they're aligned with it. [13:01] At Invesco, Tiara is in a team of three, and they partner with a larger risk management consulting group. Tiara has a risk analyst and a risk manager on her team, and they attack everything together. Tiara lays out the division of tasks between them. [13:44] Tiara is the Inclusivity Chair at RIMS DFW Chapter. It's a new role. They wanted to bridge the gap between ages, risk managers, carrier partners, and vendor partners. [14:34] They wanted everyone coming to a DFW RIMS event to know that they have a place where they feel they belong. They are a part of a community working together to advance the risk management and insurance industry within Dallas-Fort Worth. [15:20] Tiara says people have not taken a moment to pause and use a common-sense approach about inclusivity. We need to be intentional. Some of us are getting ready to exit our industry. We need to recruit people into it. [16:02] How are we making sure this industry will be around for the rest of our time? Insurance is an industry that touches everything. Inclusivity means everybody should be included in it. [16:54] Tiara is a transplant from Oklahoma City to Dallas. She knew few people here. When her boss asked her for risk management connections, she started with LinkedIn. She asked her broker, and they started a real estate council to help her with the questions she had. [18:53] Justin tells Tiara it has been inspiring to hear her story. He is glad she is doing so well and was able to join us on RIMScast live from the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025. Thank you, Tiara! [19:22] Quick Break for RIMS Events!  On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [19:36] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [19:53] On November 17th and 18th, elevate your ERM Program and career at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and early rates are available until September 5th. Register now to save $110 and secure your spot at the ERM event of the year. [20:15] Canadian listeners, take note, that's just a little bit South of the border in British Columbia. That's a great way to extend your knowledge after the RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2025 to register. [20:30] On with the Show! Our next guest was highly visible at the RIMS Texas Regional. He is Jason Turk, the Founder and Project Coordinator of the charity program, Swag for Schools. He is also the Director of Operations for the Bondy Law Group in Encino, California. [20:50] Jason is the former Membership Director for DFW RIMS. We will discuss his fascinating risk career and work with risk managers. We will learn about how Swag for Schools emphasizes sustainability by redistributing conference giveaways and giving back to the local community. [21:16] Interview! Jason Turk, welcome to RIMScast! [21:22] If you've been to DFW RIMS events, you may remember the Swag for Schools booth, which is manned by former Membership Director for DFW RIMS, Jason Turk. Jason, welcome to RIMScast! [22:03] Jason joined the Marine Corps in the early '90s and got out in '97. He worked as a security guard at the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board in San Bernardino. From there, he did surveillance and investigations in Southern California and then returned home to Texas. [22:36] Jason went to work for an investigation company in Dallas and became involved with the DFW RIMS Chapter. He worked in claims, Medicare compliance, and medical canvassing, and he was a California workers' compensation claims adjuster in the Dallas office of Crum & Forster. [22:58] He has a well-rounded career in claims. He's been involved with the DFW RIMS chapter since the early 2000s. [23:06] Jason is the Director of Operations of the Bondy Law Group. They do California workers' compensation defense. Jason tracks performance and maintains smooth communication in operations throughout the firm and with its clients. [23:36] Jason's goal has been to build relationships with the risk managers. His job directly impacts their bottom line, their employees, and the culture they set within their companies. [23:48] In Jason's experience, the workers' compensation world in California is a litigious area. He tries to make a positive impact on those employers and maintain long-term relationships. Jason's LinkedIn page link is in this episode's show notes. [24:19] Swag for Schools was born from an experience Jason had at a conference in 2019. Exhibitors were leaving, a storm was coming, and they abandoned boxes of marketing materials in the hall. Jason thought there had to be something he could do with those items. [24:48] He thought of donating the items, saving the exhibitors' shipping costs and time, saving the materials from going to a landfill, and doing some good, providing items to school teachers. There are a lot of items that the school teachers would go and purchase on their own. [25:04] That gave Jason the idea in 2019 to create Swag for Schools. He ran pilot tests in California and Texas, and it was very successful. Then COVID-19 hit, and conferences came to a grinding halt. [25:24] When Jason returned to the industry and the Bondy Law Group, he reinvigorated the program. Now they're on the 10th or more conference since resuming the program. [25:47] As a charity program, not a 501(c)(3), and not a non-profit, Swag for Schools does not seek or accept monetary donations. As a pass-through program, they will accept gift cards. They facilitate the donation to a local school in the area of the conference. They don't ship. [26:07] They accept typical conference swag: pens, notepads, water bottles, towels, and hand sanitizer. Many of the schools that receive the swag also support battered women's shelters, adult education, and other programs. Items not needed for schools can help other folks. [26:43] The stress balls they use in arts and crafts. Koozies get turned into hand puppets. The teachers find a way to utilize these items. [27:04] Swag for Schools doesn't have an expectation from the exhibitors. The items cost the exhibitors. Often, they want to take them home. Last year, they filled half of a 26-foot box truck with donation items that went to a school's foundation that went to K-12 and adult education. [27:35] Swag for Schools doesn't discriminate on the items because schools will find a way to use them. Unless it's a shot glass or something sharp, Swag for Schools will take it. [27:56] The items donated at the RIMS Texas Regional 2025 Conference will be boxed up and taken to Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in San Antonio, about four miles away from the Conference Center. [28:18] Woodrow Wilson School will put the items in a school store where the teachers can pull the items they need without paying for them or accounting for them, as they are donations. Every little bit helps. You never know what use someone is going to have for these items. [29:02] It helps the teachers who don't have to buy things for their class, and it helps the exhibitors on their ESG goals, not putting swag in a landfill. [29:14] Jason, it has been such a pleasure to see you again. As a reminder to the listeners, a link to the Swag for Schools LinkedIn page is in this episode's show notes. Jason, thank you for doing such wonderful work for yourself and on behalf of the greater risk community. [29:53] A Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [30:12] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process will open on August 15th, 2025. It will close on October 15th. [30:32] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [30:46] The Spencer 2025 Funding their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 18th, at the Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. This year's honoree is Tim Ryan, the U.S. President of Lockton, and we look forward to having Tim join us here on RIMScast very soon. [31:05] A link to the Gala is also in this episode's show notes. Buy a ticket, enjoy a great night in the city, and support the future of risk management. [31:14] Our next guest is the Co-Founder and CEO of MEO Continuity, a risk management software company that helps you optimize business disruption response. [31:25] His name is Maximilian Glodde, and we discuss risk management and why it was so important for him, as the Founder and CEO of a startup, to join RIMS. [31:43] Interview! Maximilian Glodde, welcome to RIMScast! [31:45] Maximilian has been in RIMS and the risk management space for 10 years. MEO Continuity is a relatively young startup of just over three years. [32:29] Maximilian believes the biggest challenge for a startup is getting your word out. They had early validation that we had something people found valuable. We had to stay disciplined about staying in our lane. The big challenge is getting your name out and staying focused. [32:51] Maximilian says there is a lot that comes with starting a company. He has a completely different appreciation for HR. You take it for granted. He gives HR a big shoutout for the policies and procedures you don't think about. [33:11] Once you grow past your founding team, HR becomes very important. You need to think about what people care about at work and what makes them happy. [33:37] When Maximilian and Justin met in Denver at the ERM Conference 2023, MEO Continuity was just Christopher Wegman and Maximilian Glodde. They now have a team of over 15. They've grown fast, and they have wonderful clients in all different industries. [34:24] Maximilian had come from a large carrier, and RIMS was an event the carrier sponsored. Maximilian got to see what RIMS was all about. He knew, when he came out with MEO Continuity, they needed to start the journey by attending RIMS conferences. [34:45] RIMS conferences are attended by a high caliber of companies, vendors, and prospects. The first conference where MEO Continuity exhibited was RISKWORLD 2024 in San Diego. That event was a huge success. MEO Continuity got their message out. [35:28] Since exhibiting at RISKWORLD 2024, MEO Continuity has streamlined their conference preparation process. Maximilian liked that the RIMS team was very responsive to their many questions and answered them quickly. They felt super supported for a successful event. [35:57] That support and success is why they came back to RISKWORLD 2025 in Chicago. MEO Continuity will exhibit at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th, and at the RIMS Western Regional from October 1st through 3rd. [36:22] MEO Continuity will also exhibit at the RIMS ERM Conference in Seattle, on November 17th and 18th, and will co-present a session on November 17th, “Are You Mapping Your Value Chain Backwards?” with Emily Buckley of Specialized Bicycle Components. [36:52] Maximilian believes the value chain mapping process lives at the core of the risk management process. It's very difficult to manage and mitigate risk if you don't understand what's important in your value chain. [37:27] MEO Continuity is a proponent of starting at the end of the value chain, with your customers and working your way backward toward raw materials. When you map backward, wherever you stop, up to that point, you get some decision-useful information. [37:49] That's what the presentation will be about. Maximilian and Emily have been working together on it. [38:14] Maximilian shares his advice for risk professionals considering starting a company. You have to be somewhat crazy! If Maximilan had known all the things that could go wrong, he likely would not have taken that leap. Don't look too far forward. It will scare you to death! [38:35] Don't be afraid to get your name out there. Attending these RIMS conferences was very valuable for MEO Continuity. Maximilian adds that conferences increase the conversations you have and how often you talk about your product. You improve your presentation quickly. [39:02] Presenting in person is invaluable. It is authentic. Go to conferences. People are open to supporting and having those conversations. [39:24] Maximilian Glodde, thank you so much for joining us here on RIMScast!  [39:30] Special thanks again to all of my guests, and to everyone who attended, sponsored, and exhibited at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference  2025. This inaugural event was fantastic! [39:44] Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual RIMS Texas Regional Conference from August 10th through 12th, 2026, back here in San Antonio! Be sure to check out the RIMS.org/events page for more information. [40:02] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [40:31] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [40:49] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [41:07] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [41:23] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [41:37] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [41:49] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 | RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction 2025 Nominations Open Through Aug. 16 RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025 in NYC! RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals” | Sept. 4, 2025 | Sponsored by AXA XL “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Leadership Lessons with Major General (Ret.) Robert F. Whittle Jr., RIMS Texas Keynote” “Risk and Clarity with Huw Edwards, RIMS Texas Keynote” “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Supply and Bike Chains with Emily Buckley”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Tiara Wallace, DFW RIMS Inclusivity Chair, Director of RISK, Invesco US Jason Turk, Bondy Law Group, Director of Operations (California), Swag for Schools on LinkedIn Maximilian Glodde, CEO of MEO Continuity   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Fan Mail: Got a challenge digitizing your intake? Share it with us, and we'll unpack solutions from our experience at Cytora.In this panel episode of Making Risk Flow, host Juan de Castro dives into the transformative power of generative AI in insurance with three industry experts: Allison Thornicroft, VP and Business Solutions Lead at Arch Insurance Group, Neeren Chauhan, Chief Innovation and AI Officer at Tokio Marine, and Yaemish Rughoo, Information Technology Program Director at Everen.Together, they explore how AI is slashing submission clearance times from days to hours, achieving 95–97% data extraction accuracy, and optimising underwriting workflows. The conversation unpacks actionable frameworks for successful AI adoption, from email intake to underwriter workbench, and emphasises the importance of incremental implementation, human oversight, and third-party data integration. If you're navigating digital transformation in insurance, this episode delivers practical strategies, real-world examples, and lessons from the frontlines of AI-driven operational change.To receive a custom demo from Cytora, click here and use the code 'Making Risk Flow'.Our previous guests include: Bronek Masojada of PPL, Craig Knightly of Inigo, Andrew Horton of QBE Insurance, Simon McGinn of Allianz, Stephane Flaquet of Hiscox, Matthew Grant of InsTech, Paul Brand of Convex, Paolo Cuomo of Gallagher Re, and Thierry Daucourt of AXA.Check out the three most downloaded episodes: The Five Pillars of Data Analytics Strategy in Insurance | Craig Knightly, Inigo 20 Years as CEO of Hiscox: Personal Reflections and the Evolution of PPL | Bronek Masojada Implementing ESG in the Insurance and Underwriting Space | Simon Tighe, Chaucer, and Paul McCarney, Moody's

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Amanda Lindhout, RIMS Canada Keynote, bestselling author, and globally sought-after keynote speaker known for her powerful insights on resilience and transformation. Justin and Amanda discuss her 460 days in captivity in Somalia, the resilience she learned to develop in her darkest days, and the lessons she brings to the world on resilience and inner strength. They discuss Amanda's New York Times bestselling memoir, A House in the Sky, how hard but cathartic it was to write, and why she shared it with the world after writing it for her healing. She discusses her Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and how she evolved past being homebound for two years.   Amanda gives a preview of her message for the closing keynote of the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 and what the audience can expect to learn.   Listen to learn how you can strengthen your resilience through intention, presence, gratitude, and mindset.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] The RIMS Canada Conference 2025 will be held from September 14th through the 17th in Calgary. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca to register. [:26] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, A House in the Sky, and she will deliver a keynote address at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 on September 17th. I'm talking about Amanda Lindhout. [:57] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [1:07] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:23] The next RIMS Webinar will be held on September 4th and will be led by AXA XL. It is titled “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars.  [1:38] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” This is a two-day course. The first two-day course will be held on August 12th and 13th and will be led by former RIMS President, Chris Mandel. [1:56] The course will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [2:05] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [2:16] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is jam-packed with educational sessions that will resonate with risk practitioners in all stages of their careers. [2:37] See the full agenda at RIMS.org/ERM2025. Nominations are open for the RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction 2025. The nomination deadline is Saturday, August 16th. The award is presented annually at the RIMS ERM Conference. There is a link in this episode's show notes. [3:02] If your organization's ERM program or one you know of deserves this recognition, we want to hear about it. Remember to send in that nomination form by August 16th. [3:14] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:28] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:41] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:55] On with the show! Our guest today is the best-selling author of A House in the Sky. That's her memoir, which chronicles surviving 460 days in captivity in Somalia. [4:07] It is an intense read, in which she shares hard-earned wisdom that inspires individuals and organizations to grow through adversity. Her name is Amanda Lindhout, and she has delivered over 500 keynotes in 28 countries. [4:21] Amanda is a native of Sylvan Lake, in Alberta, Canada, between Edmonton and Calgary. We are delighted that she will be delivering the closing keynote for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 in Calgary on September 17th. We will discuss resilience and get a preview of her keynote. [4:44] Interview! Amanda Lindhout, welcome to RIMScast! [5:02] Seeing that Amanda would be a guest on RIMScast, Justin read A House in the Sky. It's an intense read. Justin has never read anything like it before. It opened his eyes and took him to different places. Justin thanks Amanda for writing such a strong memoir. [5:38] It was a challenging memoir to write. It was about a five-year process after Amanda was released from 460 days in captivity. The writing was insular. She wasn't thinking about the audience who would eventually read the book. It was part of her healing process. [6:06] Amanda says when you go through anything difficult, it's imperative to give it a voice by writing about it or talking it through. Being a former journalist, writing about it came naturally to her. She wanted to write about it. She didn't rush it. She took her time with it. [6:26] There are some pretty intense chapters. She worked on an intense chapter for a lot of time, taking breaks to process what the writing process was provoking in her. It was cathartic. [7:04] Amanda says, for maintaining her sense of dignity, while violence is part of the story, it felt important not to be graphic about it, not for her future audience, but for herself and the way she was processing the experience. It was tied to her dignity around what had happened to her. [7:40] Justin suggests that the threat of violence is already there, and it doesn't serve Amanda well to go that graphic. She was writing it for herself, not thinking about others, but the time came when it went into the world and was a big success, a New York Times bestseller. [8:17] It's one of the top-selling Canadian memoirs ever written. There was not only an audience, but a big audience. That took a lot of adjusting for Amanda. It was a difficult time for her. The success came from a very challenging experience. [9:04] There was an adjustment period, where people knew about what happened when she was in the dark house, when she had chains on her ankles. She moved through that adjustment period relatively quickly because it brought out an incredible connection with others.  [9:32] Can people who haven't gone through 460 days in captivity relate to Amanda? The way it was written, people were able to link it back to difficult experiences in their lives. They felt a profound connection to Amanda. That was beautiful to her. [9:56] As Amanda moves through the world, people read about the most vulnerable days of her life, and they connect to her with care, compassion, and empathy. She is greeted with a lot of hugs. That connection is an important piece of healing for anybody. [10:16] Amanda has found that connection in droves, in a way that most people won't, because her story is public. Amanda says it's almost like people are overcome with this need to make contact with her. [10:39] Many years ago, when she was struggling with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, if a man came at her with kindness and a desire for connection, that could activate something in her. That never happens to her anymore. She welcomes that sense of connection with people. [11:03] Amanda has had to move through stages of comfort to get to where she is now. After a Q&A at the end of a keynote, Amanda will say, I welcome all the hugs, and people will line up to do that. [11:48] Amanda converted to Islam while she was held captive. That was a strategic move and a survival strategy. As a journalist, she had spent a lot of time in the Middle East and had a foundation of understanding of Islam. [12:17] The teenagers who had abducted them along the side of the road were radicalized. They were not practicing the version of Islam that the vast majority of people around the world are. [12:32] Amanda recognized that if they did this false conversion, that might work to humanize them to the captors. Justin reads a passage from the book. [12:47] “We made vows to accept Allah as our only God and Mohammed as his messenger. What I felt in that moment was not surrender, and it wasn't defiance. This was simply a chess move. An uncertain knight slid two squares ahead and one to the side.” (Justin's favorite line.) [13:04] “It was not a betrayal of faith, of mine, or Nigel's, or theirs. It was a way to feel less foreign, and in feeling less foreign, we could be less afraid. We were doing what it took to survive.” When Justin read that, he realized this was Phase 2 of the book. [14:02] Amanda notes that there was a lot of strategy in surviving those 460 days. That was one of their moves. [14:12] In the early days of their captivity, they tried to form connections with their captors by answering questions about life in the West. The captors weren't allowed to look at images of people or listen to music in their culture. [15:21] Amanda says it's a human impulse, in crisis, to build connections with adversaries when it's about life and death. It's also Amanda's nature as a journalist. Her world was about human connection and understanding others, those who had different cultures from hers. [15:50] Amanda has been to 92 countries. She has always been very interested in the stories of others. The landscape in which those boys grew up was so foreign to us in North America, and the privilege we have, which we don't even recognize. The youngest captor was 14. [16:31] The captors had grown up without school and a real value system or role models. They're radicalized in one of the poorest places on Earth, where people are dying of hunger. [16:46] Amanda tried to understand how they came to the conclusions they did about Amanda and the other captives. That helped her during her toughest moments when she could hardly fathom how human beings could behave like they did toward Amanda and the others. [17:06] They behaved like they had no conscience at all. Amanda says those teenagers were the teachers to her about the adage that hurt people hurt people. It doesn't excuse what they did. [17:26] When Amanda tried to reconcile how it could have been so bad, it was because they had a life that held death, disease, pain, and war, and that was their starting point. The way they treat others is a reflection of what is inside of them. That was important for Amanda to understand. [17:50] Toward the end of the book, Amanda describes a sort of out-of-body experience where she could see the trauma the boys lived through. Understanding the root cause doesn't excuse the behavior. [18:21 That insight came to Amanda from some of the most difficult days she had in captivity. She almost died. In the deepest part of her being, she knows that hurt people hurt people. That serves her in her life on the other side of captivity. [18:54] Every day, you see the headlines and ask how the world can be this messed up, and you try to make sense of it. Amanda was fortunate to have that lived experience. Something opened up inside of her where she has a sense of understanding in a way that many people do not.  [19:14] This never excuses the actions of anyone. She just has a profound understanding of how those actions can happen. [19:43] Justin asks if the massacre on October 7th, 2023, was a triggering event for Amanda. She says Definitely yes. Even seeing hostage-taking in the headlines creates an activation in her. Amanda has had to learn to navigate a world that has a lot of triggers. [20:17] Amanda was given the diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) immediately upon her release from captivity. She has had to learn to navigate a world that is very provocative relative to her CPTSD. [20:38] Over the years, Amanda has learned to reframe things that are difficult for her. She has habits and a mindset she has chosen that help her. She committed to doing the things that move her toward healing and growth, and doing those things repeatedly, for many years. [21:16] Amanda is an example of what is possible. She was very active by October 7th, but it didn't linger. She knew what to do to bring herself back to center, to ground herself, and look around her reality. Even though terrible things happen, she can orient to what is working well. [21:37] Amanda focuses on what is in her immediate surroundings that feels good, while acknowledging that these difficult feelings are there. She knows that they will lessen. Even a couple of days later, she wasn't in the grip of October 7th. [21:57] Every time she feels activated, she turns toward it. She doesn't try to tuck it away in a back pocket. She gives it her full attention. By doing so, she dissipates the intensity of the trigger's energy. Justin believes everyone can learn from this approach to triggers. [22:25] Amanda's story and October 7th are big events that most people can't wrap their heads around. Yet, almost everyone is going to go through things that are different, that feel unbearable, and so overwhelming. The circumstances are different, but the feeling inside is not so different. [23:14] The skills and habits we're talking about today don't just relate to big headline events. They apply to the hard things we each go through every day and what they provoke in you. Amanda wants people to see themselves in this conversation. [23:35] That's the preview of Amanda's keynote at RIMS Canada. Amanda does a few different talks. She will give her resilience talk for the closing keynote at RIMS Canada. With her life experience, there are lots of things she could talk about. [23:50] These days, everyone is doing their best to get through these difficult times. What we can learn from each other about resilience matters a lot; almost more in 2025 than it ever has. [24:07] RIMS Events! On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [24:23] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [24:39] On November 17th and 18th, elevate your ERM Program and career at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and early rates are available until September 5th. Register now to save $110 and secure your spot at the ERM event of the year. [25:01] Canadian listeners, take note, that's just a little bit South of the border in British Columbia. That's a great way to extend your knowledge after the RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2025 to register. [25:17] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS Canada Conference Keynote Amanda Lindhout!  [25:26] Understanding what resilience is is the first step in building it and accessing it. To Amanda Lindhout, resilience is an inner strength that helps a person navigate life's challenges with adaptability. It's not about navigating with hope and optimism. It's about adaptability. [26:27] We live in this ever-changing world. Day by day, what we have to face is different. Adaptability is so important. Amanda thinks that we are all born with resilience as part of our human blueprint, but most of us have not been taught how to utilize this inner resource. [26:55] Amanda thinks most people don't know how to access and utilize their resilience. Look at the statistics of poor mental health, burnout, and climbing suicide rates. It's pretty easy to see that most people don't feel like they can access their resilience. [27:16] Amanda sees resilience as inner strength. She compares it to outer strength, your physical strength. You do something again and again, and that builds muscle strength. Resilience is an inner quality, an inner resource. It also needs to be worked on to become strong. [27:57] While we're born with the ability to develop resilience, it has to be developed to be a usable skill. It takes focus to develop it. It takes intention. Most people are going to have to work at it a little to have a felt sense of their inner resilience. [28:27] In Amanda's experience, resilience is not a passive quality. It requires a choice. You have to choose to create habits that are going to support growing that inner strength. [28:46] Amanda's book talks a bit about her difficult childhood in an abusive home. People assume that gave her more resilience, but she says she had less resilience than the average person, going into her experience in Somalia, because of the difficult childhood that she had. [29:27] Much of how you see the world and can respond to challenges comes from your youngest years. If bad things happen around you and there's no adult to guide you through it to bounce back, you internalize that difficulty, and it feeds issues like depression and self-defeat. [30:03] Because of her difficult childhood, Amanda did not have a surplus of resilience, going into Somalia. But, in Somalia, Amanda discovered that, in the intense, life-or-death, trauma environment she was in, resilience was part of her blueprint. She had to learn to access it. [30:31] Amanda's first step was choosing to figure out how to access it. What gave her a sense of inner strength? What made her optimistic and hopeful? Amanda is a good example that it can be done, no matter how difficult things are. She searched daily to connect to resilience. [31:05] Despair was all around her, but there was something else there, too. She learned that two things can be true at the same time. Despair can be there, but she can, at the same time, learn to reach and grow her inner resilience. [31:33] Justin reads another passage from the book about what happens when you are alone and there are no distractions. In the month after Amanda and Nigel were separated, Amanda felt a new sort of energy. It felt physical and also not physical. [32:01] It worked for Amanda in a life-or-death situation, in a dark room, with chains on her ankles. Amanda promises that if you just say “yes” to life, no matter what comes, it opens you up to the possibility of connecting to that intrinsic, resilient part of yourself, no matter how faint. [32:43] Once you touch on it, even for a second, there are habits you can create that are going to strengthen that and make it easier to feel it. The despair may be there in the background, but you're simultaneously strengthening this other part of yourself that will carry you through. [33:01] Eventually, the despair will go away. Amanda's experience in captivity ended. It took a long time, but she came out of it. The resilient part of herself was the loudest part at that point. [33:17] Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [33:36] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process will open on August 15th, 2025. It will close on October 15th. [33:56] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [34:10] The Spencer 2025 Funding their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 18th, at the Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. This year's honoree is Tim Ryan, the U.S. President of Lockton, and we look forward to having Tim join us here on RIMScast very soon. [34:29] A link to the Gala is also in this episode's show notes. Buy a ticket, enjoy a great night in the city, and support the future of risk management. [34:37] And Now, Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with RIMS Canada Conference 2025 Keynote, Amanda Lindhout! [35:01] Amanda says she is so excited to be invited to connect with RIMS Canada! She has done a lot of keynotes around the world in something like 28 countries, sharing what she has learned. This is genuinely exciting to her. It's a room she wants to be in. [35:25] Amanda has a lot to share. Her resilience teachings come down to mastering four sequential pillars. The best time to grow the resilient streak inside of you is in the calm before the storm. Grow these qualities. When the crisis comes, you'll know how to access this. [36:18] The first pillar is Intention. Most people don't think daily about intention. Living an intentional life is so important for your mental health. For Amanda, in Somalia, and afterward, when she was struggling in the depths of PTSD, her intention was about healing. [37:01] Healing was far off on the horizon, initially, but that intention anchored everything else; all of the other actions she would take throughout the day. Is this decision in line with my intention, or is it not? [37:34] All day long, do I choose to feed the healthy parts of myself that will reorient me toward health, or do I choose the opposite? Do I choose to doomscroll on my phone and go into the dark pockets of the world, which only confirms my belief that the world is dangerous? [37:52] Or do I put my phone away and say I'm not going to go on social media today, I'm not feeling good today? I don't need to dive down that rabbit hole. [37:58] Instead, my intention to regain my health is going to guide me to consume inspiring podcasts, pick up an uplifting book, and have conversations with the people I can count on to lift me up. That overarching intention is really important. [38:21] You need to be clear and specific with yourself. What are the words of your intention? If you change your intention, then get clear about what your new intention is. It's not vague. [38:36] Then you want to cultivate your sense of Presence in your life. We are so distracted by our devices and screens. We may welcome the distraction to take us out of the moment because we have a very challenging, overwhelming world. [39:08] If you are not present in your life, you can't connect to your resilience. You can only connect to that optimism when you are in the present moment, not fearing the future or reliving the difficult past, but in the moment, orienting in your environment to what is working well. [39:40] In the present moment, choose to look around your life and say, OK, all these difficult things are happening, but there is always something to be grateful for. [39:54] Gratitude is the next pillar. Train yourself to become a grateful person by challenging yourself every day to look for things to be grateful for. With her husband, at the end of dinner, they both say something they're grateful for. Amanda started this in the worst times of captivity. [40:31] Amanda could immediately see the connection between gratitude and resilience. When you look for the good around you, you will begin to see more of it. In a dark room, chains around her ankles, Amanda could always find something to be grateful for. She could hear the birds. [41:04] You can always find things to be grateful for. It requires training your mind to look for it.  [41:11] The last pillar is Mindset. We don't have control over a lot of things. But we have complete control over our mindset, how we choose to engage with the world. In your dark days, you feel like everything is out of your control, but you always have control over your mindset. [41:43] You have control over what you orient to. Even during the worst part of her CPTSD journey, when Amanda was bedridden and homebound from overwhelm, for a couple of years after she returned home, that was when she began to go looking for her health. [43:05] Amanda had learned from Somalia that two things can be true at the same time. It was true that she had debilitating PTSD, and it was also true that there was still health in parts of her body. What she chooses to give her attention to will grow in influence over her life. [43:29] That is a choice that she has. She didn't have control in that moment over how the PTSD lived inside of her, but she had control over her orientation. What is she choosing to focus on, repeatedly? [43:45] In the dark house in Somalia, she couldn't take those chains off her ankles and leave, but she could choose to focus on things to be grateful for. This is extraordinary. You train yourself to think like this. People aren't born navigating challenges with this kind of mindset. [44:03] When you begin doing it again and again, as a practice, when difficult things come, you may wallow in it a little bit but then at a certain point, you remember, there is still choice: What can I orient to that feels good, that is uplifting, and that is healthy, even if it's a small thing? [44:23] Choose to put your attention there. That's not denying difficult things that are happening, or trying to bypass them. Recognize them as an important part of healing. Two things can be true at the same time. What you give your primary attention to will shape your reality. [44:50] Amanda's concluding words, “I feel so privileged to be able to connect with this room of people who are doing really important work. I know the work can come in many different forms, navigating all kinds of crises and risks in the world.” [45:07] “One final little piece of advice for this room of people: When you're helping someone go through a time of crisis, the most important thing you can do is to manage yourself; your nervous system.” [45:47] “That is the most effective way you can bring someone down out of a heightened state of fear and frustration. There can be a frantic quality when things are falling apart for people. The best thing you can do is be in the present moment and stay grounded.” [46:16] “There's a co-regulation that happens. Just being in that grounded state will help to de-escalate the situation and bring the other person into coherence. Coming back to your own regulation is always the best thing you can do for another person.” [46:51] Special thanks again to Amanda Lindhout for joining us here on RIMScast. To learn more about her, visit AmandaLindhout.com and check out her book, A House in the Sky. [47:02] It is an intense read, but it demonstrates her resilience and why she's going to be a great keynote for us here at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025. She'll be closing the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 on September 17th. Check it out and register at RIMSCanadaConference.ca. [47:22] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [47:50] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [48:08] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [48:26] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [48:42] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [48:56] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [49:09] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 | RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction 2025 Nominations Open Through Aug. 16 RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025 in NYC! RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now www.AmandaLindhout.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals” | Sept. 4, 2025 | Sponsored by AXA XL   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2-3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Aug. 12‒13 | Instructor: Chris Mandel “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Leadership Lessons with Major General (Ret.) Robert F. Whittle Jr., RIMS Texas Keynote” “Live From Vancouver! with Maryam Salmasi, Fred H. Bossons Award Winner 2024” “Exploring Risk in Extreme Environments with Kevin Vallely” “Thoughts and IDEAs on Inclusivity with Michael Bach” “Change Management and Strategy with Jay Kiew, RIMS Canada Conference 2024 Keynote”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Amanda Lindhout, Expert on Resilience & Extraordinary Mindset Author: A House In The Sky   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

În doar câteva luni, Donald Trump a majorat tarifele medii impuse de Statele Unite restului lumii de la 2,5% la aproximativ 17% - cu 15% pentru Uniunea Europeană. Incertitudinea rămâne ridicată. Presa internațională analizează primele efecte ale acestui șoc economic. În Le Monde, economistul-șef al Axa vorbește despre efectele taxelor vamale impuse de Donald Trump. AXA este una dintre cele mai importante instituții financiare la nivel mondial, cu sediul la Paris: ”Cine va suporta costurile? Sunt americanii, dar încă nu știm care. Angrosiștii și-ar putea reduce marjele de profit, comercianții cu amănuntul și-ar putea reduce și ei marjele sau nivelul prețurilor de consum va crește, cu un impact direct asupra consumatorului. Întrebarea este dacă măsura va funcționa pentru balanța comercială și veniturile Statelor Unite. Citeste siDisputa tarifară dintre SUA și UE a fost soluționată, dar cu ce costuri? Ei bine, nimic nu este gratuit, spune economistul șef al Axa: fie tarifele funcționează, reechilibrând balanța comercială, dar apoi volumul importurilor va scădea. Și, odată cu aceasta, veniturile din taxe vamale. Sau nu funcționează, și Trezoreria va primi o sumă uriașă, dar balanța comercială va continua să se deterioreze. Pe termen scurt, efectul poate fi pozitiv pentru deficitul SUA, dar până la sfârșitul anului 2026,  nimic nu este sigur”.   Și totuși, putea Uniunea Europeană să obțină un acord mai bun? Pesimismul european față de acordul cu Trump este nejustificat. Este probabil tot ce ar fi putut realiza UE, conchide o analiză a publicației The Conversation:   Cei mai mari câștigători ai acestei înțelegeri sunt producătorii auto din Europa. SUA au redus diverse taxe specifice sectorului pentru bunuri precum aeronave, mașini și piese auto la plafonul de 15%. Aceasta reduce efectiv tarifele pentru mașinile fabricate în UE (de la 27,5%). Între timp, producătorii auto americani se bazează în mare măsură pe piese din Mexic și China - încă supuse unor tarife mai mari. Acest lucru face ca vehiculele din UE să fie mai competitive pentru consumatorii americani decât mașinile „americane” care se bazează pe piese de peste hotare. Faptul că UE a evitat cel mai rău scenariu și a protejat sectoare cheie sugerează nu un triumf, dar limitarea influenței lui Trump. De la anunțul acordului, imaginea care a rezultat din partea multor lideri europeni a fost una sumbră. Este adevărat, UE nu a câștigat - dar a supraviețuit. Și acest lucru, deocamdată, este probabil suficient.     Presa comentează și declarațiile președintelui Donald Trump potrivit cărora două submarine nucleare urmează a fi deplasate în regiuni apropiate Rusiei. Mișcarea vine după ceea ce Trump a numit declarații „prostești și incendiare” din partea fostului președinte rus, Dimitri Medvedev. The Moskow Times relatează că ”amenințarea a avut loc pe fondul unui termen limită stabilit de Trump pentru sfârșitul săptămânii viitoare. El a cerut ca Rusia să pună capăt războiului din Ucraina sau se va confrunta cu noi sancțiuni. În ciuda presiunilor din partea Washingtonului, atacurile Rusiei împotriva vecinului său continuă să se desfășoare la capacitate maximă”. După cum transmite BBC, agențiile de presă rusești au fost destul de disprețuitoare față de anunțul lui Trump. Într-o declarație acordată ziarului Moskovsky Komsomolets, un comentator militar a concluzionat că Trump „face o criză de nervi”. Un general rus în retragere a declarat pentru Kommersant că discursurile președintelui SUA despre submarine sunt „diatribe fără sens”.

US President Trump announced tariffs on countries ranging from 10%-41% including a tariff rate of 10% for Brazil, 30% for South Africa, 20% for Taiwan and 25% for India. Canada's tariff increased from 25% to 35%, while Mexico received a 90-day extension of the current tariff rates.Japan eyes a 15% rate for the US chip tariff, on par with EU, with Japan's trade negotiator stating Japan should be able to secure a 15% rate for the new sectoral tariff the US is planning to impose on chips, according to Nikkei.US official said they are still working out technicalities of rules of origin terms for transshipment and will implement rules of origin details in the coming weeks.Amazon (AMZN) shares fell 6.5% after-market whilst Apple (AAPL) shares rose 2.3% post-earnings.APAC stocks traded mostly subdued following the weak handover from US peer; European equity futures indicate a negative cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.5% after the cash market closed with losses of 1.4% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include Global Manufacturing PMI (Finals), Italian Retail Sales, EZ HICP, US NFP, ISM Manufacturing, UoM Sentiment Final, Atlanta Fed GDPNow, Speakers including Fed's Bowman & Waller (Unconfirmed), Earnings from Axa, Engie, Daimler Truck, Exxon, Chevron, Regeneron & Colgate.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Thomas Brandt, Chief Risk Officer of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) and one of the 2024 RIMS ERM Award of Distinction winners. Thomas shares some of his experiences at the IRS, where he won the 2021 RIMS ERM Award of Distinction, and how he moved from the IRS to join the FRTIB. Tom covers how he successfully integrated strategy and ERM at the FRTIB. He tells how the FRTIB moved from a high-level to a medium-level cyber risk posture, with improved Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) scores. Tom shares how the FRTIB  works with a managed services model in a way that's scalable and sustainable. Tom relates his views on risk culture and the portfolio view that a mature ERM program supports.   Listen to learn how to nominate your organization's ERM Program for the RIMS ERM  Award of Distinction.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] RIMScast is a proud nominee of the 20th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards. We are nominated in the category of Government and Organizations, and we would appreciate your support. [:26] Help us win that award by visiting PodcastAwards.com and the link in this episode's notes.  [:36] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by Thomas Brandt, Chief Risk Officer of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board and one of the 2024 RIMS ERM Award of Distinction winners. [1:05] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [1:17] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:34] RIMS Virtual Workshops! On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” [1:42] RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” This is a two-day course. The first two-day course will be held on August 12th and 13th and will be led by former RIMS President, Chris Mandel. [1:56] The course will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [2:05] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [2:17] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is jam-packed with educational sessions that will resonate with risk practitioners at all stages of their careers. [2:38] See the full agenda at RIMS.org/ERM2025. Nominations are open for the RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction 2025. The nomination deadline is Saturday, August 16th. The award is presented annually at the RIMS ERM Conference. There is a link in this episode's show notes. [3:05] If your organization's ERM program or one you know of deserves this recognition, we want to hear about it. Remember to send in that nomination form by August 16th. [3:16] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:31] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:44] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:58] On with the show! Our guest today is one of the winners of the 2024 RIMS ERM Award of Distinction. He is also the Chief Risk Officer for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB). [4:15] Tom Brandt is here to discuss ERM and how it has been a guiding light throughout his risk career, which includes several years at the IRS. He recently participated in the RIMS ERM Q&A Series, and we're going to extend the dialogue beyond those digital pages, so let's get to it. [4:35] Interview! Tom Brandt, welcome to RIMScast! [4:42] At long last, Tom Brandt is here on RIMScast! Tom is one of the members of the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council and one of the recipients of the 2024 ERM Award of Distinction. There's so much to discuss when it comes to ERM! Tom loves ERM. [5:18] Tom was also a 2021 ERM Award of Distinction recipient for his work at the IRS, where he worked for about 27 years, for the last eight of which, he was their Chief Risk Officer. There, he got into the whole ERM space. [5:38] Then, in late 2021, an opportunity opened at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB), and Tom took on the role of Chief Risk Officer. He enjoys the opportunity to work in a small organization with a different focus. [5:55] The FRTIB is sort of the 401(k) for federal employees and uniformed services. They have a singular mission around that plan. [6:13] Tom was brought into the FRTIB to integrate strategy and ERM. He stresses the importance of linking risk and strategy. When Tom started, the offices of Enterprise Planning and Enterprise Risk had just been brought together. [6:51] They were looking for the first Director of Planning and Risk/CRO. Tom applied and was selected for the role. Even though it's a small agency of 250, those functions had been siloed. [7:07] Tom's first area of focus was getting the staff to know each other and learn more about what each process entailed, and then working with the team to look at how to bring these processes together. [7:23] Tom says, when we're identifying risks and needing to mitigate risks, the next question is, where do we get the resources? When the process is not integrated into your planning and budgeting process, that becomes very challenging. [7:36] As we go through our annual planning process, we work with our business offices, and if they're risk owners, we talk about what risks they are managing or mitigating, and if there are related initiatives or resources needed. [7:51] That information gets captured in the annual plan and becomes an input to the budget process. We're not only raising the risks and talking about them, but also identifying initiatives and getting funding, support, and resources to manage and mitigate those risks. [8:16] Tom's risk group has seven or eight people. They also do internal controls, policies, and procedures. They are the agency's anti-fraud group. They do brand monitoring and run the third-party risk monitoring program. They do work beyond the enterprise risk component. [8:51] The FRTIB moved from a high-level to a medium-level cyber risk posture, which improved Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) scores. FISMA is an annual cybersecurity audit of federal organizations. [9:27] Years ago, the FRTIB was scoring in the 1s and 2s on most domains in this audit, out of a possible score of 5. That coincided with cybersecurity being one of the FRTIB's high risks. They needed to put in place better governance and protections. [9:53] Because cybersecurity had been one of the FRTIB's high risks, they require any of their enterprise risks that are medium high or higher to have a risk treatment plan. They work with their CISO and the cyber team to develop risk treatment plans each year. [10:08] The risk treatment plans identify resource needs and specific areas of focus. They use the FISMA domains, questions, and assessment criteria to keep in mind where they need to shore things up. [10:20] Justin clarifies that FISMA, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, is a U.S. Federal law that requires federal agencies to develop a document and implement information security programs to protect government information. [10:36] Tom remarks that as a result of great work done by the CISO and the cyber team, the FRTIB scored a 5 in each domain on their 2024 FISMA audit. That moved the cybersecurity risk score down. It's still at a medium level because the threat landscape continues to evolve. [10:56] Threat actors are always out there, trying to stay one step ahead of you, so you have to stay on your game to get ahead of them. [11:15] The cyber threat is so significant that collectively, we all need to be working as hard as we can to maintain our defenses. Tom says the CISO community is working together to integrate the latest technology and developments and understand where the threat is. [11:49] The CISO community is staying on top of what's happening in the AI space to be able to share good practices across agencies and ensure that our posture government-wide is as strong as possible in detecting and preventing the cyber threat. [12:06] One of the strategic goals for FRTIB is the managed services model. Tom speaks about assessing and monitoring third-party and vendor risks in a way that's scalable and sustainable. [12:18] When Tom moved into his position, in December 2021, the agency was about six months away from implementing that managed services model for their record-keeping service. Record keeping is a huge part of the FRTIB's work. They have almost 7.5 million participants. [12:36] Managing participant transactions and keeping their information is a core responsibility for the agency. They were moving to a managed service model. [12:48] When you shift to that type of model, you don't give up accountability and responsibility for the program. You work with a provider. The Agency needed to look at what its mechanism for oversight was, to manage and understand third-party risk. [13:06] The Agency had some capabilities in place for vendor monitoring and supply chain risk management. Tom's area of focus was to build up the third-party risk management program. [13:18] Tom did a maturity assessment to compare what they were doing to good practices and look for opportunities to enhance their capabilities. He brought in some services from external providers to help with access to data about the performance of third-party services. [13:42] Quarterly, Tom reports to the FRTIB board on their top vendors, their overall operations, whether there are any risks he has concerns about, and if so, what is being done to address those risks. That has helped to put in place a strong third-party risk management program. [14:03] When Tom joined the FRTIB, his predecessor had already built a strong, mature ERM program. There was a repeatable process in place with a risk register and a risk profile. [14:22] The opportunity was in integrating risk with planning and looking at how to enhance the program and bring it to the next level of maturity and build out that third-party risk management monitoring capability.  [14:42] RIMS Events! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through August 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public registration is open. The full conference agenda is live, so you can start planning. [15:00] Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep course available on-site. This event is open to any RIMS chapter member. [15:10] If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today so you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Visit RIMS.org/TexasRegional. [15:22] Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, which will be held from September 14th through the 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca and lock in those favorable rates. We look forward to seeing you! [15:41] On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [15:52] Also on September 18th, the Spencer Educational Foundation will host the 2025 Funding Their Future Gala at the Cipriani 42nd Street. Visit SpencerEd.org. [16:03] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [16:20] Let's Return to My Interview with RIMS 2024 ERM Award of Distinction Winner, Tom Brandt! [16:37] Shortly after Tom won the 2021 ERM Award of Distinction, along with Melissa Reynard, for his work with the IRS, he left to go to the FRTIB. Tom talks about the switch. [16:57] Tom had a great career with the IRS. He had a range of different roles and responsibilities. For his last eight years with the IRS, he was the CRO. [17:23] Tom was ready to make a change. He learned about the opportunity at FRTIB to help them bring risk and strategy programs into one department. He was happy to be selected and see the value of having risk and strategy come together. [18:12] Tom was the second CRO at the IRS. In 2013, the IRS had a crisis, so they brought in a CRO from the GAO for about a year. Tom had been doing risk work in one of the business units of the IRS. He was chosen for the CRO position in 2014. [18:50] The IRS crisis in 2013 related to concerns about how the agency had been handling applications for tax-exempt status. It led to Congressional hearings and IRS leadership changes. [19:04] Before going to the FRTIB, Tom was contacted by a recruiter. Someone in the risk community knew of the position and suggested Tom for it. He's thankful he was contacted because it has turned out to be an excellent opportunity. [19:35] Through RIMS, Tom connects with public and private sector colleagues. He sees a lot of similarities. The public sector has been practicing ERM for just under a decade. [20:16] The most essential ingredient in ERM is leadership support. Tom has support at FRTIB from leadership and the Board. Without leadership support, ERM is a compliance exercise. If ERM is truly leveraged, it can add a lot of value. [20.42] Tom thinks we're seeing too many instances where organizations have not had robust risk programs and have had risk events that could have been prevented or had the impact lessened, had they had a risk program.  [21:02] Tom thinks the challenge in the public sector is that there isn't much room for government error. Anything that doesn't go according to plan tends to get attention. [21:22] That oversight creates an environment that tends to be more risk-averse. That's not the way we want to run our risk program, because we want to take advantage of the opportunity that risk prevents, but it's a factor of the environment we operate in. [21:44] Part of what led to the establishment of the IRS ERM program was the 2013 crisis and an after-event assessment of what went wrong. Bad news didn't make it to the top quickly enough. Information that leadership should have been made aware of didn't get there in time. [22:05] As a result, issues and problems were allowed to fester and go out of control. In the IRS, people took a lot of pride in fixing and solving their problems. Sometimes you don't have a lot of time to fix an issue before it goes sideways. [22:41] A real benefit from sharing information is that often you can find other parts of the organization that can help because they've experienced a similar type of issue. They might have additional resources. Ignoring or hiding the problem doesn't make it go away. [23:01] The key value of ERM is creating a culture where people are willing to speak up, information gets escalated quickly, and you're able to bring the right people and resources together to work collectively to manage and mitigate those risks. [23:15] At FRTIB, Tom focuses on creating an environment where people feel comfortable speaking about risk, where it's part of the regular way they operate. [23:32] Since starting in risk many years ago and working with his teams, Tom's approach has been doing risk with offices and not doing risk to offices. He wanted to meet them where they were, understand where they needed help, and nudge them, rather than drag them, along. [24:00] Tom says take time to understand the organization, the unique needs of each office, and work with them to help manage and mitigate a risk, versus trying to force something on them. [24:18] A Quick Plug! If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [24:33] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [24:52] If you're getting inspired by Tom Brandt and his ERM Award of Distinction win, remember that nominations are now open for the ERM Award of Distinction 2025. Be sure to listen closely for the tips that he offers about what makes a strong nomination! [25:10] The link to the nomination form is in this episode's show notes. Good luck! [25:13] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Tom Brandt! [25:18] Before becoming the CRO at the IRS, Tom was the Director of Planning and Research for the Large Business and International Division with responsibility for case selection, determining risk on corporate and international tax returns, and which ones should be selected for audit. [25:52] This was a compliance risk experience. That provided the stepping stone to take on a more strategic, operational view of risk within the division. When the broader CRO opportunity became available at the IRS, he was considered and ultimately selected for that position. [26:14] Tom's view of risk has evolved. Within a business unit, he focused on the day-to-day operational and compliance risk. He didn't take a view of the whole organization or what choices he made for his unit ight create risk for another part of the organization. [26:51] It's a real value for ERM to have a portfolio view of the most critical risks across the organization, and understanding how actions to address risks in one area could create or exacerbate a risk somewhere else. [27:08] Tom tells of reputational risk. Sometimes decisions don't factor in how they will be perceived. Tom helped people at the IRS understand reputational risk and the stakeholders they may need to engage to help them understand why particular decisions are made. [28:22] Tom shares advice for nominating an ERM Program for the ERM Award of Distinction. What are the results? What are the outcomes that the program accomplished that you can talk about? How did ERM help the organization? What value did it bring? [29:07] Take an example of something you can share, and explain how ERM was able to surface the risk and bring the right people together to help with that risk and help the organization. [29:24] It's critical to have letters of recommendation. At the IRS, Tom had two Deputy Commissioners write letters about what they saw as the value that ERM brought to the agency. [29:42] At FRTIB, Tom had letters from the Executive Director and a member of its Board, who had served for over a decade and had historical knowledge of how ERM had helped the Agency. [30:04] Tom notes that the process of going through the application is a great learning opportunity to reflect on accomplishments as well as areas of remaining opportunity. [30:17] If you are fortunate enough to be selected to receive recognition, it's a great way to recognize the team. Tom used the Awards to recognize his teams at the IRS and at FRTIB, who are the ones who make all of this possible. The recognition turns out to be great kudos for them. [30:41] You can learn more about Tom's achievements through the links on this episode's show notes, which feature his recent ERM Q&A from 2025. I've also included one with his former coworker from the IRS, Melissa Reynard, from 2022. [30:58] This should give you a great sense of not just the great work that Tom has done but also, what it takes to have your nomination seen and heard and get the recognition that you deserve. [31:13] Tom, it's been great getting to know you these past few years, and I look forward to seeing you in Seattle. Thank you for joining us here on RIMScast! [31:32] Special thanks again to Tom Brandt for joining us here on RIMScast. Be sure to check out the links in this episode's show notes for recent ERM Q&A interviews about his work with the FRTIB. [31:46] Tom is a recipient of the RIMS ERM Award of Distinction. The Call for Nominations is open through August 16th. Check this episode's show notes for the link and details. [32:00] The Awards will be presented at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025, November 17th and 18th in Seattle. A link to that event is also on this page. [32:08] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [32:36] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [32:54] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [33:12] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [33:29] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [33:43] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [33:50] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: 20th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards! Vote for RIMScast (Gov't & Organizations) To vote for RIMScast, please sign up with your email, then select RIMScast on the pulldown under Government and Organizations. Thank you! RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 | RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction 2025 Nominations Open Through Aug. 16 “Embedding ERM Into One of the World's Largest Retirement Programs.” — RIMS Interview with Tom Brandt (2025) RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration open. RIMS-CRMP In-Person Workshop in Texas Aug. 6 & 7 RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025, in NYC! RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Summer course sold out! | Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Emerging Risks” | Aug 5 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Aug. 12‒13 | Instructor: Chris Mandel “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Risk and Clarity with Huw Edwards, RIMS Texas Keynote” “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Bigger Risks with the Texas State Office of Risk Management” | Sponsored By Hillwood “ERMotivation with Carrie Frandsen, RIMS-CRMP” “Live from the ERM Conference 2024 in Boston!” “Risk Quantification Through Value-Based Frameworks”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Thomas Brandt, Chief Risk Officer at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome back to The Keto Vegan, I'm Rachel, your host. Today marks our 100th show—and instead of our usual lighter fare, I'm turning the mic toward something deeply personal and urgent: the crisis in Gaza. I'll guide you through how consumer choices—from hummus to makeup, tech to banking—can support or stop the suffering. Plus, we'll unpack how our government plays into it and what steps you can take. Let's use our voices and wallets for justice. Key Takeaways Consumer Power Is Real – Our spending choices and boycotts send a message. Even one action can spark change. Know Your Labels – Brands like Sabra, SodaStream, Coca‑Cola, McDonald's and Dead Sea skincare may fund or benefit from the occupation. Tech & Finance Matter – Hewlett‑Packard, Barclays, AXA and others are implicated in enabling human rights violations through services or financing. UK's Role – The UK supplies vital F‑35 parts to Israel, facing criticism from Amnesty International and HRW, who argue this risks complicity in war crimes. You Have a Voice – Write your MP, sign petitions, join peaceful protest and support organisations like Amnesty and HRW. Hold Hope Close – Despite the darkness, there's UK humanitarian aid flowing. We can amplify it by visualising and acting for peace. Best Moments (verbatim) “I'm going to talk about food to avoid… Redefine Meat… founded in 2018 by Ness Ziona, which is in Israel…” “PepsiCo acquired SodaStream in 2018… previously manufactured in an illegal Israeli settlement. It also has a documented history of racial discrimination against Palestinian workers.” “Human rights organisations have strongly criticised this stance of the UK providing these F‑35 components… Amnesty International explicitly stated… this continued supply places the United Kingdom at risk of complicity in genocide.” “If you write a letter to your MP start with your full name and your address so they can see that you are one of their constituents…” “Focus on love, focus on compassion, focus on kindness, on harmony, on peace… visualising peace in Gaza.” #GazaBoycott #BDS #ConsumerActivism #UKArmTrade #HumanitarianAid #KetoVeganPodcast #EthicalLiving #PeaceInGaza #AmnestyInternational #HumanRightsWatch Valuable Resources Link to the information can be found here: https://theketovegan.life/%23100-boycotting-israel Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKetoVegan/podcasts Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/821471059206067 Email: rachelghinn@gmail.com

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Major General (Ret.) Robert F. Whittle, Jr., RIMS Texas Keynote speaker, about his experience as Deputy Commanding General of Operations for U.S. Army North, responsible for homeland defense and coordination with civil authorities, about his experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its work in water resource management, and the lessons he can share for flood preparedness. Justin and Robert (Bob) discuss risk management training that engineers receive and how it applies to combat operations and domestic situations. Bob talks about building trust in different cultures. Finally, he shares some of what he will cover in his closing keynote on August 6th for the RIMS Texas Regional in San Antonio, Texas, from August 4th through 6th.   Listen to learn military lessons that apply to risk management in industry.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:15] To our friends and RIMS members in Texas, it has been heartbreaking to witness the devastation caused by the floods in the Lone Star State. [:23] Your RIMS community extends its heartfelt thoughts and wishes for your health, safety, and well-being during this challenging time. [:30] The floods are a stark reminder of the critical role that risk professionals play in a crisis. The RIMS Hurricane and Storm Risk Management Resource Center offers several informative articles and resources about flood and storm preparedness and recovery. [:45] As you navigate through your recovery efforts, please know that you have the support of RIMS.  [:50] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is Major General (Retired) Robert F. Whittle, Jr. He will be the closing keynote speaker at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference on August 6th. We will talk about his military career and flood risk and leadership. [1:23] RIMScast is a proud nominee of the 20th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards. I'm hoping I can count on you to help us bring this win home! Vote by going to PodcastAwards.com and the link in this episode's notes.  [1:40] Sign up with your email, find RIMScast under Government and Organizations, and save your nomination. Every vote counts! Thank you so much for your support! [1:50] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [2:00] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, in conjunction with George Mason University and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [2:17] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” [2:30] RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” This is a two-day course. The first two-day course will be held on August 12th and 13th and will be led by former RIMS President, Chris Mandel. [2:45] The course will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [2:54] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [3:05] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [3:19] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [3:38] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction has been distributed. There is a link in this episode's show notes. The nomination deadline is August 16th. [3:59] If your organization's ERM program or one you know of has generated and retained value and led to the growth of your organization, consider nominating that ERM program and manager for the ERM Award of Distinction 2025. [4:13] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [4:27] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [4:40] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to register at RIMS.org/membership. [4:50] On with the show! Robert F. Whittle Jr. was a Major General of the U.S. Army. He retired in 2023 as the Deputy Commanding General of Operations for the U.S. Army North. He is also Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO at USAA. [5:06] On August 6th, he will deliver the closing keynote at the RIMS Texas Regional, providing highlights from his 33 years in the Army, including years as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. [5:20] I'm so glad he's here to provide a preview of his keynote and also discuss flood risk and leadership. Let's get to it! [5:28] Interview! Retired Major General Robert F. Whittle Jr., welcome to RIMScast! [5:35] Joining us now is one of the RIMS Texas Regional's keynotes, Major General (Retired) Bob Whittle. [5:46] Major General (Retired) Bob Whittle, Jr. asks Justin to call him Bob. [6:03] This is the inaugural Texas Regional event. Bob is excited about it. He loves Texas, and he knows people are coming from all over the country to attend. Justin adds that it's a big deal for the Texas chapters, which are some of the most active and voluminous RIMS chapters. [6:27] Bob's keynote will close out the Conference on August 6th.  [6:31] Today's discussion will be about flood risk and then about leadership. [6:47] Bob's bio is on the RIMS Texas Regional page. [6:52] Bob was Deputy Commanding General of Operations for the U.S. Army North, responsible for Homeland Defense and coordination with civil authorities. One major event occurred domestically while he was there. [7:17] That was the integration of 70,000 refugees from Afghanistan to the United States. When the U.S. left Afghanistan, a lot of interpreters, their families, and other key players were able to come to the United States. They needed help integrating into U.S. society with jobs and homes. [8:05] Bob says there was never an expectation that we would have to move 70,000 people here. We thought that Afghanistan would continue to move forward after we left, but it fell pretty rapidly. Some Afghan interpreters and officers who were under threat were brought to the U.S. [8:52] One of the challenges in any kind of operation like that is that it involves Federal, state, and local officials, and non-governmental organizations. Within the Federal side, we have FEMA, the State Department, and the Department of Defense. [9:14] These agencies worked together to build a framework and partner with the other authorities. The first risk is that politics or ego get in the way of accomplishing the mission. [9:28] The mitigation for that is trying to build relationships well ahead of the crisis, so people trust each other and can work together. They constantly emphasized the unity of the mission. [9:41] It's not unity of command, as there's no chain of command with all the partnerships, but there must be unity over the mission of resettling the Afghan refugees. [10:06] Justin asks if Bob is as easygoing as he seems. Bob says, you'd have to ask the people he worked with to get a solid understanding of who he is, versus how he self-reports. He says he is known for being cool, calm, and collected. When he needs to step it up, he can do it rapidly. [10:35] Bob found that projecting a calm personality helped him build trust. From years in the military, Bob learned that you succeed by making your peers successful. The more you help your peers, the more likely it is that you will earn a promotion or the assignment that you want. [11:37] Bob was in the Corps of Engineers for 33 years. He's a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Virginia. He led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. The civilian side of the Corps of Engineers deals with infrastructure. [12:13] Bob speaks of dam safety. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for the dams in Federal Navigation channels. They work through the inherent risks of the dams, making sure they have the right controls in place and testing to ensure that the controls are there. [12:42] There are so many other dams in the U.S. Some of them are private. While Bob was at the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, two private dams failed in Michigan, the Edenville Dam and the Sanford Dam. The Corps went up there to assist and help determine the root cause. [13:07] It was a lesson in making sure you are doing all the right things from a risk perspective. Controls weren't in place. Some issues had been identified but not mitigated. The State of Michigan stepped in and worked with the private company to mitigate the issues. [13:35] The dams had failed, and there was a lot of flooding in that area. It was unexpected as it had not happened before. It was in May 2020, a month after COVID-19 started hitting. [13:53] When things happen, you have to look forward. The Corps of Engineers is key. If the Ohio River drops too low for barge traffic to go through, eventually, Nashville starts to have a lot of trouble with power. It's very important to keep the Corps of Engineers running. [14:15] During COVID-19, the Secretary of Defense stated, “I want everybody in the Defense Department to stop moving. Stay where you are.” Bob was the Acting Deputy of the Corps of Engineers then. He immediately communicated to the 37K in the Corps, Don't stop moving. [14:32] If the Army Corps of Engineers had stopped, it would have been a huge issue. There were repair shifts at work, making sure things were running. In Michigan, when those two dams failed, the Corps put their masks on and moved out to help solve issues. [15:03] The risk framework the Corps of Engineers uses for dam safety is similar to what Bob has seen in industry and similar to what the Army does, even at a small unit level. The Army has a risk document that they use for training or going into combat. [15:26] The Army's risk document covers inherent risk, the probability of an issue, mitigation and controls, residual risk, and what the impact would be. The controls are the most important thing. They help ensure a low probability of a huge issue. The risk document is simple, and it works. [16:17] On the topic of the tragic recent Texas floods, how should leaders be thinking about flood risk mitigation? Bob knows that everyone involved in the situation is doing the absolute best that they can. If you want to be prepared for any disaster, it starts with simple planning. [17:24] You have to look at what the disaster may be, what the probability of it may be, and if it does occur, the key things that will need to happen on the ground in response, the people who will need to be involved, the resources they will need, and the timing of those activities. [17:46] It's like deliberate project management. You have to make assumptions in the beginning about what will happen. The next thing is getting funding for the resources, the people, and the tasks that have to occur. [18:01] There's a lot of deliberate planning and, for any domestic emergency in the U.S., the planning has to be done at the Federal level, the State level, the local level, and with non-governmental organizations that will be involved.  [18:15] The first step is building relationships ahead of time. Step two is to have rehearsals. The rehearsals can be with a map and some key leaders on site. Rehearsals help to validate the planning you've done. [18:51] In a disaster, one of the first steps is to allocate resources. There were decisions about resources when COVID-19 hit all over the U.S. They couldn't just send money to one area. The Federal government, states, local governments, and NGOs decided how to allocate resources. [19:23] Bob points out that you can decide with no information or with 100% of the information. In an emergency, you don't have time to get 100% of the information out there, so you need to determine if you have enough information to make this decision and if you need to act now. [19:46] It's about risk. Do you take a chance? Risk is all about the probability of success. It's achieving an objective. [20:04] After the disaster is over, a lot of people evaluate those decisions and take two years to study whether the right decision was made. You've got to be in the shoes of the person making the decision, with the same timing, to understand how they did it and why. [20:24] You do want to review the decisions, to learn from them, but you have to know that these leaders are making decisions based on the time available and the necessity of moving things forward. [20:36] Plugs with Roma Rishi, Sr. Sales Executive, Origami Risk! Origami Risk is excited to be a sponsor at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference. Origami Risk will have a booth there to demonstrate their products. They will also speak at one of the sessions. [21:17] They will be talking with Roy Hock, the Director of Excess Insurance at Valero Energy, about leveraging technology to manage your captive. See Origami at its table, at its session, or both! [21:30] Origami Risk will be at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference from August 4th through August 6th. Origami Risk will also be at the tenth Chicagoland Risk Forum, on September 18th at the Old Post Office in Chicago. [21:44] Origami Risk will have a booth there, and Roma's colleague, Gina Rothweiler, is going to be speaking. Come find Origami Risk at the Chicagoland Risk Forum! [21:54] Registration is complimentary for members of risk management departments in the nearby area. A link to the registration page is in this episode's show notes. You can visit ChicagoRIMS.org as well. [22:15] On October 1st through the 3rd, Origami Risk will be in the Bay Area, California, for the RIMS Western Regional Conference. They will have a booth and will speak at a session with the Risk Manager of Sprouts about leveraging data and technology for proactive risk management. [22:44] Origami Risk will be at RIMS ERM, on November 17th and 18th in Seattle, Washington. That agenda is being built. Origami Risk will have a kiosk and hope to speak, too. [22:59] Origami Risk will have a presence at the 2025 Florida RIMS Educational Conference from July 29th through August 2nd. Connect with Roma's colleague Alex and Origami Risk there. [23:19] Roma, it's always great to see you and the Origami Risk team. Connect with Roma and Origami Risk online at LinkedIn and OrigamiRisk.com, in the Contact Us area on the website. [23:34] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with RIMS Texas Keynote Speaker Major General (Ret.) Robert F. Whittle Jr.! [23:44] What's the vibe at a Bob Whittle keynote? Bob focuses on the lessons he's learned over his career. A lot of the lessons are from mistakes that he has made, or vicariously from mistakes others have made. [24:00] Bob's goal is to make it humorous with some anecdotes; people remember anecdotes. He plans for an enjoyable session. Bob feels that when you're speaking to an audience, it's a hostage crisis. You owe it to them to entertain them a bit while providing valuable information. [24:34] Bob says it's not a hostage crisis if people are glad they went. [24:44] At the end of his keynote, Bob takes questions from the audience. He says it's the most enjoyable part because it's a free flow of information. [25:01] Bob has led troops in combat and peacekeeping missions across multiple continents. Bob says he learned a lot about cultural risk and adaptability in leadership. He says the Armed Forces learned a lot during that process, and the U.S. government did, as well. [25:22] After major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and moving into a stability effort, Bob says they learned about human terrain, the culture of the people. The culture can vary from place to place and village to village. [25:58] An American isn't ever going to understand the cultures as well as the interpreters (many of whom had emigrated to the U.S. and had come back to interpret) and the NGOs in place. Have them help you learn the culture. [26:34] Bob talks about how these experiences shaped his strategies. He became more of an active listener to gain situational awareness. To develop a relationship with an Afghan officer, you visit him at least three times and have tea with them. [27:11] Bob speaks of vision. Afghanistan, for thousands of years, had not been a democracy. Are you going to make it a democracy in a year or even in one generation? You have to know the human terrain. What is the best governance for the people to make the country not a threat? [27:55] Within the culture, how do you make that as benign as possible and effective, the way that they like to do it? [28:17] Bob talks about decision-making under pressure. It is harder in some ways and easier in others than your regular decisions. You're not going to get to 100% of the information under pressure. [28:33] You have to accelerate the decision-making. The more you know about your environment and the probability of different things happening, the more comfortable you can be with that.  [28:50] A leader has to stay as cool, calm, and collected as possible in that environment. Everyone who works for you or with you, whom you want to influence, is looking to you for how they should feel. How bad is it? If you can keep that posture, they're going to perform better. [29:18] It's easier to do that when you're a leader because you know people are counting on you. If you focus on that, the cool calmness just comes. [29:31] Bob was Commandant of the U.S. Army Engineers School. Bob talks about preparing the next U.S. Army Engineers. The key is training. If you know your job well and you've trained as much as possible, then you'll be more apt to take the right actions and be cool and calm. [30:05] The Army does a great job of investing in training for its people. An Engineer Officer goes to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for seven months right after they're commissioned. They come back, four years later, for a year. [30:19] They'll come back again as they get different promotions and constantly sharpen their edge. They are trained in every task that they're going to do, domestically in the U.S., or combat. [30:37] The training is repeated so the officers will gain good instincts and be able to take action without having to think long and hard about it; at the same time, being able to realize that every situation is different; How do they need to make this decision? [30:53] The U.S. Army Engineers School specifically teaches risk management. When the Army goes into a new nation for combat operations, they have to assess the bridges there. The bridges won't be in a U.S. database. A lot of the bridges are small. There may be many streams. [31:15] Bridges over streams may be small, and the Army has huge tanks. The Army has float bridges that they assemble in streams. The speed of the river and the types of banks affect how much material those bridges can handle. [31:51] They need engineers to go out there and evaluate the load classification for each bridge. When the Army went into Bosnia, they crossed the Sava River, which was in flood stage at the time. That takes a much longer bridge. It took a lot of ingenuity and more resources to cross. [32:34] When it comes to risk management, it's important to look at all the different controls. For bridges, one control is that one vehicle crosses at a time. You don't need three tanks on the bridge. Engineers need to decide if a float bridge can handle two tanks or limit it to one. [32:55] They could limit it to day crossing only, with people guiding the tank. There are all kinds of things to make sure they get right. [33:04] Justin looks forward to hearing more about Bob's experience on August 6th at 11:00 a.m. at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 in San Antonio. [33:17] Bob is a graduate with a Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, so a little Texas accent comes through. He loves Texas, and he got there as soon as he could. [34:23] Special thanks again to Retired Major General Bob Whittle for joining us here on RIMScast. Visit RIMS.org/TexasRegional to see the full agenda and register. I've got a link to the opening keynote's RIMScast episode. Huw Edwards joined us recently to discuss his address. [34:41] Huw will present “Your Insurance Policy for Success: Eight Mental Toughness Lessons I've Learned from Running 100 Miles through the Mountains.” Be sure to check that out. We look forward to seeing you August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio, Texas! [35:01] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [35:28] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [35:46] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [36:04] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [36:21] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [36:35] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [36:42] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: 20th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards! Vote for RIMScast (Gov't & Organizations) To vote for RIMScast, please sign up with your email, then select RIMScast on the pulldown under Government and Organizations. Thank you! RIMS Risk Management Magazine 2025 Awards Edition RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration open. RIMS-CRMP In-Person Workshop in Texas Aug. 6 & 7 RIMS 2025 Florida Educational Conference | July 31‒Aug 2 | Registration open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025 in NYC! Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Summer course sold out! | Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2-3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management” | July 24 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Emerging Risks” | Aug 5 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Aug. 12‒13 | Instructor: Chris Mandel “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Risk and Clarity with Huw Edwards, RIMS Texas Keynote” “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Bigger Risks with the Texas State Office of Risk Management | Sponsored by Hillwood”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Major General (Retired) Robert F. Whittle, Jr., Senior Vice President and CEO, Chief of Staff at USAA   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Neil Colclough, RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter President and 2025 RIMS Volunteer of the Year Award Winner, about his career path, how his Royal Marines service time helped steer his risk management path, and why he moved to Colorado. Neil tells of his years of experience in risk management, his risk philosophy, his DE&I philosophy, and how he feels about volunteerism.   Listen to learn the benefits of making your risk management career more fulfilling through volunteering.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. RIMScast is a proud nominee of the 20th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards. We are nominated in the category of Government and Organizations, and we would appreciate your support. Help us win that award at PodcastAwards.com.  [:35] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is the RIMS Volunteer of the Year Award winner, Neil Colclough. We will learn about his career and all the great work he has done for us at the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter. [1:05] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [1:17] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:34] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” [1:47] We've launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” This is a two-day course. The first two-day course will be held on August 12th and 13th and will be led by former RIMS President, Chris Mandel. [2:02] The course will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [2:11] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [2:22] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [2:36] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [2:55] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [3:19] Think about your organization's ERM program or one you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [3:27] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:41] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:54] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to register at RIMS.org/membership. [4:04] On with the show! Our guest today is Neil Colclough. He has been President of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter since 2023. In 2025, he was named the Volunteer of the Year. A link to his profile in the Awards Edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine is in the show notes. [4:24] Justin is stoked that Neil is joining us on RIMScast to discuss his well-deserved recognition and why he shares it with many other members of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter. [4:37]  We're also going to learn about his military career and how that shaped his risk career and his enthusiasm for volunteerism. [4:45] Interview! Neil Colclough, welcome to RIMScast! [5:00] Neil is incredibly proud of the RIMS 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award. [5:16] Neil continues as the President of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter until September. [5:39] Neil has been in Colorado for 27 years. He left behind family, friends, and a job he loved to move to the Colorado Rocky Mountains to take advantage of the lifestyle the area offers. He wanted to be a semi-ski bum. [6:25] Neil had to learn to ski in the military. He fell in love with the sport. He landed a job on Vail Mountain. He skied over 100 days a year for several years when he lived in Vail. [6:51] Neil is from Stoke-on-Trent, England. As a kid, he wanted to be a soldier. He joined the Royal Marines for six years and travelled the world. He saw communities outside of the resort areas. [8:10] Neil believes his risk management career grew out of his service. Public service is managing risk, considering what could go wrong at all times, and having a Plan B and C for those instances. It's also not being risk-averse. [8:33] His military service left him with the mindset that you can do anything, you just have to put the effort into doing it properly and give it your best shot. They all kept themselves incredibly fit. The risk of not being fit didn't just impact you; it impacted the guys you worked with. [9:17] Neil enjoyed the fitness routine in the military, going for morning runs with his closest friends. [9:34] If Neil hadn't moved to Colorado, he probably would have stayed home. He was focused on moving to the Rocky Mountains. He had been to the U.S. about 10 times before he moved. He moved in 1998. [11:11] Neil says he is of the generation who “fell into” the risk management industry, versus going to school for a risk management degree. He was dragged reluctantly into risk management. [11:28] Neil was asked four times to fill a new role in the corporate headquarters of Vail Resorts. He didn't want to leave Vail, but he liked the person hiring him, and the offer made sense, so he joined the corporate office and did not look back. RIMS membership came with that job. [11:58] At the time, Neil had no idea what RIMS was. He joined the Rocky Mountain Chapter in early 2008. He's been a member of the chapter since then. He attended programming and social events. He progressed in the chapter. [12:14] The operational experience he had gained in the military and from running the Security Team at Vail Mountain fed into the risk management function. It gives him a bit of a leg up when it comes to solving issues. His experience adds credibility with his internal clients today. [12:40] Neil's career has been a natural progression. He loves his job. He loves the people he does it for. It's like a hobby. He's genuinely interested in it. [13:00] Neil loves being in the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter as a whole. He joined the board in 2018 with Incoming President Peggy Miller and Past President Emily Bloedel. The board was a great group of people. They have great, respectful discussions. There's no negativity. [13:49] As long as Neil has been a member of the chapter, that has always been the case. He says the board feels proud to be part of the chapter and to have a positive impact.  [14:09] Justin mentions that Emily Bloedel was a RIMS Rising Star recently. Peggy Miller is with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Justin met Peggy at the RIMS ERM Conference in Denver. Neil ran the DEI education session at ERM, and he did a great job. [14:52] Neil says Emily Buckley is also on the board. They have a great pipeline of leadership to look forward to, and the future is super bright. [14:58] Justin mentions there's a lot of talent in Colorado. Emily Buckley was a guest on RIMScast last year for Specialized Bicycles on bicycle safety. Justin says, if you're a risk professional looking for a place to move, start with Colorado and look up Neil!  [15:33] DE&I is a passion for Neil. He's super connected to it. Justin and Neil discuss whether it's helpful to speak the words Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for people who may be less committed. [16:53] You might lean on Inclusion a little more to help people understand that this is about making sure that everybody has the same opportunities. [17:22] Neil is the RIMS Volunteer of the Year. The award used to be called the Heart of RIMS Award, but was rebranded to be more specific. [17:57] Neil thinks that all RIMS chapters should have the succession of vice presidents and presidents built into their bylaws as the Rocky Mountain Chapter does. A lot of presidents have sat on boards for many years, and they struggle to recruit people to become board members. [18:22] Volunteerism takes effort. If you're taking an hour out of your day to do a podcast to talk about yourself, then you've got to make up that time somewhere else. If you're doing chapter work during business hours, you have to have an employer who supports what you're doing. [18:54] You have to have family behind you, that gets it. You can't just disregard your daily job duties in favor of volunteerism. [19:09] Neil says, encourage chances to have an intentional succession plan for chapter leadership. Encourage people early in their careers to serve on boards, become leaders of the chapter, and shape the future. [19:40] If you've just graduated from an RMI program and joined the workforce, you may not think you're qualified to lead on a chapter board. Neil says, we want to hear from the future of the industry so we who are in it can prioritize what is going to be meaningful after we've gone. [20:03] Reach out to younger people, let them know what a safe space it is, and give them the opportunity to serve. [20:12] RIMS Events! The 49th Annual Florida RIMS Educational Conference will be held again at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida, from July 29th through August 2nd. Visit Florida.RIMS.org for more information and to register. [20:30] The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio, Texas, at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open. The full conference agenda is now live. [20:46] Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available on site. [20:52] This event is open to any RIMS Chapter member. If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today so that you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Links are in this episode's show notes. [21:07] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [21:15] A month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through the 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Lock in those favorable rates; Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA. We look forward to seeing you in Calgary! [21:34] On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at the Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [21:44] Also on September 18th, the Spencer Educational Foundation will host the 2025 Funding Their Future Gala at the Cipriani 42nd Street. Visit SpencerEd.org. [21:57] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today. [22:12] Let's Return to My Interview with the RIMS 2025 Volunteer of the Year, Neil Colclough! [22:23] Neil joined Sage Hospitality Group in January 2025. He had spoken with his new boss about his role at the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter, and she was super supportive. [22:48] The whole company understands the importance of risk management. They see the value of having me remain involved with RIMS at the chapter and society level. It was an easy conversation to have. [23:18] Neil is over a total of seven people at Sage. He says this is rare except in well-established, large companies. This is Neil's first experience with anything that comes close to that. [23:56] Two of Neil's team have been with the company for over 30 years. Another has been with the company for 11 years. That speaks volumes to Neil about the company culture and the investment the company makes in risk management. It was a huge attraction to Neil. [24:18] Neil was previously with Inspirato, another hospitality group. It was high-end luxury travel where you would subscribe to a membership and get access to a portfolio of homes. One client was mad that they didn't inform them that it was hurricane season when they were traveling. [26:06] When Neil moved to Colorado, he went to a job fair for Vail Resorts in Denver. He was offered two jobs, one as a ski instructor and one with the Security Department, a seasonal job. [26:24] When Neil showed up for work on his first day of training for the Security Team, it was October 19, 1998, the day of the terrorist arson at the Two Elk Lodge, the largest act of eco-terrorism in North America at the time. [26:42] Neil's job went from being seasonal to year-round. The department grew. He was promoted a couple of times fairly quickly. He had never ridden a snowmobile, but they put him on it, and he rode 400 miles a week on a snowmobile. [27:12] With this experience, Neil understands the principles of emergency preparedness and response. He worked closely with the public sector in Vail and Eagle County. The local government and the ski resort have to work closely together to align in the same direction. [27:31] Neil says they did some good stuff over the years to mitigate potential risks. A wildland fire was a big concern. They did mass-casualty incident drills with Vail Ski Patrol and the town of Vail. [27:59] Neil lives east of Boulder. His office is in Denver. [28:34] Neil says the award is not just one person. It takes a village. It takes a lot of people who think like you and have the same heart to make good things happen. He's never volunteered at any event where he's walked away feeling down and thinking it was a waste of time. [29:00] A little can go a long way. If you're thinking about ways to volunteer in the risk and insurance industry, the local RIMS chapter is a great vehicle to do that. You can contact Neil, and he can introduce you to some people he has networked with around the country. [29:24] Volunteerism is so rewarding. It takes effort. You can't just go to meetings. You have to put pen to paper in between meetings to take action on what you say you're going to do. Neil battles constantly with the feeling that he's not fully delivering on what he should be. [29:45] You have to give yourself a little bit of grace when it comes to those times. People's capacity ebbs and flows. Surround yourself with people who can pick up the slack when you have to step into your day job a little bit more at certain times. [30:00] When you're juggling the balls, just don't drop the glass ones! Keep your responsibilities prioritized. [30:13] Neil talks of DE&I sponsorship, advocating for somebody who's not in the group. One way to do that is to ask if you can take a young professional along with you when you're invited somewhere as a risk professional. Request that someone be at a meeting who wasn't invited. [31:02] That can create opportunities and give that person experience. It's a simple act with a potentially massive impact. [31:15] Neil, it's been a real pleasure to speak with you again! I appreciate all your insight here. Congratulations again on being named the RIMS 2025 Volunteer of the Year. We've got a link for the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter in the notes. Locals, if you want to join, give Neil a shout! [31:37] Neil says, I'll get back to you eventually! There are about 200 professional members in the chapter through the Society, plus Chapter Associates and Student Members. There is a free membership for RIMS Affinity Partners, all of whom have been represented on RIMScast. [33:06] Justin mentions again the RIMS Western Regional Conference; register at RIMSWesternRegional.com. [33:17] Special thanks again to RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter President and 2025 RIMS Volunteer of the Year Award Winner, Neil Colclough. We appreciate him making the time for us. A link to the special Awards Edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine is in the show notes. [33:35] Check out Neil's profile as well as the other 2025 RIMS Award Winners. A link to the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter site is in this episode's show notes. Check out all the great work they are doing. [33:48] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [34:16] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [34:35] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [34:52] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [35:08] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [35:23] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [35:30] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: 20th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards! Vote for RIMScast (Gov't & Organizations)To vote for RIMScast, please sign up with your email, then select RIMScast on the pulldown under Government and Organizations. Thank you! RIMS Risk Management Magazine 2025 Awards Edition RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration open. RIMS-CRMP In-Person Workshop in Texas Aug. 6 & 7 RIMS 2025 Florida Educational Conference | July 31‒Aug 2 | Registration open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025 in NYC! Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Summer course sold out! | Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter RSVP for the RISK PAC Reception in Philadelphia | July 16, 2025 | Sofitel Philadelphia at Rittenhouse Square RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management” | July 24 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Emerging Risks” | Aug 5 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Aug. 12‒13 | Instructor: Chris Mandel “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Mid-Year Update: RIMS Legislative and Risk Management News” “RIMS 2025 Rising Star Megan Smalter: Giving Yourself Grace” “Live from RISKWORLD 2025” “RIMS 2025 Risk Manager of the Year, Jennifer Pack” “Julie Bean, 2024 Heart of RIMS Award Winner”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Neil Colclough, Vice President of Risk, Compliance, and Audit, SAGE HOSPITALITY GROUP RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter President   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

In Episode 33, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Cali Wood, Head of Data & AI Strategy and Culture at AXA UK and Ireland, where they discuss the evolution of data culture within AXA, the importance of balancing innovation with governance in AI, and the strategies for promoting data literacy across the organisation.Cali shares insights on building a Data and AI Academy, measuring data literacy success, building skills matrices and competency frameworks for Data & AI teams, and the future of roles in the era of AI. TakeawaysOvercoming cultural challenges to ensure successful AI adoption.Balancing innovation with governance.Promoting data literacy across the organisation.Creating engagement strategies for Data and AI initiatives.Measuring data literacy effectiveness.Translating engagement metrics to business value.Creating skills matrices and competency frameworks to build capability.Creating blended learning journeys. The future of roles in data will evolve with AI.The importance of communication strategies.Aligning training and L&D to business needs.Why AI transformation requires a focus on the human element.Thanks to our sponsor, Data Literacy Academy.Data Literacy Academy is leading the way in transforming enterprise workforces with data literacy across the organisation, through a combination of change management and education. In today's data-centric world, being data literate is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data literacy first.At Data Literacy Academy, we don't just teach data skills. We empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. We're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes.From those taking their first steps in data literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that we offer. We embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme.We take a people-first approach, working closely with your executive team to win the hearts and minds. We know this will drive the company-wide impact that data teams want to achieve.Get in touch and find out how you can unlock the full potential of data in your organisation. Learn more at

Corin Mills is the Brand Marketing & E-Commerce Director at MOO, where he leads data-driven strategies that connect standout design with authentic brand experiences. With global experience at Google, Tesco, Currys, and more, Corin brings a sharp, cross-industry perspective to brand transformation. This week on the On Brand podcast, he joins me to talk about balancing data and emotion, leading meaningful change, and what it takes to thrive in today's fast-moving e-commerce space. About Corin Mills Corin Mills is the Brand Marketing & E-Commerce Director at MOO, specializing in data-driven marketing strategies that revitalize brand experiences and foster meaningful organizational change. With over 15 years of extensive brand management experience driving business transformation across multiple sectors and international markets, his passion for impactful branding drives MOO's success in bridging the gap between quality design and human connection. As former Head of Brand and Comms at Currys, his transformative approach centers on genuine collaboration and inclusive leadership at all levels of business. With previous success at major brands including EE, Tesco, Currys, Google, Orange, and AXA, Corin brings a unique cross-industry perspective to discussions about e-commerce strategy and optimization. What brand has made Corin smile recently? Corin pointed us to the recent GoDaddy campaign with Walton Goggins (and his goggles). Connect with Corin on LinkedIn and the MOO website. Listen and subscribe at  Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeart, YouTube, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you're hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you'd like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I'll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster talks to Cali Wood, Head of Data and AI Strategy & Culture at AXA UK and Ireland. Cali shares how AXA is shaping its data and AI transformation through a clear strategic framework built on creation of value, connection of data and tooling, and culture to accelerate value. From embedding human-centred design into automation use cases to launching a data and AI academy with more than 50% workforce engagement, AXA is making data and AI a true business-wide initiative. This conversation explores: The three pillars of AXA's data and AI strategy How culture and leadership unlock real business value Scaling responsible AI across a highly regulated industry Evolving from traditional to agentic AI in a people-first way Whether you're leading data transformation or navigating GenAI, this episode offers practical ideas and inspiration to help bring your people and strategy together. Listen now to learn how to build AI-driven change - the right way. -------------------------------------------------- Cynozure is a leading data, analytics and AI company that helps organisations to reach their data potential. It works with clients on data and AI strategy, data management, data architecture and engineering, analytics and AI, data culture and literacy, and data leadership. The company was named one of The Sunday Times' fastest-growing private companies in both 2022 and 2023 and recognised as The Best Place to Work in Data by DataIQ in 2023 and 2024. Cynozure is a certified B Corporation. 

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Huw Edwards, an entrepreneur, investor, and international speaker. Huw will kick off the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 with his keynote speech. Huw covers the varied topics of leveraging his quantitative training in risk roles, his cybersecurity experience in the companies he helped develop, and even his extensive ultramarathon experience. Huw explores what entering the “pain cave” as an ultramarathon runner has taught him about life and risk management.   Huw believes that being AI-first will be a key factor in whether risk professionals will be promoted. He shares a preview of his keynote and his advice to risk professionals. Listen to learn about the role of quantitative analysis in entrepreneurship and risk management, and how risk management is evolving with AI tools.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is Huw Edwards, who will kick off the RIMS Regional Texas Conference 2025, which will be from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio. [:44] Huw is a three-time business owner and an executive coach. We'll get a glimpse of his keynote today. [:51] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [1:02] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:20] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” [1:32] We've launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” This is a two-day course. The first two-day course will be held on August 12th and 13th and will be led by former RIMS President, Chris Mandel. [1:47] The course will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:56] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [2:07] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [2:21] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [2:40] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [3:04] Think about your organization's ERM program or one you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [3:12] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:26] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:39] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to register at RIMS.org/membership. [3:49] On with the show! Our guest today is a Harvard- and Oxford-educated entrepreneur, investor, and international speaker. [3:57] On Tuesday, August 5th, he'll kick off the Inaugural RIMS Texas Regional Conference with his keynote, “Your Insurance Policy for Success: Eight Mental Toughness Lessons I've Learned from Running 100 Miles Through the Mountains.” [4:10] His name is Huw Edwards. He is the founder of multiple ventures, including Jungle Disk and CyberFortress. We're going to get a preview of his keynote and learn about his risk philosophies and risk journey. [4:21] Interview! Huw Edwards, welcome to RIMScast! [4:36] Huw is excited to be on RIMScast and to be opening the RIMS Texas Regional Conference in August. Justin loves going to Texas and is looking forward to the conference. [5:01] Huw comes from Wales. His accent comes from living in about 16 parts of the U.S. [5:55] Growing up, Huw was good with numbers. After college, being a mathematician, he landed a job with Goldman Sachs in a derivatives group. He helped big corporations manage their financial risks. [6:54] Huw tells about buying his first business. When he sold it, he didn't have the attachment of having founded it. He took it on a journey and then sold it to a private equity firm that joined it with several other companies to create a much bigger platform. [7:52] Huw is a “reluctant entrepreneur.” He was not a teenage businessman. He was good at school and at doing work. The first business he bought was a profitable going concern with existing customers. It was a business unit in a big company, stuck in a corner. [8:39] Huw saw it had wonderful economics and just had to be invested in. It had sticky customers. It was very profitable. It needed some love, care, and attention. That was Huw's easy transition into entrepreneurship. He bought the business in 2016. [9:00] In 2017, customers started asking where they could buy Bitcoin. Customers were asking about Bitcoin because they were victims of a ransomware attack that demanded Bitcoins to unlock their computers. Huw's company had backups of its clients' data. [10:00] This circumstance pulled the company into the world of cyber insurance. It was a new field. Huw's company served small businesses and helped them protect their data. Managing their clients' data, they realized they could do the job better. [10:53] Huw says two things connect him to the RIMS Texas Regional Conference. The Insurance Company, USAA, is in San Antonio. Another insurance company, Argo, was there for a time. In 2018, RISKWORLD was held in San Antonio. [11:30] In 2018, Huw and partners incubated an MGA within a large company. They showed up at RISKWORLD to do customer testing and exploration. Coming back to a RIMS conference as a keynote speaker is a full-circle journey for Huw. [12:11] Huw's company was CyberFortress. It was spun out from Jungle Disk, a larger company. Huw raised a bunch of VC money and swung for the fences, but didn't find a product market fit there. They had built a solution, looking for a problem. It was a character-building experience. [13:06] It gave Huw some great insight, working with the insurance company. They launched their insurance policy in Texas, backed by Markel. The challenge was that it wasn't well-positioned, and people didn't buy it. [13:29] Huw believes the greatest opportunity for risk managers in today's cybersecurity landscape is to understand that the big factor is human behavior. You can buy systems, but it comes down to the people running those systems. [13:52] The successful cyber insurance offerings and cybersecurity firms largely help, train, monitor, and guide behavior to avoid clients doing the dumb stuff. Don't click on dumb stuff. [14:14] Risk managers are now interested in AI. AI is just another very powerful tool that can give you a lot of leverage. You can't outsource responsibility to AI, but it can do a lot of things. You can leverage those things. [15:01] Companies are looking for employees who are AI-first. Your comfort with AI will be a deciding factor that separates the people who are promoted or kept on.  [16:12] Huw thinks risk managers get a bad rap. Huw worked for Bridgewater. When he took the job, he was given a lot of books on managing risk. He learned you're not trying to eliminate risk but trying to manage it. How do you take advantage of risk? How do you scale risk exposure? [16:59] How do you mitigate the catastrophic risk or existential risk that could kill, but be open to riding the waves of the lesser risks that could give great upsides? [17:18] Risk managers can be seen as Negative Nancy, saying no. But risk management can enable. [17:47] Huw will talk about his long-distance running. He is also a big Formula 1 fan. Formula 1 cars can go really fast. What makes the Formula 1 car go fast around the track is good brakes. Like brakes in a car, risk management can make something go faster, braking when needed. [18:55] Plugs with Roma Rishi, Sr. Sales Executive, Origami Risk! Origami Risk is excited to be a sponsor at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference. Origami Risk will have a booth there to demonstrate their products. They will also speak at one of the sessions. [19:35] They will be talking with Roy Hock, the Director of Excess Insurance at Valero Energy, about leveraging technology to manage your captive. See Origami at its table, at its session, or both! [19:48] Origami Risk will be at the RIMS Texas Regional Conference from August 4th through August 6th. Origami Risk will also be at the tenth Chicagoland Risk Forum, on September 18th at the Old Post Office in Chicago. [20:02] Origami Risk will have a booth there, and Roma's colleague, Gina Rothweiler, is going to be speaking. Come find Origami Risk at the Chicagoland Risk Forum! [20:10] Registration is complimentary for members of risk management departments in the nearby area. A link to the registration page is in this episode's show notes. You can visit ChicagoRIMS.org as well. [20:33] On October 1st through the 3rd, Origami Risk will be in the Bay Area, California, for the RIMS Western Regional Conference. They will have a booth and will speak at a session with the Risk Manager of Sprouts about leveraging data and technology for productive risk management. [21:02] Origami Risk will be at RIMS ERM, on November 17th and 18th in Seattle, Washington. That agenda is being built. Origami Risk will have a kiosk and hope to speak, too. [21:22] Origami Risk will have a presence at the 2025 Florida RIMS Educational Conference from July 29th through August 2nd. Connect with Roma's colleague Alex and Origami Risk there. [21:37] Roma, it's always great to see you and the Origami Risk team. [21:45] Connect with Roma and Origami Risk online at LinkedIn and OrigamiRisk.com, in the Contact Us area. [21:52] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with RIMS Texas Keynote Speaker Huw Edwards! [22:01] On Tuesday, August 5th, at 9:00 a.m., Huw Edwards will kick off the RIMS Texas Regional with his keynote address. He will talk about personal experiences, which include several ultramarathons.  [22:54] For Huw, it was the challenge and the uncertainty that drew him to ultramarathons. When you line up on the start line of a marathon, you might not know how well you'll do that day, but by and large, you know you'll finish. [23:40] Huw found himself drawn to these 100-mile races, in the mountains, going up and down, on trails, at altitude. It's an eating and hydration competition, and getting your electrolytes right. It's about managing the heat of the day and the cold of the night. [24:18] It's about your stomach going South, or rolling an ankle. You can have a belief on the start line that you will finish, but you don't know what's going to happen that day. It's a somewhat controlled, uncontrollable environment. It's less complex than risk management. [25:01] In risk management, you have hundreds of thousands or millions of human players and economic actors interacting. When you're running, you have yourself, knowing how hard you can push, but you don't know what the weather will bring. It's a microcosm of the game of life. [25:39] The lessons are huge. We somehow think we can control everything in life, or we try. In running this kind of distance, things just go wrong. You can't control everything, so how do you learn how to respond? That's what keeps Huw coming back to ultramarathons. [26:07] Justin sees the parallels with risk management; you're striving for greatness, but sometimes you have to settle for goodness. [26:27] You don't go all in from the start. You have to pace yourself. The races have a time cutoff. If you are too conservative, you won't get there. In risk management, if you try to mitigate all risk, you'll have to pay through the nose for insurance. It's a judgment call. [27:28] In ultramarathons, you navigate emotional highs and lows. No matter how you're feeling, good or bad, it won't last. When you're running great, enjoy it; it's not going to last. When you feel terrible, that will pass, too. [27:53] That's a glimpse of part of the keynote. Justin says it's great that Huw has risk experience and has been to RISKWORLD. [28:18] Huw has a theme, smiling on the outside, suffering on the inside. For a long time, he tried to put a brave face on things. It's OK to suffer at times, acknowledge it, and not paper over the cracks of your feelings. It's OK to be authentic. Huw will touch on that in the keynote. [28:54] Sometimes you learn a lot in those moments of suffering. Huw will talk about the pain cave. At some point in an ultramarathon, you enter the pain cave. This term was made famous by one of the greatest ultra runners, Courtney Dauwalter. [29:28] When Courtney Dauwalter talks about the pain cave, she says she used to try to push it off and delay the inevitable moment of going into the pain cave. But the whole point is to experience that edge. [29:48] So you welcome the pain cave. It was meant to hurt. What can we learn about it? [30:06] Huw will take questions at the end of his keynote. Everyone can go to the link in this episode's show notes for the registration page for the RIMS Texas Regional Conference. [30:18] Huw, it was such a pleasure to meet you! I can't wait to see you live on stage on August 5th. [30:29] Special thanks again to Huw Edwards for joining us here on RIMScast! He will be kicking off the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025. That's the Risk Management Roundup in San Antonio, Texas, from August 4th through August 6th. Huw will be there on August 5th. [30:48] Visit the Events page on RIMS.org and the link in this episode's show notes to register. [30:53] RIMS has negotiated a discounted rate at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk. The cutoff date for reservations is July 11th. So, register now and make those reservations! [31:06] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [31:34] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [31:52] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [32:10] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [32:26] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [32:40] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [32:48] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS Hurricane/Storm Risk Management Resource Center  RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration open. RIMS-CRMP In-Person Workshop in Texas Aug. 6 & 7 RIMS 2025 Florida Educational Conference | July 31‒Aug 2 | Registration open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Summer course sold out! | Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council OrigamiRisk.com Huw Edwards — Career Clarity Coaching RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management” | July 24 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Emerging Risks” | Aug 5 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Aug. 12‒13 | Instructor: Chris Mandel “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Stacking Habits with Olympic Gold Medalist Jon Montgomery” “Financial Risk Management with Chris Willey of American Eagle FCU” “Applying ERM Theory with Elise Farnham” “Bigger Risks with the Texas State Office of Risk Management” | Sponsored By Hillwood “Exploring Risk in Extreme Environments with Kevin Vallely”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Huw Edwards, Entrepreneur, investor, and international speaker Roma Rishi, Sr. Sales Executive, Origami Risk   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Fan Mail: Got a challenge digitizing your intake? Share it with us, and we'll unpack solutions from our experience at Cytora.In this special panel edition recorded at the InsureTech Insights 2025 the panel, including Cytora's Head of North America Zaheer Hooda, have a forward-looking conversation on the evolution of the industry from InsurTech 2.0 to 3.0.Joining him in the panel are Nicholas Chen (MD Financial Services, Accenture), Camilla Serna (Global Revenue Officer at Chubb), Ben Madick (CEO Co-founder of Matic) and Fred Blumer (CEO and Co-founder of Mile Auto & Porsche Auto Insurance). Together, they break down how AI, personalisation, and digital partnerships are reshaping the future of insurance delivery.From embedding trust in AI-driven workflows to aligning regulatory frameworks with innovation, this episode is packed with practical insights. Tune in for a candid discussion on what it takes to drive transformation, without losing sight of insurance's core promise: protection.To receive a custom demo from Cytora, click here and use the code 'Making Risk Flow'.Our previous guests include: Bronek Masojada of PPL, Craig Knightly of Inigo, Andrew Horton of QBE Insurance, Simon McGinn of Allianz, Stephane Flaquet of Hiscox, Matthew Grant of InsTech, Paul Brand of Convex, Paolo Cuomo of Gallagher Re, and Thierry Daucourt of AXA.Check out the three most downloaded episodes: The Five Pillars of Data Analytics Strategy in Insurance | Craig Knightly, Inigo 20 Years as CEO of Hiscox: Personal Reflections and the Evolution of PPL | Bronek Masojada Implementing ESG in the Insurance and Underwriting Space | Simon Tighe, Chaucer, and Paul McCarney, Moody's

Michael's background and transition to AI @ 13:38 Michael reveals his unexpected background in the arts and theatre, and how he later transitioned into finance before becoming interested in the implications of AI. He shares insights about the resistance to change and adoption of new technologies within the finance industry. Observations on AI adoption and impact @ 30:22 Michael shares two key observations about the adoption of AI: 1) Finance professionals initially dismissed the potential of machine learning, but then quickly embraced it for commercial reasons rather than scientific merit. 2) Highly experienced and successful finance professionals were often the most resistant to acknowledging the disruptive impact of AI on their industry. Episode Highlights: AI will be the next cautionary tale about companies and individuals who ignore new technology, rather than embrace it. (Think Kodak & Blockbuster.) Don't think of AI as exclusively a technology tool, think of it as a writing and development tool. Humans drive AI by desire, the "I want to..." AI doesn't create or change because it desires to do so. Quotes: "It's not 'how is AI going to change my industry', it's 'how am I going to use AI to change my industry?" On the difference between an AI and human approach: “It's not so much a skills question, it's a will or a desire question, that I want to do something is not within AI's remit..." Meet Michael Kollo: Michael Kollo is a finance professional turned AI strategist with a PhD in Finance from the London School of Economics. With over 15 years of experience at the intersection of quantitative finance and technology, he has held roles at BlackRock, Fidelity, AXA, and HESTA. AI represents the most significant shift in financial services since the rise of algorithmic trading. However, the real challenge lies in deploying AI to create tangible value. Through Evolved AI, Michael works directly with financial firms to ensure AI adoption is practical, secure, and aligned with industry needs. Whether through executive training or micro-automations, he focuses on bridging the gap between AI capability and financial business objectives. Committed to making AI an augmentative tool rather than a black box, he helps firms navigate this transformation with clarity, strategy, and execution. Follow Michael on Instagram and Connect with him on LinkedIn. About Sarah "Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision." In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I've realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don't realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they're sharing them with. My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home. The audiobook, Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available! Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana. Be sure to check out my Storytelling For Professionals Course as well to make sure you nail that next interview!

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews RIMS General Counsel and VP of External Affairs Mark Prysock about the RIMS Legislative Summit in March 2025, how it went, and what to expect next. Mark mentions the registrant participation records they set and the connections they made as they lobbied.   As Mark exits, Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine enter the studio to talk with Justin about the mid-year in risk and four Q2 articles in RIMS Risk Management magazine on tariffs, the 2025 hurricane season, the USDA budget cuts and food safety, and minimizing risk while using AI for innovation. After lessons from the articles, Hilary invites listeners to submit risk management articles to RIMS Risk Management magazine. If you publish in the magazine, what opportunities will that open for you?    Listen to learn more about the highlights of the first two quarters of 2025 and what to prepare for the rest of the year.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. We've got three guests today. We'll get a RIMS legislative update from Mark Prysock, and we will look back at major risk management news from the first half of 2025 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine. [:48] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [:58] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:16] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:31] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:42] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know that he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [1:56] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [2:15] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [2:38] Think about your organization's ERM program or one that you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [2:47] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [3:01] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:14] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to register at RIMS.org/membership. [3:24] On with the show! Mark Prysock is the RIMS General Counsel and VP of External Affairs. It's always wonderful to have him on the show. [3:32] He is here to remind us of the RIMS legislative priorities, how they were addressed during the RIMS Legislative Summit in March, and what else we can expect in the way of public policies that RIMS would like to prevent and those we'd like to support. [3:46] There are lots of links in this episode's notes, as well, including ones to RISK PAC and an upcoming fundraiser. Let's get to it! [3:54] Interview! Mark Prysock, welcome back to RIMScast! [4:14] RIMS's top legislative or advocacy priorities for 2025 include opposing legislation on taxing non-profit associations. RIMS is working with other associations on this. The tax would have a significant impact on RIMS. [5:26] Another issue is the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act, which would allow individuals to use college savings 529 plans to pay for certifications like the RIMS-CRMP. It's a very popular issue in the association community. [5:55] Third-party litigation funding has become a very big issue, followed by nuclear verdicts. What can we do to stop that? That's an issue that's been growing in both the House and the Senate. RIMS is working within a broad coalition to address that issue. [6:14] RIMS believes, at a bare minimum, there needs to be disclosures when third-party litigation funding agreements are in place so that everyone understands who stands to benefit from a nuclear verdict. It's not the plaintiff. [6:37] The last issue is the National Flood Insurance Program. [7:01] Mark and his team spent Day 1 of the RIMS Legislative Summit in March prepping the registrants so they understood the ins and outs of the issues. They all received one-page leave-behind documents to take to the Congressional offices. [7:18] Panellists had talked to them about the issues. The registrants were prepped to be lobbyists on these issues. [7:30] On Day 2, the registrants went to the Hill and lobbied on behalf of RIMS. [7:39] There were over 60 registrants this year. That was a RIMS Legislative Summit record. They had around 100 Congressional meetings, also a RIMS Legislative Summit record. [8:15] Mark says holding the event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building is fantastic. It's a classic D.C. building that everyone knows. It's fairly close to Capitol Hill. You can get all the speakers you want to come and meet with your group there. It's perfect for the Summit. [8:49] A couple of years ago was the first time the Summit met at the Chamber building. Going back this year confirmed that it's going to be the new location for the Summit. Mark says it was an enriching experience for the attendees. [9:33] The Summit lobbyists focus on committees in both the House and Senate with jurisdiction over insurance. [9:47] The House Financial Services Committee has a Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. Most of the legislation the Summit is concerned about comes from the House. [10:04] That Subcommittee has a new Chair, Congressman Mike Flood from Nebraska. The Summit has made inroads with his office and with other offices, too. [10:28] The Summit's focus is on establishing relationships with newer Congressional offices that are in a position to impact RIMS's legislative priorities. [10:52] Mark says, typically when we meet with a Member of Congress, it might be that we're talking to them because they're well-situated to talk to us about NFIP. [11:02] On other issues, we don't know that they necessarily align with us, but we know that with what we're trying to accomplish with the NFIP, they are going to be a great ally. That's our foot in the door to discuss other legislative issues. [11:24] Marks says the Summit is looking to establish long-term relationships with Members of Congress and educate them on the importance of different issues. [11:58] The RIMS Public Policy Committee will continue hammering on these issues for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026. The tax issues are likely to be resolved in RIMS's favor in the Omnibus tax bill Congress is wrestling with now. [12:18] The One Big Beautiful Bill does not include language for imposing new taxes on non-profits, but it does include the language about liberalizing the use of College 529 plans, which RIMS supports. Mark thinks that it will be wrapped up soon. [12:39] NFIP has been reauthorized through September 30th, the end of the Federal Government's Fiscal Year. There is legislation out there to reauthorize it for a longer period. The RIMS Public Policy Committee is talking with Members of Congress about that. [12:57] Third-party litigation funding is an issue to keep working on for the next couple of years. [13:04] The RIMS Public Policy Committee will be working closely with the RISK PAC Trustees to figure out how they can help to raise more money for the PAC. They have some ideas for things to do at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia. [13:22] They have a fundraising event in Philadelphia in the middle of July. They'll be sending out Calendar invites to the RIMS membership. 2026 will be an election year, so they want to raise as much money as they can for RISK PAC and the right re-election campaigns. [14:02] At RIMS.org/advocacy, you can see that the RIMS Legislative Summit 2026 will be held from March 16th through 18th. Mark is more excited than ever for next year's Summit! It's an election year. They've got the details nailed down. They'll be at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. [14:53] They will have a hotel block nailed down soon. They'll start promoting this event far in advance. Mark your calendars, please! As you build your chapters next year, please include some money to send your Advocacy Ambassador to the Legislative Summit 2026 in March. [15:20] We've got the link in this episode's show notes and at RIMS.org/advocacy. You can reach out to Mark Prysock directly through his email address on the RIMS Advocacy page. Write to him if you have questions about what it takes to get there or how you can contribute. [15:43] As Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle walk into the studio, Justin thanks Mark Prysock for being on the show. [16:04] Plugs! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open. [16:17] Hotel cut-off for the discounted rate is available through July 7th. The full Conference Agenda is now live, so you can start planning your experience. Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available onsite. [16:33] This event is open to any RIMS Chapter member. If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today, so that you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Links are in this episode's show notes. [16:48] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [16:56] Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA and lock in those favorable rates. We look forward to seeing you in Calgary! [17:15] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today. [17:31] Let's Get on with the Show! It is July 1st. We have reached the midpoint of 2025. On RIMScast, we like to take stock of the year in risk, so far. Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle are going to break it all down for us. [17:54] Morgan O'Rourke is the RIMS Senior Director of Content and Publications. Hilary Tuttle is the Managing Editor of RIMS Risk Management magazine. That's our flagship, at RMmagazine.com. [18:07] We will look back on the Q2 digital issue of RIMS Risk Management magazine and discuss some of the news and trends that have been driving the risk profession. We'll talk about tariffs, AI, and more. Let's get to it! [18:23] Interview! Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle, welcome back to RIMScast! [18:50] We are here to talk about the mid-point of 2025 in risk and what it has meant for the profession and the reporting on the profession. The Q2 digital issue of RIMS Risk Management magazine is now available. The link is on this page. [19:26] A big story from this quarter was tariff volatility. In April, Neil Hodge wrote a great article “How to Navigate the Volatile Tariff Landscape.” Many companies underestimate their exposure to tariffs through lower-tier suppliers. [20:06] Hilary says the number one tip is to map your exposure to tariffs via suppliers. Also, think about finished goods as well as what hypothetical future scenarios would mean. We've seen that tariffs are consistently volatile. Map different scenarios to see how they will play out. [20:43] In the article, Neil also mentions alternatives such as near-shoring, alternative suppliers, and technicalities about working within the system. Morgan mentions contract management. Another tip was tariff engineering by modifying your product design or where it's assembled. [21:35] Morgan shares an example. Converse All Stars have a layer of felt on the bottom, which classifies them as slippers, which have a lower tariff. They tweaked the product so it could be classified differently. Morgan just bought a new pair and saw the felt he had never noticed. [23:24] Morgan says certain auto imports may leave out features that would classify them as commercial vehicles, so they don't have a commercial vehicle duty. [24:08] Equipment that was bought before steel tariffs will be more expensive to repair after steel tariffs, and insurance that was in place before the tariffs may not cover the drastically more expensive repairs. This will affect heavy machinery. Revisit your insurance coverage. [25:06] Considering what major assets may be changing with tariff changes would be a helpful next step for people. Morgan refers to finding alternate suppliers or diversifying. If you're starting a new relationship with a supplier, tariffs need to be part of the contract conversation. [25:42] If tariffs are a risk you have not been accounting for in your supplier agreements, you may want to build more flexibility into future agreements.  [26:03] Justin mentions the 2025 hurricane season and accurate weather reporting. That relates to supply chain. Hilary includes replacement values, as materials cost more.  [26:33] Hilary wrote an article, “The 2025 Hurricane Season Outlook.” Hilary says it's interesting to tell similar stories every year in different ways. She looked at the outlook for this season and compared it to the results from last year. [27:35] She looked for the key trends that drove the results last year and that will impact this year. It's an outlook and also a strategic input. How does your organization need to adapt to this outlook? It's about seeing the overarching trends and figuring out how to act on them. [28:20] Hurricane Beryl came in the summer of 2024. It was one of the earliest major hurricanes to form. It reached Category 5 in 42 hours. What strategies should organizations take to address fast-developing storms? [28:43] Rapid intensification is a major trend with hurricanes. This is fueled by above-average ocean temperatures and other impacts of climate change. Storms are getting worse faster. The energy at the surface level contributes to faster-building hurricanes. Then there are trade winds. [29:09] It is a very big challenge for governments and private industry because you need to prepare much faster. You might only have a day of notice between a tropical storm and a Category 3 hurricane. [29:29] Preparedness is a state of being, not something you deal with if and when a storm arises. It needs to be a constant state of readiness. This year there have been significant budget cuts to NOAA and FEMA. This affects weather forecasting and the number of emergency staff. [30:22] Organizations need to understand that they need an increased amount of self-reliance. You cannot count on the cavalry coming. Preparedness means more than ever this year. [30:38] Morgan says it's less about coordinating with Federal agencies and more about making sure you have your ducks in a row. You may not have access to outside resources. You might be able to coordinate with other companies and organizations. Cooperation helps. [31:43] Hilary says, after last year, we saw with Hurricane Helene that some of these disasters are increasing and hitting in unpredictable areas that don't have the preparedness or the infrastructure because there is not a legacy sense of being at risk for hurricanes. [32:05] Preparedness is different in different regions. Taking an assessment, thinking about some of those scenarios is a strategic risk management issue that may need to shift in new ways. In some of those areas, you might not have local disaster resources because it has not been a risk. [32:38] Prepare by taking a realistic assessment of emergency resources on the ground, what has the historical risk been, and how that is shifting? [32:51] A Small Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [33:10] Since 2010, Spencer has awarded over $3.3 million in General Grants to support over 130 student-centred experiential learning initiatives at universities and RMI non-profits. Spencer's 2026 application process is now open through July 30th, 2025. [33:30] General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. The link is in this interview's show notes. Be sure to visit the programs page of SpencerEd.org. [33:40] The Spencer 2025 Funding their Future Gala will be held Thursday, September 18th at the Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. This year's honoree is Tim Ryan, the U.S. President of Lockton, and we hope to have him here on RIMScast this summer. A link is in the show notes. [34:03] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine! [34:55] Jennifer Post, one of the editors, wrote an article, “USDA Budget Cuts Present Food Safety Risks.” Budget cuts may increase the likelihood of an outbreak of foodborne diseases and compromise the USDA's ability to respond and notify consumers of an outbreak. [36:28] Hilary notes recent outbreaks with cucumbers and tomatoes, which have been deadlier than one might expect. The cucumber recall was for cucumbers that had been sold six weeks before. Hilary has never had a cucumber for more than two weeks. [37:11] Shifting responsibility to under-resourced states creates uneven safety standards. Private companies will have to incur some of the costs of testing and monitoring their food. Who is responsible for coordinating food safety between states or countries is a question mark.  [37:50] This is not a great solution. It's an area of uncertainty for now. It is likely to increase costs for individual companies. It also increases the risk exposure for companies that are distributing food that makes people sick, but they don't know it. [38:09] The number of people getting sick and the amount of money a company will lose balloon as a function of time and notice. There are a lot of components to this issue. [38:30] Hilary says we are also seeing some concern around whether some of the shifting standards are going to create different levels of safety in different types of products or from different regions. This shifts a lot of the burden onto the consumer and private companies. [38:42] Morgan adds that beyond the cuts to NOAA, FEMA, and the USDA, there are cuts to cybersecurity infrastructure with CISA. These cuts remove a level of oversight that people have come to rely on. The cuts push responsibility for risks further onto states and private industry. [39:26] Morgan says they were worried about the appetite for change in the government from the Trump administration. The administration is making changes. Some of the fallout is that it has changed the risk landscape regarding storm damage, food safety, cybersecurity, and more. [39:46] You may have to reassess your risks in the light of these cuts to Federal agencies. Hilary points out that the cuts are not fluff when you realize the functions these agencies have. [40:21] Hilary quotes a food safety professor from the article. “Oversight is not a bureaucratic formality; it's the invisible line between routine production and preventable tragedy.” Hilary thinks that quote applies across a number of the cuts that have been made. [40:39] The magazine has an article on AI called “Balancing Innovation and Compliance When Implementing AI.” Morgan reports that AI is all over the place now. The conversation has to involve implementation issues and liability risks. AI hallucinations and data security are issues. [42:03] You need to have a level of human intervention and involvement to be looking for things that you might have taken for granted are true, but that are problematic or make you liable for something. [42:17] Hilary says another big issue is that the technology is drastically outpacing regulation, safety measures, and best practices. You need to be asking, “What do we have a defensible business reason to do, and what are we putting in place to safeguard those?” [42:44] Some of the AI applications around hiring incur very real consequences in terms of human impact and regulatory impact. You may be dealing with serious employment fines or other things of that nature that regulators will catch up on. [43:06] AI systems are designed to please you. They are not designed to do the right thing or to make intelligent choices. They guide a user, and the user needs to guide them. Hilary compares using AI to riding an elephant. The elephant can go where it wants to go; you need to control it. [43:55] Hilary says that a lot of these AI engines perpetuate bias that the people who developed them may or may not have or may not realize that they have. A large company for a while only hired white men because those were the people who had been successfully hired in the past. [44:20] The content online that trains these models is the content that is published online. It requires a certain amount of privilege, experience, education, and life perspective. It doesn't draw on the body of human experience and knowledge for representative bodies. [44:49] You have to bring a certain diversity of experience, and also check those inputs with either people or other sources. Morgan talks about the feeling you might get that something like an email was written by an AI. The homogeneity starts to erode the quality of things. [45:27] Morgan has read that one of ChatGPT's quirks is that a lot of responses will have a “not this but that” structure. For instance, “It's not just soup, it's a meal!” Once you see it, you start to see it everywhere. Hilary says a giveaway is the use of inserted emojis. [46:32] Morgan and Hilary have been editing for quite a while. Morgan can identify who wrote a piece of writing by its style. If you get an email from someone with turns of phrase they would never use, you know it's AI. Losing track of what's going on is not to your advantage. [47:26] Having AI write an email is an example of something that just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should do it. Should you be working in an environment in which you don't know how to interact functionally with your coworkers, the length of an email? [48:13] Engineering prompts are one of the biggest skills people need to learn in working with AI. Prompt engineering is the most important component that Hilary had to struggle to learn in an AI course she took. It makes the biggest difference to AI being usable. Take a prompt class. [49:05] Justin shares an experience he had using AI to make an email response he had written much shorter and less defensive. It wasn't perfect, but it helped him to revise his message. [49:47] Hilary said that Justin gave a great example of prompt engineering. You want to tell it who the recipient is, who you are, and what your specific concern is to address. You can also ask it to explain the changes that it makes, so you learn how to write better emails next time. [50:43] Hilary urges caution on choosing the platform. ChatGPT is decent for writing because you can prime it. You can't prime Copilot, and she says a lot of the results are garbage.  [51:46] The Q2 edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine is online. All the articles are on the site as links and as part of the digital edition. [51:56] A reminder to the audience: RIMS Risk Management magazine is always seeking contributors and contributions, primarily from the risk profession. The topics that are important to you are the topics that are important to your colleagues. Get your voices out there! [52:37] A good submission answers two questions: Why this? And why now? Why should other people care about this issue? New regulations? New fines? A recent court case? Is there a nuance you are highlighting? Another question is, so what? What do you do about it? [53:28] Justin offers, How will the audience be able to do their job better based on the information you're telling them? Morgan comments that the idea is risk management. You want to get to the management part of it so your organization can do something about it. [53:58] Go to RMMagazine.com and see the Contribute button at the top. That's where you'll find the editorial submission guidelines and the contact information for Morgan, Hilary, and Jennifer. They are open to your ideas, so by all means, reach out. You never know what it could lead to! [54:58] Hilary says they also welcome feedback on their existing coverage and the challenges you are seeing in the field. [55:27] Hilary and Morgan are going to rejoin us at the end of the year. We always close the year with an episode when they look back on the year and forward to the next. [56:01] Special thanks to my RIMS colleagues Mark Prysock, Morgan O'Rourke, and Hilary Tuttle for joining us here on RIMScast! Visit RIMS.org/advocacy to connect with Mark, and RMMagazine.com to connect with Morgan and Hilary, and get the latest risk news and insight. [56:23] Links are in this episode's show notes, including a link to the Contribute page on RMMagazine.com. [56:29] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [56:57] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [57:15] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [57:33] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [57:49] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [68:04] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [58:11] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration now open. RIMS-CRMP In-Person Workshop in Texas Aug. 6 & 7 RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration now open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration now open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute “How to Navigate Tariff Volatility” (April 3, 2025) “2025 Hurricane Season Outlook” (June 9, 2025) “USDA Budget Cuts Present Food Safety Risks” (May 21, 2025) “Balancing Innovation and Compliance When Implementing AI” (April 30, 2025) RIMS Now The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management” — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Summer course sold out! | Fall bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management” | July 24 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Emerging Risks” | Aug 5 | Instructor: Joe Mayo See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “RIMS Legislative Priorities in 2025 with Mark Prysock” “Q1 2025 Risks with Morgan O'Rourke”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guests: Mark Prysock, General Counsel at Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS) Morgan O'Rourke, Director of Publications at RIMS Hilary Tuttle, Managing Editor of Risk Management Magazine   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Key Links:Park & Battery: https://parkandbattery.comPark & Battery LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parkandbatteryBBN | Agency X: www.bbn-international.com/agencyxThis episode Ed Davis rewinds the reel on Cannes Lions to ask whether the festival is finally judging B2B work on its own creative terms. His guide is Michael Ruby, fresh from the Croisette after Park & Battery's Roto-Rooter campaign became one of only a handful of pure-play B2B entries to make the Creative B2B shortlist.The vibe in CannesRuby describes a “whirlwind” first visit: endless content, dizzying networking and—crucially—a palpable momentum for business-to-business brands. With B2B entries up to 415 this year, he believes the new compliance checks have helped weed out thinly veiled B2C work and sharpen the category's focus on genuine business impact.Evolving judging criteriaBoth host and guest agree the jury is learning to look beyond clever execution to lasting impact. Ruby notes that the best-in-class entries marry creativity with commercial proof: not just impressions and clicks, but measurable shifts in buying intent or brand preference. Yet very few campaigns—his own included—are “culturally sticky” enough to be remembered in five years, a challenge he throws down to the industry.Behind the Roto-Rooter short-listerTurning America's best-known plumber into an emotional storyteller started with one insight: nearly half of small businesses never reopen after a major flood. From there Park & Battery pushed a long-trusted client to embrace talking toilets, wry humour and a budget-friendly regional media plan. Stakeholders bought in instantly—as long as every line stayed technically accurate for professional plumbers. Data, emotion and AIThe pair dissect the uneasy dance between performance metrics and brand building. Gartner still says 60 % of martech sits idle; Cannes jurors can hardly be expected to decode MQLs and SQLs, so agencies must translate data into clearly meaningful outcomes. On AI, Ruby sees a gulf between public bravado and private anxiety: smart teams are automating the menial to free humans for concept craft, while audiences begin to recoil at low-grade “AI slop”.Campaigns that raised the barBeyond his own work, Ruby highlights AXA's “Three Words” domestic-abuse clause, Spotify/FCB's “Song for Every CMO” (with just 14 hyper-targeted impressions) and Vaseline's TikTok verification series as benchmarks that blend purpose, precision and share-worthy storytelling.Advice for would-be Lion-tamers“Stop sitting on the side-lines.” B2B specialists have the craft, but must invest time and a modest budget in world-class case films. If Park & Battery can do it four years in, anyone can. The only real barrier is deciding to enter.

Campaign's editors from around the world come together after the Lions festival for the final episode of the Campaign Cannes global podcast in partnership with Ocean Outdoor.We review the festival and talk about the work that won, the big trends that emerged, the first year of Campaign House and the best parties.Gideon Spanier (far left), the UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast and is joined by Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, David Brown, co-editor of Campaign Canada, and Luz Corona, editor of Campaign US.Further reading about the work and stories on this podcast:WPP, DDB and Publicis Conseil win creative company, network and agency of year at Cannes Lions 2025Channel 4 and L'Oréal Paris scoop Film Lions Grands PrixPublicis Conseil lands Titanium Grand Prix for Axa campaign helping women escape abuseGreat work should swim against the current, creative chiefs say Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Kyle Leng, Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks, about the risks associated with buildings that lack strong wireless connectivity. These issues involve cellular, Wi-Fi, and public safety distributed antenna systems for first responders. Justin and Kyle discuss physical risks, but mainly the communication risks of not being able to call 911 or firefighters or police officers unable to radio out of the building. The discussion turns to IoT, and Kyle shares some of his experiences in bringing apartment buildings up to date with Wi-Fi and IoT, including scheduled technology security updates. Kyle speaks of the need to update stone buildings that block signals internally and deal with high-rises that block you from connecting to your cell tower.   Listen to learn more about updating wireless communication in your properties.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is emergency preparedness and wireless availability and capability, with Kyle Leng of Airtower. We've got some critical insights for anyone experiencing hurricane season. [:45] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! Register by July 1st for the next RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshop, which will be co-led by Parima. That course will be held on July 8th and 9th. [1:02] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:20] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management.” On August 5th, we have a day-long course about “Emerging Risks.” RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:35] A link to the full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:46] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know that he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the “RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management”. [1:59] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are virtually filled to capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today! [2:19] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [2:42] Think about your organization's ERM program or one that you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [2:50] On with the show! Our guest today is Kyle Leng, the Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks. Airtower is a wireless infrastructure provider. [3:00] Kyle is here to discuss how risk managers can play a pivotal role in building and upgrading wireless connectivity for their buildings and organizations. [3:10] We're also going to talk about some of the legislation in the U.S. that could have a national impact on wireless capability and emergency preparedness. Let's get to it! [3:20] Interview! Kyle Leng, welcome to RIMScast! [3:32] Kyle is the Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks. His primary focus is working with local governing bodies to install either public safety radio systems for first responders, cellular systems, or Wi-Fi enhancement systems. [3:50] Kyle makes sure Airtower Networks is evergreen on the local requirements and expectations, and the latest security protocols for those systems. [4:00] Kyle has been at Airtower coming up on a decade, and in the public safety sector for eight years. He is in high demand at Airtower, internally and externally. [4:17] The Airtower HQ is in D.C. There are also satellite offices. Kyle lives in Maryland. [4:40] If your building lacks wireless connectivity, firefighters can't communicate on your property. This is code-mandated, so your occupancy for your property is in jeopardy, along with the lives of your tenants. [5:00] There is a risk associated with a lack of cell phone coverage. No one should be in an emergency and not be able to dial 911. It's terrifying. It's also a huge liability exposure. [5:15] Another vulnerability for first responder radio systems is that codes, requirements, and technology are constantly in flux. This is also true of cellular enhancement systems.  [5:31] The technology is updating and the requirements are changing, including Florida's SB 1190 and HB 1571, with retroactive enforcement for existing buildings. [5:52] Radio dead zones in apartment buildings are a major risk for first responders. Kyle uses an example of sister apartment buildings, with a fire spreading from one to the other, and the second building having no communication. [6:30] All these things are updating, evolving, and iterating. You might be looking at last year's requirements and be off base. [6:42] You may miss something valuable learned in the field through trial and error, that installing these systems or having certain security protocols makes a world of difference regarding the safety of the tenants and the first responders. [7:01] Kyle expects most of the U.S. will adopt legislation similar to Florida. Most of the country is watching Florida to see what works and what doesn't, planning to implement their own. [7:10] Retroactive enforcement, where older buildings are not grandfathered in, already exists in pockets around the country.  [8:07] Existing building mandates have been in the International Fire Code and the NFPA codes, which govern first responder radio systems, for a decade. [8:39] Florida is the first U.S. local authority to publish bills around these codes, including a timeline with retroactivity. They are moving to make buildings safer. [8:52] Kyle explains why Airtower Networks is excited by Florida's move. Communities become safer, and local heroes are safer while they're rescuing people. It's a tough undertaking. It takes a lot of resources and knowledge. There will be hiccups, and people will learn as they go. [9:25] Plug Time! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open. [9:39] Hotel cut-off for the discounted rate is available through July 7th. The full Conference Agenda is now live, so you can start planning your experience. Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available onsite. [9:55] This event is open to any RIMS Chapter member. If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today, so that you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Links are in this episode's show notes. [10:10] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [10:18] Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA and lock in those favourable rates. We look forward to seeing you in Calgary! [10:37] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today. [10:53] Let's Return to My Interview with Kyle Leng!  [11:07] The bulk of Airtower Networks' active projects are at active construction sites. There is inherent danger there. The whole team undergoes stringent safety training. They maintain all the relevant certifications to keep the team safe. They review those with the team leads weekly. [11:34] There is risk involved with the systems. If you install a bad cellular system, instead of helping, you're making that property and the surrounding area significantly more dangerous. The same thing with the firefighter radio systems. Doing that wrong is worse than not doing it at all. [12:04] It's high stakes, high risk, and you want to have expertise, going into it, because you can make the property significantly less safe and more of a liability for all parties if you do it wrong. [12:24] Kyle points out that a bad network and an obsolete network are the same. Airtower Networks has been getting a lot of new opportunities for rip-and-replace contracts to remove obsolete or poorly designed systems and replace them expertly with the latest technology. [12:54] How quickly something goes obsolete varies depending on the technology. You'll get more lifetime from a cellular system than a first responder radio system. Wi-Fi needs to be constantly updated. You need to have the latest security protocols and the latest technology. [13:17] Kyle says a lot of the systems they rip and replace in the public safety sector are in the five-to-ten-year range. They're not ancient. Often, it was a low-budget installation. Airtower Networks believes you need to go into a project with the right attitude and perspective. [13:47] The risk professionals listening should check for is when they had their systems installed. If they're coming up on that 10-year mark, they may need to reassess them. [14:00] Kyle tells how he discusses it with stakeholders. Picture someone you care about in the stairwell of a building, something scary happens, and they can't call 911. Then, police officers show up, and their radios don't work. This is incredibly dangerous and a huge liability. [14:23]  The various costs associated with upgrading those systems, getting them inspected, and having them be monitored, 24/7 to make sure there are no breaks in the coverage, are nothing compared to the risks and liability. The costs are 100% worth it, every time. [14:48] Public safety distributed antenna systems go by 17 different names across the country. They're radio systems inside your property with antennas in the ceiling. They increase the radio access for first responders in the building. Kyle's central focus is getting them into buildings. [15:50] Kyle speaks of an exciting season in his career. They turned a couple of sister apartment buildings in San Francisco into smart buildings. It was IoT everywhere. They learned a lot from working on those projects. [16:11] They worked with a software developer to build an app so that in every unit, tenants paid rent with their TV remotes and unlocked their doors with their phones. [16:29] In terms of security and risk management, they learned that a big part of these projects was keeping the networks segmented and isolated so no one had a backdoor to the Wi-Fi and keycard access. With IoT, you want the latest encryption and password security. [17:06] They learned you have to find great partners in the OEM space. You can find IoT components online, but are they safe? Find a partner that's invested long-term in their equipment, so when you install IoT devices, they will be guaranteed to be updated for years. [17:44] A Small Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [18:04] Since 2010, Spencer has awarded over $3.3 million in General Grants to support over 130 student-centred experiential learning initiatives at universities and RMI non-profits. Spencer's 2026 application process is now open through July 30th, 2025. [18:24] General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. [18:28] Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus Program offers grants of up to $5,000 to universities and colleges in the United States and Canada to host a practicing risk manager on their campus for a one-to-three-day residency. [18:41] The Risk Manager on Campus program has been praised by both universities and risk managers as a rewarding educational experience for students and a chance to give back to the profession. The application deadline for 2026 is June 30th, 2025. Check the link in the notes. [19:00] Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [19:04] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Kyle Leng! [19:22] Kyle always tries to exceed the code requirements and the local expectations for each building. There is also a project spec list, drafted by the property management, legal team, and insurance policyholders. [19:46] Kyle enjoys the conversation he has with the property stakeholders about the specifications. He enjoys getting to understand what their intentions are and seeing what he can learn from this type of property. [20:06] Kyle learns a lot through these conversations because the stakeholders are looking through a very different lens. Kyle's thinking about passing inspections, and that tenants can make 911 calls. [20:19] The stakeholders are considering every liability across the property and how to plug all the holes so that risk and liability are as limited as possible. Kyle finds there's almost always a win-win situation between the intentions and the happy outcome of a very safe building. [21:39] Kyle says government buildings in particular tend to have a lot of stonework, which essentially kills all RF signals; Wi-Fi, cellular, and public safety networks. In these government buildings, there is usually no coverage. There is no system to rip out and replace. [22:06] Healthcare tends to have an antiquated system. They had the funding to put in communication systems early on, which are now outdated. Airtower Networks has had some rip-and-replace in healthcare, but they focus on government facilities without coverage. [22:36] Kyle says local authorities tell him that when they go into the courthouse or city hall, they know they're not going to make a call or use a radio. That's terrifying. [22:57] Kyle says, in the industry, they refer to these government stone buildings as sort of Faraday cages. Cell service stops at the front door. There's no system in place to replace. [24:03] With the onset of the summer heat, fire risk increases. Storms and power outages are big risks in the summer. Summer is a big time for construction. If a high-rise building goes up between you and the cell tower, you lose coverage. You might need an amplification system. [25:09] If a high-rise with a leaky Wi-Fi system goes up next to your property, it could interfere with your IoT devices. There is an inherent risk for all radio coverage when a high-rise building goes up. You need to be prepared for it and have a watchful eye. Find out how to resolve risks. [26:24] Special thanks again to Kyle Leng for joining us here on RIMScast! Be sure to subscribe to RIMScast to catch every new episode as they are released on Tuesdays and the occasional Monday. [26:46] Next week, we have one of my favorite episodes of the year coming up. It's the Midyear in Risk Review with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management Magazine. They're going to tell us “what the heck is going on!” [27:01] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [27:29] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [27:47] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [28:05] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [28:22] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [28:36] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [28:43] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration now open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration now open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration now open! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus — Application Deadline June 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Summer course sold out! | Fall bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 8‒9, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Generative AI for Risk Management” | June 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito “Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management” | July 24 | Instructor: Joe Mayo “Emerging Risks” | Aug 5 | Instructor: Joe Mayo See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “Company Safety and RIMS Chapter Leadership with Tamieka Weeks” “Security Risks with William Sako” “Wildfire Risks with Kevin Stein” “Safety and Preparedness in 2024 with National Safety Council CEO Lorraine Martin”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Kyle Leng, Senior Compliance Officer at Airtower Networks   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

 Sarah Barukh, écrivaine et activiste, transforme la douleur en combat, passant de la sidération à l'action avec des projets comme "les veilleuses" et "125 et des milliers" offrant des outils concrets pour celles qui veulent se relever. Sortir de l'emprise comme on sort d'une addiction est un défi complexe. Pourquoi revient on vers ce qui nous détruit?  Deux épisodes intenses et nécessaires, parce que survivre ne suffit pas, il faut vivre.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Chris Reilly about his insurance career and how you came to join and lead Link USA. They also cover RISKWORLD 2025 and the DE&I Studio, where Chris was on a panel. Chris talks about how he volunteered for the DE&I initiative at Amwins and how it has grown over the years. Chris does not believe the current anti-DE&I rhetoric will continue for long, in light of the existing Title VII and EEOC protecting employees and applicants against employment discrimination. Chris believes organizations know what is right, and that they will do better with a strong DE&I program in place, reducing reliance on EPLI coverage. The conversation concludes with information about Link USA's upcoming events.   Listen to learn more about supporting Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion efforts in your organization.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is inclusivity in risk management and we will be joined by Chris Reilly, the National Co-Chair of Link USA, and Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader at Amwins Group Benefits. [:45] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! Register by July 1st for the next RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshop, which will be co-led by Parima. That course will be held on July 8th and 9th. [1:02] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:20] RIMS Virtual Workshops! On June 26th. Pat Saporito will return to present the very popular new course, “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [1:32] A link to the full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:43] Starting on July 16th, James Lam will host a six-module course, the RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. This is a bi-weekly course that will run through Wednesday, September 24th. A link to last week's episode about it is in this episode's notes. [2:04] Registration closes on July 9th. A link is in this episode's notes. [2:09] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [2:32] Think about your organization's ERM program or one that you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [2:40] On with the show! It's June 2025. It is Pride Month and RIMScast and RIMS are dedicated to fostering an environment where individuals from all backgrounds feel valued, respected, and empowered. We'll dive into the real meanings of words and initiatives; words like inclusivity. [3:01] Joining me today to delve into those terms is Chris Reilly, the National Co-Chair of Link USA. Link is the LGBTQ+ Insurance Network. Chris is also the Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader at Amwins's Group Benefits. [3:17] We will discuss the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in insurance and risk management, how the pendulum has swung, and what risk professionals and employers need to know about a landscape that may or may not be changing as much as you think. [3:35] Interview! Chris Reilly, welcome to RIMScast! [3:42] It's Pride Month. For Chris, it's a great time to be celebrating oneself and celebrating with the community. He says there's no reason not to celebrate 12 months of the year. [4:14] Chris Reilly has had a 30-plus-year insurance career. His dad and grandfather had an agency. His father offered him a job right out of college. Chris thought he'd step up in a year or two, but he's still doing it 30-plus years later. It's a great career. He loves the industry. [4:47] The first part of Chris's years he spent in the Property and Casualty world as a commercial broker, most of those years with Aon. He jumped to the wholesale side when he joined Amwins in 2000. [5:05] Chris is on the employee benefits side, providing group benefit programs to companies through broker partners. [5:13] About five or six years ago, Amwins created internal DEI programs. Chris immediately volunteered to join the National Council at Amwins to participate in and help build those programs. He worked on a committee centered on making the workplace intentionally inclusive. [5:54] Chris served on that committee for two years. In the process, he came across Link, which was in the UK. Chris and a colleague convinced Link to bring it to the U.S., which they did in 2021. Four years later, Link has expanded into Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Atlanta.  [6:18] Link restructured this year with a national board for a national presence. Link kicked off Pride Month with a national virtual event. It had a great turnout. Chris is excited to continue to lead Link and help support the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in the insurance industry. [7:04] Chris notes that the insurance industry is still known to be a very conservative industry but from 30 years ago to today, there has been a big difference in inclusivity. There's constant evolution and change. We can always continue to do things better. [7:23] Chis says everybody is striving to do things better. That's why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs became so important for all industries. Justin says that saying the words Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion instead of DEI provokes thought about their meaning and impact. [8:21] Chris agrees; when we say with intention, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with intention, it's just better. Don't we all want to be included? Inclusion is an endearing word. Let's all come to the table. We need to be more intentional about the words. [9:19] Chris Reilly attended RISKWORLD 2025 for the first time and was at the DE&I Studio. There were speakers and panels. Chris represented Link USA to talk about who they are, what they do, and their mission for the LGBTQ+ community in the insurance industry. [10:21] Chris served on a panel where Link, the National African American Insurance Association, the Asian American Insurance Network, the Latin American Insurance Agency Networks, and the Association of Professional Insurance Women were represented. [10:43] The organizations work to make sure the insurance industry continues to be a diverse, inclusive, and equitable industry. They support each other and continue to press the message of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. They raise their voices for the common good of every employee. [11:17] Leaders from all of those organizations have been guests on RIMScast, with Chris Reilly and Link being the fifth organization represented. If more organizations are created, Justin will include them on the show.  [11:37] Chris brings decades of experience in the trenches to his role on Link.  [12:02] Justin says we're hearing a lot of anti-DEI rhetoric. Chris says a lot of it is noise. People are throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. In most C-Suites, smart leaders seek legal advice. If they haven't been doing anything illegal, there isn't much they need to change. [13:01] Companies that feed into the noise end up hurting their employees which can hurt their bottom line in the long term. [13:27] Companies need to cut through the noise and make sure that they know what's true and what's not true. They need to focus on continuing to do what they've been doing that has been working. [13:55] Chris thinks that a company scaling back its DEI initiative hurts its reputation. When they scale back, the employees feel it first. If employees don't feel good in the workplace about the culture that has been developed for employees, that impacts the work and the output. [14:34] Eventually, that can hit outside the walls of the insurance company. Insurance isn't a direct-to-consumer product so this industry doesn't get impacted in quite the same way as a retail store. [15:06] Plug Time! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open. [15:17] Hotel cut-off for the discounted rate is available through July 7th. The full Conference Agenda is now live, so you can start planning your experience. Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available onsite. [15:33] This event is open to any RIMS Chapter member. If you are local to the area, you might consider becoming a RIMS member today, so that you can get all the benefits and begin networking with your new RIMS Texas peers. Links are in this episode's show notes. [15:48] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [15:56] Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th in Calgary. Registration is open. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA and lock in favorable rates. We look forward to seeing you in Calgary! [16:15] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today. [16:31] Let's Return to Our Interview with Chris Reilly of Link!  [16:50] There's no such thing as illegal DE&I! There is no legal framework about whether a company does DE&I or not. Companies decided that having a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce was good for business. [17:30] There have been studies that show that when a company has a strong DE&I policy, it outperforms its competitors that don't by nearly 20%. Teams that are more diverse and inclusive outperform homogeneous groups by nearly 80%. [17:57] When you have a diversity of people; when you include people of different backgrounds in thought and education, you get more diverse thoughts and you can create better outcomes as a result. [18:15] This concept of illegal DE&I is thrown up there to create confusion and get people worrying about what they're doing. [18:51] Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) is what companies would buy if they have a sexual harassment suit, a discrimination suit, or a wrongful termination suit. Employers take this coverage to protect themselves from that. [19:25] Whether they have EPLI coverage or not, before the term “illegal DE&I,” nobody was concerned about it. They all felt that they had the proper policies and best practices in place to prevent employment practices claims. [19:43] If there were this rash of claims suddenly happening, maybe it's not “illegal DE&I” but you're not doing it right. Fix the problem so that it doesn't become an issue. [19:59] What companies are seeing is that their policies and best practices have been working, so there's not a problem. If companies start believing that they shouldn't have DE&I programs, that will embolden individuals to be bigots, racists, harassers, and bullies at work. [20:25] If that happens, you will get employment practices claims. [20:30] Justin feels that we are seeing uninclusive and bullying expressions more now on social media than when he was hired at RIMS eight years ago. [20:36] Chris thinks that the world has changed and the narrative has changed and people feel like they're emboldened to bring out those negative personality traits in themselves for some reason. [20:50] Chris recently talked to a company where the CEO addressed the employees, to tell them that bigotry, harassment, and hatred have no place, and will have no place in the company. [21:16] He told them the company was built with a culture that respects everybody, that is about fairness and integrity, working together, and creating inclusive and collaborative teams, to create the best outcomes they can for the company and its consumers. [21:32] He said they are going to keep doing what they're doing because everything's going just fine. He said if we start trying to tinker with the DE&I programs, that will inevitably create problems and deteriorate the great work that you have been doing. [21:53] What's the ROI on DE&I? It's hard to quantify. When your employees are happy, they're doing good work, they're being productive, and the company is successful, that comes in part from the investment of time, energy, and money put into Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion programs. [22:08] You can try to tie ROI to some of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs when you talk about EPLI, Directors & Officers, and E&O insurance. If you don't have good practices, what you will have is employment practices liability claims around discrimination and harassment.  [23:01] HR will have to deal with the HR issues of employees, potentially defending a lawsuit. If they don't have these coverages in place, those defence costs can get expensive. You might have to settle a suit, which can cost more money. It's a ripple effect. [23:27] With more claims, the premiums of these policies will go up. So, if you're not following best practices and have to start paying out claims and higher premiums to defend yourself against these claims, those are financial factors to consider in the ROI of doing the right thing. [23:51] Plug Time! Let me tell you about the Spencer Educational Foundation. Spencer's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [24:31] Since 2010, Spencer has awarded over $3.3 million in General Grants to support over 130 student-centred experiential learning initiatives at universities and RMI non-profits. Spencer's 2026 application process is now open through July 30th, 2025. [24:31] General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. [24:35] Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus Program offers grants of up to $5,000 to universities and colleges in the United States and Canada to host a practicing risk manager on their campus for a one-to-three-day residency. [24:49] The Risk Manager on Campus program has been praised by both universities and risk managers as a rewarding educational experience for students and a chance to give back to the profession. The application deadline for 2026 is June 30th, 2025. Check the link in the notes. [25:08] Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [25:12] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Chris Reilly! [25:34] The pendulum has swung one way. Chris thinks that it will swing back as smarter and calmer minds prevail, in the end. Organization leaders know what's right and wrong. Once the noise calms down, people will realize that we already have things in place to protect everybody. [26:14] We already have Title VII and the EEOC in place. I have told people that with all that's being said, no laws have changed. Title VII is in place and the EEOC is still there to enforce it. If there were crazy problems with this, Title VII and the EEOC would already be addressing it. [26:44] Chris believes the pendulum will swing back to the center sooner rather than later. Executive orders and attempting to change laws are not going to sit well. There are already protections in place to prohibit employment discrimination. [27:13]  Chris is the National Chair of Link USA. A couple of days after this episode, there will be the New York City Link-Up Networking Happy Hour, Pride Edition. That's going to be in Manhattan on the Avenue. [27:33] On June 26th, in Los Angeles, there will be a Pride Movie Night and Networking Mixer at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Chris says these events are always fun. Link tries to create personal connections between the LGBTQ+ Community and its allies. [28:04] We're all doing the same thing, feeling the same pressures, working in the insurance industry, and wanting connection. Some people work at companies that may not have anybody else like them in their firm. They're looking for connections within the LGBTQ+ community. [28:28] Link is heavily supported by its allies. They couldn't fight the fight without the allies. The events are about bringing people together in a fun way and ultimately, networking in the industry. People connect and build business relationships and develop businesses, as well. [28:55] We've got a link to Link in this episode's notes. [28:58] Chris, it's been a real pleasure to speak with you. I'm glad we're having this dialogue. I hope to see you at RISKWORLD 2026 and the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Studio. [29:21] Special thanks again to Chris Reilly of Link, the LGBTQ+ Insurance Network. Links to the events that we mentioned and to Link's website are in this episode's show notes. [29:34] RIMS has a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council and page. You can visit it on RIMS.org, through the Community section, and the link in this episode's show notes. [29:49] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [30:17] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [30:35] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [30:53] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [31:09] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [31:23] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [31:31] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council Link (LGBTQ+ Insurance Network) Link USA Events in New York City and Los Angeles RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration now open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration now open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration now open! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus — Application Deadline June 30, 2025 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Register by July 7. | Bi-weekly course begins July 16. RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 8‒9, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Generative AI for Risk Management” | June 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “James Lam on ERM, Strategy, and the Modern CRO” “Live from RISKWORLD 2025” “Thoughts and IDEAs on Inclusivity with Michael Bach” “The Strengths of DE&I Initiatives with Lilian Vanvieldt-Gray of Alliant Insurance Services” “LAAIA Atlanta Chapter President Jose Aponte” “Equality and the Risk Profession with Elisa Stampf”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Chris Reilly, National Co-Chair of Link USA | LGBTQ+ Insurance Network, Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader at Amwins Group Benefits   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews James Lam about the evolving role of the CRO since the pandemic, vital competencies for today's CROs, risk appetite frameworks, and a case study of E*Trade and how they succeeded with a strong risk appetite framework. They continue the discussion with an examination of James's upcoming six-module virtual course, the RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. James concludes with his vision of the future of ERM using AI as an enabling tool. Listen to learn more about successful strategies CROs can apply to their ERM programs.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is one of the great thought leaders in risk management, James Lam. He returns to RIMScast today to talk about ERM and a new bi-weekly virtual course he'll be teaching for RIMS that begins in July. [:48] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! Register by July 1st for the next RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshop, which will be co-led by Parima. That course will be held on July 8th and 9th. [1:04] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:23] RIMS Webinars! The next RIMS Webinar will be held on June 17th. It will be presented by Origami Risk. It's titled “Strategic Risk Financing in an Unstable Economy: Leveraging Technology for Efficiency and Cost Reduction”. Register today through RIMS.org/Webinars [1:43] RIMS Virtual Workshops! On June 12th, Pat Saporito will host “Managing Data for ERM”, and she will return on June 26th to present the very popular new course, “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [2:00] A link to the full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's show notes. [2:12] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready. [2:35] Think about your organization's ERM program or one that you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks. [2:43] On with the show! Our guest today is a risk management trailblazer who is widely considered the world's first Chief Risk Officer. I'm talking about James Lam. [2:54] Starting on July 16th, James will host a six-module course for RIMS, The RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. It's a bi-weekly course that will run through Wednesday, September 24th. Registration closes on July 9th. [3:14] James is here to discuss and share his ERM philosophies, how the practice has changed in the past five years since he was last on the show, and to give us a preview of what the upcoming course will be like and how it could boost your risk career. [3:31] Interview! James Lam, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:37] James was a guest on RIMScast in the Fall of 2020. We've gone through a lot in the last five years! We've lived through a pandemic, and companies realized the importance of operational resilience and strategic risk management. [4:14] James says today we are facing unprecedented geopolitical risk. We are also facing AI risks and opportunities. Some Chief Risk Officers have stayed relevant and elevated their careers and skills, while others have failed in their organization's ERM programs. [5:01] James tells what may cause a CRO to fail. Applying a “check the box” approach or a compliance approach, without staying relevant with the evolving risk landscape. [5:29] Speaking of successful CROs, James said one CRO he worked with went from being a treasurer reporting to the CFO, to becoming the CRO, then the CFO, and eventually the CEO, all within eight years. [5:58] He and other successful CROs had learned how to add strategic value and be relevant to key decision-makers at the board level and the executive level. [6:15] A key competence is applying risk analytics to quantify and minimize unexpected earnings, helping companies maintain sustainable, predictable profitability. [6:40] Then, evolving that to understanding capital management to optimize capital allocation, dividend policies, and risk transfer strategies, ultimately, applying the same risk analytics to support corporate and business decisions. [7:05] Being able to add strategic value is the most important competence for a Chief Risk Officer today. [7:26] Management and corporate directors are concerned about the unexpected. As CROs, how do we connect our work with things that are the most meaningful to the decision-makers and key internal stakeholders? All boards, CEOs, and CFOs are concerned about earnings. [7:53] Unexpected earnings variance and guidance are things that they are concerned about. CROs can help them with predictable profitability, long-term capital management, and value creation. [8:10] How does a CRO support the leaders' decision-making at the corporate level, where there's M&A or new products, and at the business level, in terms of risk-based pricing and risk transfer decisions? [8:43] James thinks the risk appetite framework is one of the most important processes and capabilities for advanced enterprise risk management. [9:01] Frameworks that don't do well tend to be mostly or entirely qualitative. They tend to be static, maybe updated once a year, with very little change. [9:15] The frameworks that are more strategic and add more value to companies tend to be a combination of quantitative and qualitative. [9:42] Successful risk appetite frameworks also consider risk capacity in terms of capital resources, earnings, and liquidity, relative to our risk management capability and track record. [10:01] Successful risk appetite frameworks look at opportunities. What is the opportunity for profitability, growth, and innovation, relative to risk? If the opportunity is high, then we should be willing to take on more risk. [10:19] Successful risk appetite frameworks tend to be more dynamic in a way that allows the company to reduce risk when it is appropriate but also to take more risk when it is appropriate. [10:31] James says a good risk appetite framework would guide organizations to take more risk, on a selective basis. [10:57] James uses E*Trade as a case study. James was on the board of E*Trade and chaired its risk committee. This case study is in the RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. [11:28] James will invite E*Trade's CRO, the head of ERM, and one of the regulators, to provide first-hand experiences and lessons learned. [11:41] James gives examples of how ERM improved E*Trade's business outcomes and profitability. Based on a robust risk appetite framework, E*Trade thought it needed to take more risk in new product innovation and shorten the time to market dramatically. [12:21] Because of that, E*Trade was the first company to offer retail investors the capability to trade stocks and mutual funds on their Apple Watch. It was a very important business opportunity as the Apple Watch was hugely popular. [12:49] This tied into E*Trade's founding as the first internet company to allow retail investors to trade on the internet. It was a proud moment for E*Trade. It shows how a robust ERM program and risk appetite framework can support innovation and business growth. [13:16] In the eight years James was on E*Trade's board until it was sold, its stock went from $8 to $59 a share. It went from B to BBB, from losing money to making money, and from a weak capital position to buying back over $1 billion in stock and offering its first-ever dividend. [13:52] In addition to the E*Trade case study, the course will look into other case studies, good and bad. We will learn from organizations that didn't manage risks effectively and what we could learn from them to prevent that for our organizations. [14:13] We will learn from best-practice companies in the energy and healthcare space. [14:30] Plug Time! The very first RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Public Registration is open here. [14:43] Hotel cut-off for the discounted rate is available through July 7th. The full Conference Agenda is now live, so you can start planning your experience. Don't miss the post-conference workshop, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course, available onsite. [14:59] Any chapter member can attend. Links are in this episode's show notes. [15:14] You can also visit the Events Page of RIMS.org for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Texas! [15:21 Just a month later, we will be up North for the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, from September 14th through 17th in Calgary. Registration opened today. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.CA and lock in favorable rates. We look forward to seeing you there! [15:42] Let's Return to My Interview with James Lam!  [16:00] Starting on July 16th, there will be a new course that James is leading. It's the RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. If you're listening to this on the week of publication, you've got about a month to register. Registration closes on July 9th. [16:22] James is one of our favorite collaborators! [16:27] James tells what led to the launch of this program. He's very excited to be partnering with RIMS! His motivation for doing this program is that he has worked in risk management for over 40 years. He has been a management consultant working with over 100 companies. [17:10] James has been an eight-time board member, chairing the risk committee, chairing the audit committee, and overseeing risk management, not day-to-day but from a board perspective. [17:22] What James wants to do in this program is to share the lessons he has learned and some of the best practices in a very practical way. He also wants to invite other risk experts to share from their different domains. James has had this idea for over three years. [17:56] He met with the RIMS board members and the Professional Development Team to talk about this. They got an agreement in place, and within a few weeks, they got the outline and the website up. James tells of the team that helped him put it together in bi-weekly meetings. [18:31] The program came together within weeks. The early registrations are above expectations. The market reception has been strong. James says this course will provide an amazing learning experience for the participants. [18:54] It's a six-module, bi-weekly course with four-hour live virtual sessions, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time, starting July 16th and running through September 24th. There will also be self-study with James's book, other articles, and research papers. [19:24] We've got the link in this episode's show notes. A brief description of each of the six modules is on the website. Module 4 is The Role of the Chief Risk Officer and Risk Appetite Statement. That's the James Lam wheelhouse! [19:44] The CRO, the risk appetite statement, and ERM will be critical topics. Other important topics are the role of the board, how risk professionals should not only serve the board but also leverage the board, and strategic decision-making. [20:13] Before the pandemic, teaching virtually was not James's favorite method. He enjoys interacting with participants. Since the pandemic, we've all learned how to learn and to teach in a virtual environment. James says we can make it dynamic and interactive, with a lot of sharing.  [22:53] James thinks they will get into individualized problem-solving. Participants can highlight challenges or opportunities they're facing. Collectively, the group will help with individualized problem-solving. [21:12] James will bring in guest speakers. He has a strong network of excellent board directors and experts with backgrounds in AI, cybersecurity, and ERM. These include former or current CROs with stories to share. He believes all that will make the program relevant and dynamic. [21:45] Plug Time! Let me tell you about the Spencer Educational Foundation. Spencer's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [22:05] Since 2010, Spencer has awarded over $3.3 million in General Grants to support over 130 student-centered experiential learning initiatives at universities and RMI non-profits. Spencer's 2026 application process is now open through July 30th, 2025. [22:27] General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. Learn more about Spencer's General Grants through the Programs tab of SpencerEd.org. Be sure to check out Spencer's Monthly Virtual Campus.  [22:41] On Thursday, June 12th, we will have Reinsurance 101, hosted by Lee Vuu, Founder and President of the MRIA. A link is in this episode's show notes. Register today! [22:53] Let's Conclude Our Interview with James Lam! [23:22] James says the future is bright. AI and risk analytics are going to change our careers and our lives. In the next five years, we're going to see some interesting dynamics with AI and we're going to have some unintended consequences. There will be risks and opportunities. [23:54] For risk professionals, being able to help our organizations and address the risks, whether it's privacy, model risks such as hallucination, or data governance, all those are going to be in our wheelhouse, and we could add a lot of value.  [24:11] James thinks AI could create opportunities to enhance enterprise risk management by tapping into structured and unstructured data and help us minimize unexpected earnings variance, optimize capital structure, and support corporate and business-level decisions. [24:47] A basic question that any AI model asks is, “What would an expert do?” What would an expert driver do in terms of an autonomous car? What would an expert doctor do in this specific situation? In risk management, the senior risk professionals and CROs are the experts. [25:12] James says the CROs have an opportunity to design the training data that would train these AI agents. They would have an impact on training these AI agents directly in terms of being part of the feedback loop. [25:32] James is very excited about where ERM is going to be in the next three to five years. AI will become a very important tool. He doesn't think it will replace risk practitioners. [25:49] The expertise, judgment, governance, and perspective that risk practitioners bring to the table will be valuable. AI will be a huge enabler. [26:11] Looking forward 10 years, James asks, using AI, how do we help with scenario planning and scenario analysis? Regarding many of the emerging and disruptive risks that we face today, we don't have a lot of data or models, so scenario analysis is going to be a critical tool. [26:48] The ultimate level of enterprise risk management would be to create a digital twin of our organization's overall risk profile, including our strategic, financial, operational, compliance, and reputational risks, and run scenarios to stress-test that system with AI. That's not far off. [27:25] James, it has been such a pleasure to reconnect with you. I have a great feeling about the RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. Remember, everyone, you have until July 9th, 2025, to register. Virtual seats are filling up! Check out the link! [27:43] I have a good feeling that we're going to be hearing more and seeing more from James in 2025 and beyond, here at RIMS. James, we value you very much. That's why you're here! [28:11] Special thanks again to James Lam. Register now for the RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management. It is a bi-weekly course that starts on July 16th. Virtual seats are filling up fast, so register by July 7th. The link is in this episode's show notes. [28:32] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [29:00] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [29:18] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [29:35] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [29:52] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [30:06] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [30:14] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Links: RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Register by July 7. | Bi-weekly course begins July 16. RIMS Texas Regional 2025 — August 3‒5 | Registration now open. RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration now open! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Education Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Deadline July 30, 2025 Spencer Virtual Campus — Next Course on June 12 RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov 17‒18 in Seattle! [Save the Date!] James Lam & Associates RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Strategic Risk Financing in an Unstable Economy: Leveraging Technology for Efficiency and Cost Reduction” | Sponsored by Origami Risk | June 17, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 8‒9, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — July 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Managing Data for ERM” | June 12 | Instructor: Pat Saporito  “Generative AI for Risk Management” | June 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “AI Risks and Compliance with Chris Maguire” “RIMS 2025 Risk Manager of the Year, Jennifer Pack” “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Collateral Benefits Of Pre-Mortem Analysis” “ERMotivation with Carrie Frandsen, RIMS-CRMP” “Live from the ERM Conference 2024 in Boston!”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: James Lam, Founder, James Lam & Associates   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Shira Abel is a growth expert with 25 years of experience, trusted by global companies like Siemens, Samsung, AXA, and Allianz. As the founder of Hunter & Bard and creator of The Perception Formula™, she helps businesses understand their customers and drive growth. Shira is also a Lecturer at UC Berkeley and a sought-after speaker, known for her insights on trust-building and customer-centric strategies. Today, she shares her expertise on behavioral innovation and how biases influence success.