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Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin and his guest, Jeff Strege, Senior Director for Risk Management at Academy Sports + Outdoors, explore what led Jeff to risk management, and the path that led to Academy Sports + Outdoors within the sporting goods and outdoor retail space. Jeff comments on his work building out the ERM framework at Academy to improve claims management, employee safety, and liability prevention. Jeff shares his approach to workers' compensation and Academy Sports + Outdoors's goal to help the workers recover and return to work. In addition to career insights, they discuss Jeff's upcoming panel participation in HUB's webinar on April 17th, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach,” covering topics such as third-party litigation funding and its impact on the industry.   Listen to Jeff's wisdom, born from experience, on managing your risk career. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS, from May 4th through May 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [:25] After you register, visit your App Store, search for RIMS Events, and download the RIMS Events App. Select RISKWORLD 2025, load the show onto your phone, and start building your RISKWORLD itinerary! [:41] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is former RIMS Houston Chapter President, Jeff Strege. We will talk about his career and how ERM continues to play a pivotal role today. [1:08] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! As part of RIMS's continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up on April 22nd and 23rd. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:28] Virtual Workshops! On June 12th, Pat Saporito will host “Managing Data for ERM” and will return on June 26th to present the very popular new course, “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [1:45] 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. [1:56] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, from May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember that there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [2:14] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! The links are in the show notes. [2:33] The Spencer Educational Foundation is having a Flash Sale for sponsorships at RISKWORLD! Sponsorship pricing has been reduced for the Spencer-CNA Pickleball Social on Saturday, May 3rd, and the Spencer-Gallagher Golf Tournament on Sunday, May 4th. [2:51] Sponsorships are still available for the Spencer-Sedgwick 5K Fun Run on Tuesday, May 6th. Visit Spencered.org/riskworld2025 to learn about these opportunities and more. Also, reach out to Spencer's Executive Director Megan Miller at MMiller@Spencered.org. [3:13] Our guest today is Jeff Strege. He is the Senior Director for Risk Management at Academy Sports + Outdoors. Academy is one of the U.S.'s largest sporting goods and outdoor stores with 301 locations across 21 states, as of March 2025. [3:33] Jeff is also a long-time RIMS member. He's the former president of the RIMS Houston Chapter and is a RIMS-CRMP holder. [3:41] In addition to his outstanding resume, Jeff will be lending his insight to the RIMS Webinar on April 17th, presented by HUB in their Ready for Tomorrow series. It's called “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach.” A link is in the notes. [4:01] In today's RIMScast interview, we will discuss how ERM has played a role in his career and how he manages risk in so many locations at the Academy. We will get a preview of his upcoming appearance on the Hub webinar and his thoughts on third-party litigation funding and its impact. [4:27] Interview! Jeff Strege, welcome to RIMScast! [4:45] As a Houstonian, Jeff grew up with Academy Sports + Outdoors. He's a long-term customer. In September 2020, Jeff promoted himself from customer to team member, although he still is an avid customer of Academy. [5:07] As the Academy brand is so well-known and beloved in Texas, Jeff has had the Risk Director role on his radar for many years. He had told his wife many times that if that role ever opened up at Academy, he would want to talk to them. In mid-2020, it did, and here he is! [5:29] Academy has 301 stores across 21 states as of March 7, 2025, and is headquartered in Katy, Texas, a Western suburb of Houston. Jeff graduated from Katy High School. [6:23] Academy Sports + Outdoors sells fun. They say “Have fun out there.” The items Academy sells are intended to help people be outdoors and active. Academy does a lot of work around product safety with manufacturers and suppliers, making sure they're sourcing safe products. [6:45] Academy Sports + Outdoors sells firearms and ammunition. Its goal is to be the most responsible retailer of those items in the country. [7:13] Academy Sports is responsible for following the laws of 21 states. Jeff has worked for national, multi-national, and global organizations, so he has worked with similar requirements. [7:48] Jeff worked for Sysco twice, first in the 90s and then in 2016 in a risk role similar to his current role at Academy Sports. Sysco went on a growth initiative while Jeff was there the second time and it was fun to be part of that but he couldn't pass up the opening at Academy. [8:23] Academy Sports + Outdoors has a risk department of 10 who report to Jeff. Jeff oversees the Enterprise Risk Management framework, the Insurance and Data Analytic functions, the Safety functions, and the Claim Management functions. [8:50] Jeff has three direct reports and they have functional contributors who are assigned to and report to them. Jeff's management style is to find the best possible people he can find. He's not a micro-manager. All of his staff are solid professionals who are good at what they do. [9:14] That allows Jeff to focus on strategy and executing strategic objectives while the staff keeps things working from day to day. Jeff reports to the General Counsel. In other companies, Jeff has reported to the General Counsel, HR, Treasury, or Finance. [9:42] Risk can logically report up a variety of chains to the leadership of an organization, as it touches so many aspects of the business. [10:22] Relative to firearms sales, Academy Sports has a compliance team to manage the process. They do an outstanding job. [10:39] When Jeff arrived at Academy Sports, one of his charges was to mature the ERM framework across the various organizational functions. Having the opportunity to work on that made Jeff a student of the business, which is one of the Academy's values. [11:09] Coming into the business, Jeff was fortunate to receive a safety culture already well-entrenched in the distribution centers. That team has been retooled over the years and continues to evolve as it trains and supports the operators in safe practices in their work. [11:45] Academy workers' compensation goal is to help team members recover so they can come back to work. They take a deliberate approach to working with them so they get the treatment they need, their benefits are paid timely, and their questions are answered. [12:11] Academy made a TPA change a couple of years ago that's given them more proactive tools. Both safety and claims are processes that Academy Sports continues to fine-tune. [12:25] The foundational strategy is “safety first.” If you're talking about managing claims but not about safety, there's a miss there, in terms of managing risk. [13:01] Plug Time! During this interview, we discuss the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025, held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio, Texas, at the Henry  B. Gonzalez Convention Center. That's where we held RISKWORLD 2018. [13:22] The day of this episode's release, April 15th, is the day registration opens for the RIMS Texas Regional Conference. You can get the Advance Rate from now through May 16th, 2025. A link is in this episode's show notes. You can also visit the events page of RIMS.org to register. [13:43] If you will be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on April 17th, be sure to stop by Lonestar Park for DFW RIMS's 7th Annual Night at the Races. It will be a blast! Guest, Member, and Student tickets are available. Visit DFWRIMS.org and the link in this episode's show notes. [14:12] Let's Return to My Interview with Former RIMS Houston Chapter President Jeff Strege! [14:32] Jeff arrived at Academy Sports on Monday, September 28, 2020, and the company executed its Initial Public Offering on Friday, October 2nd, 2020. In preparing for the IPO, the company had built an ERM framework that helped inform the prospectus for investors. [14:59] When Jeff joined, he was charged with taking the framework foundation and building upon it to round out how Academy Sports views risk, scopes it, and manages it across the organization. It was a fascinating process. [15:21] He's gotten to know many good, smart people who are driving aspects of the business. [15:28] Every year, Academy Sports looks at ways to enhance the framework, to make sure it's as meaningful and informative to the leadership team and board as it can be. [15:54] The framework looks at ISO standards but most of it is inward-focused within the business of Academy Sports. What's going on in the world? How do we prevent or prepare for it? Should something occur, what strategies do we have to respond, react to, and recover from it? [16:39] Before the recent tariffs were passed, the risk team had discussed tariffs generically. Tariffs appear as subsidiary risks in a few places within the framework. Nobody in an organization can control what government leaders do. [17:22] In a way, sporting goods is a seasonal industry. Academy Sports + Outdoors sells a variety of different things and operates in a variety of climates. There's a holiday season and there are gift-giving holidays. The seasons for outdoor activities differ depending on location. [17:54] In Texas, Jeff grills and fishes year-round. It's different in a Northern climate with four distinct seasons. Hunting seasons are specifically defined. The things Academy Sports sells peak at different times of the year and the peaks sort of offset themselves. [18:25] The Academy Sports merchandising teams are diligent and deliberate in how they plan for cycling products for the seasons. [18:44] Holiday is the big season. In that, Academy Sports is like other retailers. Back-to-school time is also important. [18:57] The backyard grilling is Jeff's favorite section of the store. When he goes into the store with his wife he has to look at some grills. Jeff also works out and runs so there are several aspects of the store that he shops. [19:16] Academy sells location-specific licensed apparel. In Academy Sports + Outdoors in Houston, there is gear for the Astros, Texans, and Rockets. [19:49] From the standpoint of team member safety, Jeff refers to OSHA. Also, some states have more stringent safety requirements. Jeff's safety team drives consistency of practices and training across the footprint of the 21 states where Academy Sports + Outdoors operates. [20:36] Most of Jeff's work is done in Houston but his team gets out in the field periodically on a schedule. Jeff likes to go into the stores and distribution centers. That's where the business occurs. The work at Corporate supports the people who serve and interact with customers. [21:10] RIMS Webinars! Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [21:29] Today's guest, Jeff Strege, is a panelist in that session! He's going to talk about it a little bit right after the break. [21:38] On April 24th, RiskConnect returns to deliver “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity”. [21:45] Zurich's webinar, “Understanding Third Party Litigation Funding” was rescheduled to May 1st at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. If you were already registered for the original date, you are now registered for the May 1st session with Zurich. [22:09] On May 22nd, GRC, a TÜV SÜD Company, presents their newest session, “Asset Valuations in 2025: Managing Tariffs, Inflation, and Rising Insurance Scrutiny”. [22:22] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [22:33] Let's Return to my Interview with Jeff Strege! [22:46] Jeff will be joining RIMS on the HUB webinar about third-party litigation funding (TPLF) on April 17th, two days after the airing of this episode. Third-party litigation funding is a major issue for RIMS and the profession. [23:08] Academy Sports + Outdoors sees TPLF from time to time in litigated matters, but not often. The HUB webinar is largely focused on rising litigation costs and the rising value of litigated matters. Third-party funding is a driving force of that rise. [23:35] When there's a funding mechanism behind the damages claim by a plaintiff, there are interest obligations with that mechanism, which can be stiff. It does inflate the value of some matters. [24:13] Once Academy Sports + Outdoors learns third-party funding is present in a litigated matter, that's in the front of mind as they evaluate and proceed with trying to conclude the case. [24:32] In the HUB webinar on April 17th, Jeff will be discussing the client's experience, not only with TPFL but also around social engineering. There is a good panel put together for this discussion with varied perspectives that will offer a well-rounded conversation. [24:55] Panelist Bob Tyson of Tyson & Mendes, a defense lawyer in California, has creative approaches to managing and negotiating litigated cases. Panelist John Ferguson, Head of Excess Casualty at Zurich Insurance, brings an insurer's perspective to the webinar. [25:29] Panelist Carol Murphy of HUB is one of the best brokers Jeff has worked with. Jeff is looking forward to sharing the stage with this group, talking about managing claims litigation, prevention, and pre-litigation management. Safety is critical. Jeff will bring that up. [26:02] The link to the webinar is in the show notes. Register today! Registration is complimentary for RIMS members! You'll hear this webinar live with Jeff Strege of Academy Sports, Fred Ferguson of Zurich, Bob Tyson of Tyson & Mendes, and Carol Murphy of HUB. [26:34] Jeff has been involved with RIMS since the mid-1990s when he was with Sysco Foods for the first time and was elevated to the risk management role there. Starting with Houston, Jeff has been involved in various chapters in various capacities. [27:07] RIMS has been an important part of Jeff's career. He's gained solid relationships through RIMS that have yielded business relationships and relationships where he's been able to help others and be helped by them. RIMS will be very important to him as long as he works in risk. [27:51] Jeff was President of RIMS Houston for two years, until January of 2024. He serves on the board as Past President. [28:12] Having moved around the country and having held different roles, Jeff has met risk professionals from many areas. He says RIMS has high-quality chapters all over the country. The four Texas RIMS chapters have a lot of positive energy. [28:47] The chapters are working together with Justin's team in New York to host the first-ever Texas RIMS Regional Conference this August. Jeff is on the planning committee and he's excited about it. [29:04] The RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, on the River Walk, the site of RISKWORLD 2018. San Antonio is Jeff's favorite city in Texas. It's a wonderful host city. [29:30] There is a link in the show notes to the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025. Registration will open the week of the airing of this episode! [29:49] Jeff is a RIMS-CRMP holder. He earned that certification in November of 2019. He was excited to see RIMS introduce the certification. What he likes about CRMP is its governance focus. [30:23] Jeff had been doing risk management for a long time. The CRMP website has good sample test questions on it. He decided to work through the test questions several times. Then went and took the exam and scored pretty well, largely based on his experience. [30:48] Jeff says his ERM work over the years was helpful. The RIMS-CRMP is a good designation. Jeff appreciates that RIMS gives CRMP holders opportunities to network. He will continue to carry the designation as long as he is working. [31:09] Mos recertification points are CE-related. Jeff relies heavily on the Houston chapter's offerings and the sessions and seminars at RIMS functions. He appreciates the flexibility in terms of what qualifies, such as participation in broker-sponsored industry education. [31:50] Developing and delivering educational content is a favorite of Jeff's. He has served as Risk Manager in Residence (now Risk Manager on Campus). Jeff tells every risk manager it's amazing and they need to do it at least once. Jeff enjoys education and is always learning. [32:24] Jeff shares his advice for risk professionals. As Boomers in the industry start to retire, it's important to help the industry recruit, train, and young talent. It's a passion of Jeff's. [32:52] There are a few things Jeff would tell young professionals. One is you are the CEO of your career. Your career is your responsibility. Don't wait for a leader to bring opportunities or promotions to you. Be a student of your craft and trade. Set goals with plans to achieve them. [33:20] Jeff has managed his career that way by making strategic moves when it made sense for him to do so. He has no regrets. You're the CEO of your career, all in. Don't wait for others to act on your behalf. Whatever it is, be a student of your craft and seek opportunities to learn. [33:45] Grow your knowledge base, your experience, and your network. Jeff has benefited from RIMS in having a network of people who lean on each other and learn from each other. It's a wonderful thing! [33:58] Be a student of your business, wherever it is. Make connections within it. Seek out mentorships to learn on a broad basis what the business does and what its objectives are. You position yourself more visibly to add more value and to grow. [34:29] Jeff Strege, you have been such an inspiration today. I appreciate you so much for joining us here on RIMScast and being so giving with your time and wisdom! I look forward to seeing you at the first-ever Texas Regional 2025, August 4th through 6th in San Antonio! [34:48] Special thanks again to Jeff Strege for joining us here today on RIMScast! I look forward to seeing him at many RIMS events, including the first-ever RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025, which will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio, Texas. [35:05] Register today through the link in this episode's show notes. [35:12] 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. [35:37] 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. [35:56] 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. [36:13] 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. [36:29] 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. [36:43] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [36:50] 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: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! Download the RIMS Events app! Spencer's RISKWORLD Events — Register or Sponsor! RIMS Texas Regional 2025 – August 3‒5 | Advance registration rates are now open. DFW RIMS - 7th Annual Night at the Races / Lone Star Park – April 17, 2025 RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates Announcement: RIMS and The Institute for Internal Auditors' Strategic Alliance on Education Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award [Canada] RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Ready for Tomorrow? From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach” | Sponsored by Hub International | April 17, 2025 “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity” | Sponsored by Riskonnect | April 24, 2025 “Understanding Third Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich | May 1, 2025 “Asset Valuations in 2025: Managing Tariffs, Inflation, and Rising Insurance Scrutiny” | Sponsored by GRC, a TÜV SÜD Company | May 22, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | April 22‒23 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “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: “Maintaining an Award-Winning ERM Program with Michael Zuraw” “Scenario Planning with the RIMS SERMC” “ERMotivation with Carrie Frandsen, RIMS-CRMP” “Risk Quantification Through Value-Based Frameworks” “Applying ERM Theory with Elise Farnham” “On Risk Appetite and Tolerance”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich (New!) “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog (New!) “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: Jeff Strege, MBA, ARM, RIMS-CRMP, Sr. Director, Risk Management, Academy Sports + Outdoors   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 and his guests, Denise Sobczak and Michael Zuraw, introduce the new RIMS paper: “The Pre-Mortem Method: Learning From Failure Without Actually Failing”. Unlike post-mortem analysis, a pre-mortem risk assessment attempts to learn from failure before a project even begins. This report highlights the advantages of implementing a pre-mortem risk assessment approach to strategic projects. Download the report to learn about the three steps to activate a pre-mortem assessment that fosters a better understanding of a project's overall objectives, and ultimately improves transparency, communication, and business outcomes. Justin, Michael, and Denise discuss implementation steps and frequency of pre-mortems in an organization. They cover ways of documentation and tracking insights from pre-mortem exercises, and tools for structuring an effective pre-mortem session. They explore how to involve participants and how to flip the script from naysaying to contributing insights. They consider the collateral benefits of involving your organization in a pre-mortem analysis. They share examples of how the pre-mortem works in their organizations.   Listen to gain insight into this innovative risk management tool to build upon the successes and achievements of your organization. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is pre-mortem analysis, which we will explore with past and present members of the RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Management Council. [:42] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! As part of RIMS's continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up on April 22nd and 23rd. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:01] Virtual Workshops! On April 16th and 17th, Chris Hansen will lead “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the U.S.” [1:14] On June 12th, Pat Saporito will host “Managing Data for ERM” and will return on June 26th to present the very popular new course, “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [1:30] 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. [1:41] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember that there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [1:59] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! The links are in the show notes. [2:18] In March, RIMS released a new professional report called “The Pre-Mortem Method: Learning from Failure Without Actually Failing.” The two authors of this report are joining me here today! They have both been RIMScast guests. [2:39] Denise Sobczak is the Director of Group Risk Management at the BIC Group and Michael Zuraw is the Senior Director of Global Enterprise Risk Management for Onsemi. [2:52] Denise is a former member and Michael is a current member of the RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Management Council. Their paper, “The Pre-Mortem Method,” is available through the Risk Knowledge page of RIMS.org. Tap on the White Paper button on that page. [3:10] We're going to hear how Denise and Michael have used the pre-mortem method at their respective companies. We're going to give you tips on how to lead pre-mortem analysis discussions at your organizations whether for a big merger or unveiling a new product. [3:32] This conversation will continue on May 7th at RISKWORLD when Denise hosts “Pre-Mortem or Post-Mortem: If You Were a Patient, What Would Choose?” That session will be held in Room BC185. [3:47] Interview! Michael Zuraw and Denise Sobczak, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:55] Denise and Michael's paper is “The Pre-Mortem Method: Learning from Failure Without Actually Failing.” Pre-mortem analysis is a risk assessment approach that you apply to strategic projects. [4:13] The concept is simple. You assume that an initiative fails. Then you identify triggers of that failure and develop plans to avoid and mitigate them to achieve success. It was developed by Gary Klein and has been widely applied in the business world. [4:39] Michael says the approach was discovered by cognitive psychologists. It releases folks from some of the biases, such as groupthink and confirmation bias, that will muck up decisions. This approach encourages participation and takes risk identification to the next level. [5:07] Justin calls the paper an easy read that people can keep returning to. [5:22] The Strategic & ERM Council decided to do a track on scenario planning. One of their first shareouts was a paper on scenario planning with a segue on pre-mortem risk assessment on how to draw those scenarios. [5:44] Many things are going on, with a level of uncertainty in the external environment that drives uncertainty in the internal environment. As a risk practitioner, it's very important to have these tools. [5:59] Michael joined the Strategic & ERM Council a little over a year ago after they had started the scenario planning. He had already read the SERM Council paper on scenario planning with great interest. Michael is a fan of Gary Klein's and had used pre-mortems. [6:24] When Denise and others mentioned they were going to take the next step in their series of scenario planning to include a pre-mortem discussion, Michael immediately volunteered to be part of it. It was a topic he was familiar with and he had done some sessions on it already. [7:05] Denise explains a pre-mortem is one of many risk assessment tools available. There's no set number for how often an organization should perform one. The main attraction of this tool is its use when you are short on time and have few resources and you want a high-value output. [7:53] It's good to use a pre-mortem when there are a lot of cross-functional initiatives with interdependencies that create complexity and generate risks. [8:07] Michael thinks that for major strategic decisions, a pre-mortem should almost always be used. As you use it, you find out that it's very efficient and not complicated. You can learn from it to include contrarians in discussions to question all assumptions. It changes your risk culture. [8:52] Pieces of the pre-mortem method find their way into the way people approach everyday decisions, even without doing a formal pre-mortem analysis. A pre-mortem analysis is not difficult or expensive to do. As often as you think it provides value, have at it! [9:20] The primary thing a pre-mortem does is open the door to legitimizing doubt. It allows the group decision process to stay in inquiry not to be sucked into advocacy before all the risks are discussed and mitigated. [9:44] Michael notes that as the pre-mortem opens up concerns, they can be put on the table and discussed. The key is you have to take the next step which is to consider what you can change and improve your plan to prepare for the possibility of that risk and mitigate it. [10:08] The goal is to take what you've learned, feed it back into the decision process, and come out with a better plan than you had going in. [10:16] It's very key to get the insights and embed them into the company's core processes versus having a stand-alone tracker for the pre-mortem that you've done. If you've done a pre-mortem for a strategic initiative, integrate it into the status update reports for that initiative. [10:34] If the pre-mortem is related to an event, integrate it into regular management reviews, operating reviews, or even risk governance. Integrate insights that will help you into your core processes. [10:49] Denise and Justin discuss recording remote pre-mortem sessions on Zoom and transcribing them. Justin suggests recording even in-person sessions on Zoom for a transcript. [11:40] Michael says having a transcript of a pre-mortem helps because you want people to focus attention on the conversation and not on note-taking. Sometimes you want to go back and get some context. In-person meetings also allow seeing body language. [12:11] The point of this is to get it out there and talk about it. It's very interactive. [13:19] Pre-mortems are structured to picture a failure six months into the future. Then set a two-minute timer and ask everyone to write down what went wrong. Each one comes up with ideas without the group's influence and writes down key failure points that caused this outcome. [14:04] As a result, things that were just below the surface come out first. Even the staunchest advocate of the plan has to come up with something. The creativity of what could have gone wrong becomes an asset, not a detriment. [14:31] You're not a naysayer, you're an identifier. The basic premises of ERM are risk identification, risk prioritization, and risk response. A pre-mortem creates a more robust identification. You're a contributor. You've discussed something that you hadn't before. [14:54] Denise explains that a pre-mortem is a paradise for the naysayers because they don't have the burden to say it failed. We give that to them. It's not about being skeptical or negative but identifying the contributors that could have caused the failure and being part of the solution. [15:18] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On April 10th, Audit Board will present “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025”. [15:30] Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [15:45] On April 24th, RiskConnect returns to deliver “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity”. [15:54] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [16:05] Important Announcement! RIMS and the Institute of Internal Auditors have entered into an agreement to deliver a selection of the other group's educational programming to their members. Twenty-nine shared courses will be available to both association's members. [16:23] RIMS members can explore the IIA courses that are now available to them at See Courses Here. To access RIMS's complete selection of workshops, webinars, and courses, visit RIMS.org/Education. [16:42] Let's Get Back to our Discussion about Pre-Mortem Analysis with Michael Zurow and Denise Sobczak! [17:09] Denise says individuals who have had experience with failures can tap into that experience in new situations. Newcomers can offer a fresh perspective. The key is diversity of thought and experience. Make participants comfortable to express their opinions. [17:38] Watch out for those who would take over. As you facilitate the pre-mortem, make sure that you're engaging and that it's a responsive type of facilitation. There's no right or wrong answer when you're looking for triggers. Later on, you will prioritize. [18:22] Michael has been at Onsemi for 20 years with broad exposure in product line management and supply chain. Four and a half years ago, Onsemi had a new CO and much of the top management changed. The question was what did the stakeholders want from ERM. [18:44] There was some change in how they approached it. He did pre-mortems before and he has done them since. The key is broad participation of the players, broad perspectives, and leading it to say that we want to know what you think. We want to question our assumptions. [19:08] That basic approach is to try to make the plan better, not bring it down, trying to improve the likelihood of success. That plays through all types of corporate change. [19:35] Participants should not be in the top tier of leaders, but in middle management with some boots on the ground. The middle management group forms the culture and they know enough key details about what the planners are thinking and to ask, what if they're wrong? [20:14] Denise expects the participants to be the people who are knee-deep in the initiative and are the subject matter experts. You can also invite folks who are not in the initiative but who have a say from the legal, financial, and business support perspectives. [20:42] The number of participants depends on the setting. An in-person setting can accommodate 10 or 15. In a virtual setting, you can have eight to 10. You need to make sure that everyone can participate. [21:14] More RIMS Plugs! 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. [21:33] 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. [21:46] Spencer's 2026 application process will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. 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. [22:06] Spencer has several events lined up before and during RISKWORLD 2025. On May 3rd, there's the Spencer-CNA Pickle Ball Social, on May 4th, the Spencer-Gallagher Golf Tournament, on May 5th, the Spencer Soiree, and on May 6th, the Spencer-Sedgwick 5K Fun Run. [22:25] You can register for or sponsor any of these through the links on this page or by visiting SpencerEd.org/riskworld2025. [22:35] The call for submissions for the RIMS Canada Conference, which will be held in Calgary from September 14th through the 17th, 2025, is now open. We want to hear from you! We are looking for dynamic, insightful presentations on key industry topics. [22:49] Topics may include are but not limited to alternative risk transfer, insurance, legal and regulatory, risk modification and loss control, the DEI Studio, the Thought Leader Stage, corporate sustainability, ESG, and more. [23:03] Submit your proposal by the submission deadline, Wednesday, April 16th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca and the link in this episode's notes for information. [23:17] If you will be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on April 17th, be sure to stop by Lone Star Park for DFW RIMS's 7th Annual Night at the Races. It's going to be a blast! Guest, member, and student tickets are available. Visit DFWRIMS.org and the link in this episode's show notes. [23:41] Let's Return to our Discussion about Pre-Mortem Analysis with Denise Sobczak and Michael Zurow! [24:02] Denise mentions different ways to measure the ROI of a pre-mortem, in the light of inherited risk impact before mitigation versus residual risk, post-mitigation. [24:16] For a consumer goods company like BIC, Denise says it is more sensible to tie the effectiveness of the pre-mortem exercise with the overall achievement of the strategic goals or the operating targets because you are changing as you go. [24:38] Michael says it's tough to measure the effectiveness of a pre-mortem. You're asking a team that has already been assembled to spend half a day looking at the plan and, at the end, asking if they learned something that helped improve the plan. [25:30] Is the plan or decision better the day after the pre-mortem than it was the day before? Was it worth the four hours? Would you suggest doing this again? Would you recommend it to your peer? Advocating for a pre-mortem indicates its value, way beyond the cost of doing it. [26:16] Denise stresses the collateral benefits of a pre-mortem. If you are facilitating this type of risk assessment, you will reach a lot of folks in the organization and help them think differently. They will think of the risk management department or the ERM practitioner as a resource to use. [26:37] There is some amplification from a showcase of value to the organization from your function. Denise says a pre-mortem never took a day for her. Once she applied a pre-mortem in a 20-minute phone call with all the constituents. They came up with 15 reasons it could fail. [27:02] A pre-mortem can be formal or informal. The informal pre-mortem is as efficient and it is quicker. You need to understand what the culture of your organization is. If it is very formal, adapt to that. Denise tends to work in more agile organizations. [27:36] Michael works for a company that is heavy in engineering. A pre-mortem takes about two hours there. Engineers want to solve problems and tell you why their solution to the problem is awesome! They want data and rationalization justification. [28:15] Part of it is the moderation. Say the goal of this meeting is to get the concerns and issues out on the table. Afterward, we'll do a quick prioritization so we can assign owners to address the next step of how this feeds back into improving the plan. [28:32] As everybody took two minutes to write down the issues, get them out on the table and rotate through the biggest issue from each person as quickly as you can, one at a time, so no one gets into a laundry list of items. Keep the discussion moving across all the participants. [28:55] What you get is honest dialog and everyone participates. If you do that, you'll avoid overcomplicating it. It can be very simple. It's structured to help you manage that. As long as you keep it moving, it will be fine. [29:12] On 1:45 p.m., on May 7th, at RISKWORLD, in Room 185BC. Denise will be presenting “Pre-Mortem or Post-Mortem: If You Were Patient, Which One Would You Choose?” Denise will be extending the dialog from the paper and this episode. [29:37] Denise will miss Michael on stage. They had a successful session together at the RIMS ERM Fall Conference. Now that the paper is published, the presentation will be more robust. [29:55] The presentation will cover what pre-mortem risk assessment entails. You basically assume the strategic project has failed. Then you identify the triggers of that failure and develop plans to avoid and mitigate them to achieve success. Then you monitor. [30:25] Once Denise goes through the fundamentals, she will take you through a hands-on exercise of applying this technique. She will give a business case and have the audience start solving it and finding triggers. It's very easy. It will give a sense of what this is all about. [30:52] Denise's aim is that the participants, with the presentation and the white paper, will have another skillset to apply and bring value to their organization. There will be audience participation to close out the last day of the education track at RISKWORLD. [31:20] Denise will have a full hour and then there will be more audience participation when the Second City takes the stage for the Conference Finale. [31:34] Justin recommends attendees check out Denise's solid one-hour presentation. She assures you there will be no coasting in her session! [31:59] It has been such a pleasure to see you both. I appreciate you taking the time. You wrote a wonderful paper. The link is in this episode's notes. Go to RIMS.org/riskknowledge to check it out. Press the White Paper button and it will pop right up. Thank you both so much! [32:18] Special thanks again to Michael Zuraw and Denise Sobczak for joining us here on RIMScast. A link to their paper, “The Pre-Mortem Method: Learning from Failure Without Actually Failing” is available through the Risk Knowledge of RIMS.org. A link is in this episode's notes. [32:35] Beyond the pages and this episode, Denise will be extending the dialog at RISKWORLD on May 7th at 1:45 p.m. local time. She will deliver “Pre-Mortem or Post-Mortem: If You Were a Patient, Which Would You Choose?” That session will be held in room 185BC. [32:52] Register in advance through the RIMS Events App. [32:55] 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. [33:24] 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. [33:41] 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. [33:59] 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. [34:16] 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. [34:30] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [34:37] 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: Presented by the RIMS SERMC: “The Pre-Mortem Method: Learning From Failure Without Actually Failing” RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates Spencer's RISKWORLD Events — Register or Sponsor! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now Announcement: RIMS and The Institute for Internal Auditors' Strategic Alliance on Education RIMS Canada Conference 2025 | September 14‒17 | Calgary | Submit a session by April 16. DFW RIMS — 7th Annual Night at the Races / Lone Star Park – April 17, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. 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From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach” | Sponsored by Hub International | April 17, 2025 “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity” | Sponsored by Riskonnect | April 24, 2025 “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding: Its Importance and How You Can Contribute” | Sponsored by Zurich | May 1, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | April 22‒23 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the U.S.” | April 16‒17 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “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: “Maintaining an Award-Winning ERM Program with Michael Zuraw” “Scenario Planning with the RIMS SERMC” “Q1 2025 Risks with Morgan O'Rourke” “ERMotivation with Carrie Frandsen, RIMS-CRMP” “Risk Quantification Through Value-Based Frameworks” “Applying ERM Theory with Elise Farnham” “On Risk Appetite and Tolerance”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich (New!) “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog (New!) “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 Walmart ERM Director Michelle Black!   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: Denise Sobczak, Director of Group Risk Management at the BIC Group Michael Zuraw, Senior Director of Global Enterprize Risk Management for Onsemi   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.   Crystal Trout is a director with Baker Tilly's Risk Advisory practice. Justin and Crystal discuss her career in anti-money laundering compliance, and what brought her to consulting. They discuss the elements of AML compliance and how the need for it stretches beyond financial institutions to any sector that involves large transactions, including virtual digital assets and investing. They talk about the $3 billion settlement TD Bank entered into with regulators in October of 2024 and the messages that sends both to financial institutions and money criminals. Listen to Crystal's advice to risk professionals who may oversee large transactions. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:15] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS at RISKWORLD from May 4th through May 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [:31] About this episode of RIMScast. Crystal Trout of Baker Tilly and I will discuss how Anti-Money Laundering regulations are impacting the risk profession. [:56] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! As part of RIMS's continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up on April 22nd and 23rd. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:15] Virtual Workshops! On April 16th and 17th, Chris Hansen will lead “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the U.S.” [1:29] On June 12th, Pat Saporito will host “Managing Data for ERM” and will return on June 26th to present the very popular new course, “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [1:44] 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. [1:55] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember that there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [2:14] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! The links are in the show notes. [2:38] Money laundering should be one of the top risks on your risk radar, especially in 2025 as new regulations are added or rolled back. Some high-profile resolutions have made recent headlines. [2:51] To help me make sense of it all for the RIMScast audience, here is the Director of Baker Tilly's Risk Advisory Practice, Crystal Trout. Crystal has more than 23 years of experience working with financial institutions with a focus on financial crimes compliance. [3:08] We're going to talk about anti-money laundering (AML) programs and get some best practices for implementation and reporting. [3:18] Interview! Crystal Trout, welcome to RIMScast! [3:33] Crystal Trout is a director with Baker Tilly's Risk Advisory Group. She joined Baker Tilly after having worked in financial crimes risk for over 23 years. Previously, she was in the financial institution space. [3:51] Crystal switched to consulting to help other financial institutions build out their AML compliance programs and ensure that they're in a good spot for regulatory exams. [4:19] Crystal tells how she was drawn to anti-money laundering. In high school, she had an internship with a financial institution, and it was robbed. [4:37] When the FBI was doing their investigation, Crystal was trying to understand what they were doing and how they were going to catch the robber. She was so fascinated by the process that she changed what she went to school for and altered her career path.  [5:09] Crystal's interest in understanding how fraudsters and money launderers act led her to use her banking career to work in the back office and investigation space. [5:38] Crystal says the institution used dispensers that limited cash, and the robbers only got $500. Because of the weapon they used, the robbers got a massive sentence at trial. [6:38] Crystal explains the current AML environment. Baker Tilly is staying close to any regulatory changes. The complexity of regulations is extensive. It's critical that professionals in this space stay close to the challenges that extend even beyond the regulatory requirements. [6:59] We're seeing more changes in regulations than we have historically had, Crystal observes. It's a matter of understanding the landscape, staying close to the changes, and trying to predict which direction they may go and plan for either direction. The key is planning and not waiting. [7:32] Crystal suggests you should hope for the best and plan for the worst. Make sure that you're prepared to go in either direction, whether regulations are rolled back or strengthened. [7:57] Justin recalls that TD Bank reached a $3 billion settlement with U.S. regulators in October 2024, pleading guilty to failing to maintain an adequate AML program, which unfortunately led to the facilitation of money laundering activities. That's a huge penalty, Crystal points out. [8:37] This event provides valuable insight for risk professionals regarding regulatory expectations and also the consequences of inadequacies in their programs. [8:49] People need to understand that they can't be lackadaisical in their compliance program. They need to be ahead of it. It's all about preparation and planning.  [9:03] In the TD Bank case, regulators had identified substantial weaknesses in the overall transaction monitoring system and due diligence procedures. [9:17] TD Bank had allegedly failed to allocate the resources needed to operate their AML program, but they continued to have significant growth within their higher-risk customer segment and geographical region. [9:35] TD Bank wasn't staying ahead and keeping current with its customer base and the risks that were taking place. Beyond the penalty, TD Bank has expenses for remediation efforts, enhanced compliance infrastructure, and independent monitoring. All of these are added costs. [9:57] Financial institutions may fail to realize the costs that happen beyond the penalty. They may say it costs too much to add the staffing or build the correct tools, not realizing it will cost them more when the regulators find these faults and weaknesses within their program. [10:18] A key lesson to learn is that compliance programs must be able to scale appropriately with the institution's business growth and evolving risk profiles. [10:30] Regulators focus on the overall program effectiveness rather than mere technical compliance, particularly regarding the quality of suspicious activity identification and reporting. [10:41] It's important for institutions that have to comply with these programs to be proactive and make sure they have the correct resource allocation. Those things are key when it comes to ensuring that AML compliance programs operate effectively. [11:11] There are five key pillars involved in an AML compliance program, including a designated compliance officer and following customer due diligence. You build an AML Bible, with paperwork that documents the steps you're going to take to be in compliance. [11:39] It allows your people to understand the risk that the institution is willing to take, and what it's not willing to accept. You document everything as evidence base for regulators, as having the correct tools and technology to support the program's overall risk tolerance. [12:33] Justin and Crystal address the reputational risk to an institution that may come from a regulatory settlement. Crystal states that these settlements signal to the bad guys that they are going to be caught and they're not going to be able to continue to act at that institution. [13:14] Crystal tells about the bank robber. For prevention, when someone comes into the bank, make eye contact, talk to them, and acknowledge them. If they're scouting it out, there's a lot less chance they'll come back to that bank because they are being noticed. [13:37] A criminal may not physically be in the bank, but if you do due diligence up front when they open an account, asking the right questions, and looking for red flags, they may realize that you have a very strong AML program in place and they'll go elsewhere. [14:07] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On April 3rd, join Zurich for “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding”. On April 10th, Audit Board will present “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025”. [14:24] Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [14:40] On April 24th, RiskConnect returns to deliver “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity”. [14:48] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [14:59] Important Announcement! RIMS and the Institute of Internal Auditors have entered into an agreement to deliver a selection of the other group's educational programming to their members. Twenty-nine shared courses will be available to both association's members. [15:17] RIMS members can explore the IIA courses that are now available to them at See Courses Here. To access RIMS's complete selection of workshops, webinars, and courses, visit RIMS.org/Education. [15:35] Let's Return to my Interview with Crystal Trout! [15:50] Are risk professionals who are not at financial institutions at risk of inadvertently being caught up in a money laundering crime? Crystal says this question is in the back of the mind of any risk professional. She remembers that running an AML compliance program is stressful. [16:22] There's always the risk that a chief compliance manager could be cited for a failure and have to pay a significant, hefty fine. A risk manager should be aware of this when they're performing any form of transaction. Listen to your gut if something seems off. Don't ignore it. [17:26] Is paying in cryptocurrency a red flag? Navigating AML compliance specifically regarding cryptocurrency is new for a lot of professionals. There are risks and benefits to digital assets concerning AML compliance. [17:54] With any evolving form of payment, if risk professionals aren't staying ahead, truly understanding and navigating how it works, it's going to make it difficult for them to understand red flags and risks that might come, as well. [18:13] There is sometimes a natural fear in risk professionals that because they're not comfortable with cryptocurrency, they're not able to address any legitimate concerns or concerns that may be their internal fear due to the lack of knowledge. [18:45] Is it too risky for a company to announce the voluntary departure of a Chief Compliance Officer? Crystal says the company should already have a plan for somebody to temporarily step in and continue to operate so it doesn't leave a gap or exposure in the organization. [19:22] It's an opportunity for a risk professional to go into a financial institution and make a mark for themselves by helping the institution strengthen its overall compliance program. [19:49] It's a good practice for a company to announce the replacement chief compliance officer at the same time as the announcement of the leaving chief compliance officer. It's part of succession planning. [20:47] The money laundering risk landscape is expanding significantly. Industries outside of finance and banking face substantial financial crime risk and corresponding regulatory scrutiny. They have less mature compliance infrastructure than their banking counterparts. [21:07] Crystal mentions the real estate sector as a potential vehicle for money laundering due to the high-value transactions, price stability, and the lack of historical regulatory oversight. [21:19] Digital asset providers, cryptocurrency exchanges, wallet providers, and any type of virtual asset service providers face intensifying regulatory scrutiny because the platforms can facilitate anonymous transactions. [21:35] The Financial Action Task Force has established clear expectations for virtual asset service providers to implement robust AML controls. Gaming and gambling services present money laundering risk. [21:53] There are other high-risk sectors that money laundering risk could expand to. FinCEN recently required registered investment advisors and exempt reporting advisors who have not been required to have an AML compliance program to have one in place by January 2026. [22:22] We're seeing AML compliance extend beyond traditional banking. [22:34] There are very few industries that, in some form or fashion, could not be a victim of a bad actor performing money laundering. It's just a matter of the bad guy finding a way to do it. [23:09] What steps should a company take when money laundering by an employee is discovered? The appropriate officer needs to start an internal investigation. That's a lengthy process. Make sure the “i”s are dotted and the “t”s are crossed within the investigation. [23:47] Make sure all the evidence and documentation are aligned. Involve HR and the appropriate supervisor authority. If it's shown to be true, interview the individual. It could lead to termination. The investigative process could take months. The authorities may be alerted. [24:39] The company may not want it out in public knowledge and may not file a police report. It can damage a company's reputation. [25:00] Crystal explains her passion for AML compliance and why she became a compliance consultant to help more institutions. The downstream impact is so significant. She wants to make sure the bad apples don't have the opportunity to launder funds. [25:54] Special thanks again to Crystal Trout for joining us here on RIMScast. I've got links to more RIMS coverage of fraud, compliance, financial risk management, and anti-money laundering in this episode's show notes. [26:09] 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. [26:38] 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. [26:55] 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. [27:13] 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. [27:30] 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. [27:44] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [27:51] 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: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award [Canada] Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates Spencer's RISKWORLD Events — Register or Sponsor! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now Announcement: RIMS and The Institute for Internal Auditors' Strategic Alliance on Education RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich | April 3, 2025 “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025” | Sponsored by Auditboard | April 10, 2025 “Ready for Tomorrow? From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach” | Sponsored by Hub International | April 17, 2025 “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity” | Sponsored by Riskonnect | April 24, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | April 22‒23 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the U.S.” | April 16‒17 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “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: “RIMS Legislative Priorities in 2025 with Mark Prysock” “AI and Regulatory Risk Trends with Caroline Shleifer” “Financial Risk Management with Chris Willey of American Eagle FCU” “Maintaining an Award-Winning ERM Program with Michael Zuraw” “ERM in Banking & Finance with Eleni Willis”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich (New!) “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog (New!) “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 Walmart ERM Director Michelle Black!   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: Crystal Trout, Director, Risk Services Advisory Group at Baker Tilly   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Today, Corey Coates, CEO and Co-Founder of Podfly Productions, LLC, joins Dots Oyebolu to talk about high-level, B2B brand marketing. Corey shares his decade-plus journey helping executives and brands embrace podcasting as a vital component of their content marketing strategies. In this episode, Corey explains how executive-level podcasting often begins in unexpected ways, the importance of kindness in navigating complex B2B structures, and why treating podcast content as purpose-built — rather than simply repurposed — leads to deeper audience engagement. Key Takeaways:(01:18) Podfly — a support system for executives and brands looking to incorporate podcasting into their media mix.(03:27) Many B2B podcast initiatives begin with a junior executive being “handed the podcast folder,” often without clear strategic direction.(05:59) Early discussions with clients help define podcast KPIs.(09:23) Podcasting has evolved from a side project to a core component.(09:56) Instead of "repurposing" content, create platform-specific assets from rich podcast interviews.(13:16) Specialized teams for branded shows allow for scalable, expert-driven content creation.(15:08) Unique collaborations spark executive partnerships.Resources Mentioned:Corey Coates -https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-coates-2a3aba34/Podfly Productions, LLC -https://www.linkedin.com/company/podfly-productions/Podfly | Website -https://www.podfly.net/In the Hot Seat Podcast -https://enfuce.com/in-the-hot-seat-podcast/ Insightful Links:https://www.desantisbreindel.com/insights/unlocking-c-suite-executives-content/ https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2021/44825/best-practices-for-reaching-and-marketing-to-the-c-suite-audience https://longitude.ft.com/campaigns-hook-c-suite/ https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/marketings-moment-is-now-the-c-suite-partnership-to-deliver-on-growthThanks for listening to the “Marketing Leadership” podcast, brought to you by Listen Network. If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review to help get the word out about the show. And be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation.#PodcastMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #BrandMarketing #MarketingStrategy #MarketingIntelligence #GTM #B2BMarketing #D2CMarketing #PodcastAds

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   William Sako is a security and risk expert. Justin and William address issues such as how security tech makes buildings smarter and safer, examples of the risk tech used in these buildings, and mistakes that risk leaders might make today. They discuss how COVID-19 has facilitated change in enhancing security measures that will be with us forever. They talk about the important role of the risk manager when designing a security plan for a building. They dig into how risk managers can lead the charge, going above and beyond check-the-box compliance. Listen to William's perspectives on risk technology, communication within an organization, and the future of building security. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:15] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS at RISKWORLD from May 4th through May 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [:31] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by Bill Sako of Telgian Engineering to discuss security risk management in 2025. [:58] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! As part of RIMS's continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up on April 22nd and 23rd. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:15] Virtual Workshops! On March 26th, Pat Saporito will host “Generative AI for Risk Management”. The next course will be on June 26th. [1:29] On April 16th and 17th, Chris Hansen will lead “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the U.S.” [1:42] 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. [1:53] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember that there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [2:12] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! The links are in the show notes. [2:35] Our guest today, Bill Sako, is the Vice President and Senior Security Consultant at Telgian Engineering and Consulting. He has 50 years of experience in security risk management. [2:49] Bill will tell us what's keeping him up at night in security, risk management, visitor management, and workplace safety in 2025. We'll also provide tips for risk managers on how to be more of a leading voice in finding a new location, renovating it, and installing security tech. [3:15] Interview! Bill Sako, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:33] Bill got into the business of security in 1974 by starting Sako & Associates, a security consulting firm. It became the second largest in the U.S. with 28 engineers and support staff, doing every kind of security project in buildings and venues. [3:54] Sako & Associates did security projects at U.S. Embassies, F.B.I. Headquarters, super highrise buildings all over the world, large mixed-use projects, and developing multiple security programs that have to meld together in a large, complicated building. [4:20] These projects include large medical centers and college campuses around the world. A lot of its work was done with architects in corporate America when they were developing office buildings. [4:39] Sako & Associates developed over $2.2 billion in security plans over many projects. [5:33] Today's security tech is transforming buildings into smarter and safer environments through advanced sensors, AI, and connectivity. AI-powered surveillance cameras detect unusual behavior, recognize faces, and track movement in real-time. [5:58] That technology was in its infancy 10 years ago. It's come a long way and the technology is becoming rock-solid. The systems can differentiate between threats and harmless activities to reduce false alarms and help the person monitoring the system understand them. [6:18] Access control to the building and tenant spaces within the building is provided through biometric scanners, mobile-based apps, and smart card readers, with logs for digital security auditing.  [6:37] Smart IoT sensors monitor temperature and air quality. They trigger alarms very quickly in case of fire, gas leak, or unauthorized entry, to keep the building occupants safe. [6:54] Automated threat response is provided through automatically locking doors, alerting authorities, and activating emergency lighting, in response to hazards and breaches. We've had this capability for 20 years, but it is being used more now. [7:27] Cloud-based surveillance allows remote monitoring by management and first responders through web access and smartphones to see the cameras in the building in real time. It's becoming a trend. [7:59] Cyber security measures, with increased connectivity, can provide solutions to protect networks from threats like hacking and data breaches to ensure physical security systems are uncompromised. [8:12] Fire response systems have been hardwired for years. Engineers are starting to implement connected capabilities for them. [8:39] Bill talks about companies paying to install cameras, but when a camera fails, not paying to replace them, leaving black monitor screens. That gave birth to predictive maintenance plans with established lifelines for any piece of equipment and budgets for replacement as needed. [9:49] All the functions of emergency management are being automated. These innovations collectively create smarter buildings that are more secure, efficient, and responsive to any potential threat. [10:40] Many times, the technology that's put into a building is assumed to be static. That's true until you make changes to the building. Then you have to update the system. [11:02] Security is a different ball game. Security is based on behaviors. The threat environment can change from hour to hour or day to day, depending on who's visiting the building and what's going on down the street. You have to have flexibility and people to operate the equipment. [11:28] The technology needs a human operator to interpret the signals and determine the right response in real time. AI and machine learning are great technologies and we're using them virtually in every piece of equipment going in. [12:09] You still need a human to be able to assess what's happening and how they're supposed to respond when multiple sensors are going off. Bill tells of a break-in when the right response was to send three armed security officers to the asset vault. The suspects were apprehended. [13:46] Bill explains some of the changes in security technology that have been incorporated as a result of COVID-19. Increased reliance on technology led to changes in security practices.  Touchless access control came about as a result of COVID-19. [14:28] Occupancy management lets building owners know who is in the building and allows for the building to be evacuated safely. [14:48] With people working from home, COVID-19 led to an expansion in remote monitoring. [15:02] Visitor management is important. Healthcare facilities realize today that they have to protect their staff and patients in the building. They need screening in the lobby and must use visitor management. Automated systems make it easy. [16:28] Touchless and mobile access control will be with us forever. Bill also includes hybrid security management, AI-powered surveillance and analytics, and moving security and surveillance to the cloud provides greater capability. Your command center can be your laptop. [17:35] As security moved more into the digital domain, we figured out how to operate across networks and maintain security for all the data we have. Bill says it's rock-solid today. [17:55] Bill believes cloud-based services are the way to go for most buildings today. It gives you the capability to do everything remotely. [18:04] Data-driven decision-making will stay with us for a long time. It allows you to predict and mitigate risk on the fly. You have to train people well to know how to respond to the data. [18:26] Zero trust is a practice where no one coming into the network is trusted without proof through multi-factor identification. Even the Chairman of the Board must be verified. [19:01] Bill continues with crisis management and business continuity planning. A bullet list is not a business continuity plan. With crisis management and business continuity, you have to train people so they understand the plans. [19:24] The pandemic introduced new security practices and accelerated the modernization of legacy systems. Security includes integrating legacy systems with new systems. Command centers may have multiple disparate systems in one security management enterprise system. [20:14] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On Wednesday, March 26th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, members of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council will extend the dialog that began in the recent RIMS Executive Report “Understanding Interconnected Risks”. [20:33] On Thursday, March 27th, Descartes Underwriting will make its RIMS Webinar debut with a session about parametric insurance. On April 3rd, join Zurich for “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding”. [20:47] On April 10th, Audit Board will present “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025”. [20:54] Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [21:10] On April 24th, RiskConnect returns to deliver “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity”. [21:18 More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [21:30] Let's Resume Our Dialogue about Security Risks with Bill Sako! [22:10] In 50 years of security work, Bill did not encounter many leaders with Risk in their titles. While all insurance is about risk, in the corporate world, only very large companies have risk officers. Everything is in its silo. Getting the silos to talk together can be a nightmare. [22:48] Typical buildings don't have risk managers. Corporate campuses may have a risk manager to manage 50 or 60 buildings. That person is strained. [23:02] When Telgian Engineering & Consulting is brought in for an audit or to develop a new system design for a client, they identify who the risk leader is, whatever title they may have. They team with the people who know the vulnerabilities and the threats of the organization. [23:47] Telgian has recommended to several clients that they should hire a risk management person on staff. In a lot of cases, they say they don't have the budget but they'll think about it for the future. At that organization, who is evaluating risk for them? [24:07] Telgian, as a consultant, takes that role for the organization while they're doing the assessment, creating detailed risk models. Then they educate the client to the extent that the client understands what the risks are and the risk mitigation techniques they could use. [24:47] Bill says the hard thing is to dig into organizations internally to find who that risk leader might be. Someone is doing it, even without the title. It might be the CEO. [25:36] In organizations with a titled risk officer, they may be siloed, in a lot of cases. That risk manager needs to understand whom to work with within the organization to address all the organization's security concerns. The siloes need to be taken down. [26:17] Telgian Engineering & Consulting has always had the responsibility to educate its clients. The clients may think they understand what security is and what the risks are, but they often have a very narrow view without seeing the big picture. [27:06] The person at the lobby reception desk of an office building is often the first line of defense. There may be security officers there. What happens when the visitor goes up the elevator? [27:38] The organization should provide security training for the lobby receptionist. They can see if a visitor is acting agitated. They can attempt to de-escalate an angry visitor. They need to be briefed on the organization's security practices, especially when they identify a threat. [29:23] When Telgian does an assessment, they don't want one point person to show them around. They want to talk to everybody who is in touch with what's going on in the organization. Receptionists are one of the primary sources of information for Telgian. [30:13] Bill says that risk leaders and officers need to find a way to become embedded in the organization and the things that are going on. The risk manager needs to be part of the security team, the facilities team, the legal team, and the IT team. [30:32] Bill has recommended to risk managers that they should set up monthly or bi-monthly meetings with the leaders of the siloes to discuss concerns and risks and how to solve those problems together. The risk manager is usually the right person to pull that team together. [31:42] Bill says identifying risks through AI on video cameras and following a visitor through the building is happening in many organizations now. This is critical for post-incident analysis. [33:07] One thing the government is great at is doing a full-blown report after an incident. That incident report winds up informing security of the risks to watch for. [33:19] On every consultation project, Bill got past reports upfront from the organization to see what the issues have been with the organization. They design security systems to meet those threats. Organizations have to do that to manage their risks properly. [33:42] Special thanks again to William Saco for joining us here on RIMScast. In this episode's show notes, I have links to more RIMS Risk Management magazine and RIMScast coverage on security risks and workplace violence preparedness and prevention.  [33:59] 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. [34:27] 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. [34:46] 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. [35:03] 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. [35:20] 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. [35:34] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [35:41] 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: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7. | Register today! Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award [Canada] Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates Spencer's RISKWORLD Events — Register or Sponsor! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Understanding Interconnected Risks” | Presented by RIMS and the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council | March 26, 2025 “Parametric Insurance and Climate Risk: An Innovative Tool for CAT Risk Management” | Sponsored by Descartes Underwriting | March 27, 2025 “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich | April 3, 2025 “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025” | Sponsored by Auditboard | April 10, 2025 “Ready for Tomorrow? From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach” | Sponsored by Hub International | April 17, 2025 “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity” | Sponsored by Riskonnect | April 24, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | April 22‒23 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Generative AI for Risk Management” | March 26 and June 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the U.S.” | April 16‒17 | Instructor: Chris Hansen See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Evolving Fire Risks with Ralph Bless” “Public Violence and Workplace Safety with Lauris Freidenfelds” “E-Commerce's Impact on Fire Safety in Supply Chains with Leonard Ramo” “Data Privacy and Protection with CISA Chief Privacy Officer James Burd” “Solving Wicked Problems with Dr. Gav Schneider”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog (New!) “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 Walmart ERM Director Michelle Black!   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: William Sako, Vice President, Senior Security Consultant at Telgian Engineering & Consulting, 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.   Our guest, Morgan O'Rourke, is the Senior Director of Content & Publications of RIMS. Justin and Morgan discuss the new member-centric newsletter, RIMS Now, and review the Q1 2025 digital edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine and the marquee features. They talk about the prominent way AI is being covered in this quarter because it's permeating all facets of risk management. RIMS attended the TRENDY Awards on March 13 and Risk Management magazine took home the Bronze for Best Quarterly or Annual Magazine or Journal and RIMScast took the Bronze for Best Podcast. The TRENDY Awards honor the best marketing and communication pieces in the association and non-profit community. Listen in for Morgan's perspectives on the emerging trends in risk management. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:15] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS at RISKWORLD from May 4th through May 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [:31] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by RIMS Senior Director of Content and Publications, Morgan O'Rourke. We will discuss risk trends and highlights from the Q1 2025 issue of RIMS Risk Management magazine. [1:00] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! As part of our continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up on April 22nd and 23rd. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:19] Virtual Workshops! On March 26th, Pat Saporito will host “Generative AI for Risk Management”. On April 16th and 17th, Chris Hansen will lead “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the U.S.” [1:42] 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. [1:53] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember that there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [2:12] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! The links are in the show notes. [2:35] Our guest today, Morgan O'Rourke, is the Senior Director of Content and Publications at RIMS. We will discuss highlights from the Q1 2025 issue of RIMS Risk Management magazine. [2:50] There's some proud news from our camps! On March 13th, Risk Management magazine and RIMScast took home Bronze TRENDY Awards during Association Trends and CEO Updates Salute to Association Excellence. This event was in Washington, D.C. [3:06] Risk Management magazine took home the Bronze for Best Quarterly or Annual Magazine or Journal and RIMScast took the Bronze for Best Podcast. The TRENDY Awards honor the best marketing and communication pieces in the association and non-profit community. [3:21] We are humbled and honored to be acknowledged and want to thank our audiences worldwide. [3:27] We're going to talk all about the risk management trends that are populating the digital pages of RIMS Risk Management magazine and how these articles can help our audience do their jobs better. [3:42] Interview! Morgan O'Rourke, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:56] Morgan and Justin just won TRENDY Awards! Justin loves this recognition from his peers. It shows that the work is resonating with the readers and listeners. Hilary Tuttle accepted an award for writing on behalf of RIMS Risk Management magazine. [5:21] Morgan has a new member publication, RIMS Now, a newsletter about RIMS and what's going on in the society and the chapters, keeping members up to date on the RIMS community. [5:47] The next issue should be out in early April. Morgan invites anyone interested to email him at RIMSNow@RIMS.org with any updates you have about your chapter for consideration for a future issue. [6:28] This is not for risk management thought leadership that can go in other venues. This is for news, accomplishments, and cool stuff your chapter is doing. [9:21] TRENDY 2025 Award-winning RIMS Risk Management magazine is a quarterly digital publication. RIMS posts articles multiple times a week on the website and compiles them into a magazine flip page format once a quarter. The first quarterly issue of 2025 came out in March. [10:07] The next quarterly issue is planned for June. The publication will evolve as new software features are added. [11:29] Justin gives credit to Morgan O'Rourke, Hilary Tuttle,  Andrew Bass, and Jennifer Post for leaning into the digital version of RIMS Risk Management magazine. Morgan has produced print magazines for 20 years, but the trend is digital. A digital publication is more responsive to news. [12:58] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On Wednesday, March 26th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, members of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council will extend the dialog that began in the recent RIMS Executive Report “Understanding Interconnected Risks”. [13:17] On Thursday, March 27th, Descartes Underwriting will make its RIMS Webinar debut with a session about parametric insurance. On April 3rd, join Zurich for “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding”. [13:30] On April 10th, Audit Board will present “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025”. [13:38] Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [13:54] On April 24th, RiskConnect returns to deliver “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity”. [14:02] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [14:13] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS Senior Director of Content and Publications, Morgan O'Rourke! [15:19] The big news in Q1 of 2025 was the wildfires in California. There were probably $30 to $50 billion in insured losses. The disasters hit places that weren't prepared for or used to wildfires. Much of Canada caught fire. There were fires on the East Coast. [16:09] There were convective storms stronger than ever in the Midwest and floods hitting places that weren't prepared. The risk landscape has gotten a lot broader. It portends a larger trend you should prepare for. Morgan and Justin agree that climate risk is at the heart of this. [17:03] Weather patterns are going to change. Disasters are going to be stronger and more frequent. Make sure that you have risk management measures in place. Make sure your coverages are adequate for your needs. Speak to your insurers about how you mitigate risks. [17:48] Justin says business interruption losses were covered in an article by Anderson Kill. Business interruption coverage should cover smoke damage. [18:31] An eye-opener for Justin was that AI and AI-related risks are laced throughout the feature articles. Articles cover project management and mergers and acquisitions in terms of AI. Everything we normally do now has an AI facet within different contexts. [20:07] There is a standing policy in the magazine and RIMS not to publish anything generated by AI. Beyond generative AI, there are ways AI streamlines jobs. In risk management planning, an AI might be used to come up quickly with risk scenarios for you to consider if they apply. [21:37] Morgan emphasizes that if you use AI, use it thoughtfully. One of the featured articles is about how to manage AI projects successfully. Decide how you will use it if it fits your business. Are you addressing data security risks? Don't use a program that opens up vulnerabilities. [22:23] You want to make sure that whoever is supposed to use it can do so and wants to do so. Otherwise, you'll be spending money on something that's not useful to you. When you use it, you've got to make sure you are looking at certain risks, security being a major one. [22:54] An article on the site covers how HR departments use AI. You have to make certain the AI has no inherent bias in evaluating resumes and that the data is secure so you don't make some personally identifiable information public. [24:03] Justin brings up March being World Water Month. Every time you use AI, you are using water to cool the servers. You use a lot of energy, too. [24:58] If you're interested in contributing content to RIMS Risk Management magazine, reach out to MORourke@RIMS.org or go to RMMagazine.com  and click on the Contribute link. You will see the basics of what they are looking for and how they approach articles. [25:45] If you are a risk professional or adjacent to the risk profession, you're a person RIMS Risk Management magazine wants to hear from. You, the risk managers, are the experts. Morgan relies on the expertise of the risk management community. [26:25] Morgan thinks there will be content regarding the impact of the Trump administration's policies, particularly tariffs. They will have huge implications for supply chains. A.M. Best released a statement on the impact on the insurance industry for replacement costs. [27:17] If there are tariffs on lumber, steel, and aluminum that go into replacing your home or business, property insurance policies will have to go higher because of replacement costs. [27:29] Morgan speaks of political risk insurance and trade credit risk insurance that are moving to the front burner because of differences in the supply chain and the risks therein. Risk professionals will want to keep informed about various policy changes. [28:07] Special thanks again to RIMS Senior Director of Content and Publications, Morgan O'Rourke. He signs my checks and he's never looked or sounded better! You can read the TRENDY Award-winning RIMS Risk Management magazine at RMmagazine.com. [28:24] Check out this quarter's digital edition and all the individual articles we mentioned. If you want to contribute to the magazine, check out rmmagazine.com/contribute. You can reach out to the editorial staff on that page as well. [28:42] 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. [29:11] 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. [29:29] 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. [29:46] 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. [30:03] 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. [30:17] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [30:24] 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: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award [Canada] Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates Spencer's RISKWORLD Events — Register or Sponsor! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Now RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Understanding Interconnected Risks” | Presented by RIMS and the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council | March 26, 2025 “Parametric Insurance and Climate Risk: An Innovative Tool for CAT Risk Management” | Sponsored by Descartes Underwriting | March 27, 2025 “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich | April 3, 2025 “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025” | Sponsored by Auditboard | April 10, 2025 “Ready for Tomorrow? From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach” | Sponsored by Hub International | April 17, 2025 “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity” | Sponsored by Riskonnect | April 24, 2025     Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | April 22‒23 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Generative AI for Risk Management” | March 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the U.S.” | April 16‒17 | Instructor: Chris Hansen See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Year In Risk 2024 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle” “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “Brand New Day with RIMS 2025 President Kristen Peed” “RIMS Legislative Priorities in 2025 with Mark Prysock” “(Re)Humanizing Leadership in Risk Management with Holly Ransom” (RISKWORLD Keynote) “Risk and Relatability with Rachel DeAlto, RISKWORLD Keynote” “Risk and Leadership Patterns with Super Bowl Champion Ryan Harris” (RISKWORLD Keynote)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 Walmart ERM Director Michelle Black!   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: Morgan O'Rourke, Senior Director of Content & Publications at RIMS   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.   Our guest, Kristen Peed, is the Chief Risk Officer of Sequoia, and RIMS 2025 President. Kristen was recently promoted to Chief Risk Officer. She tells about that role and how it differs from her other risk roles.   Kristen speaks of a few of the risks to organizations today. She shares two stories of mentorship from her past and her efforts to provide mentorship today. Kristen shares thoughts about the evolving role of the risk manager and her pathway to the C-Suite for a seat at the table. She discusses the legislative summit, the topic of third-party-funded litigation, and the need for transparency and regulation.   Justin and Kristen discuss how every day is a brand new day for RIMS, what will be celebrated at RISKWORLD 2025, and a couple of new RIMS initiatives you can expect to learn about there. Kristen shares her gratitude to all the RIMS volunteers who make her job as 2025 president possible.   Listen for Kristen's career advancement advice and her final suggestion for growth. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS at RISKWORLD from May 4th through May 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:31] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by RIMS President Kristen Peed. [:48] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next workshop will be March 19th and 20th. Register by March 12th. As part of our continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up on April 22nd and 23rd. [1:03] Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:10] Virtual Workshops! On March 26th, Pat Saporito will host “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [1:18] On April 16th and 17th, Chris Hansen will lead “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the U.S.”. [1:31] 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. [1:40] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [1:57] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! Links are in the show notes. [2:17] Our guest today is the Chief Risk Officer at Sequoia and the RIMS 2025 President, Kristen Peed. We're going to talk about her risk management career journey, what it took for her to ascend to the level of Chief Risk Officer, and what that means for her organization. [2:38] We will also talk about the power of mentorship, networking, and what's in store for us at RISKWORLD 2025 and throughout the year as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of RIMS. [2:50] Interview! RIMS 2025 President, Kristen Peed, welcome to RIMScast! [3:07] This is Kristen's eighth year on the RIMS Board. It's been an amazing journey! Most of her best friends are RIMS staff members or RIMS members, all over the globe. RIMS is a huge part of her life! Justin joined RIMS almost eight years ago. They have known each other for years. [3:33] Justin shares a memory with Kristen in Halifax. Kristen took part in an impromptu presentation, in the role of a petulant child. [4:06] Kristen wears sneakers; she has branded herself as the sneaker queen. She has stopped counting how many pairs of sneakers she has. [4:34] This year is the 75th anniversary of RIMS. There is a big RISKWORLD in May; its theme is Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS. [4:54] Kristen Peed was recently promoted to Chief Risk Officer of Sequoia. Sequoia has ambitious growth goals, which is one of the reasons Kristen joined it. In her new role, Kristen has oversight of all corporate risks. [5:27] These include enterprise risks, IT risks, security risks, property & casualty risks, and E&O risks. It's overarching. [5:46] Kristen sees there has been a slow transition for risk managers in general, from a transactional, procurement role to a strategic role, where they see opportunities with risk. Where they see places where they can offer value and insight. [6:07] Sequoia is a client-based company. Clients are reaching out to Kristen for help dealing with deep-fake interviews. Kristen looked to the RIMS Board of Directors and Cherise Papadopolo, RIMS VP of DEI, People, & Culture, and got some helpful HR information. [6:48] Kristen was able to provide strategic advice to a Sequoia client's Chief People Officer. It's a perfect example of how RIMS helps risk managers to be viewed as strategic. The RIMS community is part of the reason Kristen was able to take on the role of Chief Risk Officer. [7:13] The role is something Kristen has been preparing for ever since she started as a risk analyst. Every step has been more of a strategic and leadership role rather than being in the weeds doing stuff. The Chief Risk Officer helps navigate and chart the map for the “captain.” [7:55] Kristen's career advancement came both from having a plan and from being seen for her hard work. She has learned to ask for things more. She was fortunate to have some success early in her career and capitalized on it. A new boss provided amazing mentorship for Kristen. [8:41] She asked, “What's the next role for Kristen?” Kristen realized she would like to be considered for a Chief Risk Officer role. Kristen's boss understood her value and wanted to make sure she felt appreciated. Six months later, Kristen was offered the role if she wanted to take it. [9:45] Part of it is making your leadership aware that these titles exist, showing your value, and asking for it. [10:05] One of Kristen's early successes at Sequoia involved using her RIMS network to put together a presentation on using surplus funds from the captive PEO insurer to fuel additional risk management activities. Leadership was excited and Kristen implemented it right away. [11:03] Another success was the consolidation of insurance programs. Sequoia had grown quickly and had renewal dates in different places. Kristen showed her market savvy and leveraged her relationships with carriers to bring down some initial premium costs. [12:00] Kristen says that putting the C-level title on a risk officer differentiates it. When she partners with the CISO or the Chief Data Officer, they are on equal footing. The C-level carries more weight. It also helps carriers in the marketplace see her as being in company leadership. [12:42] When Kristen meets with underwriters and carriers, they have a greater sense of comfort knowing she has a seat at the table and understands the direction of the company and how to mitigate against risk before it hits insurance. [13:01] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On March 13th, our friends from Global Risk Consultants will return to discuss “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready”. [13:15] On Wednesday, March 26th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, members of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council will extend the dialog that began in the recent RIMS Executive Report “Understanding Interconnected Risks”. [13:30] On Thursday, March 27th, Descartes Underwriting will make its RIMS Webinar debut with a session about parametric insurance. On April 3rd, join Zurich for “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding”. [13:43] On April 10th, Audit Board will present, “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025”. [13:51] Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [14:07] On April 24th, RiskConnect returns to deliver “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity”. [14:40] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [14:26] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS 2025 President Kristen Peed! [14:37] As a follow-up to the RIMScast episode with Mark Prysock on RIMS's legislative priorities, Kristen talks about third-party-funded litigation. It affects risk managers, carriers, and brokers because of premium pricing. [15:06] It's necessary to have transparency around third-party-funded litigation and eliminate the ability of foreign entities to fund and profit from it. The concern is around nuclear verdicts that are detrimental to the industry as a whole. [15:39] Nuclear verdicts will impact pricing, not only for that one company but for all risk managers. These verdicts are not sustainable. We need transparency. We want Congress to act upon this. We can all get behind this. Kristen doesn't think this is a partisan issue. [15:58] Being able to partner with our carriers and brokers to have a strong message on the Hill is critical to the success and continuation of our industry. [16:08] Time and money are finite resources. There is no bottomless pit of money. [16:30] Kristen will soon be going to Capitol Hill with fellow risk practitioners for the RIMS Legislative Summit. [16:43] Kristen got involved in legislative advocacy after getting a mailer for the Legislative Summit. She attended and met the staff, including Robert Cartwright. She saw It was an amazing platform for risk managers to have their voices heard by the people they elect. [17:17] The RIMS Legislative Summit is one of Kristen's favorite annual events. It can be so impactful to the community as a whole. It will be March 19th and 20th. This is your last chance to register for it. Prepare for the trip to D.C. [17:54] March is Women's History Month. Kristen says she was lucky to have some key female leaders placed in her life at critical moments, that helped her down this path. [18:15] At CBIZ, Nancy Mallard was the GC for CBIZ's Benefits and Insurance Division. She was the first female chair of the CIAB (The Council). Kristen saw Nancy's leadership throughout the years in the industry. Kristen used her great example to figure out how to get involved at RIMS. [19:15] Kristen's new boss, Kathy Ross, is amazing. She's been a great advocate for Kristen and it has been awesome to learn from her how to elevate her leadership skills. Kristen feels blessed to have had these two impactful women in her life. [19:47] Sequoia's culture is paramount to its people. One of its service commandments is “Be of extraordinary value to others.” Sequoia's mission is “Coming through for others that put their trust in us.” Kristen takes these values to heart, whether in mentoring or calling on the phone.  [20:39] Kristen looks at how she can help create career paths for people and develop them, at Sequoia and in the risk community, as well. Kristen brings together interns and “externs” from other companies and stays in touch with them. She always asks them to pay the help forward. [21:35] Plug Time! Kristen Peed was a board member of the Spencer Educational Foundation. [21:41] 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. [21:59] 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. [22:13] Spencer's 2026 application process will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. 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. [22:31] Spencer has several events lined up before and during RISKWORLD 2025. On May 3rd, there's the Spencer-CNA Pickle Ball Social, on May 4th, the Spencer-Gallagher Golf Tournament, on May 5th, the Spencer Soiree, and on May 6th, the Spencer-Sedgwick 5K Fun Run. [22:51] You can register for or sponsor any of these through the links on this page or by visiting SpencerEd.org/riskworld2025. [23:00] The Conclusion of My Interview with RIMS 2025 President, Kristen Peed! [23:27] Kristen's theme for her presidency is Brand New Day. Every day is a brand new day of risks. Every day, new risks are popping up. Whether AI, advancements in cyber threats, wildfires, or climate change, everything is changing. [24:12] It's a brand new day for risk managers. We have to be more nimble and strategic. That means it's a brand new day for RIMS. It's about how RIMS is going to support us in this moment and also as we move into the future, making sure we stay relevant for the next 75 years and on. [24:41] A new track, Alternative Risk Transfer, highly focused on captives, is being presented at RISKWORLD 2025. This is something risk managers have been asking to learn more about. It's part of the strategic conversation; how do you start to offer value back to your company? [25:09] How do you more strategically look at risk from a long-term perspective? That dovetails with Enterprise Risk Management. RIMS ERM content is relevant and has evolved over time. Captives will continue to be a value-generating part of the profession. [26:06] The 75th anniversary of RIMS is special for Kristen because it shows that RIMS has come so far. This year, RIMS is launching the RIMS Foundation to create opportunities for early-career students. That's the critical time to help them stay in the profession. [26:47] The RIMS Foundation will provide them with opportunities for growth, learning, and networking. This is a graying industry. We need to attract the next generation of talent to the industry and fill the pipeline with lots of people to backfill when current risk professionals retire. [27:21] Also in 2025, RIMS has a brand new Texas regional conference from August 4th through the 6th, on the San Antonio River Walk. People are reaching out to Kristen to submit sessions. It's exciting to see all the buzz around that conference. [28:35] Kristen's concludes: “Never quit learning. In my role, I've been doing this for two-plus decades, but I learn something new every day. When I took the RIMS-CRMP, I learned even more. It's the only risk management credential accredited by ANSI. Go and get your RIMS-CRMP.” [28:56] “It is one of the best educational opportunities you will have to demonstrate your proficiency and excellence and show your senior leadership team that you have the skills to elevate and provide strategic direction to your company.” [29:18] Justin notes that later this year, you can look for a RIMS-CRMP story, featuring RIMS 2025 President Kristen Peed. [29:23] Kristen, it is such a pleasure to see you! I'm so happy that you're our president this year and I'm happy for your continued success. I look forward to being able to celebrate with you in May at RISKWORLD 2025! [29:35] Kristen says she is honored to lead RIMS this year but it wouldn't be possible without all the other volunteer risk professionals around the world, all our chapter leaders, all committee members, and all our council volunteers. [29:53] Kristen wants to thank everybody who donates their time and energy to making RIMS so relevant and future-thinking. I could not do what I do without your support. [30:10] Special thanks again to RIMS 2025 President, Kristen Peed. Be sure to catch her at RISKWORLD 2025. She will have a presence on the main stage and during many of the ceremonies. Be sure to register for RISKWORLD 2025 at RIMS.org/riskworld. [30:23] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [30:48] 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. [31:05] 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. [31:35] 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. [31:48] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [31:54] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award [Canada] Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates Spencer's RISKWORLD Events — Register or Sponsor! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Leadership Corner — Featuring Kristen Peed RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company | March 13, 2025 “Understanding Interconnected Risks” | Presented by RIMS and the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council | March 26, 2025 “Parametric Insurance and Climate Risk: An Innovative Tool for CAT Risk Management” | Sponsored by Descartes Underwriting | March 27, 2025 “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich | April 3, 2025 “What CISOs Want Risk Executives to Know About Cyber Risk in 2025” | Sponsored by Auditboard | April 10, 2025 “Ready for Tomorrow? From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach” | Sponsored by Hub International | April 17, 2025 “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity” | Sponsored by Riskonnect | April 24, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP | March 19‒20 | Register by March 12 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | April 22‒23 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Generative AI for Risk Management” | March 26 | Instructor: Pat Saporito “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the U.S.” | April 16‒17 | Instructor: Chris Hansen See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “RIMS Legislative Priorities in 2025 with Mark Prysock” “(Re)Humanizing Leadership in Risk Management with Holly Ransom” (RISKWORLD Keynote) “Risk and Relatability with Rachel DeAlto, RISKWORLD Keynote” “Risk and Leadership Patterns with Super Bowl Champion Ryan Harris” (RISKWORLD Keynote)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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: Kristen Peed, Chief Risk Officer at Sequoia and the RIMS 2025 President   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.   Our guest, Nicole Sherwin, Chief Impact Officer of EcoVadis, explains her ESG philosophy, and how her role as EcoVadis Chief Impact Officer works with sustainability, including climate-related risks, human rights, transparency in supply chains, and sustainability supply chain regulations. Nicole and Justin discuss each of these topics and how companies can improve their sustainability metrics. Nicole points out the incentives companies have to demonstrate to investors and institutions more transparency in their supply chains. She notes tools and frameworks companies can use for supply chain ESG and sustainability reporting. Listen for a perspective on adding sustainability compliance to your organization's supply chain. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS at RISKWORLD from May 4th through May 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:30] About this episode. We will discuss sustainability and supply chain risk with our guest, EcoVadis Chief Impact Officer Nicole Sherwin. [:55] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next workshop will be March 19th and 20th. Register by March 12th. As part of our continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up April 22nd and 23rd. [1:12] LInks to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:20] Virtual Workshops! “Managing Data for ERM” will be hosted by Pat Saporito. That course starts on March 12th, 2025. On March 26th, Pat will also host “Generative AI for Risk Management.” [1:38] On April 16th and 17th, Chris Hansen will lead “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the U.S.”  [1:51] 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. [2:02] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [2:20] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! Links are in the show notes. [2:43] Between tariffs, climate threat, and geopolitical instability, now is a good time to reexamine your supply chain risk management practices, especially in front of April, which is Supply Chain Integrity Month. [2:57] Joining us today to discuss the role that sustainability efforts can play in managing supply chain risk is Nicole Sherwin, the Chief Impact Officer at EcoVadis, a provider of business sustainability ratings and insights. There's much to discuss about sustainability, ESG, and more! [3:17] Interview! Nicole Sherwin, welcome to RIMScast! [3:40] Nicole holds that businesses have a unique opportunity to magnify the positive social and environmental impacts of the things they do and where they engage. [3:56] Nicole is especially passionate about sustainable supply chains and the B2B relationship between buyers and suppliers. Procurement, the function that works with suppliers, holds a lot of power, in deciding which suppliers to spend money with. [4:13] Procurement wants to work with suppliers who can demonstrate they are strong partners in all senses of the word, but increasingly in managing their business's sustainability. [4:22] It can reduce risk, increase resilience, and open collaboration opportunities for procurement teams to drive growth and value for their business. [4:35] Procurement can leverage sustainability innovations of products and services of their suppliers into the design and selling of their products and services, which helps them meet the demands of customers and unlock new markets. That excites Nicole. [4:59] EcoVadis is a purpose-driven company, as stated in its corporate bylaws. Its purpose is to guide all companies toward a sustainable world. [5:14] Nicole's role as Chief Impact Officer is similar to a Chief Sustainability Officer. Part of her role is responsibility for implementing best-in-class sustainability practices internally. Some of those practices are set science-based carbon reduction targets. [5:31] EcoVadis runs a program with its suppliers to engage them in sustainable practices. [5:35] The bigger impact EcoVadis can have is via its solutions and driving sustainability transformation with its customers. EcoVadis is dedicated to embedding sustainability data and intelligence into business decisions. [5:50] EcoVadis has sustainability ratings and data it provides to help businesses benchmark themselves and improve their performance on environmental and social topics. It focuses on global supply chains and procurement organizations that engage their suppliers. [6:08] The impact EcoVadis has is as an enabler to guide companies to improve their practices on decarbonization, working conditions, and human rights, to create stronger sustainability performance with more resilient supply chains. [6:19] KPIs are important ways to measure. Action can be even more important. Don't wait to get the right measurement or figure out how to measure. Get to action, maybe specifically on decarbonization, where some of the metrics and KPIs might be hard to get to. [6:46] Nicole believes there are many risks to global supply chains. Some are geopolitical instability, tariffs impacting trade, and increased cyber attacks on critical infrastructure as things are becoming more digitalized. [7:05] Nicole mentions four sustainability topics. The first is climate-related risks, including extreme weather events, natural disasters, and long-term climactic changes, like rising temperatures and sea levels. Climate impacts raw material availability or shortages. [7:27] Droughts and changes in weather affect agricultural productivity. Weather could be linked to transportation and distribution disruption with infrastructure damages and closure of routes that impact business continuity. [7:45] The second sustainability topic is human rights and forced labor risks. These can be hard to detect. EcoVadis customers, working with their supply chain, have a strong focus on identifying and remediating those risks. [8:02] The third sustainability topic is the lack of transparency in the supply chain. Many companies are only scratching the surface of the potential risks as they engage their direct or tier-one suppliers. Behind the tier-one supplier are different products and raw materials. [8:23] How do you understand who those suppliers are and what are their ethical standards for sourcing and labor practices? [8:30] The fourth sustainability topic is ESG or sustainability supply chain regulations. Supply chains are complex. They're global. They could go deep into the multi-tier. Getting supply chain data needed for compliance is also complex. [8:45] The ESG regulation space is evolving. It's a moving target, both in the U.S. and in Europe. Being late or not being prepared for these regulations is a risk. [9:01] Plug Time! 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. [9:21] 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. [9:35] Spencer's 2026 application process will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. Learn more about Spencer's Grants through the Programs tab of SpencerEd.org. [9:54] Spencer Day is an annual virtual event where the risk management and insurance communities come together to celebrate the Spencer Educational Foundation and the incredible work they do to attract and retain talent in the risk management and insurance professions. [10:10] It's never too late to donate. You can send a belated Spencer Day card. This year, the Foundation is seeking donations of $46 in honor of Spencer's 46th year of operations. Visit SpencerEd.org/spencer-day for more details and donate. [10:34] Every contribution is an investment in the future of risk management. We appreciate your support. [10:40] Let's Get Back to Our Interview with Nicole Sherwin of EcoVadis! [11:02] Organizations can focus on sustainable procurement, creating an end-to-end program with suppliers, identifying where the risk is, assessing the performance, closing the gaps, and driving improvements on ethical, social, and environmental topics. That's a key foundation. [11:22] This can be done with on-site audits, online questionnaires, certifications that can be collected, and verification technology. Companies are deploying targeted engagements with suppliers that align with their corporate sustainability goals. [11:39] Decarbonization of the supply chain is a key sustainability goal. It starts by understanding a supplier's carbon footprint. [11:47] A vast majority of the supply chain is small-to-medium companies (SMEs) in emerging markets. They don't know where to start calculating their Scope 1 and Scope 2 indirect emissions. There are a lot of carbon estimators that can support suppliers to calculate those. [12:03] These estimates can be used by procurement organizations to calculate their Scope 3 emissions. [12:11] Nicole talks of transitioning to renewable energy sources, energy-efficient buildings, and manufacturing equipment, depending on the industry, optimizing transport, and localizing sourcing. Can you get closer to the source from the suppliers you're working with? [12:34] Look for eco-friendly materials that can be reused and recycled at the end of life. Use life-cycle assessments (LCA). Some tools can be used to support sustainable product design. [12:58] Life cycle assessments require a level of expertise. Tools and technologies for LCA are becoming much more advanced and make it easier for SMEs to adopt at-scale deployments across multiple product areas. [13:26] Dimensions of ROI can be incorporated into sustainability. The centerpiece of sustainability is looking at the environmental and social impacts of materials. Figuring ROI on a sustainability initiative is complex. [14:12] EcoVadis did a report with Bain, “ESG Financial Performance.” Companies at the forefront of working on sustainable procurement have a profitability margin of three percentage points above those who don't focus on their suppliers' environmental and ethical practices. [14:32] That research also showed that companies in natural resources, transportation, or industrial goods that had a high EcoVadis rating on their sustainability performance had higher EBITDA margins. [14:53] Nicole says, succeeding with sustainability means thinking about it as an integrated approach to solving these core business challenges. Sustainability can reduce risk, increase resilience, and drive innovation and sales revenue through the offering of sustainable solutions. [15:24] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On March 13th, our friends from Global Risk Consultants will return to discuss “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready”. [15:30] On Wednesday, March 26th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, members of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council will extend the dialog that began in the recent RIMS Executive Report “Understanding Interconnected Risks”. [15:53] On Thursday, March 27th, Descartes Underwriting will make its RIMS Webinar debut with a session about parametric insurance. On April 10th, Audit Board will present, “What Non-CISO Risk Executives Should Know about Cyber Risks in 2025.” [16:09] Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [16:24] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [16:36] The Conclusion of My Interview with EcoVadis Chief Impact Officer, Nicole Sherwin! [16:51] Nicole shares some sustainability plan pointers. Having a data-driven approach is key, using accurate, verified data to measure progress and inform decision-making. EcoVadis issues a Sustainable Procurement Barometer every three years. It was updated at the end of 2024. [17:10] Companies that were showing a high level of maturity in sustainability and ESG were more than two times more likely to engage key stakeholders strategically with data. The C-Suite cares about KPIs. Being able to show performance and outputs catches their attention. [17:33] Taking a data-driven approach, even if it's starting with a small set of data from proof of concept of deployment can be a way to get their attention and bring in additional investment. Cross-department collaboration is key. Sustainability is a responsibility across the organization. [17:55] We increasingly see that sustainability is integrated into performance bonuses, not just for senior executives, but also for managers across departments. It's a company-wide initiative to drive sustainability. [18:06] In the Sustainable Procurement Barometer, 45% of the suppliers say that they see sustainability as important to their customers and are engaged about it as partners. However, 46% see it as important to their customers but don't find it in their relationship. [18:28] Sometimes Procurement can see a risk in the supply chain we see as important but they don't have enough of a program around embedding collaboration with a supplier. [18:40] Collaboration can be putting it in contract clauses, setting sustainability targets to where they want to see them improve, and running capability building and training in decarbonization. [19:13] Forced labor can lie under the surface if you don't look for it. EcoVadis customers are looking to understand where human rights and forced labor are happening in the supply chain.  [19:29] One effective technology is engaging workers through automated worker surveys and grievance mechanisms, directly to workers through SMS or WhatsApp. It's been extraordinarily powerful, allowing companies to work on remediation efforts. [20:47] Nicole thinks the SEC's decision to pause indefinitely its Climate Disclosure Rules will have an impact on corporate accountability. Companies are not being mandated to disclose on climate. However, from an investor perspective, the demand for disclosure is still there. [21:08] For investors, these regulations are seen in a positive light for those assessing climate-related risk, and wanting to accelerate investment toward a more sustainable economy. They want standardized and comparable data to manage these risks and impacts. [21:27] Companies face a potential loss of investment opportunities if they don't disclose climate impact data in a common format. [21:36] Companies will have to decide if they're going to voluntarily disclose climate-related information or not. They will have to if they want to be considered by investors, or even financial institutions, who are increasingly requesting this kind of information for lending or underwriting. [21:54] There are international standards that continue to emphasize consistent reporting. The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is one. The Sustainability Standards Board offers The Climate-Related Risk Disclosure Framework. [22:15] Companies can voluntarily report their climate-related risk using the available frameworks. [22:27] Companies know that there is a reputation risk to transparency. For some companies, up to 90% of their carbon footprint is in their supply chain. Getting that data and driving reductions in their supply chain is complicated. [22:52] The economic driver of investors and access to finance are incentives for companies to disclose climate-related risk data. Each company has to decide. [23:41] Nicole thinks that ESG is under fire in the U.S. However, she believes that the ESG frameworks supported by the risk community help businesses anticipate and manage risks. That's not going anywhere. There's a business imperative here. [24:17] Companies that get this understand and have the experience of how sustainability interconnects to core business goals of risk, resilience, competitiveness, and unlocking new market share, driving new sales with demand for sustainability solutions and products. [24:38] The market's focus on long-term resilience will keep it at the forefront. Those companies that are committing to it will be able to demonstrate resilience and transcend other companies that drop ESG for now. [24:49] We're ending on a hopeful note. Nicole, it's been a pleasure, of course, and it's very insightful to get a glimpse into your mind and perspective. Thank you so much for joining us here on RIMScast! Happy Supply Chain Integrity Month to you! [25:11] Special thanks again to Nicole Sherwin of EcoVadis for joining us here on RIMSCast! Links to RIMS resources about sustainability and supply chain risk are in this episode's show notes. [25:24] We've got more supply chain coverage coming up ahead of Supply Chain Integrity Month in April. Stay tuned! [25:31] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [25:59] 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. [26:17] 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. [26:34] 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. [26:50] 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. [27:04] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [27:12] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7. | Register today! RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Risk Management magazine www.EcoVadis.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company | March 13, 2025 “Understanding Interconnected Risks” | Presented by RIMS and the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council | March 26, 2025 “Parametric Insurance and Climate Risk: An Innovative Tool for CAT Risk Management” | Sponsored by Descartes Underwriting | March 27, 2025 “Ready for Tomorrow? From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach” | Sponsored by Hub International | April 17, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP | March 19‒20 | Register by March 12 RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | April 22‒23 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12 | Instructor: Pat Saporito “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the US” | April 16‒17 | Instructor: Chris Hansen See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “RIMS Legislative Priorities in 2025 with Mark Prysock” “(Re)Humanizing Leadership in Risk Management with Holly Ransom” (RISKWORLD Keynote) “Risk and Relatability with Rachel DeAlto”, RISKWORLD Keynote “Risk and Leadership Patterns with Super Bowl Champion Ryan Harris” (RISKWORLD Keynote) “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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: Nicole Sherwin, Chief Impact Officer of EcoVadis   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.   Our guest, Holly Ransom, an internationally acclaimed speaker and leadership trailblazer, will be a keynote speaker on May 6th at RISKWORLD 2025 in Chicago. Holly previews her keynote as well as shares nuggets of risk knowledge she has collected throughout her career. Holly gives tips for leadership qualities and skills that are needed more than ever in this uncertain environment. She speaks of resilient leadership and confidence in crises. She tells how to recover a strong brand from a crisis when handled properly. She speaks of the importance of lifelong learning, not as an ideal but as a practice. Listen for Holly's keynote theme and her advice for leaders today in this insightful episode. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow in Chicago from May 4th through May 7th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:29] Register now! The Super Savings Rate ends on February 28th! [:37] About this episode. We will be joined by Holly Ransom, who is one of the keynote speakers who will be on the main stage at RISKWORLD 2025 on May 6th. We will get a preview of her session, “Humanizing Leadership in a Tech-Enhanced World.” [1:10] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! RIMS will partner with Purima once again on March 5th and 6th to deliver a virtual RIMS-CRMP Prep Course. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:30] Virtual Workshops! “Managing Data for ERM” will be hosted by Pat Saporito. That course starts on March 12th, 2025. On March 26th, Pat will also host “Generative AI for Risk Management.” [1:52] On April 16th and 17th, Chris Hansen will lead “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the U.S.”  [2:05] 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. [2:16] RISKWORLD registration is open. Take advantage of our Super Savings Rate by February 28th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [2:34] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! Links are in the show notes. [2:55] Our guest today is Holly Ransom, and she is one of the keynote speakers who will be on the main stage on May 6th at RISKWORLD. She will lead the session “Humanizing Leadership in a Tech-Enhanced World.” We're going to get a preview of her presentation. [3:08] Holly will also talk about some of the world leaders she has shared the stage with and why she found them impactful. [3:17] Interview! Holly Ransom, welcome to RIMScast! [3:24] At RISKWORLD 2025, on May 6th, Holly Ransom will present a TED-style talk, “Humanizing Leadership in a Tech-Enchanced World.” [3:41] Holly can't wait to be there in Chicago. She is excited that so many will be attending! Her keynote goal is to explore how important authenticity, empathy, and purpose in leadership are amid technological change. [3:59] It's easy to lose sight of authenticity in an industry that's all about metrics and frameworks. We need to maintain that focus on building resilient teams that can navigate uncertainty with confidence and clarity. That's what Holly will share at RISKWORLD. [4:34] Holly will be diving into the high-performing culture element. A lot of Holly's work with high-performing sports teams and in the corporate landscape is about how to get collective effectiveness. [4:45] Holly's keynote will pull on those insights to ask what it looks like to influence positively the environment to get the best out of the people around her, maximize creativity, and seize the innovation opportunity. That will be where it comes together in her conversation. [5:22] Holly discusses the metrics of success. It depends on the organization. There are performance metrics for revenue and reputation that show how effective a business is. She talks about looking beyond traditional KPIs to other ways to measure effectiveness. [5:51] These other measures may include new products to market, rate of innovation, successful growth of new products versus legacy brands, psychological safety scores, team engagement, and recognition. [6:12] Holly looks for proactive measures and team collaboration quality. That's a combination of metrics beyond what organizations have traditionally measured. Pick out of the KPI soup the ones that benefit you. Which ones measure the needle moving in your organization? [7:01] Holly has spoken at events within the risk industry. RISKWORLD will be her largest risk management speaking event. [7:23] Holly sees the risk profession as having an incredibly important role, making sure that safety is maintained and people safely get to where they want to go, inside their organizations.  [7:39] These are the people laying down strategy and setting the innovation roadmap, and how we get there while maintaining the expectations of our customers, standards for our employees, and the license we have to operate within our community and the broader society. [8:05] Holly says risk management is one of the most complex jobs inside an organization. Holly worked in large corporations in mining and banking early in her career. She spent a lot of time with CROs. Their risk reports to the board were around 150 pages, before cyber frontier. [8:44] Holly has empathy for risk managers who must influence other executives to understand the risk agenda and embrace and support it. The skills of risk professionals have probably never mattered more as we navigate the complexity. [9:30] The 150-page risk reports Holly saw in her corporate career were filled with information, including heatmaps. It was important to call attention to what mattered most and report it realistically while discharging risk duties responsibly. It's an interesting tightrope to walk. [10:22] Holly mentions the role that smart risk plays in innovation and progress. In high-performing teams, if you keep doing the same thing, you can't maintain your competitive edge. There is always an element of risk in the evolution of strategy and approach. [10:49] Netflix embraced risk in its strategy of pivoting away from rental to streaming, first with owned content and now into live sports. There were difficulties, but now Netflix is one of the most successful stories of the last 20 years. [11:52] Netflix was prepared to “cannibalize” itself and jump on what it saw as an emerging technology opportunity to stake out a new business model. Netflix continues to add new subscribers. [12:40] What can leaders learn from Netflix? Ask yourself what you are doing as a leader to build your peripheral vision. How do you make sure you're not getting caught in the way you do things or the way your industry operates? [13:02] How do you expand your view so change does not catch you off-guard and the opportunities and threats that come are things that you as a leader are beginning to think about? AI could be an example of something relevant to leaders at the moment. [13:21] Ask what's the question you need to be reflecting on. What's the strategic question you can take to your leadership team or board that allows you to get into a “meaty” conversation on the topic with ideas on how the board wants to respond to it, proactively versus reactively? [13:40] How are you keeping your finger on the pulse? Do you have a source outside your deep industry expertise or outside where you operate? Are you having periodic conversations with a leader in another industry sharing observations and data points? [14:06] How do you turn an observation into a question that sparks the thinking and the conversation that can be the catalyst for transformation? Get into conversations with your colleagues. What does this mean for us and how can we do something significant for us with it? [14:27] Netflix started very early in strategic conversation and prepared to take strategic bets on what part of its portfolio and what allocation of its resources to give to this new idea. [14:41] You see this process in a range of businesses, however they structure it. Some businesses have an innovation arm. Other places have a budget allocation per department for new ideas each year. [15:05] There needs to be a meaningful skin in the game each year, building the muscle of working up an idea and attempting execution. That allows you to get real opportunities, rather than just intellectualizing risk. What will you learn in the process to try better next time? [15:35] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! On March 13th, our friends from Global Risk Consultants will return to discuss “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready”. [15:49] On a unique day and time, March 26th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, members of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council will extend the dialog that began in the recent RIMS Executive Report “Understanding Interconnected Risks”. [16:07] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [16:19] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. [16:27] 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. [16:46] 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. [16:59] Spencer's 2026 application process will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. General Grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. Learn more about Spencer's Grants through the Programs tab of SpencerEd.org. [17:18] The Conclusion of My Interview with Upcoming RISKWORLD 2025 Keynote, Holly Ransom! [17:37] Holly has been to Chicago and loves it, but not Chicago winters! This will be Justin's first time in Chicago. He'll do the generic bucket list Chicago stuff when he finds a couple of pockets of time, to enhance the experience. [18:34] During the pandemic, there were studies done on leadership communication during a crisis. There was a difference between leaders in companies who performed well in the face of adversity, versus others. [18:58] There was a big piece around leaders who could demonstrate authentic concern. An example of this was New Zealand's former Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, after the terrorist attack in Christchurch. [19:14] She had an incredible ability to show empathy and to see it as a moment of extreme sadness; an opportunity to bring the nation together. [19:31] Successful leaders in crisis focus on what they can control and communicate with a transparent confidence. Ed Bastian at Delta did a good job managing the 2017 system outage across Delta. He appeared in a video message to customers within hours and took ownership. [20:12] He offered compensation proactively versus reactively, making it right for his customers, knowing that how he handled the situation would set Delta's reputation and make the comeback stronger. [20:29] You can build back a stronger brand and reputation by how you handle a crisis. You can have a higher brand score after a crisis you've handled well. Your relationships need to be in hand before the crisis. Be proactive in stakeholder relations so there are credits “in the bank.” [21:08] Then, when the crisis comes, you can call in favors and ask people to come in, in support. Those people show up. [22:04] Holly describes her feelings on giving a keynote. She loves it. She says she's on the strange end of the psych profile, in liking to be in front of an audience and talking. Holly says that for her, there is nothing more precious than people's time. [22:25] She calls it a privilege to have time to impart a message. Her goal is always to give the audience practical tools and new ideas that leave them feeling empowered and less overwhelmed, with things they can immediately put to work to enhance their effectiveness. [22:56] Holly wants to practically equip leaders as she feels we are in desperate need of new tools to help us overcome the overwhelm, make sense of the complexity, and find our way through the uncertainty. [23:23] Justin checked out Holly's highlight reel where she has hosted sessions with major world leaders, including former President Barack Obama. Of everyone she has shared a stage with, who stood out to her as a magnetic personality? [24:06] Matthew McConaughey comes to mind as someone who has real confidence in himself, doesn't take himself too seriously, is very funny, engaging, extroverted, and is a natural storyteller. He is as delightful offstage as he is on. [24:25] Without exception, the world leaders Holly has had the privilege of interviewing and hosting, tend to be incredible communicators and have an “X” factor to them. [24:57] Brené Brown was warm, authentically passionate about the work that she does, and genuine in her desire to connect and converse. Holly said Brené Brown was everything you would hope she would be. [25:55] Holly's last thoughts for leaders of the risk profession: There is an increasing communication demand on every leader to be a storyteller, to be able to cut through because the world has never been noisier, and to help people make sense of what they're saying. [26:20] People feel overloaded. Uncertainty leads to a bias of inaction rather than action. Risk professionals need to cultivate the skill of storytelling and influencing to convey the critical information they have to stakeholders who don't have the same depth of understanding. [26:55] We give a lot of lip service to life-long learning. We need to start practicing what we preach, getting “in the gym” and building that new muscle, whatever you can do to widen your view into topics that may not have been traditionally part of your wheelhouse, like AI. [27:23] AI is becoming increasingly important to understand opportunities and risks. Have you humbled yourself and been a beginner and gotten on the tools, played with them, and taken a master class, to get your hand around it and think about what it means for your organization? [27:52] It could be GenZ coming in. Do you have a mentor under the age of 26? Think about that if you haven't. There could be a whole range of factors that are looming as things that are going to reset the table. What are you doing to build your understanding and experience? [28:36] Holly, it has been such a pleasure to speak with you and meet you, in advance of your presence at RISKWORLD 2025. I can't wait to see you on May 6th! You're going to be fantastic, along with Ryan and Rachel! It's been insightful to speak with you, I appreciate you very much! [29:02] Special thanks again to Holly Ransom for joining us on RIMScast! You can learn more about her at HollyRansom.com. We look forward to seeing Holly at RISKWORLD 2025 on the main stage on May 6th. [29:15] Remember to register for RISKWORLD at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Recent episodes with the other keynote speakers, Ryan Harris and Rachel DeAlto, are now in this episode's show notes. Remember to lock in that Sweet Super Rate for RISKWORLD 2025 before March 1st! [29:35] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [30:04] 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. [30:22] 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. [30:40] 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. [30:56] 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. [31:10] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [31:17] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! | Super savings rate ends Feb. 28. RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 | Submit an Educational Session by Feb. 24. RIMS Risk Management magazine Hollyransom.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company | March 13, 2025 “Understanding Interconnected Risks” | Presented by RIMS and the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council | March 26, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | March 5‒6 and April 22‒23 | Virtual Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12 | Instructor: Pat Saporito “Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the US” | April 16‒17 | Instructor: Chris Hansen See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Risk and Relatability with Rachel DeAlto, RISKWORLD Keynote” “Risk and Leadership Patterns with Super Bowl Champion Ryan Harris” (RISKWORLD Keynote) “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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: Holly Ransom, internationally acclaimed speaker and leadership trailblazer   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.   Our guest, Mark Prysock, RIMS General Counsel & VP of External Affairs, is here to tell us about the RIMS Legislative Summit 2025, in Washington D.C. on March 19th and 20th. Mark shares the top five RIMS legislative priorities, what they mean, and how they impact the risk management profession. These include the need to regulate private third-party legislation funding, data privacy, and cyber security, the National Flood Insurance Program, non-profit tax reform, and the Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce Act, liberalizing College 529s to allow using them for certifications. Listen for details on the RIMS Legislative Summit 2025, why you should attend, and what you can expect from it. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:15] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow in Chicago from May 4th through May 7th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:33] About this episode. We will be joined by RIMS General Counsel and Vice President for External Affairs, Mark Prysock to discuss RIMS's legislative priorities and the RIMS Legislative Summit.. [:59] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! RIMS will partner with Purima once again on March 5th and 6th to deliver a virtual RIMS-CRMP Prep Course. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:18] Virtual Workshops! On February 26th and 27th, Elise Farnham of Illumine Consulting will lead “Applying and Integrating ERM”. “Managing Data for ERM” will be hosted by Pat Saporito. That course starts on March 12th, 2025. [1:44] 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. [1:55] RISKWORLD registration is open. Take advantage of our Super Savings Rate by February 28th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [2:07] Speaking of RISKWORLD, next week, we will have one of the main stage keynotes, Holly Ransom, join us. Be sure to subscribe to RIMScast to make sure you get that episode as it comes out! [2:19] Today's episode is all about RIMS's legislative priorities and how those priorities will be addressed at the RIMS Legislative Summit 2025, March 19th and 20th in Washington, D.C. You can learn more about it at RIMS.org/advocacy. [2:37] One of my favorite RIMS colleagues is here to discuss all things legislation. Mark Prysock is our General Counsel and Vice President for External Affairs. [2:48] Mark is the point person for the RIMS Legislative Summit 2025, helping to ensure that our priorities at RIMS are communicated on behalf of our members to representatives in Congress. [3:02] Mark is going to join me today to discuss the top five RIMS legislative priorities in a little bit more detail, provide some additional perspective, and discuss the agenda a little bit, which will be finalized soon. [3:19] Interview! Mark Prysock, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:26] The RIMS Legislative Summit 2025 will be held on March 19th and 20th in Washington, D.C. This is a different time of year to host the summit. It was formerly held in September or October, depending on whether it was an election year. [3:56] Mark says the event was shifted to March because Congress, in general, seems to be fatigued by the end of the year. By September or October, it seemed that Congress was pretty much done with what they planned to get done for the year already. [4:13] RIMS thought it would make sense to meet with them in the first quarter of the year rather than the last quarter and see if they can't get more engagement or interest in RIMS's issues. Mark is excited about this change to March for the Summit. Congress will be newly in session. [4:41] The Summit participants will be meeting some new committee chairs and ranking members for the first time. This is going to be a great shift for the RIMS Legislative Summit. [5:02] This year will be a little different because there is going to be a significant tax bill passed. In 2017 there was a large package of temporary tax cuts which are set to expire this year. No one in Congress wants those tax cuts to expire and hit the American people with a tax hike. [5:27] To extend those tax cuts, Congress has to find other ways to generate tax revenue. So there will probably be a big tax bill this year. This is a good time to engage with the broader association community and members of Congress on these issues. [6:05] Mark says the Congressional Budget Office will rate how much of an impact, positively or negatively, a bill is going to have on the government's finances. Eight years was the maximum they could push out these tax cuts without the government going over the tax cliff. [6:30] These temporary tax cuts are set to expire in September. Congress will need to do something about that. [6:39] The top five RIMS legislative priorities are listed on the RIMS.org site. Please see the link in this episode's show notes. Justin and RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche discussed these legislative priorities in a recent RIMScast episode. [7:07] The top five legislative priorities, in no particular order, include third-party litigation funding. This issue is gaining a lot of traction in Washington. Mark defines third-party litigation funding as private investors backing civil litigation with significant sums of money. [7:39] There are currently no disclosure requirements. It can be a national security risk when foreign agents fund litigation here in the United States. Funders are often in a position to take control of litigation. They often get paid before the claimants and there is little regulation. [8:23] On both sides of the aisle, there's a feeling that Congress needs to adopt, at least, some disclosure requirements so the courts and arguably, the other parties to the lawsuit are aware of who is backing this litigation. [8:43] RIMS is particularly concerned about the national security threat. There could be bad players from around the world funding litigation against American businesses. This concern seems to be gaining traction in the House and the Senate. [9:08] RIMS is very happy to be actively involved in a broader group that's working on this issue. [9:27] The Plaintiffs Bar loves third-party litigation funding because it can make filing and pursuing lawsuits extremely profitable. They may not embrace limits on it. [10:10] Another legislative priority is data privacy and cyber security. RIMS is interested in having Congress pass a uniform data privacy law. Right now, there's a patchwork of state laws that your company needs to know if it operates in multiple jurisdictions. It's not an easy thing to do. [10:45] The last session of Congress came close to passing a Uniform Data Privacy Bill. That bill had a couple of significant flaws. It created carve-outs for the laws of favored states such as California, New York, and Massachusetts. [11:24] It also created a private right of action so individuals could sue companies for failing to comply with this law. The outcome of those cases would be on a state-by-state basis. Over time, this would lead to a patchwork of state laws. [11:48] RIMS is hoping to get a better version of the unified standard bill passed this session. [11:53] RIMS is looking for a reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), currently part of the Continuing Resolution funding the federal government. It's “must pass” legislation. Few serious lawmakers would consider it good to shut down the government. [12:25] The Continuing Resolution gets renewed regularly. The NFIP, rolled up into it, also gets renewed regularly. It's hard to make structural enhancements to a program that is part of the Continuing Resolution. The CR is often passed at the last minute; it's hard to change it. [13:21] Non-profit Tax Reform is a new issue. It's in a tax bill being considered to generate revenue to cover extending the expiring tax cuts. Tax-exempt organizations pay taxes on unrelated business income, which is a foggy area. Many organizations don't pay any tax. [13:54] There is a movement to reconsider non-profit tax exemptions. The idea is that the corporate tax rate, currently 21%, should be levied against all non-donation revenue that associations and non-profit organizations generate. [14:10] For RIMS, that would include event revenue, sponsorships, royalties, membership dues, and any other non-donation revenue. It's a significant deal. [14:29] Mark sees two drivers to this idea. The first is, that Congress does need to find a big pot of money to make sure the government doesn't go off this tax cliff. The second is an intellectual argument that it's time to take another look at why we're not taxing these organizations more. [14:52] It's a significant issue for RIMS and the association community at large because of the financial hit they could all take. Mark believes it will be considered by Congress relatively early this year. [15:05] Justin adds a statement that “RIMS has joined the steering committee of ASAE's Community Impact Coalition to protect the non-profit community and educate Congress on the societal benefits of the tax-exempt sector.” [15:21] ASAE is the American Society of Association Executives. It's an association for association people. Justin met some of the ASAE executives at an NYSAE event last year. They are all in alignment on this issue. [15:43] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! HUB International continues its Ready for Tomorrow Series with RIMS. On February 20th, they will host “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025”. [16:03] On March 13th, our friends from Global Risk Consultants will return to discuss “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready”. [16:13] On a unique day and time, March 26th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, members of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council will extend the dialog that began in the recent RIMS Executive Report “Understanding Interconnected Risks”. [16:31] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [16:43] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. Links are in this episode's show notes. [16:54] The First of (hopefully) Many RIMS Texas Regional Conferences will be held in San Antonio from August 4th through 6th, 2025. The Risk Management Roundup in San Antonio is set to unite the Texas RIMS Chapters and welcome risk professionals from around the world. [17:13] You can join as a speaker. The Conference Planning Committee is interested in submissions that explore technology and cyber risk, workforce protection and advancement, energy and sustainability, extreme weather, construction, restaurant, retail, hospitality, and more. [17:35] The deadline to submit your proposal is Monday, February 24th. The link to the event and the submission process is in this episode's show notes. Go check it out! [17:47] Let's Return to My Interview with RIMS General Counsel & VP of External Affairs, Mark Prysock! [17:58] The fifth RIMS top legislative priority is the Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act. That has emerged in the last year or so, about 529 Savings Plans. In the last Congress, there was strong bi-partisan, bi-cameral support to pass this legislation. [18:15] This bill would allow College 529 plans to be used to pay for certification programs, like the RIMS-CRMP. There's a strong coalition, led by ASAE, that emerged last year to get this legislation moving. [19:06] This bill would benefit association members in two ways: Members with 529 plans could use them for certifications, and many associations have certification programs that would benefit if 529 dollars were used to pay for them. [19:34] Will all five priorities be addressed on Capitol Hill during the Summit? Mark will prep RIMS members to go forward and talk about all five issues. It's possible that some of the issues will not have surfaced enough for RIMS members to spend a lot of time discussing them. [19:50] If no House or Senate bill has been introduced on the issue, it would be premature to try to have a conversation about it with a Congressional staffer or a member of Congress. On the other hand, an issue may already have been settled and wouldn't be a priority to discuss. [20:23] Mark is moving forward with the idea that there will probably be five issues, but practically speaking, it may work out to be three. [20:39] The agenda for the Legislative Summit is on the RIMS Advocacy page. Click on the Register Now button to see it. [20:58] Mark gives an overview of what to expect at the RIMS Legislative Summit 2025. Wednesday, March 19th, is Education Day, a crash course in legislation. U.S. Chamber lobbyists, members of the administration, members from Capitol Hill, and Mark will talk on these issues. [21:24] The idea is to make sure RIMS members are well-briefed before they go to the Hill. They will understand the key talking points and will have the key talking points in hand. It's very important to know what the “ask” is; what we are asking the members of Congress to do. [21:46] By the end of the day, the RIMS member will be prepped. On Wednesday evening there will be a nice reception. [21:56] Thursday, March 20th, is the day the RIMS members go to the Hill, meet with Congressional Staff, maybe meet with members of Congress, and talk about the RIMS legislative priorities. [22:38] Something Mark is working on and hopes to finalize and announce soon is a private tour of the U.S. Capitol Building on Tuesday, for those who arrive early enough. Tours are normally led by current or former members of Congress. The tours are entertaining and memorable. [23:09] Mark is a former Congressional staffer. He enjoyed working on Capitol Hill. He spent a lot of time sitting across the table from people like the RIMS members. He emphasizes that Congressional staff are more interested in hearing from you (constituents) than from lobbyists. [24:11] Don't in any way be intimidated by the thought of going up to Capitol Hill and lobbying. The staff do want to hear from you! [24:24] Mark and his experience help put the RIMS attendees at a little bit of an advantage in putting things in a way that will get through to the staffers and be heard. He speaks the language! [24:52] Mark, it has been a pleasure to see you. One thing I want to mention: Only U.S. RIMS members and individuals who are representing U.S.-based entities of RIMS can attend the RIMS Legislative Summit! You don't have to live in the U.S. to be an attendee. [25:16] Mark is looking for a keynote speaker to speak to the RIMS Legislative Summit 2025 at the reception on Wednesday the 19th. Stay tuned! [25:56] Special thanks again to RIMS General Counsel and Vice President of External Affairs, Mark Prysock. Learn more about RIMS advocacy efforts at RIMS.org/Advocacy. If you go there, you'll find the registration page for the RIMS Legislative Summit on March 19th and 20th, 2025. [26:18] More announcements about the summit will be made here on RIMScast as they are released. Also on the RIMS Advocacy page, check out the RISKPAC, the RIMS Political Action Committee, the Chapter Advocacy Ambassador program, and more. [26:33] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. [27:01] 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. [27:19] 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. [27:37] 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. [27:53] 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. [28:07] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [28:15] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! | Super savings rate ends Feb. 28. RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 RIMS Announces Legislative Priorities for 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 | Submit an Educational Session by Feb. 24. RIMS Risk Management magazine RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025” | Sponsored by Hub International | Feb. 20, 2025 “How to Make Your Property Insurance Submission AI-Ready” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company | March 13, 2025 “Understanding Interconnected Risks” | Presented by RIMS and the Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council | March 26, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP” | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | March 5‒6 and April 22‒23 | Virtual Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Feb. 19‒20 | Instructor: Gail Kiyomura “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12 | Instructor: Pat Saporito See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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: Mark Prysock, RIMS General Counsel & VP of External Affairs   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.   Our guest, Communication and Relatability Expert Rachel DeAlto will be a keynote speaker on May 6th at RISKWORLD 2025. In this episode, Justin and Rachel discuss her career from insurance defense attorney to speaker, author, and startup leader. As a defense attorney, Rachel worked with risk management professionals. Rachel shares tips for creating connection, relatability, and trust. She speaks of authenticity within professional boundaries.   Listen for suggestions on developing empathy and establishing trust. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:15] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow in Chicago from May 4th through May 7th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:33] About this episode. Our guest is relatability and communication expert, Rachel DeAlto. She will be one of the keynote speakers at RISKWORLD 2025. [:59] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! On February 19th and 20th, a two-day virtual workshop for the RIMS-CRMP will be led by former RIMS President Chris Mandel and presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter, the 2024 RIMS Chapter of the Year. [1:21] RIMS will be partnering with Purima once again on March 5th and 6th to deliver a virtual RIMS-CRMP Prep Course. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:38] Virtual Workshops! Gail Kiyomura of The Art of Risk Consulting will host the “Fundamentals of Insurance” virtual workshop on February 19th and 20th, 2025. [1:53] On February 26th and 27th, Elise Farnham of Illumine Consulting will lead “Applying and Integrating ERM”. “Managing Data for ERM” will be hosted by Pat Saporito. That course starts on March 12th, 2025. [2:14] 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. [2:25] The RIMS Legislative Summit 2025 is back! It will be held on March 19th and 20th in Washington, D.C. Join RIMS for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [2:43] This event is open for RIMS members only so if you're not a member, join now! Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for registration details. [2:51] RISKWORLD 2025 registration is open. Take advantage of our Super Savings Rate by February 28th. Speaking of RISKWORLD, that brings us to our very special guest. [3:03] Rachel DeAlto is a communication and relatability expert. She maintains a law degree and a master's in psychology and has achieved the designation of Certified Speaking Professional through the National Speakers Association. [3:17] Rachel is the author of Relatable: How to Connect with Anyone, Anywhere, (Even if it Scares You), available from Simon and Schuster. [3:26] On May 6th, Rachel DeAlto will deliver her keynote, “The Power of Relatability,” at RISKWORLD 2025, where she will explore the vital role of genuine human connections in effective leadership. [3:38] She's here to tell us a little bit more about her keynote and she will reveal some of the top interpersonal qualities that inspire trust and motivate teams. These are the sorts of skills that risk management professionals can use at any stage of their career. [3:56] Interview! Rachel DeAlto, welcome to RIMScast! [4:01] Rachel is one of the three keynote speakers on May 6th. She is super excited about it. She has heard amazing things about RISKWORLD from friends who have attended or spoken there. [4:18] Rachel was adjacent to the risk profession as an insurance defense attorney. She was very much aware of the risk management professionals. [4:47] Rachel was constantly having conversations with the risk professionals, keeping them in the loop, determining together where potential pitfalls were, based on the boots on the ground, in front of witnesses or clients. She and the risk management professionals were cooperative. [5:16] Rachel is still friendly with the claims adjusters she worked with and her former office, who are still working in the insurance defense world. [5:33] When Rachel knew she was going to be at RISKWORLD, she took a bigger look at it to see how large it is, how many different risk professionals are out there, and the different roles they play. The risk professionals Rachel had worked with were a fragment of the risk population. [6:07] Rachel saw there was a holistic way that organizations mitigate or prevent risk. [6:26] Rachel tells how she had transitioned from being an attorney. She had always dreamed of being an attorney and maybe a judge. Ten years ago, she came up with an idea for a startup company, intending to continue practicing law while running the company. [6:52] The company led to a significant launch, with about $2 million in private placement. Her responsibility shifted to the company she was running. That led to doing more media and public speaking. She had had no intention of leaving her boss; he still chastises her for it. [7:27] Rachel uses very strategic “yeses.” She notes that there are times when you are shown two paths; one goes this way, and one goes the other. She is grateful her paths led her to where she is. She would have been happy still practicing as an attorney but she enjoys what she does. [8:04] Rachel believes her skills as an attorney transfer to her career as a speaker. She likes being able to help people and make an impact, with some of the elements of her former career integrated into her work. She feels lucky to do what she does. [9:18] Rachel sees a change over the last several years in that we're understanding that we're all on a stage. We all have stories to tell. We all have parts of ourselves to share. The more comfortable we are in that, the more successful we can be. It's how we connect with people. [9:43] Rachel is all about relatability now. We should all be striving for it. It's the ability to connect with people on a multitude of levels. How can risk professionals balance the emotional risks of vulnerability, authenticity, and leadership and be relatable? [10:15] Rachel speaks of the components of relatability. Authenticity and vulnerability are parts of it, but you don't reveal everything. Be genuine while maintaining professional boundaries. It's not about oversharing but having appropriate levels of transparency. [10:46] Cheryl always tries to demonstrate this, whether in conversations or on a keynote stage. It's sharing stories for a purpose; sharing parts of herself, with intention attached to it. That's how we can build trust and credibility without compromising our authority and professionalism. [11:08] Justin asks about resilience. What traits or practices distinguish reliant leaders in periods of uncertainty? [11:31] Because she loves student loans, Rachel went back and got her master's degree in psychology. Resilience stuck with her. It's not a huge part of what she speaks on but it's part of our lives. [11:56] There's a lot of research around the difference between resilient states and traits. Some people naturally have resilient traits. Others can invoke resilient states when needed, focusing on adaptability, emotional intelligence, and maintaining composure. These can be developed. [13:44] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! HUB International continues its Ready for Tomorrow Series with RIMS. On February 20th, they will host “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025”. [13:04] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [13:15] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. Links are in this episode's show notes. [13:27] The First of (hopefully) Many RIMS Texas Regional Conferences will be held in San Antonio from August 4th through 6th, 2025. The Risk Management Roundup in San Antonio is set to unite the Texas RIMS Chapters and welcome risk professionals from around the world. [13:50] You can join as a speaker. The Conference Planning Committee is interested in submissions that explore technology and cyber risk, workforce protection and advancement, energy and sustainability, extreme weather, construction, restaurant, retail, hospitality, and more. [14:08] The deadline to submit your proposal is Monday, February 24th. The link to the event and the submission process is in this episode's show notes. Go check it out! [14:20] Let's Return to My Interview with RISKWORLD Keynote Rachel DeAlto!   [14:28] Justin asks about compassion. What steps can a risk professional take to build compassion? Compassion can be developed through practice. It's easy for risk professionals to look at things as black and white; as numbers, percentages, and data points. [15:30] If you start to feel a little disconnected from what you're talking about it's because you're coming at it from a very educated perspective. Recognize that and then ask yourself where are the parts of it where you can become compassionate. Take a step back and practice empathy. [15:53] Look at things from the other side and put yourself in the other person's shoes. Use active listening without judgment. Be in tune with the other person, trying to understand their objectives. Find common ground and the space to take a step back. Take small steps. [16:22] If someone feels disconnected from their compassion, they can start with the awareness of it and then take small steps in the beginning, to dive back into it. [16:32] On the RISKWORLD keynote stage, on May 6th, Rachel will share a lot of her practical frameworks for building trust and connection. She will also share data from her research on relatable leadership and what teams are looking for from their leaders. [16:57] Rachel will share ways to create stronger working relationships. Regardless of where you work as a risk professional, you work with other people. The stronger connections you have and the better teams you have, the more efficient you can be at what you do. That is her goal. [17:16] Who does Rachel look up to? The first to come to mind is Carey Lohrenz, one of the first female fighter pilots. She's an incredible human who has a phenomenal background. Brené Brown is incredibly relatable. She transmits information in a way that draws you in. [18:19] Rachel's parting words: “I'm excited to connect with everyone! That is where our superpowers lie, in the connections we build. [18:27] “Anyone attending RISKWORLD, setting the intention of creating connections that will make a difference professionally and personally is going to change how you show up and what you walk away with.” [18:39] It has been a delight to meet you, and I look forward to seeing you on May 6th at RISKWORLD. Thank you so much for joining us here on RIMScast! [18:53] Special thanks again to Rachel DeAlto, for joining us here on RIMScast. You can go to her site, RachelDeAlto.com for more information. Rachel will be one of three keynote speakers on the main stage at RISKWORLD 2025 on May 6th. [19:09] In our prior episode, we heard from Ryan Harris, who will also be keynoting there. Shortly, we will hear from the third May 6th keynote speaker, Holly Ransom. So be sure to subscribe to RIMScast and catch all of these episodes. [19:24] We want to see you at RISKWORLD 2025, from May 4th through May 7th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [19:30] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. [19:58] 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. [20:17] 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. [20:35] 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. [20:51] 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. [21:05] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [21:12] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7. | Register today! | Super savings rate ends Feb. 28. RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 | Submit an Educational Session by Feb. 24. RIMS Risk Management magazine www.racheldealto.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025” | Sponsored by Hub International | Feb. 20, 2025   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Feb. 19‒20 | Instructor: Gail Kiyomura “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12 | Instructor: Pat Saporito See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter” February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA | March 5‒6 and April 22‒23 | Virtual Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Risk and Leadership Patterns with Super Bowl Champion Ryan Harris” “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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: Rachel DeAlto, Communication and Relatability Expert   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.   Our guest, Ryan Harris, became a Super Bowl Champion after winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016 with the Denver Broncos and retired later that year. Ryan speaks about winning a game in Chicago, winning the Super Bowl, and becoming a sportscaster. He shares inspiring thoughts about achieving greatness, what it takes to succeed, and the difference between willingness and perfection.   Listen for Ryan's rules for success in this inspiring episode. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:15] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow in Chicago from May 4th through May 7th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:33] About this episode. We will be joined by Super Bowl Champion and award-winning broadcaster, Ryan Harris. He will be a keynote at RISKWORLD 2025. [:59] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! On February 19th and 20th, a two-day virtual workshop for the RIMS-CRMP will be led by former RIMS President Chris Mandel and presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter, the 2024 RIMS Chapter of the Year. [1:21] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED exam course will be held from February 4th through the 6th, 2025. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:37] Virtual Workshops! Chris Hansen will return on February 11th and 12th to lead the two-day course “Claims Management”. Gail Kiyomura of The Art of Risk Consulting will host the “Fundamentals of Insurance” virtual workshop on February 19th and 20th, 2025. [2:00] On February 26th and 27th, Elise Farnham of Illumine Consulting will lead “Applying and Integrating ERM”. “Managing Data for ERM” will be hosted by Pat Saporito. That course starts on March 12th, 2025. [2:23] 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. [2:34] The RIMS Legislative Summit 2025 is back! It will be held on March 19th and 20th in Washington, D.C. Join RIMS for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [2:52] This event is open for RIMS members only so if you're not a member, join now! Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for registration details. [3:00] RISKWORLD 2025 registration is open. Take advantage of our Super Savings Rate by February 28th. Speaking of RISKWORLD, that brings us to our very special guest. [3:12] Ryan Harris became a Super Bowl Champion after winning Super Bowl 50 in 2015 with the Denver Broncos. He retired in 2016. [3:21] Beyond the field, Ryan has continued to work to win. For his contributions to Denver's business community, Ryan was the First African American to be awarded Colorado Sportscaster of the Year in 2020. [3:33] Ryan was also named to Denver Business Journal's 40 under 40 class of 2021. He is an analyst for his alma mater, Notre Dame. [3:42] On May 6th, Ryan Harris will be a mainstage speaker at RISKWORLD in Chicago where he will discuss transformative "5 Components of Championship Leadership," emphasizing how the direction from which leaders operate shapes their effectiveness. [3:58] We're going to have so much fun speaking to Ryan, and we might even get his predictions on Super Bowl LIX. Let's get to it! [4:06] Interview! Super Bowl L Champion, and RISKWORLD 2025 Keynote Speaker, Ryan Harris, welcome to RIMScast! [4:18] Ryan Harris is the first Super Bowl Champion to join us on RIMScast! Justin and Ryan are both big fans of the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver. [5:09] Ryan loves the idea of having people together at RISKWORLD 2025 to find groundbreaking solutions and try new things. That's how you win in football; that's how you win in life! Ryan looks forward to a convention of people looking for what's next with the skills they have now.  [5:32] Ryan says playing NFL football in Chicago was cold. He recalls that playing on Soldier Field feels like you're in a spaceship; the way the stadium bows out and comes right up is unique! [5:49] One of Ryan's favorite memories of playing against the Chicago Bears was when the Broncos beat the Bears in a tight game, the year the Broncos went to win the Super Bowl! It was an important win! [6:02] Ryan credits Head Coach Gary Kubiak for inspiring the team to win that day in Chicago by shortening team meetings from an hour to 15 minutes. So they kept the 15-minute meetings for the rest of the year and won the Super Bowl! Ryan loves going to Chicago. [5:38] Ryan had said that one of the things he was going to do after the Super Bowl was get into broadcasting. He didn't have to go to anybody else to make that happen. [6:55] Ryan says the plan starts with you! You need nothing outside of yourself to be great. You cannot expect other people to work harder for you and your goals. You're working toward them. [7:06] Ryan got his “doctorate” in Applied Football Mechanics and Theory. He went into broadcasting to use all that knowledge. He was selected by the NFL to go to a Broadcast Boot Camp and meet the best of the best in the broadcast industry. [7:20] On the last day, one of the presenters told them to go to their Alma Maters and work their way up. Ryan canceled his flight home, rented a car, and drove from that symposium to Notre Dame, and that's where he got his first broadcasting job. [7:34] Ryan says it started with him listening, taking action, and telling people what he wanted to do and how he wanted to get involved. You sometimes have to work for free to get started, and then you don't. [7:59] Everyone can sit on the couch and say they want to do something. The difference is the people who put their feet where they want to be. [8:04] At the Broadcast Boot Camp, Ryan saw an old college football rival. They hugged it out. The NFL is one big office building and there aren't a lot of chairs. Spend a couple of years there and you'll get to know a lot of people in the NFL and they'll get to know you. [8:31] Ryan is currently in law school. His “doctorate” is from “Peyton Manning University.” He had great “professors” like Ben Roethlisberger, Alex Smith, and Tim Tebow. He went through quite the school of football thought. [8:47] It's fun to have that knowledge, but it's useless as a father or a keynote speaker. He can't go hit people anymore. He had to change, and it's been fun doing that. [9:17] Ryan has a double major in Political Science, and Economics and Policy. From Political Science he learned that there are many ways to solve social problems. In economics, he learned that having two parents in your life puts you in the top 1% of opportunities in America. [9:51] There are key figures in your life or the education you receive that drastically change economic outcomes. What kinds of levers motivate people? There are many ways to do the same thing. It's a matter of degree and what fits the situation. [10:34] Ryan's advice on stories: 1. People remember the first 20 words you say. 2. Storytelling is more valuable than a Master's in Business Administration. [10:55] Start a story with a main theme. “We're going to talk about failure. This is a time I failed. On my sixth day in college football in training camp, I got knocked to the ground.” Our brains love tangible examples. Examples get people into the story. Then Ryan introduces the obstacle.  [11:18] “At one point in Kansas City, I wanted to quit.” He tells what he learned from it. He always brings a big idea that everybody understands and gives a concrete example from his life, what he said to himself, how he went through it, and what he learned from it. [11:45] When we can bring people into our story and talk about our failures and how we worked out of them, we help others and create impact. [12:14] Ryan attests that you don't win by ignoring the struggle. He speaks of factors of success and elements of success. Factors are things like having money and goods. Elements are things that have to happen for you to be successful. [12:30] Failure is an element of success! You have to fail to reach your highest potential. That's the only way it works. Any famous person or industry has had a failure or ten, along the way. We don't talk enough about our failures. Having a process for failure dictates your success. [13:05] Kickers in the NFL focus on process. Golfers focus on process. When you focus on the process, you reduce anxiety by 78%. You have the power to create the process for the failure you need. Then you start to have fun! [13:22] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! Resolver will be joining us on February 6th to discuss “4 Themes Shaping the Future of GRC in 2025”. [13:34] HUB International continues its Ready for Tomorrow Series with RIMS. On February 20th, they will host “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025”. [13:50] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [14:02] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. Links are in this episode's show notes. [14:13] The First of (hopefully) Many RIMS Texas Regional Conferences will be held in San Antonio from August 4th through 6th, 2025. Risk Management Roundup in San Antonio is set to unite the Texas RIMS Chapters and welcome risk professionals from around the world. [14:32] You can be a speaker. The Conference Planning Committee is interested in submissions exploring technology and cyber risk, workforce protection and advancement, energy and sustainability, extreme weather, construction, restaurant, retail, hospitality, and other trends. [14:55] The deadline to submit your proposal is Monday, February 24th. The link to the event and the submission process is in this episode's show notes. Go check it out! [15:07] Let's Return to My Interview with Super Bowl 50 Champion and RISKWORLD 2025 Keynote, Ryan Harris!   [15:20] Ryan Harris had an NFL career of 10 years, about 300% longer than the average NFL career. Justin asks what lessons of his career apply themselves most to risk management. [15:43] Preparation is number one. What are you preparing for? When you're an NFL lineman you get prepared for different blitzes, an extra person who's going to come from a different place. The key to picking up the blitz is knowing it's coming. You anticipate it. [15:58] Anticipation is very big. Then take the space that you need. Ryan tells of introducing himself to Mark Cuban, as a fan, referring to a book about him. Don't hold back. Introduce yourself to people you want to meet. In the NFL, you learn you have to take action. [16:45] Go do it. You don't get to know if it's successful or not until the end. That's what Ryan loves bringing to people about the game of football. [17:22] If you are looking to transition from one career to another, 1. Find out how to listen with curiosity. You add value by being curious. 2. Ask “How” or “What” questions, not “Why” questions. 3. Follow up. Call or email. Do those three things and you are going to be successful. [18:47] Ryan Harris will bring his positivity to RISKWORLD. Positivity is one of the most important elements of success. Some hard experiences are a part of succeeding. Find a way to stay positive. It is so easy to be negative. Be positive and look at the obstacles in front of you. [19:36] Look at the things you can do with the skills you can add to be successful. The positivity keeps you moving faster in that direction. [19:59] What about injuries? Ryan Harris has had nine surgeries; four of them on his back! One time, walking to dinner, his body locked up, being so swollen from the impact in the game. [20:19] The biggest thing people miss about professional athletes is how they take care of their bodies. Ryan has been doing yoga for 17 years. The Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to their third straight Super Bowl. They've had yoga every Tuesday at their facility for the last 10 years. [20:46] If you want to know what the greats are doing, they're doing yoga. They start with yoga, a stretch, hydration, and nutrition to repair. All those things matter, but also the mindset they're in. Tell your body, I don't care how you feel right now, we've got to lift at 11:00. Then do it. [21:13] Find a way. Get the kinks out. It is mind over matter. [21:42] Ryan explains how he, as an offensive tackle, adjusted for a blitz. The key to being great is using all the information that's out there. We fail sometimes to realize the information that's at our fingertips because we're not even looking. [21:55] When Ryan was with the Kansas City Chiefs, his 8th year in the NFL, a coach taught him, “Ryan, that spacing doesn't make sense. What is the field telling you right now?” He had not looked up beyond the line. When he looked, he could see the safety positioned to blitz. [22:36] Ryan took it upon himself to get all the information he could before the snap. That made the play easier. He anticipated this guy going there, and he pushed him hard, helping his teammate. He was ready to attack the guy who was coming. That could apply to a sales call. [22:54] Any situation you face will be easier if you gather all the information that's available about it. Make backup plans. [23:09] Ryan talks about entrepreneur Jesse Itzler. He went to Davos to sell hourly memberships on his airplane. He couldn't get in, but he found out everyone was going to one coffee shop for a muffin and coffee. On the last day, he bought all the muffins and sat in the corner. [23:27] Someone walked in for a muffin. The shopkeeper said he's got them over there. Jesse said, I've got a muffin for you, do you want it? That was his first sale. Do everything you can, take in all the information you can, and apply it strategically. [24:08] Ryan predicts the Kansas City Chiefs are going to win Super Bowl LIX. He believes their willingness is the highest. The number one thing you learn in winning a Super Bowl is you have to be willing, not perfect. Ryan says most people are unwilling to be imperfect to succeed. [24:23] The Kansas City Chiefs don't care what it looks like. They're willing to win the game with 13 seconds left on the clock or with five seconds left on the clock. [24:34] For those who will be watching as a casual spectator, look for somebody to make a mistake and see if they're strong enough to come back and make a play again. If you can find that person, that team is a likely winner. [24:51] Ryan, it's been such a pleasure to meet you today! I look forward to seeing you again in May. I'll be in the front, right there, waving to you! I'll try not to distract you too much, though! [24:58] Ryan says, “Please try, I'm used to it! I love you, Justin. Thanks for having me, my friend!” [25:04] Special thanks again to Super Bowl Champion and award-winning broadcaster,  Ryan Harris, for joining us here on RIMScast. You can go to his site, RyanHarris68.com for more information. [25:17] Be sure to register for RISKWORLD 2025, where Ryan will be on the main stage on May 6th, delivering a Keynote. [25:27] Be sure to tune into next week's RIMScast episode, when another one of those main stage Keynotes, Rachel DeAlto, will join us as we talk about “The Power of Relatability.” Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [25:42] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. [26:10] 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. [26:28] 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. [26:46] 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.  [27:02] 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. [27:16] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [27:24] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RIMS Risk Management magazine RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7. | Register today! | Super savings rate ends Feb. 28. RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 | Submit an Educational Session by Feb. 24. RyanHarris68.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “4 Themes Shaping the Future of GRC in 2025” | Sponsored by Resolver | Feb. 6, 2025 “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025” | Sponsored by Hub International | Feb. 20, 2025   Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Claims Management” | February 11‒12 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Feb. 19‒20 | Instructor: Gail Kiyomura “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12 | Instructor: Pat Saporito See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter” February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “Stacking Habits with Olympic Gold Medalist Jon Montgomery” “Exploring Risk in Extreme Environments with Kevin Vallely”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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: Ryan Harris, Super Bowl Champion, Colorado Sportscaster of the Year   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 CISA Chief Privacy Officer James Burd about data privacy and protection. Topics include how CISA protects agencies and critical infrastructure, how they responded to a recent data attack, and what risk professionals and data privacy professionals can work together to ensure their organization is resistant to data breaches.   Listen for actionable ideas to improve the cyber security at your organization. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow in Chicago from May 4th through May 7th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:32] About this episode. We will discuss data privacy with James Burd, the Chief Privacy Officer of The Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) here in the U.S. [:58] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! On February 19th and 20th, a two-day virtual workshop for the RIMS-CRMP will be led by former RIMS President Chris Mandel and presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter, the 2024 RIMS Chapter of the Year. [1:20] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED exam course will be held from February 4th through the 6th, 2025. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:36] Virtual Workshops! Chris Hansen will return on February 11th and 12th to lead the two-day course “Claims Management”. Gail Kiyomura of The Art of Risk Consulting will host the “Fundamentals of Insurance” virtual workshop on February 19th and 20th, 2025. [1:59] On February 26th and 27th, Elise Farnham of Illumine Consulting will lead “Applying and Integrating ERM”. “Managing Data for ERM” will be hosted by Pat Saporito. That course starts on March 12th, 2025. [2:22] 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. [2:34] The RIMS Legislative Summit 2025 is back! It will be held on March 19th and 20th in Washington, D.C. Join RIMS for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [2:51] This event is open for RIMS members only so if you're not a member, join now! Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for registration details. [3:02] Interview! It is Data Privacy Week here in the U.S., through January 31st. This is an annual effort to promote data privacy awareness and education. Its events are sponsored by the National Cybersecurity Alliance. This week's theme is Take Control of Your Data. [3:23] Here to discuss how to take control of your data, and the best practices that risk professionals and business leaders need to know, is Chief Privacy Officer of CISA, James Burd. [3:36] James is the senior agency leader responsible for managing and overseeing CISA's privacy, external civil rights, civil liberties, and transparency programs. [3:46] We're going to talk about some of the big events that made headlines in late December and early January around cybersecurity and data privacy and the frameworks and strategies that risk professionals can implement to take control of their data. [4:02] CISA Chief Privacy Officer James Burd, welcome to RIMScast! [4:18] James has a fantastic team of privacy, transparency, and access professionals who provide transparency to the American public while integrating full privacy rights, liberties, and protections into the management of a safe, secure, and resilient infrastructure. [4:48] As Chief Privacy Officer, James Burd's primary responsibility is to ensure that privacy is at the forefront and integrated into every initiative, program, and policy CISA undertakes, regardless of whether it's by policy, process, or technical solutions. [5:00] This includes ensuring compliance with Federal privacy laws and embedding privacy considerations in the agency's operations and partnerships. [5:08] Protecting critical infrastructure inherently involves safeguarding sensitive and critical information that any organization holds, whether it's CISA or any of the many stakeholders of CISA. Privacy and cybersecurity are inherently interconnected. [5:21] CISA ensures its cybersecurity programs focus on protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access while the privacy portion ensures that personal and sensitive data are handled responsibly, ethically, and securely. [5:39] What are the keys to a strong cybersecurity strategy? [5:52] The work CISA does in the privacy world is to ensure that the information CISA is holding is secure and safeguarded and also to tell the public how exactly they do that. [6:14] In the early days of CISA, it was a Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT). CERTs respond to major cybersecurity incidents at a state, local, national, or international level. A cybersecurity incident in the U.S. is similar to a cybersecurity incident in any nation. [6:50] All nations are facing the same cybersecurity issues. CISA's international work is about information sharing and helping each other understand what threats we all face. [7:19] Integrating privacy into risk management frameworks is a core consideration. A lot of the privacy work CISA does with risk managers is for ERM, identifying privacy risks and impacts and ensuring that mitigation strategies align with goals. [7:42] Risk managers are key partners in implementing strong data governance practices. CISA works with them to establish policies for data handling, access, and usage that align with the security needs and privacy protection of an agency or organization. [7:56] Risk managers have the opportunity to help privacy officers identify a privacy problem or privacy risk all across the organization. That's part of the risk manager's job as a point person. [9:13] CISA wants to do this privacy protection work with organizations before a breach. Many privacy professionals have learned the hard way that if you don't collaborate up front, you have to collaborate later, as a result of your emergency. That's not a great day. [9:29] Risk professionals have different viewpoints to consider. They may see that some privacy risks overlap with some financial risks, depending on the risk owner's point of view. It doesn't make sense to solve the same problem in 10 different ways. [10:30] The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a valuable partner of CISA's. NIST can see what works or doesn't work as a conceptual or technical framework. NIST studies a problem from several angles and gives CISA an effective solution for the framework. [11:23] Daniel Elliott of NIST has been on RIMScast. James has collaborated with Daniel. [11:49] CISA is a collaborative agency. It does not exist without its partners and stakeholders. When NIST facilitates conversations between CISA and other stakeholders, it helps CISA figure out, of all the problems in the world, which critical problem we need to solve right now. [12:17] CISA has Cyber Performance Goals or CPGs, which are a subset of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. CISA will tell a small business that they should start with the CPG and get it right, and then expand to everything else. [12:38] CPGs are not a substitute for a risk management framework, but they are a starting point. The CPGs would not exist if not for the work NIST had done in talking to small, medium, and large businesses and figuring out all the different issues they face. [13:08] In December, Chinese cyber attackers infiltrated U.S. agencies. When there is a major incident like that, there is a whole-government response. CISA plays an important role in that response, like a firefighter. Law enforcement plays the role of investigator. [14:16] CISA and its interagency partners are heavily involved in responding to recent Chinese activity associated with both Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon. They've been working very closely with the Treasury Department to understand and mitigate the impacts of the recent incident.  [14:35] There's no indication that any other Federal agency has been impacted by the incident but CISA continues to monitor the situation and coordinate with other authorities, like the FBI, to ensure that there's a comprehensive response. [14:50] The security of federal systems and data is of critical importance to national security. CISA is working aggressively to safeguard any further impacts. The People's Republic of China is a persistent threat, specifically, the GRC and related entities, who perform these activities. [15:12] They're one of the most persistent and strategically sophisticated adversaries we face in cyberspace today. The PRC has decades of experience in conducting rampant cyber espionage against U.S. businesses and critical infrastructure. [15:26] CISA has become increasingly concerned over the last year that the PRC is not just doing espionage but is trying to burrow into the critical infrastructure for a rainy day. These state-sponsored activities are coming from campaigns like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon. [15:45] What happened to Treasury provides a stark example of these types of tactics. These tactics target critical infrastructure such as telecommunications, aviation, water, and energy. [15:56] Their goal, as far as we can tell, is not to cause immediate damage but to gain persistent access to those systems and remain undetected until they want to do something. [16:08] CISA has been very involved, not just responding to these incidents, but deeply studying these incidents to understand what is happening and what we need to do as a government and nation to protect ourselves from these burrowing activities. [16:27] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! Resolver will be joining us on February 6th to discuss “4 Themes Shaping the Future of GRC in 2025”. [16:39] HUB International continues its Ready for Tomorrow Series with RIMS. On February 20th, they will host “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025”. [16:55] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [17:07] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. Links are in this episode's show notes. [17:20] Let's Return to My Interview with James Burd of the Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency!   [17:42] Whether talking about AI, IoT, or 5G, the issues are hardware problems and software problems. [18:02] The issues of the 1970s are similar to the issues of the 2020s, regarding vulnerabilities, exposure, and unsafe practices when developing software and hardware. [18:20] What we're seeing in the emerging technology space with AI, IoT, and 5G is an increase in the volume and velocity of data. The improvement of technology in this space is based on power and efficiency. Software improvement is based on the reach of interconnectivity. [18:34] Privacy and cybersecurity risks do not just appear. We're seeing existing risks and issues increasing in size and complexity. What we previously thought of as a perceived risk is now a real risk, thanks to advances in computational power and the amount of data available. [18:54] It's always been a risk but it was less likely to occur until this point where there's more data, more volume, and more complexity. AI systems rely on a vast amount of personal data, raising concerns about data security, algorithmic bias, and a lack of transparency. [19:11] We've heard about these risks with machine learning and big data databases. They require governance frameworks that address how data is collected, stored, and used in systems, or, in this case, AI models. [19:28] Those frameworks should be familiar to anyone working in the data protection space or the risk management space for the last three decades. Insurers getting into the cybersecurity space have been paying stark attention to this. [19:58] We've found out that IoT devices are probably the easiest and most risky entrance points within networks into homes and critical infrastructure devices. The biggest risks they create are unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential surveillance. [20:19] These are not new risks. They're existing risks that are promulgated because of the new avenue to get in. It used to be that the worst thing that could happen to an IoT device like a router is that it gets compromised and becomes part of a botnet to take down websites. [20:38] Today, that still happens, but that IoT device is looked at as the back door for entering someone's network if it's not properly secured. [20:49] In itself, 5G is awesome. There are fantastic things to do with increased data flow. With increased speed and connectivity come the ability to move more data at a time and we're facing data being transferred in an insecure manner. People don't know what data they're sharing. [21:15] We're running into the same classic issues but they're exacerbated by something we view as a major success, access. Access should be celebrated but we shouldn't open doors because we can open them. We need to be able to make sure those doors are secured. [21:48] James paraphrases Mark Groman, a privacy expert formerly with the FTC. “Privacy and cybersecurity are sometimes viewed as competing priorities. They are two sides of the same coin. I refuse to live in a world where you compromise security for privacy or vice versa.” [22:11] We live in a world where you can have both. The great thing about advancing technologies is that we can do both. Both cybersecurity and privacy aim to protect sensitive data and systems, just from slightly different angles and for different reasons. [22:31] There has to be a collaborative approach between cybersecurity and privacy. An intermediary like a risk professional can help cybersecurity and privacy teams work together. [22:41] By leveraging things privacy-preserving technologies and designing privacy into cybersecurity measures, organizations can bridge the gap and achieve harmony between the two essential functions. This strengthens the organization and its overall risk management. [22:58] When a risk is realized in one area, it's common for it to be a harmonious risk with another risk in a different area. In the privacy and cybersecurity space, risks overlap often. Conflicts between cybersecurity and privacy are easily bridged. [23:24] Cybersecurity professionals want to collect more data; privacy professionals want you to minimize the amount of data you collect. [23:34] Cybersecurity relies on extensive data collection to detect, monitor, and respond to threats. Privacy wants to collect only what's necessary and maintain it for a minimum time. [23:46] Security monitoring tools like intrusion detection systems may gather logs or metadata that could include personal data, creating potential privacy risks, especially for an insider threat. [24:00] Organizations can implement privacy-aware cybersecurity solutions that anonymize or pseudo-anonymize data where possible, allowing cybersecurity professionals to get to the root of the problem they're trying to solve while masking sensitive data. [24:13] If you're investigating an insider threat, you can unmask the data. Do you need that data to do the job that you're tasked to do? If not, why run the risk of inappropriately accessing it? [24:53] Privacy frameworks will always encourage transparency about data usage and sharing, especially by private entities doing consumer business and handling personal information. [25:07] The public needs to know what you are collecting from them, how you are using it, and whether are you sharing it. They need to know if you are handling their data securely. [25:38] James would tell cybersecurity professionals that if they think obscurity is security, they should find another job. Obscurity is typically the worst way to secure things. [25:51] There are ways to describe how data is being held or secured by an organization without compromising the cybersecurity tools or techniques used to monitor or look for vulnerabilities. [26:03] Transparency can be maintained without compromising security and can be used in a way to assure the public that an organization is keeping serious security techniques in mind when handling the public's data. James tells how to share that message with the public. [27:08] When James opens software, he reads the Third Party Agreements. He knows most people don't. Government agencies include a plain language version of the agreement. Some private companies are doing the same to help people understand how their data is being used. [28:40] Quick Break for RIMS Plugs! The first of hopefully many RIMS Texas Regional Conferences will be held in San Antonio from August 4th through August 6th, 2025. [28:58] This groundbreaking event is set to unite the Texas RIMS Chapters and welcome risk management professionals from around the world! Also known as the Risk Management Roundup in San Antonio, you can join as a speaker!  [29:11] The Conference planning committee is interested in submissions that explore technology and cyber risk, workforce protection and advancement, energy and sustainability, extreme weather, construction, restaurant, retail, hospitality, and other trending now sessions. [29:28] The deadline to submit your proposal is Monday, February 24th. The link to the event and the submission process is in this episode's show notes. Go check it out! [29:39] 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. [29:58] 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 will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. [30:20] General grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. Learn more about Spencer's general grants through the Programs tab at SpencerEd.org. [30:30] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with the Chief Privacy Officer of CISA, James Burd! [31:00] A lot of ERM frameworks exist because they were required by regulation or law. [31:10] Privacy professionals are starting to see the same risks that risk management and compliance professionals have been dealing with for decades. The big tools that privacy professionals use are called Data Privacy Impact Assessments (DPIA). [31:29] DPIAs vary, depending on the regulatory framework or law. DPIAs do two things: they identify what data assets you have and they examine the risks that are associated with the handling of those data assets and what mitigations must be in place to buy down those risks. [31:48] That assessment can populate half of an ERM framework's register. Getting involved with your privacy program manager as they do these DPIAs may first cause the privacy program manager to resist your risk assessment, but a risk in one space is a risk in another space. [32:21] The DPIA is a valuable source of information for a risk manager. You can see the risks earlier. You can identify with the privacy program manager what some of the major risks might become. That means both realized and unrealized risks, which are equally important. [33:06] A privacy program manager will be preoccupied with a lot of the perceived risks. A risk manager wants to know which risks are more likely and identify them early. [33:40] A likelihood assessment will help the privacy officer identify how many “calories” to spend on this risk. The risk manager and privacy manager have a mutually beneficial relationship. They help each other. [34:17] CISA provides cybersecurity education, news on vulnerabilities and cyber threats, threat intelligence, and service to critical infrastructure providers once there is an incident of some sort. The CISA website shows cyber threat indicators of what a compromise might look like. [35:40] CISA has found novel patterns on networks that make it hard to tell that your network has been compromised. CISA calls those things “Left of Doom.” On the “RIght of Doom,” CISA prioritizes the incidents that it responds to. [36:02] CISA focuses primarily on critical infrastructure. If you have a situation CISA cannot respond to, they will assist you by a local field office to find the people to help you, whether it's law enforcement, local cyber security service providers, or a local Emergency Response Team. [37:03] Companies are involved in the California wildfires. Could an incident like that distract them that they might become susceptible to data breaches? James notes that you can't address every problem at the same time. Prioritize, rack, and stack. [37:17] Incidents are going to happen. CISA asks agencies and companies to take the time and spend the resources to knock out all the low-hanging fruit. The great majority of incidents CISA sees are bad actors exploiting very simple, easy-to-fix vulnerabilities. [37:55] It might be companies not using encrypted traffic, or only using a password to secure access to a server. The fix is relatively low cost or low impact. It takes time to figure out how to do the fix, but you'll be grateful that you took the time and spent the money to implement it. [38:24] The cost of a greater fix from the breach of a simple vulnerability will be far greater than the resources you'd spend to address it in the first place. Establishing that floor will help you focus on other “fires” that pop up while assuring you won't get “popped” for a silly reason. [38:49] If somebody's going to get you, make sure they've tried their hardest to get you. [38:58] It's Data Privacy Day today, as this episode is released! It's the start of Data Privacy Week! The theme is Take Control of Your Data!  [39:22] Robust privacy governance tips: Figure out where your data asset inventory is for your organization. Keep track of it and keep track of the risk associated with each data asset, Each data asset may have a different set of risks. [39:47] Every organization should maintain a comprehensive inventory of data assets, detailing what data is collected, where it is stored, who has access to it, and how it's used. [39:56] The risk professional probably isn't the one who takes the inventory, but they should have access to it and they should be evaluating that inventory.  [40:06] The risk professional can help the privacy manager by helping them establish clear policies and procedures for handling data, access control, and breach response, based on real risk. A privacy officer sometimes has difficulty identifying a real risk over a perceived risk. [40:23] By focusing on real risks, you avoid the problem where privacy officers spend too much energy coming up with solutions for the most unlikely scenarios, leaving organizations unprepared for what's likely to happen. [40:42] Special thanks again to James Burd of CISA for joining us here on RIMScast! There are lots of links about Data Privacy Day and Data Privacy Week in this episode's show notes. [40:54] Also see links to RIMS Risk Management magazine coverage of data privacy through the years and links to some RIMScast episodes that touch upon the topic. Be sure to tune into last week's episode with Tod Eberle of the Shadowserver Foundation on cyber risk trends of 2025! [41:18] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. [41:47] 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. [42:05] 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. [42:23] 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.  [42:39] 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. [42:53] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [43:00] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RIMS Risk Management magazine RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4-7. | Register today! RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency National Cybersecurity Alliance | Data Privacy Week 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025 | Submit an Educational Session by Feb. 24. RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “4 Themes Shaping the Future of GRC in 2025” | Sponsored by Resolver | Feb. 6, 2025 “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025” | Sponsored by Hub International | Feb. 20, 2025   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP” | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Claims Management” | February 11‒12, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Feb. 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Gail Kiyomura “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27, 2025 | Instructor: Elise Farnham “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12, 2025 | Instructor: Pat Saporito See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter” February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Cyberrisk Trends in 2025 with Shadowserver Alliance Director Tod Eberle” “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “Year In Risk 2024 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle” “AI and Regulatory Risk Trends with Caroline Shleifer” “Cybersecurity Awareness and Risk Frameworks with Daniel Eliot of NIST” (2024) “Cybersecurity and Insurance Outlook 2023 with Josephine Wolff”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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 Burd, Chief Privacy Officer, Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)   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 Shadowserver Foundation Alliance Director Tod Eberle about cybersecurity. Tod tells how his background as a prosecutor led to his interest in cybersecurity, how he encountered the non-profit Shadowserver Foundation, and how he left the public sector to work with them. He explains how Shadowserver provides actionable data to alert network owners and law enforcement of network vulnerabilities that need to be mitigated. He discusses trends in malware attacks, especially in ransomware. He shares his thoughts on ransomware threats of 2025 and the years to come. He provides tips on preparing your network against ransomware.   Listen to how you can harden your organization's network against malware attacks. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow in Chicago from May 4th through May 7th. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. [:33] About this episode. We will discuss cybersecurity with Tod Eberle, the Alliance Director of the Shadowserver Foundation. [:55] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! On February 19th and 20th, there will be a two-day virtual workshop for the RIMS-CRMP led by former RIMS President Chris Mandel and presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter, the 2024 RIMS Chapter of the Year. [1:18] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED exam course will be held from February 4th through the 6th, 2025. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:34] Virtual Workshops! Chris Hansen will return on February 11th and 12th to lead the two-day course “Claims Management”. Gail Kiyomura of The Art of Risk Consulting will host the “Fundamentals of Insurance” virtual workshop on February 19th and 20th, 2025. [1:58] On February 26th and 27th, Elise Farnham of Illumine Consulting will lead “Applying and Integrating ERM”. “Managing Data for ERM” will be hosted by Pat Saporito. That course starts on March 12th, 2025. [2:20] 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. [2:31] The RIMS Legislative Summit 2025 is back! It will be held on March 19th and 20th in Washington, D.C. Join RIMS for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [2:49] This event is open for RIMS members only so if you're not a member, join now! Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for registration details. [3:02] Interview! Our guest Tod Eberle is the Alliance Director of the Shadowserver Foundation, a non-profit security organization working altruistically behind the scenes to make the internet more secure for everyone. [3:15] Tod Eberle is with us to discuss the cybersecurity trends on his risk radar and the threats he wants risk professionals to be aware of as 2025 kicks into high gear. Shadowserver Alliance Director, Tod Eberle, welcome to RIMScast! [3:41] Justin saw that Shadowserver Foundation was promoted by the National Cybersecurity Alliance and he thought it would be great to have a follow-up on his appearance there. [3:54] Tod says the National Cybersecurity Alliance is a great organization. After working together with them for a year, they invited Tod to do a webinar. It was a great experience. [4:28] Tod's background is as a career prosecutor, starting as a county prosecutor in Western Pennsylvania in 1997. In 2004, Tod became a Federal Prosecutor in Pittsburgh for the U.S. Department of Justice. [5:00] In 2014, He transitioned over to the National Security and Cybercrime section in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was at the forefront of cyber investigations by both the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI. Tod wanted to be a part of that. [5:34] The Pittsburgh office has run investigations and issued indictments against Chinese Military Intelligence officers and Russian GRU officers for hacking. In 2014, Pittsburgh had the first criminal indictment of nation-state threat actors. [6:00] In that case, Chinese Military Intelligence PLA officers hacked into Pittsburgh companies Westinghouse, ALCOA, U.S. Steel, and United Steel Workers. Some forward-thinking folks at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office, particularly U.S. Attorney David Hickton, focused on cyber. [6:29] That continued over the years until the present. [6:46] To begin an investigation, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, need to have some aspect of an organization's criminal activity touch that district, the Western District of Pennsylvania. A national ransomware case with one victim in Pittsburgh can be investigated. [7:16] In the investigation of Russian GRU actors responsible for the destructive NotPetya malware attack, a district hospital's network was attacked and destroyed. They expanded the investigation and charging documents to include other attacks around the country. [7:58] In 2015 Tod was a prosecutor working with the FBI on an investigation. He was at Europol at the Hague in the Netherlands, a center that brings together investigators and prosecutors from different countries who investigate the same threat group through Europol and Eurojust. [8:33] Tod met the Shadowserver Foundation non-profit group at the Hague in 2015. They were helping, through free technical support to the takedown operation, to dismantle the infrastructure of a crime group, using sinkholing and other security measures. [9:08] Tod Joined the Shadowserver Foundation in January of 2023. He is the Shadowserver Alliance Director. As a small non-profit, everyone wears many hats. The Shadowserver Foundation is a 501(c)(3) in the U.S. and a separate non-profit legal entity in the Netherlands. [9:47] The Shadowserver Foundation started about 2004. It celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024. It began as a loose group of volunteers made up of cybersecurity researchers and technical experts who came together to help network owners and law enforcement. [10:15] Over the years they became more structured and became a non-profit organization. It's an unusual non-profit organization working 100% in operations. It works in three core areas. First, it's the world's largest provider of free, actionable cyber threat intelligence. [10:45] Second, the Shadowserver Foundation does cybersecurity capacity-building around the world. Third, it also provides free support to law enforcement investigations and disruption operations with technical support and expertise. Those three things are its core mission. [11:07] Justin notes commonalities between RIMS cyber risk reporting and the Shadowserver Foundation's work. Shadowserver collects a vast amount of threat data daily. What are the patterns it sees for 2025? [11:29] Shadowserver Foundation can help organizations mitigate risks. It collects cyber threat data at its data center in California through internet-wide scanning, honeypot sensors, sinkholing operations, and collecting and analyzing malware samples. [11:57] Every day for free the Shadowserver Foundation takes that data and provides it to over 9,000 organizations around the world and to 201 National C-CERTs that cover about 176 countries. [12:13] These reports identify exposed, misconfigured, vulnerable, compromised instances or devices on networks that need patching. [12:25] The organizations that get Shadowserver's data can be anything from banks to hospitals, universities, K-12 school districts, ISPs, local, state, and federal governments, small, medium, and large businesses, Fortune 500s, and NGOs; just about anyone can sign up. [12:46] The idea behind this is that cyber security should be available to everyone, regardless of the ability to pay. Organizations can sign up at the Shadowserver Foundation website, and provide their contact information and network information with IP ranges and ASNs. [13:12] The Shadowserver Foundation does its due diligence and if everything checks out, it automates those reports to go out to the organization daily. About 9,000 organizations sign up directly to receive daily reports. [13:22] The Shadowserver Foundation also sends out data for entire countries to the national C-CERT designated to handle that in those countries. In the U.S., CISA gets hundreds of millions of events from them every day for all the U.S. It is the same around the world. [13:52] Tod says that some things never change. Networks are breached primarily through phishing attacks, malicious links or attachments, and social engineering. [14:09] One trend is a focus on vulnerabilities. Criminals exploit vulnerabilities in the network that aren't timely patched and before they are patched. Shadowserver gives organizations an external snapshot view of their networks just as criminals are scanning for themselves. [14:52] Cybercriminal groups increasingly leverage zero-day vulnerabilities to breach a network. A zero-day vulnerability is a flaw in software or hardware that's unknown to the vendor and has no patch. The vendor has had zero days to fix the vulnerability after it has been discovered. [15:16] That was the case with the Clop ransomware gang. In 2024, they started exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in Fortra's GoAnywhere software. That continued in May, with them exploiting Progress Software's MOVEit file transfer application. [15:38] Very recently, in December, the Clop Ransomware group claimed responsibility for using a zero-day vulnerability in Clio's file transfer platform that breached victims' networks. [15:49] Cyber criminals extort victims and steal data with ransomware attacks. Risk managers in cybersecurity need to stay on top of critical vulnerabilities that often go unpatched. Those are often the easiest gateway into a network. [16:26] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! Resolver will be joining us on February 6th to discuss “4 Themes Shaping the Future of GRC in 2025”. [16:38] HUB International continues its Ready for Tomorrow Series with RIMS. On February 20th, they will host “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025”. [16:54] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [17:06] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. Links are in this episode's show notes. [17:17] 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. [17:35] 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 will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. [17:58] General grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. Learn more about Spencer's general grants through the Programs tab at SpencerEd.org. [18:08] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Tod Eberle of Shadowserver! [18:49] Justin notes that In December of 2024, China attackers breached the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. That is the government office that assesses foreign investments for national security risks. [18:58] China also targeted the Treasury's Sanctions Office after it sanctioned a Chinese company for its alleged role in cyberattacks. [19:14] Tod thinks we should acknowledge that this is nothing new and nothing we should be surprised about. It's been going on for many years and it's going to continue. Justin was in the Federal government in 2013 and 2014. [19:32] In 2015, it was announced that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management had been breached. Personal sensitive data for 42 million people were stolen. [19:44] In May 2014, five Chinese military officers were indicted for computer hacking and economic espionage against companies based in Pittsburgh. This is nothing out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, indictments don't seem to have a deterrent effect. [20:21] Countries can deny the charges of hacking even with strong evidence of their involvement. [20:37] There are different types of hacking, with different types of motivation. There is traditional espionage against U.S. government agencies. There is theft of intellectual property with nation-states trying to gain a commercial advantage in business. [21:23] There are destructive hacks by nation-state actors, like the NotPetya attack, or attacks on the Ukrainian power grid and banking systems in 2015 and 2016. [21:36] The Volt Typhoon threat actor group and its access to the U.S. critical infrastructure is one of the greatest national security concerns because of its potential to disrupt everything from water to power, to food, to transportation. [22:10] The ripple effect that can come from those disruptions would be enormous. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack of a few years ago affected fuel supplies, commerce, and the prices of goods. [22:31] Nation-state hacking is no longer just a concern for government agencies and companies that do business internationally, but it's now a concern for all of society. There's the potential to affect the daily lives of innocent civilians through attacks on critical infrastructure. [23:16] Tod mentions another 2014 indictment out of Pittsburgh, on the GameOver Zeus Botnet takedown. Part of that was a crypto locker ransomware disruption. This was in the infancy of ransomware, for $300 ransoms. Now ransom demands are in the tens of millions of dollars. [23:53] We have seen a huge evolution in ransomware. It's not going away. One thing we're seeing is bypassing data encryption and focusing on data theft. It's easier and less time-consuming for the threat actors because they don't have to map out the network. [24:41] If a victim company had good backups and easy restoration, that was an issue ransomware actors had to deal with, so why would the threat actors bother with that? They just focus on easy data theft and extortion of ransom for the data. [25:04] Tod thinks we will continue to see extortion. Ransomware continues to be the greatest concern for companies. The use of AI has been increasing both for defenders and attackers.  [25:14] A new ransomware group, FunkSec, is claiming large numbers of victims of extortion, encryption, and data theft. They seem to have ransom demands of less than $10,000. They have sold stolen data. Researchers think this is a less experienced group using AI to write code. [27:22] Shadowserver's very talented team collects the data. It's free. They want to get it into the hands of those who can use it. The reports identify things that are seen to be misconfigured or unnecessarily exposed to the internet. Sometimes they can show if something is compromised. [28:12] Shadowserver designates the events by severity level so the end user can prioritize their patching and address first the ones that are most critical and severe. The reports act both as an early warning system and a victim notification system if a device is seen to be compromised. [28:59] The network owner needs to remediate that and patch it before further exploitation like a ransomware attack can occur. [29:07] Shadowserver has two ways to detect that a device is compromised. The first is if they have indicators that tell them a device on the network is compromised. The second is with their support for law enforcement, law enforcement may share sensitive data with Shadowserve. [29:32] When law enforcement does a takedown and they get victim identification data like IP addresses, they must do victim notification. Law enforcement isn't scaled to do victim notification for hundreds of thousands of users. Shadowserver helps them with notifications. [30:48] Shadowserver is very careful to share data responsibly. Company A will get the data they have for Company A and it won't be shared with Company B and vice versa. Shadowserver views the data as belonging to that network owner. [31:08] If a company authorizes Shadowserver and wants them to share their data with a third party, Shadowserver will happily do it. There are several companies with MSSPs to manage their security. If the company asks, Shadowserver will send the data to their MSSP. [31:43] As a small, non-profit organization, not everyone has heard of the Shadowserver Foundation. They want people to know they have this data and they want to share it. It could be relevant for cyber insurance companies' due diligence, with the insurance applicant's consent. [32:20] It's important because those reports can show whether a network has remained healthy and secure over time. Tod would love to see Shadowserver be able to help more in the risk mitigation areas. [32:56] Special thanks again to Shadowserver Foundation's Tod Eberle for joining us here on RIMScast! Check out this episode's show notes for links to the Shadowserver reports we mentioned. [33:07] Be sure to tune in next week for Data Privacy Day! We've got a special episode with James Burd, Chief Privacy Officer of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). That's going to be a good one! [33:22] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. [33:50] 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. [34:07] 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. [34:25] 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.  [34:41] 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. [34:55] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [35:03] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RIMS Risk Management magazine RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy Shadowserver Foundation National Cybersecurity Alliance RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “4 Themes Shaping the Future of GRC in 2025” | Sponsored by Resolver | Feb. 6, 2025 “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025” | Sponsored by Hub International | Feb. 20, 2025 Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Claims Management” | February 11‒12, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Feb. 19‒20, 2025 “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27 “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12, 2025 See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter” February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “Year In Risk 2024 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle” “AI and Regulatory Risk Trends with Caroline Shleifer” “Cybersecurity Awareness and Risk Frameworks with Daniel Eliot of NIST” (2024)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “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 “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   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 Vice President Manny Padilla!   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: Tod Eberle, Shadowserver Foundation   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 RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche about what you can expect from RIMS in 2025. This value-packed discussion offers Gary's comments on 2025 RIMS President Kristen Peed, RIMS' 75th Anniversary events, possible insurance impacts of proposed trade tariffs, nuclear verdicts, and third-party litigation. Gary encourages you to join RIMS Advocacy and the RIMS Legislative Summit on March 19th and 20th, 2025 to lobby on Capitol Hill. He shares insights on public safety, security, and of course, news of RISKWORLD 2025 and more.   Listen for how you can participate in 2025 RIMS events. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS. [:16] About this episode, coming to you from RIMS headquarters in New York, kicking off 2025 with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche! Gary, welcome back to RIMScast! [:59] Interview! Gary had a quiet, fun New Year's Eve at home, dining on Asian sea bass with champagne and watching television. [1:39] This is a big year for RIMS. RIMS has a new president, Kristen Peed. Justin has known her since he started with RIMS. Kristen is a long-time volunteer, very positive, and great at representing RIMS. She continues in a long line of volunteer leaders who have built RIMS. [2:29] Gary reports that RIMS 2024 president David Arick had a wonderful term. On David's last day, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with him; a wonderful capstone to his year. [2:49] RIMS board presidents serve as unpaid volunteers. They travel for board meetings and events, taking time away from their families and jobs. Gary says everyone should appreciate what the board president and officers, chapter leaders, and other volunteers do to help RIMS. [3:35] Reading the history of RIMS, Gary is struck with and inspired by the long line of volunteers who put their shoulders to the wheel, creating this organization. [3:59] RIMS is delighted to have Kristen. Kristen is with Sequoia. You'll get to meet her at RISKWORLD, the RIMS Canada Conference, and other activities in 2025. Kristen embodies the spirit of the RIMS community. [4:29] This year is the 75th anniversary of RIMS. It's a good opportunity to reflect and appreciate all that came before us. RIMS New York traces its roots to the 1930s. Later, four groups came together to create the National Association of Insurance Buyers, today known as RIMS, in 1950. [5:44] The NAIB provided networking and learning opportunities for commercial buyers of corporate insurance. They saw that it would be helpful to have a national view and ultimately, an international view of the issues and trends in the commercial side of insurance. [6:26] Reading the history gives you a better sense of how RIMS has played a key role in creating today's insurance world. Justin points out that they organized RIMS without email or interstate highways! They worked hard to make the organization happen. [8:31] RIMS will celebrate its 75th anniversary throughout the year. Chapter leaders will soon attend the Annual Leadership Forum to kick things off. At the RIMS Canada Conference 2024, RIMS unveiled the 75th Anniversary logo and themes. RISKWORLD 2025 will be the tent pole event. [9:21] This will be the biggest RISKWORLD in history! The biggest RIMS annual conference was held in Chicago 20 years ago. RISKWORLD 2025 will be in Chicago from May 4th to May 7th and RIMS is expecting to see well over 11,000 attend. Other events will also feature the anniversary. [9:53] RIMS is launching the Texas Regional Conference, with the four Texas chapters, in August, in San Antonio. It's a wonderful opportunity for folks in that region to gain access to the power and value represented in the RIMS community. [11:04] About trade tariffs: Gary recently spent an hour at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce meeting, talking with top trade policy experts. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has mentioned tariffs. How would new tariffs impact consumers? What might they do to the cost of insurance? [13:05] If any goods go up in cost, that could potentially have an effect on the cost of insurance, just as inflation causes prices to go up. If you're insuring a fleet of trucks, where do you get the parts to fix those vehicles? Will the cost of those parts go up? [14:05] Right now, we don't know. There are differences of opinion. Some 60% of replacement truck and auto parts are made outside of the United States. If tariffs are imposed on those, and if those costs are passed on to consumers, that will raise the cost of insurance. [14:56] Justin sees tariffs impacting insurance rates, the supply chain, and decisions risk professionals make about materials to use. Tariffs may not have their intended effect of having you “buy American” if you're in America. It may not work that way. [15:28] Gary notes that tariffs, historically, have had the long-term effect of spurring domestic production. The question is, how fast will that happen? How long will it take to create the infrastructure to create more cement or truck parts? Where will the workers come from? [16:16] If there are price increases for supplies and materials or if there are disruptions in the supply chain, that will have a dragging effect in terms of the cost of insurance. RIMS publications will tackle this topic and report on it as they have done for 75 years. [17:08] Dave Arick was interviewed in the Wall Street Journal, He discussed how “nuclear verdicts” of $10 million or more are influencing what happens in the insurance markets. Nuclear verdicts create higher costs. [17:47] If insurance companies are paying out more and more for those claims, they're going to try to recoup that cost through higher premiums in the future. RIMS is concerned about the runaway growth of nuclear verdicts. [18:11] Ultimately,  the claims bar pumping up the demands for recompense is having an impact on cost. When someone is hurt, there should be recompense for that. The issue is the significant growth in multi-million dollar verdicts that are outside of what is reasonable and fair. [18:53] If that happens, it simply drives up the cost for businesses to do business. If people are getting 10 times the reasonable recompense for their injuries, it starts to add up significantly. [19:35] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! Resolver will be joining us on February 6th with a topic to be announced. [19:42] HUB International continues its Ready for Tomorrow Series with RIMS. On February 20th, they will host “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025”. [19:58] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [20:10] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. Links are in this episode's show notes. [20:21] Congratulations to my RIMS colleagues! RISKWORLD 2024 was honored with the 2024 TSNN Trade Show News Network Award for Outstanding Commitment to Advancing DE&I in the Risk Management Community Through Intentional Programming and Representation! [20:44] The programming included real-time translation technology and partnerships with DE&I organizations NAAIA, AAIN, and APIW, fostering a globally inclusive environment, and keynote speaker Academy Award-winning actress, Marlee Matlin, on inclusion and accessibility. [21:10] The TSNN Award is a huge honor and RIMS is so pleased that our continued DE&I efforts are being recognized by various industries, specifically in events and exhibitions. [21:23] Of course, a big shout-out to the RIMS DE&I Advisory Council for their unwavering commitment to helping advance DE&I initiatives at our conferences and RIMS events throughout the risk management community. [21:36] There are still DE&I sponsorship opportunities available for RISKWORLD 2025 in Chicago. You can visit the link in this episode's show notes for more details. [21:51] Back to My Interview with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche! [22:03] Justin and Gary consider third-party litigation, which impacts the courts, laws, and legislation. Gary will attend the RIMS Legislative Summit, to be held on March 19th and 20th. [22:39] Gary says the plaintiffs' bar has discovered the power of investment. They have learned they can gather investors who will back a potential lawsuit and fund lawsuits that come along, in return for a share of the proceeds of that suit. That has always been concerning. [23:13] Something that has become an additional concern is the lack of transparency as to where those investment funds are coming from. They could be coming from anywhere, inside or outside the U.S. They could be from sources that could be illegal. It's unknown. [23:45] As a matter of national security and public policy, RIMS thinks it's time we have better insight into the sources of funds for third-party litigation. Gary will be on Capitol Hill, lobbying with members of Congress for transparency in funding third-party litigation. [24:09] A link to the RIMS.org/advocacy page is in the show notes. If you're a RIMS member and want to go to Capitol Hill for a couple of days with the very knowledgeable RIMS staff and have a chance to meet with your Representatives in Congress, that's the way to do it. [24:26] Gary will be there, RIMS General Counsel, Mark Prysock, will be there, and a few other very knowledgeable folks will help you prepare for these fun “pitches.” Gary says it's a blast. You're telling your story and why this is something of concern to you. [25:12] Typically you'll be meeting with staff members who are directly involved in the public policy process. They want to hear your story, especially if you're from their district. It's a lot of walking, listening, and talking along with your peers. You'll appreciate what you've done. [25:56] Going from office to office on the Hill, you're seeing other people doing the same thing; ranchers, flight attendants, and more. It's an interesting cross-section of America. You're seeing the Constitutional freedom of speech. It gives you a perspective on the public policy process. [26:51] Gary has led other organizations for 25 years, so he has been to Capitol Hill a few dozen times. He worked in Washington D.C. for years. He loves gathering a group of members, having a reception and a briefing, and walking around Capitol Hill. By lunchtime, people are excited. [27:53] At the end of the day, there's a sense of relief and satisfaction; most of the members want to know when they can do it again! Justin did it in 2018 and it made an impression on him. He also loves speaking with the people who are involved in it. [28:25] 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. [28:43] 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 will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. [29:07] General grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. Learn more about Spencer's general grants through the Programs tab at SpencerEd.org. [29:18] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche! [29:31] Justin describes the horrific terrorist act in New Orleans on New Year's. Someone circumvented the meager barriers, drove onto the Bourbon Street sidewalk, ran over several people, and exchanged fire with the police. The police neutralized him. [30:11] He had killed 14 people and disrupted everything going on there. This also affected the local economy. RISKWORLD 2023 was affected by an issue in the host city. RIMS has had other issues with public safety. Gary mentions the car bomb in Las Vegas and RIMS' security plans. [32:26] For conferences like RISKWORLD, 30 to 50 hotels are used. You have to look at the security measures already in place for each hotel. That sort of thing keeps Gary up at night. [32:54] Before lunch on his first day back, Gary was on the phone with staff to restart their thinking about RISKWORLD security, in light of the attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. RIMS is well advanced on plans for RISKWORLD 2025. Security will be even more on their minds. [33:37] RISKWORLD has no big outdoor events for this year. Chicago in May is not necessarily warm and sunny, so they will be inside. RIMS has a responsibility as event organizers to think about the risks. Every event organizer must do the same. [34:33] RISKWORLD 2025 keynotes and speakers have been announced. Find them at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Chicago is a Mecca for the risk management and insurance community. Gary can't think of a better place to have the 75th Anniversary RISKWORLD convention. [35:43] RISKWORLD 2025 will be held at the McCormick Convention Center, in one of the most beautiful cities in the country. It has a great, diverse culture with 77 unique neighborhoods. [36:01] The RISKWORLD 2025 program is very exciting, being built by great risk professionals who are contributing their time and talent to sharing their knowledge and insight. It's a lot of fun and it's a “heck of an event!” Gary is thrilled about the whole thing! [36:26] A huge team works so hard on creating RISKWORLD. It is so much work and there is so much work on-site. At the end of it, the team is exhausted, and so sad that it's over! It's a wonderful, fun, safe, educational experience, and then it's gone. RIMS works on it year-round. [37:15] Three of the keynotes will be delivering TED talks on the main stage on Tuesday, May 6th. Rachel DeAlto, Ryan Harris, and Holly Ransom. It's called “Triple Vision, Leadership Insights.” RISKWORLD has never done anything like that before. [37:34] These will be short, punchy, to-the-point talks showing a diversity of perspectives, and touching on more topics, and it's more in keeping with how people obtain and consume information today. Gary is very excited about them. He's watching to see how it works. [38:18] The RISKWORLD 2025 opening reception will be on Sunday, May 4th, at the Field Museum of Natural History. Gary calls it one of the greatest museums in North America and it's a great place to have an event. Gary has done black-tie events there. It has a wonderful view. [39:47] Public registration is open. Go to RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and register today! [40:01] This episode with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche has given us a great glimpse into 2025. Gary will be back on RIMScast sometime after RISKWORLD 2025. [40:53] Gary says RIMS has an extraordinary IT team and they are always drilling on avoiding phishing and cyber-attacks. Risk management is important. When he looks a the RIMS logo, he is reminded that the wind is in our sails. Risk management could not be hotter, now! [41:39] Gary ranks hot, sexy jobs now: astronaut, firefighter, and risk manager! He hopes people take pride in their risk manager jobs. There's a lot of demand. Salaries have been going up, according to the RIMS salary survey. There are more people attracted to the profession. [42:01] At RISKWORLD, we get 250 or more students. It's fun to watch them compete in the Spencer Risk Management Challenge. It's fun to see the support that Spencer and the community give them. It's fun to see them engage with our professionals and want to learn. [42:39] RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche, thank you so much. It's always a pleasure! [42:46] Special thanks, as always, to RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche for stopping by and keeping us informed. Be sure to check out all the links in this episode's show notes to learn more about RISKWORLD 2025, RIMS advocacy, and other RIMS initiatives and events. [43:06] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. [43:32] 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. [43:51] 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. [44:09] 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.  [44:25] 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. [44:39] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [44:47] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RIMS Risk Management magazine RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! RIMS Legislative Summit — March 19‒20, 2025 Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) Kristen Peed named 2025 President of RIMS ‘Nuclear Verdicts' Driving Up Costs of Doing Business, Says Risk Management Society's Head — The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 30, 2024 — an interview with former RIMS President David Arick RIMS DEI Council | Learn more about DEI Inclusivity Partnership opportunities at RISKWORLD RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025” | Sponsored by Hub International | Feb. 20, 2025 Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Claims Management” | February 11‒12, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Hansen “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Feb. 19‒20, 2025 “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27 “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12, 2025 See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP” | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Year In Risk 2024 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle” “300th Episode Spectacular with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “RIMS Advocacy Updates 2024 with Mark Prysock” “Change Management and Strategy with Jay Kiew, RIMS Canada Conference 2024 Keynote” “On Risk Appetite and Tolerance” “Global Perspectives with RIMS 2023 Chapter Presidents” (ft. Greater Bluegrass Chapter)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor (New!) “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 “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   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 Vice President Manny Padilla!    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: Gary LaBranche, FASAE, CAE, CEO of RIMS   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 Christine Schelble, Director of Insurance and Risk Management at GE Appliances, a Haier company about her work at GE Appliances, a Haier company. She shares how she began with GE Appliances, shortly after GE sold GE Appliances to Haier. She talks about how she works as a department of one and the relationships she has built throughout the company and with insurance brokers and TPAs. She speaks of the necessity of making changes when a relationship isn't good or a risk philosophy isn't a match. Christine also shares about her risk career and how her risk philosophy has remained constant wherever she has worked. She gives tips for preparing a request for proposal when a change is necessary and shares her advice for less experienced risk professionals. She speaks of the history of the Greater Bluegrass Chapter of RIMS, where she sits on the board, and the benefits of actively participating in a RIMS chapter. Listen for wisdom about keeping current with the insurance market, getting your designations, and changing with conditions. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS. [:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025! RIMS wants you to engage today and embrace tomorrow in Chicago from May 4th through May 7th! Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's notes. [:30] About this episode, coming to you from RIMS headquarters in New York. Our guest is Christine Schelble, the Director of Insurance & Risk Management at GE Appliances. We are going to discuss career development in risk management. [:58] RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops On February 19th and 20th, there is a two-day virtual workshop for the RIMS-CRMP led by former RIMS President Chris Mandel and presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter, the 2024 RIMS Chapter of the Year. [1:20] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Course will be held from February 4th through the 6th, 2025. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:36] RIMS Virtual Workshops! Gail Kiyomura of The ART of Risk Consulting will host the “Fundamentals of Insurance” virtual workshop on February 19th and 20th, 2025. [1:50] We've got ERM on our minds. On February 26th and 27th, Elise Farnham of Illumine Consulting will lead “Applying and Integrating ERM”. The “Managing Data for ERM” course will be hosted by Pat Saporito, starting on March 12th, 2025. [2:12] A link to the full schedule of virtual workshops can be found through the RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's show notes. [2:25] Interview! Christine Schelble is the Director of Insurance and Risk Management at GE Appliances, a Haier company. She is one of the founding members of what is now the Greater Bluegrass Chapter of RIMS, which won the 2024 Chapter of the Year Award at RISKWORLD. [2:49] Christine has decades of experience leading risk management initiatives for global companies. We will learn about what it takes to be in that sort of position, how she progressed throughout her career, and when and where she saw opportunities and took them. [3:07] This will be a fun way to kick off 2025; let's get started! Christine Schelble, welcome to RIMScast! [3:18] GE sold GE Appliances on June 6, 2016, to Haier, the world's largest home appliance company. They are located in China. Christine works for Haier U.S. Appliance Solutions, Inc. doing business as GE Appliances, a Haier Company. It is the Haier U.S. headquarters. [4:09] Christine is a department of one. She works with people throughout the company. The goal of risk management is to spread that philosophy throughout the company. It has only improved since she started. She has lots of support when it comes to claims and coverage. [5:11] Christine had come from a technology company and was very familiar with the technology supply chain. When she came on board, she met with the supply chain people to learn their philosophy and processes. The only time she gets involved with them is for an insurance claim. [6:05] In appliances, Christine says there are so many “Black Fridays” in the year that you can see the returns ebb and flow throughout the year. It's not a serious problem. [6:44] Christine left Lexmark in 2001 after 15 years. One of her risk management connections called her and said that the position was opening at GE Appliances. She wanted new challenges so she sent in her resume, interviewed with them, and got the position. [7:43] Christine says it's one of the best jobs she's ever had. She's been able to take everything that she's learned and implement it into a startup program. That has been rewarding. When she started, it was the first time GE Appliances was managing and purchasing insurance coverage. [8:23] Christine joined GE Appliances three months after the sale and took a couple of months to understand how things worked. She started making changes at her first renewal because she could see where things hadn't worked out in relationships and coverage. [9:25] Risk management for your company is not a static position. It's constantly changing. You've got to constantly look at what's going on in the insurance market and what's going on internally and adapt your coverages, deductibles, and maybe your relationship with your TPA. [9:17] The way the program looked in 2016 when she came in is not the way it looks now. [9:30] The biggest third-party GE Appliances works with is the claims administrator. Otherwise, Christine works with brokers. Currently, she works with three different brokers for the competition. If the relationship is not great, she'll change the people on her account. [10:28] For risk managers coming up in the industry, Christine recommends keeping up with your education, getting your designations, attending webinars and seminars, and doing everything you can to keep up with what's going on in the insurance market. It's constantly changing. [10:49] Christine will do an RFP when she's looking to change something. You've got to have face-to-face conversations with your brokers, carriers, and TPAs. You have to educate them on your business and products. Your company and products are not the same as another's. [11:41] If you're just moving to a TPA because they gave you the lowest price, it's not going to work unless you work with them and have an ongoing relationship. Christine has them come in, meet her people, go through some of GE Appliance's processes, and see the plants. [12:01] Christine has done the same things in her previous jobs, as well. [12:15] TPAs changed how they worked during the pandemic. The TPA world will continue to change in reaction to changes in the world.  [12:50] Christine has a process for developing an RFP. She starts with having a non-disclosure agreement in place. That's very important. Then she shares exposure information, the insurance schedule, the actuary report, and a loss run or two, so they can understand the overall risk.   [13:33] She puts hot points into the RFP, how to move claims forward, and how the program should be improved and moved forward. That's been her philosophy throughout her career. [14:17] Plug Time! RIMS Webinars! Resolver will be joining us on February 6th with a topic to be arranged. [14:25] HUB International continues its Ready for Tomorrow Series with RIMS. On February 20th, they will host “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025”. [14:41] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [14:52] Nominations are also open for the Donald M. Stuart Award which recognizes excellence in risk management in Canada. Links are in this episode's show notes. [15:04] 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. [15:22] 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 will open on May 1st, 2025, and close on July 30th, 2025. [15:45] General grant awardees are typically notified at the end of October. Learn more about Spencer's general grants through the Programs tab at SpencerEd.org. [15:57] Back to the Conclusion of My Interview with Christine Schelble!  [16:23] Christine shares how she works as a department of one. She just continues to do what she's educated to do. When she looks back, it feels great to see all that she has done. It's important to get the relationships going so that people can trust you. [16:49] Christine works with the Finance, the supply chain, the manufacturing finance people, and Legal, where she is located. It's about building the trust factor. [17:12] Christine is a long-time member of the  RIMS Kentucky and Bluegrass Chapters, which are now the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter. Christine has been in RIMS since she started in risk management. She loves the support from other risk professionals and the networking. [18:13] Christine started with RIMS in the D.C. area, then in Connecticut. She moved to New Jersey and was in RIMS in New Jersey and New York. When she moved to Kentucky, she joined the chapter. She was president for a year or two around 2003 or 2004. [18:46] Christine is thrilled that the younger members of the community have started the chapter back up. During economic downturns there was a loss of people and others couldn't get out to meetings. The same five people were doing the same job and they were ready to pass the torch. [19:21] It took several years for the torch to come back up. Christine acknowledges the work of Jeremy, Erica, Britt, and Brittany in getting the chapter up and going again. Christine is more than happy to help and support them by sitting on the board. [19:50] The Greater Bluegrass Chapter of RIMS was named the 2024 Chapter of the Year. Christine says that was a good feeling. It was fun to support them at RISKWORLD 2024 in receiving that award. [20:42] Christine is thrilled to see that in the younger generations, there are more women in higher positions within insurance carriers and brokers. When she started, there weren't as many. She says it is such a great career, whether you are male, female, or whatever. It's amazing! [21:22] Christine is thrilled to see that more schools offer risk and insurance as a degree. The Greater Bluegrass Chapter supports Eastern Kentucky University and its risk and insurance curriculum with an annual golf tournament in September that raises money for scholarships. [21:55] The Greater Bluegrass Chapter has also asked the university to have a student become a member to help expand their knowledge into the RIMS world. Justin mentions Spencer's Risk Manager on Campus program. He thanks Christine for her continued service in RIMS. [23:18] Special thanks to Christine Schelble for joining us here on RIMScast and kicking off 2025! Next week, we will be joined by RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche! [23:30] More RIMS Plugs! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. [23:57] 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. [24:15] 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. [24:33] 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.  [24:49] 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. [25:21] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [25:28] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!   Mentioned in this Episode: RIMS Risk Management Magazine RIMS DEI Council Nominations for the Donald M. Stuart Award Spencer Educational Foundation — General Grants 2026 — Application Dates Contribute to RIMS Risk Management Magazine / Submission Guidelines RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Ready for the Unexpected? Strategies for Property Valuation, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity in 2025” | Sponsored by HUB International | Feb. 20, 2025 Upcoming Virtual Workshops: “Stay Competitive with the RIMS-CRMP” | Presented by the RIMS Greater Bluegrass Chapter February 19‒20, 2025 | Instructor: Chris Mandel “Applying and Integrating ERM” | Feb. 26‒27 “Managing Data for ERM” | March 12, 2025 “Fundamentals of Insurance” | Feb. 19‒20, 2025 See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “Maintaining an Award-Winning ERM Program with Michael Zuraw” “Applying ERM Theory with Elise Farnham” “On Risk Appetite and Tolerance” “Global Perspectives with RIMS 2023 Chapter Presidents” (ft. Greater Bluegrass Chapter)   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor (New!) “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 “Alliant's P&C Outlook For 2024” | Sponsored by Alliant “Why Subrogation is the New Arbitration” | Sponsored by Fleet Response “Cyclone Season: Proactive Preparation for Loss Minimization” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage” | Sponsored by Fleet Response   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 Vice President Manny Padilla!    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: Christine Schelble, Director of Insurance and Risk Management at GE Appliances, a Haier company     Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

I see a lot of sales pitches and read a ton of marketing messages in my line of work and I feel like so often there is one main reason that our offers are not converting. So, it doesn't matter whether your offer is for a free lead magnet or a paid product, if you fix this one issue then you will be so much more successful. I'll tell you what that is, right after this. So, in one of my masterminds recently, we've been discussing our offers. People have been throwing their offers and offer ideas out to the group for feedback, and very often it seems like the offer is sort of a word salad. I get that it's sometimes hard to articulate what you do and how you help people. It's something I hear often with my clients. Many times they have had a business going for several years and it's been ok, but they still talk in really generic terms about how they help people. The more I immerse myself in marketing, marketing language, marketing copy, and surround myself with world class marketers, the easier this flaw is to spot. So what is this falw I'm referring to? In business and in marketing, you need to build around one BIG idea. And to be honest, when you first start your business, you may have a BIG idea at the time, but soon the marketplace is flooded with everyone else doing the same thing and you have to change your BIG idea. When I started Team Podcast, I started it because I could not find the company that I wanted to hire to work on my podcast. At that time, in 2012, there were no one-stop-shops where you could get all the post production done on your podcast for one price. There was a company, called Podfly, that was sort of working in that direction, but I couldn't stand the parameters they put around the length of your audio files and how many “um” removals would be included in your package before you got an extra charge. So when I started, my one BIG idea was doing all the post production on a podcast for one price per episode, and not nickel and dime-ing my customers with every little thing that other companies were doing. Fast forward to nearly 10 years later and almost every podcast production company has that model now. So, even though I was ahead of the curve at the time, my BIG idea from 10 years ago is no longer a BIG idea. I've told you about how I got a virtual punch in the gut from a client that led me down the path of marketing and monetizing podcasts, so now my BIG idea isn't just that we will produce podcasts like everyone else is doing, but we will also work with podcasters to help monetize their podcasts. It takes a completely different skill set to learn the marketing skills to monetize a podcast, and I've spent the last almost 4 years now investing heavily in earning my marketing chops.  The result is that now I won't launch another podcast that isn't going to be monetized. And I know how and when I will pull the levers of monetization. Why is it so important to have a BIG idea? There are several reasons, but let me highlight the most important ones: The marketplace is more crowded than ever! With social media, online access and 24 hour TV consumption, your ideal customers are bombarded with more ads per day than ever before. Your BIG idea will help you stand out in the crowded marketplace. Your customers have a shorter attention span than ever. Face it, we live in an instant gratification age. Consumers no longer have the attention span to make it through a long sales cycle, or for it to take months for them to get their problems solved. Improvement offers no longer capture your customers. Your customers are looking for transformation and if you can't provide it, someone else will. Generalists are out and specialists are in. You've heard that “riches are in the niches” and every business has to niche down to survive in this market. Pick one sub-niche of your niche and find an area where you provide transformation. When you have an offer that works, go all in on that one offer.

Welcome to the 100th episode of The Art Biz! In this milestone episode, the tables are turned as I become the guest of host Cynthia Morris. Cynthia was one of the first guests on my second attempt at this podcast, and I have learned so much from her wit and wisdom. In our conversation, Cynthia is set on helping me not only celebrate this important milestone but also reflect on just how far this podcast has come and what it took to get it where it is today. More than just a self-congratulatory episode, together we discuss the value of acknowledging your progress, however imperfect it may be. We share what it takes to do the work, create the content, and develop the tenacity that results in milestones worth celebrating. Highlights Why should you take time to celebrate milestones? (0:07) Alyson reflects on the progress she has achieved at this milestone podcast episode 100. (2:16) Fumbling your way toward success means just doing it! (6:04) What helps Alyson maintain consistency in her content? (9:06) The value of taking full responsibility for your commitments. (12:55) Overcoming the challenges that might be holding you back. (16:32) The systems that make podcasting a seamless part of Alyson's life. (19:46) Celebrating progress starts with reflecting on where you might be otherwise. (24:55) The tools that Alyson uses to organize and produce this podcast. (27:23) Celebrating milestones, developing key qualities and recognizing your progress. (32:41) Mentioned Donald Miller's Business Made Simple Podcast Cynthia Morris's Stumbling Toward Genius Podcast Notion app Descript audio and video editing Podfly podcast production Resources Show notes, featured artists, and listener comments Artist Planning Sessions Free e-course: 31 People Who Can Help Sell Your Art   Quotes “When we don't acknowledge the milestones, when we don't pause to savor and appreciate and see what we did that brought us there, we really lose out on a lot of the benefits that we've accrued in the course of making our way to that milestone.” — Cynthia Morris “Every milestone shows you that you are making progress.” — Alyson Stanfield “We've seen so many people sit on the sidelines of things because they haven't figured out the right way or the perfect way. And then they never do anything.” — Cynthia Morris Your plan is going to be imperfect and you just may have to change it.” — Alyson Stanfield “When you promise something to people you're promising something to yourself.” — Alyson Stanfield “You can't make more money if you're doing all the things that you're not good at.” — Alyson Stanfield “The more artists that I talk with, the more artists I'm able to help and the better advice or consulting or coaching I can give.” — Alyson Stanfield “You're not really living unless you're learning.” — Cynthia Morris About the Guest Host Cynthia Morris helps writers, artists and entrepreneurs make their big dreams a powerful reality. Cynthia is a certified coach, teacher, author and artist. In 1999, she founded Original Impulse, a boutique coaching company that empowers creative people to focus, follow through and finish projects that matter. The author of The Busy Woman's Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book, Cynthia has published seven e-books on writing and creative travel as well as the Paris historical novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach. She is a watercolor artist and visual journal keeper who uses art as a way to express joy and consistently access inspiration. Follow Cynthia on Instagram. First posted: https://artbizsuccess.com/celebrating-achievements-podcast Build your well-greased art biz machine: https://artbizsystem.com  

Wow, there's a lot going on in the world today! Trip, Larry, and Anna are getting back to work as life begins to ramp up. Your lovely co-hosts have decided to take a short break while they figure out their next phase in the future of work. Until then, keep creating, keep improving, and keep embracing change. It's the only way forward! Key Takeaways * Anna, Trip, and Larry have been busy! * We're taking a summer break to get our ducks in the row. * Throughout this podcast we've talked about how there's better days ahead, well guess what, they're here! * Trip is working for a 135 year old company and they are ready to embrace this new digital world. If they can do it, you can do it too. * Big shout out to our interns AnaMichele and Brian! * Also the BIGGEST shout out to Albie, our editor at Podfly! * Your co-hosts will be coming back, but as life kicks back up, they want to take a step back to see what's on the forefront of what's next. * Without a commute, podcasts have dropped off slightly. What's next for the Brave New Workforce? Perhaps video format! * Getting comfortable speaking and being on camera are critical job skills in today's world. This podcast has helped all three of your co-hosts get better at it. * You gotta put yourself out there. Larry shares an example of what that can do for you and your career. * Trip brings it full circle. The Black Death. * Whatever change comes your way, embrace it. It's only going to get faster and faster. * People are still going to have to work, because of that, Larry, Trip, and Anna will still be talking about the future of work. * Thanks for listening and we'll be back! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett Connect with Anna: Brainminerals.co & Annachromatic.com Quotes “People no longer have tolerance for the old gatekeepers and the old models. It's changing even faster than a lot of people have anticipated.” — Larry “Ideas to leave you with, keep growing, keep watching where the puck is going.” — Trip “People were talking about how this was going to kill the economy, it did for a little while, however so many people have used what was presented in front of them, grown from it, and shifted to a more online world.” — Anna

This week, Annie and Jess kick off the episode talking about choosing a podcast production agency, and how they finally feel happy they found a match that supports them, compared to a previous experience. This story of male chauvinism is relevant to this week's topic of sexual harassment, women questioning their worth, and why we need to hold men more accountable. They each talk about a time they encountered sexual harassment or just downright creepiness, and either dismissed it or felt guilty for bringing it up. Annie and Jess ask more men to call out their friends, and for us to believe our friends when they say something happened. Listen to their stories, and then feel free to contact Annie and Jess to share your own.    In This Episode You'll Hear About:    Annie and Jess have a good laugh, but in no way are they making light of this situation. If you experienced sexual harassment or are experiencing it now - be sure to call it out.  To all creators - work with people that make you feel uplifted and worthy.  Annie and Jess tell the story of how they found their production agency Podfly, and it was a night and day difference between who they may have worked with before.  You can choose to not be involved with projects without tearing people down or making them feel stupid for not knowing something.  We are always telling women to remove themselves from sexual harassment situations - why not reprimand the men doing it?  Annie and Jess each share personal stories of being harassed, even if they didn't know that is what it was at the time!  Listen to your friends. Oftentimes women feel gaslit or question their own reality because they don't think people will believe them.  Men - call out the guy (or yourself if you are that guy) when you hear inappropriate language and see bad behavior.  Alcohol is not an excuse for someone acting creepy, dangerous, or inappropriate!  Normalize women not wanting to have sex without apologizing or feeling incredibly guilty.    Quote:  “At what point did we say anything about our underwear?! When did we f*cking talk about knickers?”  “Don't make someone feel stupid because they don't know the knowledge around that thing.”  “If something is even just a little bit weird, I start laughing.”  “I'm so sick of removing myself from a situation because I don't want to make others feel uncomfortable.”  “That's the hardest thing about questioning yourself. What they regard as “not that bad” can be very damaging to the person.”  Slide Into Our DM's:  @talesofthenetherregions   Annie - @annienorrispole | Jessica - @jessicadeebank

Patricia Elias has a unique title at ServiceSource: Chief Legal and People Officer. She joins the show today to talk about how she came to take on the HR role, the unique event that brought her to ServiceSource, and a key realization about this very moment in her career. ABOUT OUR GUEST Patricia Elias started as an SVP, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for ServiceSource in 2016. Within two years, she was asked to assume the global HR role and title of Chief Legal and People Officer for a global company of over 3,000 employees.   Her prior roles include serving as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at ViaWest, Senior Corporate Counsel at Flextronics, and Lecturer for the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business.   GET IN TOUCH WITH PATRICIA ELIAS ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:02] Michael introduces Patricia and asks her to share an interesting fact about herself as well as a little bit on what ServiceSource is, and does — Patricia is an inline skating evangelist!   SHOOTING SPORTING CLAYS [4:49] Patricia talks about what brought her to ServiceSource and it all began with shooting sporting clays!   CORPORATE SECRETARY [6:38] What does a corporate secretary do? Patricia shares what her first few years were like. She shares the story of how she was approached to take on the role of head of HR.   PREPARATION? HARDLY [11:06] Patricia touches on how little preparation she got before taking on the role. It was on-the-job training; she shares the two things that helped her most at the time. Patricia shares why she chose the CPO title instead of CHRO.   WHY LAW? WHY IT? [14:33] Patricia shares how she made her way to law, and eventually Counsel; the choice of working in tech and IT probably reflects her strong interest in science.   HR/LEGAL [16:53] 80% of her time is spent on HR matters, 10% on legal, and the remaining would be a space where she needs to wear both hats. Because of this experience, as well as some personal choices, Patricia will probably never go for a General Counsel role that has no extended responsibilities again.   PIVOT [20:05] Patricia and Michael agree that she is currently in the middle of a pivot! Patricia explains that the breadth of the impact she has on the organization could never be equaled by a legal-only position.   PRIDE AND LEGACY [21:51] Patricia shares how proud she is about having instituted parental leave at ServiceSource as well as the broader diversity impact this measure has had on the business. She shares another pride point.   EXPECTATIONS [24:35] Patricia talks about the things she has found to be interesting discoveries about her new role, but she didn't have expectations, per se. She touches on how to handle working in multiple time zones and shares some personal tips on how to manage a team with empathy while working crazy hours.   HUMANS VS TECHNOLOGY [26:52] The modern technological paradigm has built a world where work hours have grown to the point of encroaching on personal life; Patricia shares her take on how to maintain healthy work habits. She also touches on the effects of COVID-19 on work environments and her predictions for the future of work.   ADVICE [29:32] Patricia offers advice to future CXOs and prepares for C-suite interviews. Know your business, and just don't be a jerk. She also shares her insight for people who hold dual roles as she does — especially when one of those roles involves legal.   BEST WORST JOB PATRICIA EVER HAD [34:14] A temp job answering the constantly ringing corded phone while welcoming and being polite to customers who appeared at the window. It was so stressful it led her to realize she needed a college degree.   FINAL THOUGHTS [36:45] An attitude of gratitude, empathy, and outward mindset are key to success, and happiness.   [37:17] Michael thanks Patricia for coming on the podcast to share her insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Patricia Elias has a unique title at ServiceSource: Chief Legal and People Officer. She joins the show today to talk about how she came to take on the HR role, the unique event that brought her to ServiceSource and a key realization about this very moment in her career.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Patricia Elias started as an SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for ServiceSource in 2016. Within 2 years, she was asked to assume the global HR role and title of Chief Legal and People Officer for a global company of over 3 000 employees.   Her prior roles include serving as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at ViaWest, Senior Corporate Counsel at Flextronics and Lecturer for the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.   GET IN TOUCH WITH PATRICIA ELIAS ON LINKEDIN THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:02] Michael introduces Patricia and asks her to share an interesting fact about herself as well as a little bit on what ServiceSource is, and does — Patricia is an inline skating evangelist! SHOOTING SPORTING CLAYS [4:49] Patricia talks about what brought her to ServiceSource and it all began with shooting sporting clays! CORPORATE SECRETARY [6:38] What does a corporate secretary do? Patricia shares what her first few years were like. She shares the story of how she was approached to take on the role of head of HR. PREPARATION? HARDLY [11:06] Patricia touches on how little preparation she got before taking on the role. It was on the job training, she shares the 2 things that helped her most at the time. Patricia shares why she chose the CPO title instead of CHRO. WHY LAW? WHY IT? [14:33] Patricia shares how she made her way to law, and eventually Counsel, the choice of working in tech and IT probably reflects her strong interest in science. HR/LEGAL [16:53] 80% of her time is spent on HR matters, 10% on legal and the remaining would be a space where she needs to wear both hats. Because of this experience, as well as some personal choices, Patricia will probably never go for a General Counsel role that has no extended responsibilities again. PIVOT [20:05] Patricia and Michael agree that she is currently in the middle of a pivot! Patricia explains that the breadth of the impact she has on the organization could never be equalled by a legal only position. PRIDE AND LEGACY [21:51] Patricia shares how proud she is about having instituted parental leave at ServiceSource as well as the broader diversity impact this measure has had on the business. She shares another pride point. EXPECTATIONS [24:35] Patricia talks about the things she has found to be interesting discoveries about her new role, but she didn’t have expectations per se. She touches on how to handle working in multiple time zones and shares some personal tips on how to manage a team with empathy while working crazy hours. HUMANS VS TECHNOLOGY [26:52] The modern technological paradigm has built a world where work hours have grown to the point of encroaching on personal life, Patricia shares her take on how to maintain healthy work habits. She also touches on the effects of COVID on work environments and her predictions for the future of work. ADVICE [29:32] Patricia offers advice to future CXOs and prepares for C-suite interviews. Know your business, and just don’t be a jerk. She also shares her insight for people who hold dual roles as she does — especially when one of those roles involves legal. BEST WORST JOB PATRICIA EVER HAD [34:14] A temp job answering the constantly ringing corded phone while welcoming and being polite to customers who appeared at the window. It was so stressful it led her to realize she needed a college degree. FINAL THOUGHTS [36:45] An attitude of gratitude, empathy and outward mindset are key to success, and happiness. [37:17] Michael thanks Patricia for coming on the podcast to share her insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly   ABOUT YOUR HOST For the past 20 years, Michael Mitchel, B.A., has been interviewing leaders in their fields. He started his career recruiting for United Parcel Service in Seattle, where he implemented the company's Welfare to Work program for the Washington State District. He has recruited for Federal agencies and U.S. Department of Defense contractors for classified programs internationally. He Founded OC Executive Search in 2001 to serve companies ranging from startups to Global F10. Michael is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Navy and enjoys skiing, cycling, traveling, photography as well as hiking in the Colorado Rockies with his cattle dog, Kala the Wunderdawg.   FIND MICHAEL MITCHEL ON LINKEDIN AND ON TWITTER

Leslie has worked in financial services, engineering, Energy, ski industry, health care, and technology and today she joins the show to talk about starting a new role on the eve of a national lockdown and crisis, how she leverages her experience in different sectors and the impact of authenticity on executive culture.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Leslie McIntosh is the Vice-President Head of Human Resources. Previously she held the role of Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of BioScrip. She was also Vice President, Human Resources at DigitalGlobe, a business unit of Maxar Technologies. Prior to that, she was HR Director at Vail Resorts and held senior HR roles at MWH (now part of Stantec), Janus Henderson Investors, and American Century Investments, with ten years at public companies.   GET IN TOUCH WITH LESLIE ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Leslie and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself as well as what CoreSite is and what they do.   NATIONAL LOCKDOWN [3:52] Leslie talks about getting on a plane to her new job at CoreSite on the eve of the National lockdown at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the experiences she drew from to manage that rocky transition.   CRITICAL MOMENTS [8:00] In her very first professional-level role, Leslie learned important lessons about how to take feedback and how to become more aware of the impact of her action on others. She shares a second pivotal career moment.   CANDIDATE SELECTION [9:27] Passionate, smart, talented, and humble are just some of the key characteristics Leslie looks for in her candidates.   ACROSS SECTORS [10:20] Leslie touches on what the advantages are of having touched and worked in so many different sectors. She also touches on the surprises she had at her different roles.   WHY THE C? [12:53] Leslie shares what personal discoveries she made on her way to figuring out if the C-suite was for her. She also talks about the rewards and challenges of roles at that level as well as some of the overlooked aspects.   PREPARING [16:40] Preparing for a board interview for Leslie is an organized process, she walks us through it and shares her tips for being prepared.   INTERVIEW ADVICE [19:27] Leslie shares her advice for people who may be looking at high-rank interviews in the future.   CULTURE [20:50] Culture is super important; Leslie shares her own experiences with various places she's worked in; she also touches on how she identifies good cultures. She also talks about how to change or manage culture.   MENTORSHIP [24:15] Leslie speaks to her own experiences as a mentor and a mentee.   PASSING YOUR TURN [27:57] Leslie was always very certain that she wanted a company that was the right fit for her and she has passed up opportunities that would have been great for her career, but not such a great fit.   EMERGING LEADER ADVICE [29:00] Why do you want the role, and what important thing do you have to give are two things Leslie advises you should think on. She also expands on servant leadership.   BEST WORST JOB LESLIE EVER HAD [31:08] Working for a family catering company, Leslie shares what she learned from that experience.   [34:44] Michael thanks Leslie for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE CoreSite   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Leslie has worked in financial services, engineering, Energy, ski industry, health care, and technology and today she joins the show to talk about starting a new role on the eve of a national lockdown and crisis, how she leverages her experience in different sectors and the impact of authenticity on executive culture.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Leslie McIntosh is the Vice-President Head of Human Resources. Previously she held the role of Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of BioScrip. She was also Vice President, Human Resources at DigitalGlobe, a business unit of Maxar Technologies. Prior to that, she was HR Director at Vail Resorts and held senior HR roles at MWH (now part of Stantec), Janus Henderson Investors, and American Century Investments, with ten years at public companies.   GET IN TOUCH WITH LESLIE ON LINKEDIN THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Leslie and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself as well as what CoreSite is and what they do. NATIONAL LOCKDOWN [3:52] Leslie talks about getting on a plane to her new job at CoreSite on the eve of the National lockdown at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the experiences she drew from to manage that rocky transition. CRITICAL MOMENTS [8:00] In her very first professional-level role, Leslie learned important lessons about how to take feedback and how to become more aware of the impact of her action on others. She shares a second pivotal career moment. CANDIDATE SELECTION [9:27] Passionate, smart, talented, and humble are just some of the key characteristics Leslie looks for in her candidates. ACROSS SECTORS [10:20] Leslie touches on what the advantages are of having touched and worked in so many different sectors. She also touches on the surprises she had at her different roles. WHY THE C? [12:53] Leslie shares what personal discoveries she made on her way to figuring out if the C-suite was for her. She also talks about the rewards and challenges of roles at that level as well as some of the overlooked aspects. PREPARING [16:40] Preparing for a board interview for Leslie is an organized process, she walks us through it and shares her tips for being prepared. INTERVIEW ADVICE [19:27] Leslie shares her advice for people who may be looking at high-rank interviews in the future. CULTURE [20:50] Culture is super important; Leslie shares her own experiences with various places she’s worked in; she also touches on how she identifies good cultures. She also talks about how to change or manage culture. MENTORSHIP [24:15] Leslie speaks to her own experiences as a mentor and a mentee. PASSING YOUR TURN [27:57] Leslie was always very certain that she wanted a company that was the right fit for her and she has passed up opportunities that would have been great for her career, but not such a great fit. EMERGING LEADER ADVICE [29:00] Why do you want the role, and what important thing do you have to give are two things Leslie advises you should think on. She also expands on servant leadership.  BEST WORST JOB LESLIE EVER HAD [31:08] Working for a family catering company, Leslie shares what she learned from that experience. [34:44] Michael thanks Leslie for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways. We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE CoreSite   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly   ABOUT YOUR HOST For the past 20 years, Michael Mitchel, B.A., has been interviewing leaders in their fields. He started his career recruiting for United Parcel Service in Seattle, where he implemented the company's Welfare to Work program for the Washington State District. He has recruited for Federal agencies and U.S. Department of Defense contractors for classified programs internationally. He Founded OC Executive Search in 2001 to serve companies ranging from startups to Global F10.   Michael is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Navy and enjoys skiing, cycling, traveling, photography as well as hiking in the Colorado Rockies with his cattle dog, Kala the Wunderdawg.   FIND MICHAEL MITCHEL ON LINKEDIN AND ON TWITTER

Jordan Connely joins the show today as the President of Obsidian HR and CFO of ProService Hawaii (Obsidian's parent company). He and Michael share some interesting practices when it comes to HR as well as Jordans' thoughts on how to improve your career, how to transition from consulting to the C-suite, and the many roles he's held throughout the years.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Jordan Conley is President of Obsidian HR, as well as the current CFO of ProService Hawaii (Obsidian's parent company). He is responsible for the strategy, customer experience, culture, and profitability of the business.   Leveraging over 20 years of experience in the HR outsourcing industry, he brings a unique perspective to the evolving needs and definition of “HR” in the modern workplace.   Prior to being appointed President of Obsidian HR, he was a founding member of ZeroChaos (now Workforce Logiq) and has held senior leadership roles at CoAdvantage (a large national HR outsourcing firm).   As a natural entrepreneur, Jordan is passionate about seeing opportunities where businesses need help and partnering with leaders to protect their operations and make growth a reality. Jordan attended the University of Central Florida and Crummer School of Business at Rollins.   He is married with three sons and currently resides in Denver, CO where he is an active car aficionado, an avid reader, and a connoisseur of Colorado beer.   GET IN TOUCH WITH JORDAN CONLEY ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:49] Michael introduces Jordan and asks him to share a little bit about what ProService Hawaii and Obsidian HR do as well as the differences between working in Hawaii and on the mainland.   A LITTLE BIT OUT OF THE BLUE [8:44] What Jordan didn't realize at the time was that in consulting he had been doing a year-long interview for the CTO position!   CXO PATH [10:30] Having dropped out of undergraduate school to launch a startup, Jordan speaks to his non-linear path to the C-suite by way of an MBA. He shares an anecdote about staying in touch with some of his classmates and even having some of them now working out of Hawaii.   SLOW BUT STEADY [15:19] From CTO to COO Jordan talks about the slow transition he made from IT to HR as well as playing both roles for a period of time. Jordan also shares his most rewarding and challenging moments as a COO.   KEEPING TRAINS ON TIME [19:10] Jordan shares his take on the COO role as well as the period of time when the COO was living out of Sweden and traveling to Honolulu regularly, requiring Jordan to fill a lot of roles.   LEGACY AND ADVICE [20:51] Jordan touches on what he hopes are the traits people will remember him by at ProService. He shares one of his proudest moments at ProService, as well as some critical advice for aspiring c-suite.   [24:00] Jordan explains why you need to make sure you're never a bottleneck as well as relentless prioritization.   MANAGEMENT STYLE [26:49] Jordan walks us through the leader-leader style of management and talks about the great advantages and difficulties of Topgrading.   RECRUITING [32:10] Recruiting and hiring is one of the most important aspects of Jordan's job, and he will spend around 40% of his time on it.   DECISIONS [33:22] Jordan shares a decision he made that didn't go as planned.   BEST WORST JOB JORDAN EVER HAD [35:30] Bussing tables at a restaurant!   [39:26] Michael thanks Jordan for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ProService Obsidian HR Topgrading   Books: Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, by L. David Marquet The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability, by Craig Hickman, Tom Smith, and Roger Connors Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don't, by Verne Harnish Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO, by Nathan Bennett   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Jordan Connely joins the show today as the President of Obsidian HR and CFO of ProService Hawaii (Obsidian's parent company). He and Michael share some interesting practices when it comes to HR as well as Jordans’ thoughts on how to improve your career, how to transition from consulting to the C-suite, and the many roles he’s held throughout the years.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Jordan Conley is President of Obsidian HR, as well as the current CFO of ProService Hawaii (Obsidian’s parent company). He is responsible for the strategy, customer experience, culture, and profitability of the business. Leveraging over 20 years of experience in the HR outsourcing industry, he brings a unique perspective to the evolving needs and definition of “HR” in the modern workplace. Prior to being appointed President of Obsidian HR, he was a founding member of ZeroChaos (now Workforce Logiq) and has held senior leadership roles at CoAdvantage (a large national HR outsourcing firm). As a natural entrepreneur, Jordan is passionate about seeing opportunities where businesses need help and partnering with leaders to protect their operations and make growth a reality. Jordan attended the University of Central Florida and Crummer School of Business at Rollins. He is married with three sons and currently resides in Denver, CO where he is an active car aficionado, an avid reader, and a connoisseur of Colorado beer.   GET IN TOUCH WITH JORDAN CONLEY ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:49] Michael introduces Jordan and asks him to share a little bit about what ProService Hawaii and Obsidian HR do as well as the differences between working in Hawaii and on the mainland. A LITTLE BIT OUT OF THE BLUE [8:44] What Jordan didn’t realize at the time was that in consulting he had been doing a year-long interview for the CTO position! CXO PATH [10:30] Having dropped out of undergraduate school to launch a startup, Jordan speaks to his non-linear path to the C-suite by way of an MBA. He shares an anecdote about staying in touch with some of his classmates and even having some of them now working out of Hawaii. SLOW BUT STEADY [15:19] From CTO to COO Jordan talks about the slow transition he made from IT to HR as well as playing both roles for a period of time. Jordan also shares his most rewarding and challenging moments as a COO. KEEPING TRAINS ON TIME [19:10] Jordan shares his take on the COO role as well as the period of time when the COO was living out of Sweden and traveling to Honolulu regularly, requiring Jordan to fill a lot of roles. LEGACY AND ADVICE [20:51] Jordan touches on what he hopes are the traits people will remember him by at ProService. He shares one of his proudest moments at ProService, as well as some critical advice for aspiring c-suite. [24:00] Jordan explains why you need to make sure you’re never a bottleneck as well as relentless prioritization. MANAGEMENT STYLE [26:49] Jordan walks us through the leader-leader style of management and talks about the great advantages and difficulties of Topgrading. RECRUITING [32:10] Recruiting and hiring is one of the most important aspects of Jordan’s job, and he will spend around 40% of his time on it. DECISIONS [33:22] Jordan shares a decision he made that didn’t go as planned.   BEST WORST JOB JORDAN EVER HAD [35:30] Bussing tables at a restaurant! [39:26] Michael thanks Jordan for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways. We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ProService Obsidian HR Topgrading   Books: Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, by L. David Marquet The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability, by Craig Hickman, Tom Smith, and Roger Connors Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t, by Verne Harnish Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO, by Nathan Bennett   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly   ABOUT YOUR HOST For the past 20 years, Michael Mitchel, B.A., has been interviewing leaders in their fields. He started his career recruiting for United Parcel Service in Seattle, where he implemented the company's Welfare to Work program for the Washington State District. He has recruited for Federal agencies and U.S. Department of Defense contractors for classified programs internationally. He Founded OC Executive Search in 2001 to serve companies ranging from startups to Global F10.   Michael is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Navy and enjoys skiing, cycling, traveling, photography as well as hiking in the Colorado Rockies with his cattle dog, Kala the Wunderdawg.   FIND MICHAEL MITCHEL ON LINKEDIN AND ON TWITTER

Bennie S. Covington, Chief People Officer for Integrated Financial Settlements, comes on the show to share his story about falling into HR even as he tried to avoid it, what it means to run a successful business, and what you need to cultivate to be a strong leader and aspire to the C-suite, even when you don't!   ABOUT OUR GUEST   Bennie S. Covington has helped small businesses, nonprofits, Fortune 500, and global organizations align their culture to their mission-critical goals to help them to create a blueprint for success in the global market. He leverages best practices in Agile principles, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and adult learning theory to do this effectively.   He has mentored hundreds of leaders and managers globally in the U.S., Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Belgium. In 2017, he earned recognition for being in the top 10% of global leadership development programs in the areas of executive coaching, team development, and new leader development from HR.com.   ​He currently is the Chief People Officer at Integrated Financial Settlements. As a community leader, he has participated in the Downtown Denver Partnership leadership program, served on the Five Points Business District Welton Street Design Working Group, and the Denver Mayor's Pedestrian Committee.   GET IN TOUCH WITH BENNIE ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Bennie and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself as well as share a little about Integrated Financial Settlements.   LEGACY [9:30] Bennie touches on how his goal at the onset of his current role was to stabilize, partner, and transform HR in the business. He walks us through the key points to keep in mind in order to tackle such an undertaking and what sustainability really means for a business.   DREAMS OF A CXO ROLE? [13:01] Being C-suite, even being in HR, had never been on Bennie's radar; he talks about the very personal way he became interested in HR and how he came to see CXO roles as a way to transform operations.   C-SUITE QUALITIES [18:06] In order to be tapped for a C-suite role, you have to demonstrate some understanding of business. Bennie talks about a few more reasons why he may have been initially tapped for the VP role as well as some questions he was asked.   IMPORTANT EXPERIENCE [21:35] Having some background in the more technical aspects of the job might have been helpful in the beginning, so Bennie suggests that if you do have a strong interest in a field, you should stay up-to-date.   RADIO [26:02] Bennie was aiming for a radio hosting career, he recounts how that began in earnest and how he actually changed paths when the industry began consolidating. He does rely upon some of that experience for public speaking.   LEVEL SETTING [33:12] Bennie shares a tip to make sure people follow you in a conversation.   CHRO to CEO? [33:46] Bennie doesn't know if CHRO moves to CEO but it seems like it might be the time for it.   ADVICE [36:50] Understand the business and the number 1 expense is Bennie's biggest piece of advice for aspiring CXOs. Bennie shares a city design example!   BEST WORST JOB BENNIE EVER HAD [42:00] Call center work… Bennie touches on what he learned working in a field that was not for him.   [46:50] Michael thanks Bennie for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Integrated Financial Settlements   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Randal Meske, CRO of ConstructConnect, joins the show today to talk about how he approaches turning around a business, the complex network of qualities that make a good leader, and how to set up your hiring practices so that you know if the fit is right within 90 days.   Today's discussion is fast-paced and filled to the brim with advice and tips on how to cut your sales chops in today's market and bettering your function as a team member; take your pens and pencils out and don't miss out on any of it.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Randal Meske is the CRO at ConstructConnect (a Roper Technologies company) and the Founder and CEO at Evreware, a market intelligence firm.   Prior to Evreware, Randal was the President at Citation Technologies Inc., an environmental compliance solutions company.  Before Citation, Randal was the Vice President of Oracle's Global Collaboration Sales Unit. Prior to Oracle, Randal was the Vice President, Technical Publishing Business Development at IHS where he managed their worldwide content supply network. Before IHS, he served as Sr. Director of Business Development at Citrix Systems, Inc. He also had multiple international assignments in Europe and Latin America with Lotus and IBM managing regional P&L, creating go-to-market strategies, and building multiple sales organizations in those geographies.   Randal graduated with honors in 1986 from the University of North Texas earning a B.B.A. with an emphasis on International Business.  Prior to University, he studied abroad for one year in Germany.  Randal is fluent in German and currently studies Italian.  He lives in the Denver area with his wife and 3 daughters.   GET IN TOUCH WITH RANDAL ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Randal and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself — Randal was part of a men's barbershop chorus called the Vocal Majority — and some information on ConstructConnect.   SALES CHOPS [8:05] Randal offers a few possible avenues for newcomers to start gathering some direct sales experience — just make sure it's something you can believe in.   C-SUITE QUALITIES [11:50] The advantages of having had good, and bad, leadership in shaping your path to the C-suite. Randal touches on what qualities factor into reaching the C-suite.   SIZE OR PRIDE [14:37] Randal shares his biggest, and his proudest deals — they are not the same.   JOB REWARDS [18:11] With regards to the rewards of his work, helping people do the best work of their lives is the answer that comes up spontaneously for Randal.   CXO DIFFERENCES [19:00] Randal touches on the differences in titles between CSO and CRO. Sales will limit the person to sales whereas most times CRO will encompass marketing as well.   #1 CHALLENGE [21:05] Though it depends on the business, Randal talks about the pressure of hitting the number and target objectives you've established. He also touches on culture and how important it is to take a business to the next level.   TURNING AROUND A BUSINESS [23:44] Randal talks about his management style as an example of how a turnaround might go — he breaks down the details and reminds people in that position to shut up and listen in the beginning.   MAKING TALENT CHANGES [28:35] Sometimes you walk into a situation where someone is being inappropriate or abusive, in blatant cases, you address them right away, but if your hiring practices are right, you give people 90 days.   LEADERSHIP HIRING [31:19] Randal shares the long version of what he looks for in leadership hires as well as the two most important points: grit and problem resolution.   ADVICE FOR VPs [38:05] Learn, learn, and learn is the basis of Randal's advice, as well as talking to younger people and becoming a better teammate.   BEST ADVICE RANDAL STILL USES [42:02] Executives are busy; when they give you time, you have to respect that — don't take half an hour to make a five-minute point, Randal is a talker, he had to learn this skill.   BEST WORST JOB RANDAL EVER HAD [44:38] Digging ditch for a local gas company at $2.87 an hour — Randal shares an ego check story from that time.   [52:03] Michael thanks Randal for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ConstuctConnect   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Our guest today is Steve T. Joanis, CEO of PlanetIQ. He comes on the show to share his experience having served as a CFO, President, board member, and partner through different investment firms.   Don't miss this episode for some serious tips on how to best appear on VC's radars and stay top of mind for C-suite recruiting as well as what the most successful CXO candidates share in terms of personality traits.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Mr. Joanis has 25-plus years of management consulting, venture capital, and C-Level management experience in venture-backed companies across many industries. He has served on the Boards of Directors for more than 20 companies and has many successful exits to his credit as both a primary investor and as management. His strength in finance and operations has driven his expertise in scaling businesses with a focus on cash flow and value for investors.   Mr. Joanis managed strategy and M&A consulting engagements at LEK consulting, was a primary investor as a Partner at Wolf Ventures and Roser Ventures, was a Founder and Partner of PE firm HardPoint Capital, and had P&L responsibility as a C-level manager at three different startups, going back to 2003. At T3 Media, his most recent success story, Mr. Joanis led the company from pre-revenue through the high-growth phase and exited by selling to two different PE firms in two separate transactions. Mr. Joanis has raised more than $200MM in venture capital or venture-related debt.   Mr. Joanis has a BS from West Point and an MBA from Wharton. He was a decorated military combat aviator prior to his civilian career.   GET IN TOUCH WITH STEVEN ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Steve and asks him to share a little bit about what PlanetIQ does.   BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS [4:02] Steven shares what attracts him to any specific company: market size, protected technology, high-profit margins, and a solid team are all part of his checklist. He talks about what PlanetIQ had to offer to get him on board.   SPEAKING VC [8:30] An overarching theme in Steven's career seems to have been his pull towards high tech. He touches on some reasons that may be as well as how being on the investment side has influenced his style as a CEO.   LOOKING BACK [12:42] Going back to investment? Steven talks about all of the things he loved in the investing world and what being on the entrepreneurial side offers that suits him better.   DECIDING TO BE A CEO [15:39] Steven's military career helped shape his decisional process and probably played a huge role in him aiming for decisional roles and positions that offer responsibilities.   MILITARY INFLUENCE [20:22] Steven touches on how the military influenced his leadership style as well as the success he's garnered. He also speaks to his hiring practices and how the military plays into that aspect as well.   PIVOTING TO THE C-SUITE [28:57] After having moved away from VC, Steven found a comfortable space for himself which put him on the fast track to his first C-suite contract. He also explains how having been on various company boards helped him identify how he could best tackle the C responsibilities.   ADVICE FOR VP'S [32:40] Looking at where CEOs come from when it comes to venture-backed high tech companies, most of them come out of sales or tech. Steven explains how you can use this information to build a strategic path to the C-suite. He also shares a few tips on jumping into a CXO role.   SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES [35:47] Steven touches on what VCs look for, in terms of personality, when searching out new candidates. He also shares ideas on getting onto a VC's radar.   TIMELESS ADVICE [38:52] Steven shares some early advice he got which is still relevant today, 20 years later.   BEST WORST JOB STEVEN EVER HAD [44:56] Being a dairy farmer!   [47:27] Michael thanks Steven for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE PlanetIQ   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Scott Miller, EVP of Thought Leadership at Franklin Covey and author of the recently released book Management Mess to Leadership Success: 30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow joins the show to talk about what he learned from being fired, what a thought leader does, what makes great leaders and how to work towards leadership success.   Strap in for a fast-paced, energetic discussion on the ins and outs of leadership.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Scott J. Miller is Executive Vice President of Thought Leadership. Scott has been with the company for 20 years and previously served as Vice President of Business Development and Chief Marketing Officer. His role as EVP caps 12 years on the front line, working with thousands of client facilitators across many markets and countries.   Prior to his appointment, Scott served as the General Manager of the Central Region, based in Chicago. Scott originally joined Covey Leadership Center in 1996 as a Client Partner with the Education Division.   Scott started his professional career with the Disney Development Company, the real estate development division of The Walt Disney Company in 1992. As a research coordinator, he identified trends and industry best practices in community development, education, healthcare, architectural design, and technology. Scott received a B.A. in Organizational Communication from Rollins College in 1996.   GET IN TOUCH WITH SCOTT ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC National Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:15] Michael introduces Scott Miller and welcomes him to the podcast to talk about his experience having nine distinct careers inside the same organization and what initially drew him to Franklin Covey.   GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES [5:30] Scott's father worked for Lockheed Martin for 35 years, and Scott had a plan to make it to CEO by his mid-fifties; he just never expected to walk most of that path with Franklin Covey! He touches on a few reasons why he stayed.   LEGACIES AND MANAGEMENT STYLES [7:54] Lifting people up is the one thing he would love his legacy to be. Scott also touches on how he approaches managing his employees; brutal honesty is a good start for him.   DISNEY DAYS [12:20] Despite having been an amazing learning experience, Disney was the wrong culture for Scott and his bull-in-a-china-shop attitude got him spun out. He shares his most valuable lesson coming out of Disney.   BEING AN IMPACTFUL LEADER [15:36] Regulating your emotions is a C-suite competency, not an option: You have to be able to have high-courage conversations where you're moving outside your comfort zone and do it in a delicate and elegant way. He shares an interaction he had with Laird Hamilton.   THE FRANKLIN PLANNER AND MORE [19:22] Scott talks about all of the services and products Franklin Covey offers as well as some of the history of the company.   EARNING THE C-SUITE [22:17] Scott shares the serendipitous story of how he ended up as Chief Marketing Officer as well as how he got on the radar for the position. Always hit your forecast if not your goal, Scott is proud to have earned his way into the C-suite.   DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS [28:35] If you can't summon the courage to call out people on their blind spots, you don't deserve the leadership role. Scott explains what you can do to improve, and, believe it or not, it starts with practice and separating facts from emotions.   WHAT IS AN EVP OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP [34:00] Does Scott just sit there and pontificate all day? It really is the new public relations. Scott breaks down what his work entails in practice.   WORK-LIFE BALANCE [37:55] Scott shares his own experience with what he calls seasons rather than continuous balance.   PERSONAL BRANDS [40:27] Scott touches on the delicate balance he has to keep in order to grow his own brand while keeping his fiduciary responsibility to grow the Franklin Covey brand as well. Be very thoughtful about how you are curating your brand, and if you're an employee of a company, it needs to be congruent with or separate from it.   BEST WORST JOB SCOTT EVER HAD [47:23] Waiting tables! Scott shares exactly what he learned in terms of both customer service and teamwork.   FINAL THOUGHTS [48:40] Don't confuse being efficient with being effective.   [49:41] Michael thanks Scott for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Book: Management Mess to Leadership Success: 30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow, by Scott Jeffrey Miller Podcast: On Leadership with Scott Miller The 7 Habits of Very Highly Effective People, by Dr. Stephen R. Covey   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC National Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Today, Heather Terenzio from Techtonic joins the show. She's a name that comes up a lot with good buzz and we're lucky to have her on to talk about acting on and running with an idea, founding and leading her own company, challenges and successes of selling a unique concept, and what drives her.   Tune in for loads of advice on building and running flexible companies that survive hardship as well as novel ways to build tomorrow's workforce.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Heather Terenzio is the founder and CEO of Techtonic Group. Techtonic Group is a software services company building web-based and mobile products for start-ups and the Fortune 1000. Four years ago, Heather founded Techtonic Academy to train people with diverse backgrounds how to code using a unique, Department of Labor (DOL) approved Apprenticeship program. This highly selective Apprenticeship program recruits people who have the desire, ambition, and skill set to be a great software developer — regardless of their background or academic training. The Techtonic Group Apprenticeship program has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Popular Mechanics. Heather believes that diverse and inclusive talent are the building blocks upon which great companies are built.   GET IN TOUCH WITH HEATHER ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC National Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:15] Michael introduces Heather and the company she founded and asks her to talk about what Techtonic is, what it does, and how it came about.   LET'S PAY YOU TO LEARN [4:55] Heather touches on how being an apprenticeship company is a really interesting intersection to be in. A whole world of government, grant, and foundation funding becomes available.   AGILE [7:05] Challenges are something that agile helps Techtonics overcome, Heather shares stories of how the company has iterated its processes in order to be better at what they do.   IT'S NOT JUST FOR TRADE JOBS [8:32] Heather touches on some of the reactions she got from developers in the beginning even if humans have been learning by apprenticeship for a long, long time. She also shares some of the apprenticeship criteria and attributes.   BEING BACKGROUND AGNOSTIC [11:42] Taking all of the barriers to entry away was the key to unlocking diversity in a natural way. Techtonics only takes the best of the best and it turns out that this is a very diverse group of people. She shares the first Apple Watch fail as an example of diversity being a necessary element of any successful project.   ONCE THEY'RE IN, THEY'RE HOOKED [15:57] Heather talks about how shifting mindset in potential clients — and their HR departments — takes a while, but once they're in, they're hooked!   UNTAPPED LABOR FORCES [19:24] Training veteran spouses is one of Techtonic's initiatives and Heather touches on how the idea came about as well as who they partnered with to set it up.   IT COMES DOWN TO GUT [22:52] Heather touches on what she looks for in her key hires for the company. She shares some stories of the good and bad fits she's had.   BUILDING THINGS [24:42] This isn't Heather's first company. She talks about her love of building things and what kind of person it takes as well as her experience building her first company.   THERE IS NO ONE HERE I WANT TO BE IN 5 YEARS [27:48] Heather shares her path from engineering to tech. She also talks about how she made her way to the C-suite.   ADVICE [30:54] Heathers shares her advice for people aiming to be CXOs. She also takes time to share the advice her dad gave her.   COVID [33:11] Crisis management is about focusing on what you can control; Heather offers that in her experience leaner companies fare better in crisis.   BEST WORST JOB HEATHER EVER HAD [35:20] Waitressing in high school and college; it's horrible for a clumsy person, but it makes you so much more efficient and great at customer service.   FINAL THOUGHTS AND READING RECOMMENDATIONS [37:22]   [41:14] Michael thanks Heather for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Techtonic Book: Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, by Ben Horowitz   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC National Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Today Jamey Seely joins the show to talk about being a Chief Legal Officer — which most people refer to as being your own counsel — the two usual legal career paths, being an executive and LGBTQ in blue-collar industries and working in nuclear.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Jamey was named by Denver Business Journal as one of 2020's Top 25 Most Powerful and Influential Women in Business; she is a Trailblazer in Business honoree by Aspioneer for 2019, an Outstanding Women in Business Award winner in 2017 and a 2018 Out and Proud Corporate Counsel Award winner by the national LGBTQ bar association — and that's just since she's arrived in Denver.   GET IN TOUCH WITH JAMEY ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Jamey and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself — marathoning and cycling worldwide as well as racing cars are just one of the few things this adrenaline junkie likes to do!   [4:44] Jamey explains what Gates is and what they do — they're everywhere and they have vulcanizers!   CLO OR GENERAL COUNSEL [8:17] What does a CLO do in terms of helping a company be healthy? And Jamey shares the really awesome thing about being on the legal side of a corporation.   BECOMING GC/CLO [13:00] Jamey knew from high school that she wanted to be a CLO — even not fully knowing what that meant. She also speaks to paying her dues and the importance of mentorship.   [17:14] GC used to require corporate securities and M&A, if not, you could be a number two. Jamey touches on the trends today.   [19:19] Jamey speaks to the most common reasons people aim for that role, as well as what makes a good GC.   PEER AND BOARD INTERACTIONS [20:54] A GC serves multiple roles; Jamey shares a professional story that explains the breadth of interactions a GC needs to maintain. She touches on how a board should behave.   WHY JAMEY GOT THE JOB [25:22] She explains why she joined Gates and what her job was from the get-go — make the company public. She talks about how she did it, as well as getting to the big day and ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.   LGBTQ [30:52] Jamey touches on being LGBTQ in business. She shares some advice and talks about how she got a feeling for the culture of diversity at Gates — and how you can get a good feeling for this in any company. Ask if they have a diversity and inclusion initiative both internally and externally!   NUCLEAR [40:28] Jamey talks about working with the brightest minds and running huge fun projects from a legal perspective. She shares her experience of Fukushima which happens right as she had landed an enormous nuclear project.   ADVICE FOR ASPIRING GC/CLO [45:01] Be prepared for the breadth and for being the trusted advisor for the C suite. Jamey breaks down some key experience you should work at getting. Also, keep an open mind!   WHEN JAMEY SET HER SIGHTS [47:54] Jamey speaks to when she decided she was going for the C suite in earnest — after having left law, which became a career asset.   BEST WORST JOB JAMEY EVER HAD [49:46] Litigation was never a match for Jamey — also, waiting tables, it's brutal. Michael shares his own horrible job!   [53:29] Michael thanks Jamey for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

John Vranas is Chief Development and Marketing Officer for the Humane Society of the United States. He has a stellar track record of helping organizations raise money and make significant impact in people's lives, society and now animals. Over the years he has rolled out cool programs and partnerships and he comes on the show today to share his experience with us.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Before his work at the Humane Society of the United States, John oversaw the creation and execution of all global projects for fundraising, communications, and marketing at Make-A-Wish International. Before that, he served as Vice President of Fundraising for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Senior Vice President of Field Operations at ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as well as the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Vranas is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.   GET IN TOUCH WITH JOHN ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces John Vranas and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself.   John shares how rewarding this side of business can be, and explains what the Humane Society of the United States is and how it differs from the Humane Society.   SO HOW DOES ONE BECOME A CDO [6:18] John speaks to the trial and error nature of his own career path and how the size of charities has increased enough nowadays that it is becoming a valid career path to be intentional about.   THE JERRY LEWIS TELETHON [9:33] Michael shares his experience of the telethon as a child which leads the conversation to how donation has changed through the years and how it has also remained the same.   NECESSARY SKILL SETS [11:53] John talks about the various skills both learned and innate required to succeed in this type of work.   OUTSIDE OF THE BIG DONOR ROLODEX [13:10] Though the size of donations may differ from one organization to the next, the important measurement in charities is engagement, John explains how quantitative analytics can lead you to miss the greater picture.   CDO IMPACT [15:56] Aside from driving funding, the impact expected of a CDO is engagement; John touches on working towards closing the gap between donors and causes (from ‘you' and ‘we' to ‘us').   DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING [18:26] John explains how his various roles have converged and what he's learned along the way.   FUNDING PROJECTS [20:31] John touches on the dynamics of program funding within an overarching funding strategy, as well as the biggest pitfalls to avoid when it comes to donor relationships. He also shares how the ideas for specific programs come about and the requirements for launching and sustaining them.   HIRING SKILLS [27:39] Having a sense of purpose and fitting in the team are very important and John shares the one type of error he will excuse and the one type he won't.   BASEBALL [29:44] The analogy stands, whether you work at the community level or at the National level, it boils down to the same important factors.   Michael reflects on his own reticence in using veterans' stories to build engagement at VFW1, John echoes these thoughts but shines a different light on it.   ADVICE FOR ASPIRING C's [33:47] Understand the position and be comfortable watching other people succeed around you. He also explains what is expected of his position for the benefit of listeners.   Sidebar! [35:30] Did Michael eventually tell Scott Kelly what to say!?   PREPARING FOR A C CHAIR [38:37] Learning to put the right people in the right places may be your greatest asset.   KEY CAREER MOMENTS [40:27] John shares that even though he never directly aspired to the C-suite, his nature got him to take on more and say yes to opportunities.   CONTRIBUTING BETTER [43:00] John shares his advice on how people can better contribute to help their non-profits.   ADVICE JOHN STILL USES TODAY [44:35] This is a piece of two-part advice for which John shares a personal story.   BEST WORST JOB JOHN EVER HAD [47:04] Industrial painting in the hot Virginia summer!   [49:29] Michael thanks John for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Humane Society of the United States   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Bill Wosilius joins the show to discuss matters ranging from declaring your role and how to obtain it, assessing the situation and making hard executive changes, why become a CEO, and how to prepare for it. He has a wealth of advice to share and the experience to back it up; don't miss this episode.   ABOUT OUR GUEST After graduating from the U.S. Airforce Academy and serving for eight years, Bill worked for companies such as InFlow, Sunguard, Healthgrades, CoreSite, Optiv, and now NexusTek.   GET IN TOUCH WITH BILL WOSILIUS ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Bill and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself — Bill made a promise to himself that he would run one adventure race a year, every year until he couldn't.   Bill talks about what NexusTek does and who they are.   ACCIDENTAL CEO [5:55] Bill shares how he came to be a CEO at NexusTek, and shares a few pieces of advice for reaching the C-suite, including avoiding target fixation!   ALL OF IT IS IMPORTANT [9:35] Looking back on what led him to where he is today, Bill shares that every single experience in the last 10 years has contributed to him being an accidental CEO and IT guy.   FIVE FROGS [12:24] Bill shares the story of how he led his first integration and what cascaded from it, including the challenges of merging and integrating the Hatfields and the McCoys!   M&A BACK OFFICE [19:02] Although he wasn't directly responsible for the back-office functions, Bill did get a chance to see how an M&A affects them. He touches on how important it is to hire strong, competent leaders for each of the functions.   NEWLY MINTED CEO [21:36] Bill describes his first 30, 60, and 120 days at NexusTek. He shares the first four questions he asks: What's working? What's not working? What should we start now? What should we stop now?   H.A.C. G.A.S. N.A. [24:54] Bill breaks down the acronyms he used to keep himself on track in choosing a team.   HUGE CHESS MOVES [27:36] Within his first 120 days, Bill had brought in — among others — a new CFO, COO, VP of Professional Services and a VP of Integration; he speaks to those decisions.   MANAGEMENT STYLE [30:22] Bill describes his management style, which he's been both praised and criticized for!   ADVICE FOR ASPIRING CXO's [32:32] Quit focusing on it! Just do a good job — the best job you ever had is the one you have right now.   HIRING EXECUTIVES [38:34] Bill shares the qualities he looks for when hiring for executive positions. He shares the use of the FORMS acronym.   FINAL THOUGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS [44:38] Bill shares his final advice: every job prepares you in some way; all of them are important. Michael shares his best worst job for the first time!   BEST WORST JOB BILL EVER HAD [46:52] All of them were good: except two where he worked for authoritative micro-managers.   Michael shares his own best worst job for the first time!   MORE FINAL THOUGHTS (as the music plays Bill off the stage!) [49:18] Bill has more invaluable advice to offer.   [50:35] Michael thanks Bill for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE NexusTek Five Frogs on a Log: A CEO's Field Guide to Accelerating the Transition in Mergers, Acquisitions & Gut Wrenching Change, by Mark L Feldman and Michael F. Spratt Top Grading Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, by Jocko Willink and Lief Babin Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… And Maybe the World, by Admiral William H. McRaven   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Today, Mary Beth Loesch joins the show to talk about how she knew she wanted to be a CEO when she grew up, how she hit the fast track when she was in her 20s, and how her experience in sales, operations, and finance prepared her for the CEO chair. We can't wait to see what Mary Beth accomplishes when she grows up!   ABOUT OUR GUEST CEO, Board member, and current Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network Advisor Mary Beth Loesch started presenting in front of the US West Board before she was 30 years old and opened up operations in the Philippines and Central America. She has extensive M&A experience, is a CEO, Board Member, and Advisor and recently, she took up golf. Mary Beth graduated from Creighton University with both an undergrad and an MBA; her board experience has ranged from Women on Boards to Regis University and many in between.   GET IN TOUCH WITH MARY BETH LOESCH ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Mary Beth and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself — before she became pregnant 21 years ago, she used to ride motorcycles!   She explains what her firm CGE Strategic Consulting does.   A CEO AT 5 YEARS OLD [4:02] Mary Beth shares how her father's entrepreneurship influenced what she aspired to be as a child. She explains what skills she picked up on her way to the C-suite starting with being fearless when it comes to the roles you take on in your early career.   [7:25] Because Mary Beth was so fearless jumping from one role to the next, she gets a wide array to pick a favorite from.   FROM CONSULTANT TO CEO [7:46] Mary Beth touches on the interesting experience of coming in as a consultant and exiting as the CEO for Medical Simulation Corporation.   OPERATIONS OVERSEAS [10:38] Travelling to India, the Philippines, and Central America was an enriching experience.   THE US WEST DAYS [12:06] Mary Beth shares a few pivotal stories — including one fearless flight for her career — from her US West days, starting as the Supervisor, Payroll Accounting and leaving as Division President.   TURNAROUND SITUATIONS [20:00] Turning situations around is one of Mary Beth's great career loves; she shares a story from her days at Activant Solutions, from doubling the $220 million a year to a $900 million exit in two years.   BEST CEO PREPARATION [23:04] Mary Beth lists the breadth of varied experiences she attributes to helping her succeed as a CEO.   ADVICE FOR ASPIRING CEOS [25:02] Mary Beth shares the most important thing she believes people should be doing who aspire to the CEO position: seize opportunities to pick up new skill sets.   MANAGEMENT STYLE [25:41] Mary Beth's management style.   B.E.N. [26:12] What is the Blackstone Entrepreneurial Network and why does Mary Beth donate her time?   AHA MOMENTS AND ADVICE [27:20] Mary Beth touches on a big aha moment she had while doing M&A. Leave it better than you found it is a piece of advice that Mary Beth still uses today. She shares the advice she gives to young up-and-comers.   BEST WORST JOB MARY BETH EVER HAD [33:47] All roads lead to US West!   FINAL THOUGHTS AND READING RECOMMENDATIONS [35:09] Mary Beth shares her final thoughts and invites listeners to read the Wall Street Journal.   [36:35] Michael thanks Mary Beth for coming on the podcast to share her insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE CGE Strategic Consulting The Wall Street Journal   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly

Today's guest served as a Marine for seven years before making his way from plant manager to VP of Sales within four years in the manufacturing industry and making the jump towards technology.   Ben and Michael will be discussing how to make the jump into the tech field, the impact of military service on his professional life, and how founding the Denver Startup Week has affected his career.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Ben Deda has a professional path that includes seven years of service in the Marines. He started his civilian career as the Plant Manager for TruStile Doors becoming the VP of commercial sales in four years. He then made the jump into tech and was the VP of Sales at FullContact, the COO at Galvanize, VP of Marketing for Vertafore and is currently the CEO of Foodmaven. Ben also co-founded the hugely successful Denver Startup Week.   Ben graduated from the University of Notre-Dame with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Denver.   GET IN TOUCH WITH BEN ON LINKEDIN AND TWITTER   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:50] Michael introduces Ben and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself — Ben grew up in a town small enough that it didn't require a stoplight and out of which came the founders of two businesses that were sold for over nine figures apiece! He shares what Foodmaven does.   [3:15] 40% of the food produced in the country is wasted, for an estimated 200 billion dollar loss annually. Ben explains Foodmaven's mission in this landscape as well as how some of the varied industries he's worked in have similarities that he was able to use and be more adaptable and sometimes even innovative.   CEO EXPECTATIONS [8:45] Being newly minted, Ben touches on what he expected being a CEO would be as well as the people, preparation and path it took to get him there. He also touches on the great board he can count on to help him navigate the learning curves.   CRITICAL EXPERIENCE [12:59] Ben breaks down the different ways you can get the critical pieces of experience you need in order to get to a CEO position as well as the importance of surrounding yourself well while still being knowledgeable.   THE MOST IMPACTFUL ROLE [15:43] While there wasn't one role that made him the CEO he is today, Ben does highlight a few of the key positions he's held and how they drove his management style and general business knowledge — and that includes his military service.   FOR THE AMBITIOUS VP OUT THERE [18:52] Ben's advice is about figuring yourself out, picking your opportunities and planning your path.   WHEN THINGS DON'T GO AS PLANNED [20:40] Without singling out one specific moment or decision, Ben touches on his broader tendency to make decisions that seem not to follow a straight line and what may have helped him land the CEO position.   DENVER STARTUP WEEK [23:40] Ben shares how it started, with whom, and why — today, it's the largest free entrepreneurial event in North America. He also takes a moment to reflect on the possibilities for the future.   [31:47] Ben speaks to the great network the Denver Startup Week has facilitated for him.   [33:20] Organizing Denver Startup Week has taught Ben a lot about community and that giving up a measure of control is both hard and necessary. He shares how he has now begun to move away from the frontlines and into a board position.   SO YOU WANT TO BUILD AN EVENT? [36:44] Ben shares his best advice for people who may be interested in building an event of their own. He also gives the three rules he uses with new teams: Get stuff done. Don't screw your team. Always assume positive intent.   MILITARY SERVICE [39:59] Ben breaks down how his military career informs who he is as a person and as a leader.   BEST WORST JOB BEN EVER HAD [41:47] Working on a plastic injection molding factory floor gives you some perspective on what a lot of people's lives are like.   BOOKS AND FINAL THOUGHTS [43:59] Ben shares his reading list and a few final thoughts for emerging CXOs.   [46:57] Michael thanks Ben for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Foodmaven Foodmaven board T-Shaped skills Denver Startup Week (Denver Startup Bash) The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, by Ben Horowitz Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Irma Lockridge joins the podcast today from the CoorsTek Headquarters in Golden Colorado to discuss what it's like working for three CEOs simultaneously, what HR and company culture have to do with one another, and the critical importance of mentors in your career path.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Irma Lockridge has an impressive background and has worked with some of the biggest companies that touch our everyday lives — Accenture, Archstone, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Western Union, Rubbermaid, and for the last four years, CoorsTek.   She earned her Bachelor's degree in business administration from the Wharton School and completed executive leadership development training from Harvard Business School.   GET IN TOUCH WITH IRMA LOCKRIDGE ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Irma and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself — Irma was born in Mexico and is a first-generation high school and college graduate and she is married to her high school sweetheart. She introduces CoorsTek.   WHY HR? [4:30] HR has an impact on every aspect of a business: it deals with people — and if you don't have the right people in the right roles, you simply can't get anywhere. Irma shares the path that led her to choose Human Resources even if she says it chose her!   AN UNUSUAL TITLE [6:33] Chief People and Systems Officer… Irma explains what the unusual ‘systems' part is, and how it can be applied more broadly to CPOs and CHROs.   NEVER AN AVERAGE DAY [11:00] With CoorsTek being such a large company and Irma reporting to three CEOs, ‘average' isn't something that happens. She touches on that dynamic and some of her daily activities.   LANDING THE ROLE AND CREATING LEGACY [14:20] Irma tries her hand at answering an aspirational question in terms of her legacy at CoorsTek. She also talks us through the recruiting process, what she believes got her the job, and what makes the company a uniquely good fit for her.   CPO PHILOSOPHY [17:30] Irma shares her thoughts on leadership and management style as well as how she developed the philosophy that HR is not a support role, in the course of her career and some business experience.   [20:39] Irma shares her advice for mid-level managers trying to get ahead. Don't ask for permission and have your ducks in a row.   INFLUENCING CULTURE [21:14] A CPO or a CHRO is in a prime position to influence culture and Irma touches on how this is operationalized in her own role.   GLOBAL EXPERIENCE [24:11] Working for a global business in one of the things Irma loves; it helps her remain agile and keeps her challenged. She touches on the advantages of having international experience under your belt.   GETTING TO THE C-LEVEL [26:45] Irma's progression was organic and though she didn't have the C-suite in sight right out of the gate, a key mentor helped nudge her forward in a very specific way.   FINDING A MENTOR [29:21] Irma shares the story of how she met and developed her mentor relationships and shares her advice for mid-level managers looking to find mentors as well as what she would have liked to be more prepared for going into the C-suite.   PREPARING FOR THE C-LEVEL [32:24] Irma offers her thoughts and advice for people who want to get to the C-suite, starting with asking yourself why you want it. Because she currently sits on the Denver Scholarship Foundation, she also shares advice for mid-level managers and first-generation graduates.   HARVARD [36:40] Irma shares from her experience at Harvard and the key teachings she took from it.   BEST WORST JOB IRMA EVER HAD [38:02] Aside from Fast Food and telemarketing, Irma's very first managerial job takes the learning cake.   FINAL THOUGHTS AND READING RECOMMENDATIONS [41:15] Irma shares her current ‘reads' and final thoughts.   [44:07] Michael thanks Irma for coming on the podcast to share her insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE CoorsTek Denver Scholarship Foundation   BOOKS The Connector Manager: Why Some Leaders Build Exceptional Talent — and Others Don't, by Jaime Roca and Sari Wilde   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly

Today we're going to discuss the pros and cons of staying with the same company for an extended period, creating an HR organization from scratch, and the lessons that Michelle Anastasi has learned throughout her career.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Michelle is an outgoing CPO who has worked at CompSych, GiveForward, Dell and ASAP Software. She earned her Business Administration degree from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.   GET IN TOUCH WITH ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Michelle Anastasi and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself — She has had a bear visit her kitchen while she was home!   [4:00] Michelle touches on the roles she embodied and the mentors that guided her during her 16-year stint at the same software company, from the accounting department to building an HR department from scratch.   BUILDING HR FROM THE GROUND UP [6:18] Michelle breaks down how she went about tackling the HR department build with very little experience from establishing priority lists to finding the right mentors.   REGRETS? [11:50] Michelle admits to having made her share of mistakes, but she wouldn't trade any of them — she does share the one thing she would have done differently: networks and relationships.   STARTING FROM SCRATCH [12:36] Michelle packs so much advice in a minute, you won't believe it — we counted 11 really important and insightful tips.   SHAKING ASSUMPTIONS [15:30] Behaviors can help in preventing people from pigeonholing you — think about your executive presence and be strategic.   WHY SO LONG? [18:46] Michelle opens up on the reasons why she stayed so long at ASAP, the first of which is that she kept having opportunities to learn and be challenged. She touches on the increasingly short windows companies get to show how engaging they can be to new hires.   THE DELL MERGER [22:21] She did work through a few mergers, but Dell was at a different scale! She talks us through the ups and downs of the experience.   C-SUITE, CPO VS CHRO [25:38] Though there seems to be a push away from the human resources terminology, Michelle sees very little difference between the roles themselves. She delves into what best prepared her for the C-Suite, including a tough boss that knows how to push you outside your comfort zone.   GETTING TO THE C-SUITE [30:04] Michelle hands out fistfuls of advice for aspiring CPOs.   SURPRISES AND REWARDS [33:22] Michelle shares the aspects of being a CPO that she finds surprising and rewarding — even if a lot of the work is covered by NDA!   OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE [33:50] Michelle's approach to HR is influenced by having lived overseas and being culturally aware.   A BAD CALL [35:18] Michelle shares the time she joined a company led by a narcissist.   MBA [36:56] Michelle touches on the value her MBA has had in her career.   CANDIDATE ATTRIBUTES [38:15] What are the things Michelle looks for in a successful candidate to hire.   BEST WORST JOB MICHELLE EVER HAD [39:19] Waitressing is such a good background for everything in life!   FINAL THOUGHTS AND GOOD READS [42:02] Michelle shares a very generous amount of titles to read and a recap of her tips for emerging CXOs.   [44:20] Michael thanks Michelle for coming on the podcast to share her insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Mersive Technologies Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin Tribes: We need you to lead us, by Seth Godin Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, by L. David Marquet Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, by Ben Horowitz   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Al Rosabal joins the show to share his thoughts on leadership, bettering yourself, and overcoming C-suite challenges. Join us for an in-depth discussion on working at the C-level in a variety of industries and how a skillset can really be agnostic.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Al Rosabal is an accomplished CXO who has served in 4 distinct sectors moving up with each change. CTO for a joint venture with Ford Europe, CTO for the city of Denver, CTO and COO for National Cinemedia, and COO for Galvanize.   GET IN TOUCH WITH AL ROSABAL ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Al Rosabal and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself — a month off riding his bike in Patagonia!   TAKING CHANCES [4:44] Al shares his experience diving into an opportunity at Ford in Europe and chalks this opportunity up to good relationships, good timing, taking chances and a bit of luck. He touches on having maybe gone rogue to drive change and make some exciting things happen!   SOLUTIONS AND CHALLENGES [9:09] The Jaguar X Type launch is one of the use cases that Al looks back to in terms of  finding gaps and establishing agile solutions to fill them. Al also speaks to some of the challenges he faced dealing with such a complex organization in a different culture (not only in a new country but in a new company!).   A GOOD LEADER IS A GOOD FOLLOWER [13:22] Al's work in the C-suite has taught him that even at the highest levels, you always are accountable to someone. He shares his experience COO and CTO at National Cinemedia and touches on what it takes to be a strong leader as well as how important it is to be surrounded by people whose values align with yours.   CORPORATE VS PUBLIC [19:08] Al has worked at the C-level in corporations but also for a municipality and he details the similarities and differences you'll find between both as well as the primary drivers that propel them into the future. both have legacy technology which competes with innovations in the space. The municipal level enables you to plan and think really long term as opposed to a more quarterly schedule.   ANY SECTOR WORKS [24:02] Having worked in a multitude of sectors ranging from media to automotive, Al speaks to the importance of choosing a job for the role and opportunity for growth, learning and developing your intellectual flexibility. Additionally, he highlights that there is a core set of skills to any C-level job, independent of sector.   PREPARING FOR A CEO ROLE [25:54] Al's attraction to the CEO role is intimately linked to wanting to have a deeper impact on the company and putting his skills to good use. He also touches on the preparation for a CEO role: it is not a finite endeavor, no one is ever fully prepared — it's a difficult role. Al shares how he studies success and tries to palliate his weaknesses as well as the importance of the people that surround you.   PIVOTAL MOMENTS [30:07] Al shares a few key moments — or stretch roles — in his career that marked a substantial change in how he perceived his role and helped him grow.   CHALLENGES AND REWARDS [33:14] Al speaks of his experience as a CEO: the challenges, rewards, and things he's proud of. He also touches on his management style: accountability, transparency, integrity, people.   TIPS FOR ASPIRING C'S [40:49] Al shares key tips for people looking to reach the C-level: get exposure, find and grab opportunities, and find a coach.   BEST WORST JOB AL EVER HAD [44:02] Al doesn't find he ever had a ‘worst' job, only more or less challenging roles. He shares how each of them has contributed to him learning more about himself and bettering his skillset.   [48:49] Michael thanks Al Rosabal for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please gives us five stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari Extreme Survival, by JG Press DisneyWar, by James B. Stewart   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

This is Part 2 of the interview with General Kevin Patrick ‘Chilli' Chilton. Tune in for discussion filled with advice on reaching the C-Suite, sitting on good boards and finding balance.   A note to those who have not served in the Armed Forces: I will be referring to our guest as either General or by his call sign of ‘Chilli' out of respect for his rank and his service to our country.   ABOUT OUR GUEST General Kevin Patrick ‘Chilli' Chilton graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and has flown pretty much every aircraft in the Air Force inventory including the RF4, F15, U2, and the B52. He attended test-pilot school, served around the world and was selected as an astronaut that included three shuttle missions. He was also the Deputy Program Manager of Operations for the International Space Station. He then returned to the Air Force for key postings such as the Commander of the Ninth Recon Wing, Commander of the Eighth Air Force, and Commander of the Air Force Space Command and the United States Strategic Command. He is currently the only astronaut to obtain the rank of 4-star General. Chilli has served on the boards of Anadarko, Orbital, Aerospace Corporation and both level three and post-merger with Centurylink today as well as with Aerojet Rocketdyne.   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS   FINDING C-LEVEL CANDIDATES [1:50] The General explains how the search process goes from the public, private, and non-profit board's perspective. He also shares some tips on how to be considered for C-Level in an organization.   [4:15] Chilli touches on how many boards are too many boards.   GOOD BOARD, BAD BOARD [6:32] The General has never been on a bad board, so we take the time to ask him how to build a good one. He shares what first surprised him about being on a board as well as the difference between sitting on a Fortune 500 company board and small private ones.   [10:52] Chilli explains how he keeps himself up-to-date on board trends.   A CEO ON THE BOARD [11:39] Chilli shares his thoughts on having the CEO sit on the board, even chair, and what the really important success factor really is as well as what the number one purpose of the board is.   DIFFERENT STROKES [14:00] Having served on boards in so many different sectors, Chilli shares the similarities and differences in the roles he held, he shares his insights on one experience.   LISTENER QUESTION! [17:43] The General answers: ‘How can public companies better leverage their boards?'   ASPIRING CXO's [20:52] Chilli shares his advice for aspiring CXO's — no one does anything on their own.   HIS BEST DECISION [21:59] General Kevin Patrick ‘Chilli' Chilton shares his wife's military service.   AN ASTRONAUT'S WORK-LIFE BALANCE [24:25] The General touches on how he and his wife managed impressive military careers and four children. He makes a point about leadership.   CHILI'S ADVICE FOR HIS YOUNGER SELF [27:20] Keep your options open and don't burn any bridges.   BEST WORST JOB CHILI EVER HAD [29:35] Can you believe Chilli's never had a bad job?   READ, LISTEN AND GET IN TOUCH [31:10] Right now, the General is reading on History.   [33:08] Michael thanks Chili for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE NACD   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

The impressively humble General Kevin Patrick ‘Chilli' Chilton joins the show today to share his 34-½ years of experience in the Air Force as well as the successful transition he then navigated into corporate America.   A note to those who have not served in the Armed Forces: I will be referring to our guest as either General or by his call sign of ‘Chilli' out of respect for his rank and his service to our country.   ABOUT OUR GUEST General Kevin Patrick ‘Chilli' Chilton graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and has flown pretty much every aircraft in the Air Force inventory including the RF4, F15, U2, and the B52. He attended test-pilot school, served around the world and was selected as an astronaut that included three shuttle missions. He was also the Deputy Program Manager of Operations for the International Space Station. He then returned to the Air Force for key postings such as the Commander of the Ninth Recon Wing, Commander of the Eighth Air Force, and Commander of the Air Force Space Command and the United States Strategic Command. He is currently the only astronaut to obtain the rank of 4-star General. Chilli has served on boards of the Anadarko, Orbital, Aerospace Corporation and both level three and post-merger with Centurylink today as well as with Aerojet Rocketdyne.   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:50] Michael introduces General Kevin Patrick ‘Chilli' Chilton and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself — Chilli is a proud family man, husband, and father to four very successful daughters — he also played in the MaxQ all-astronaut rock band!   GETTING CALLED TO THE AIR [5:21] Chilli shares the childhood exposure that shaped his interest in flight and explains how he got about getting himself some flying lessons!   GRACE UNDER PRESSURE [7:59] The General shares how he got his call sign while flying the F-15. He also touches on how the ability to stay cool under pressure, tackle problems, and exemplify leadership can be trained but requires operational terrain experience.   NASA [10:20] Chilli breaks down what qualities NASA looks for in their hires and how executives can strive for those traits even without military training. We also get a peek into the General's space shuttle flight experience (Endeavour — with its tense and joyful maiden voyage — and Atlantis).   PICKING TEAMS [17:37] There are more astronauts than missions, Chilli shares how teams were built for missions during his service. He recalls his first call to pilot the Endeavour and how easy the ‘yes' came.   THROWING YOUR HAT IN THE RING [19:45] The one person and the two reasons Chilli eventually applied at NASA.   MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE CAREERS? [21:33] It used to be a general Air Force policy that if you left for NASA, you didn't come back… but in 1996 ‘Chilli' was invited to volunteer to help the Air Force operationalize space.   LEADERSHIP STRUCTURES [24:07] The Air Force Hierarchy is built in a moving up/moving out fashion, which generates turnover and forces focus on the importance of next-generation leaders. Chilli touches on mentorship, sponsors and the value of a good boss.   COMMANDER VS CEO [30:15] The General breaks down the primary differences between civilian and military work. A commander isn't just a boss.   ADVICE FOR CEOs [32:40] Chilli shares what he believes CEOs can learn from flag officers — listen in for advice on what strength the military can teach you — and he shares his personal advice on what CEOs should do today to properly plan for tomorrow.   POLITICS [35:22] The General makes a statement on politics in the military and offers his perspective on how and why a CEO might be more affected by politics. He also touches on how the military/political/civilian relationships need to be maintained in order to ensure smooth operations.   FIRST BOARD [39:00] Getting his first board appointment came through an acquaintance and it was a learning experience that Chilli appreciated. He shares his view on managing board members with all the individual egos and existing relationships and baggage that this entails, as well as what the role of the Chair is.   A DAY IN THE LIFE [42:35] Chilli shares a day in his life as a board member, and what best practices are important to keep in place.   The General shares what the role of a board is — and isn't — for the benefit of an emerging executive and how to best recruit a new CEO.   [46:37] Michael closes out Part 1 of this interview with General Kevin Patrick ‘Chilli' Chilton and invites listeners to tune into Part 2.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Today we will discuss how to successfully transition between different verticals while continuing to move up the executive ladder. Jean Landsverk shares her best advice on writing for the job you want and planning out a future of pivots without getting dizzy!   ABOUT OUR GUEST Jean is enjoying a remarkable career that began with a hospitality services company and transitioned industries multiple times while ascending to the C-suite. Jean graduated from Iowa State University and holds an MBA from the University of Denver. She started her career at Aramark having sold for their healthcare division, then Coca Cola, returned back to Aramark and after six years, left as the VP of Sales for the first of several industry pivots. As the VP of Sales for C2 Media, she cultivated her five accounts to 72 million dollars and then joined Western Union. While at First Data, Jean served as SVP and she joined Affiliated Computer Services for the Federal and State sector followed by healthcare-focused TriZetto Group. In 2016, Jean became the CRO of Connecture and at the time of this interview, she is the CRO for Zelis Payments.   GET IN TOUCH WITH JEAN LANDSVERK ON LINKEDIN OR AT JEAN.LANDSVERK@GMAIL.COM   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Jean Landsverk and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself — She grew up on a farm!   FIRST POST-COLLEGE JOB [3:30] Jean graduated in December after the market crash of 1987 and took a job in an organization that would invest in her.   BECOMING A VP [7:10] Jean details her own journey to her first VP title and both the work and the luck that played a role in getting her there.   WAIT OR VOLUNTEER? [9:32] Jean speaks to the importance of participating on special projects and gives tips on who to seek out to find them — the busiest person!   LEAVING AN INDUSTRY [11:03] Jean explains why her division being sold at Aramark led to her looking for a new opportunity. She touches on how she went about finding this new opportunity and what her first steps in a brand new industry were like— from quick growth and acquisition at C2 to a well-established brand like Western Union.   SPEED BUMPS [18:09] Building a team, hiring the right people, and growing a business come with a set of learning experiences; Jean shares her journey at Western Union growing from 20 to over 100 million.   MENTORS AND SPONSORS [20:04] Jean speaks to the important role that great mentors played in her career path. She shares some of the great advice she's received over the years.   SVP AND CRO PREP [21:43] Jean touches on how her previous experiences prepared for her coming roles and what about going higher up attracted her. She also shares the story of what happened when Western Union was acquired by First Data.   CHALLENGES AND PERKS [29:00] Jean touches on how leaving may have been her biggest challenge! She shares what experience from First Data she now shares as a mentor.   PIVOTAL MOMENTS [30:12] Jean shares a story on finding balance that was absolutely critical in her CRO career. She explains what her role was as a CRO and what all of those responsibilities entailed and who the people were that best guided her in her capacity as Chief Revenue Officer.   FINDING ASSETS [34:08] Looking for managers and VPs as a CRO is all about finding balance.   WRITING OUT YOUR GOALS [35:34] Jean explains how she planned out her path for the future after First Data, how she formatted her CV to fit the role she was looking for and where it took her — the pivots are almost dizzying!   FROM SVP TO CRO [39:12] Jean tells the story of how she grew her health company division for acquisition from 115 to over 350 million in five years, which prompted Connecture to headhunt her for their needs. She shares what questions she should have asked and what deeper studies you should do on a company before accepting a C-level role.   ADVICE FOR ACCEPTING A JOB [41:15] Jeane shares her tips on moving into a new company: Study the organization Understand trends Talk to some customers Interview more than two to three times   PRIDE AND CHANGES [42:23] TriZetto is a point of pride for Jean; she talks about what her most notable accomplishments were in that company. She shares the story of what happened to profoundly change her life both personally and professionally — get ready for the most unlikely bucket list item you've ever heard!   ASPIRING CRO [49:40] Jean breaks down the important to-dos for someone aiming at a CRO position.   BEST WORST JOB JEAN EVER HAD [50:58] Jean worked in a factory in high school and it inspired her to keep aiming for more. She shares her final thoughts.   [52:33] Michael thanks Jean for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Welcome to Part 2 of this discussion with CEO Ray Schiavone. During this episode, we dive into what drives CEO turnover, what working for PE-owned companies is like, where good ideas come from, and the importance of doing whatever it takes. Ray also shares a heap of tips for aspiring CEOs and current C-level professionals.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Ray Schiavone started his career at G.E., during the then-CEO Jack Welch's tenure. He then moved on to act as a tech company CEO twice over and has since settled into running his own firm.   Ray is a graduate of Syracuse University and subsequently earned an MBA from the University of Maryland where he serves as a board member for the A. James Clark School of Engineering. He has been recognized for his accomplishments with numerous awards including the Michigan Venture Capital Association's Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Crain's Detroit Business 40 Under 40 and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.   GET IN TOUCH WITH RAY ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:50] Michael opens up Part 2 of this discussion with Ray Schiavone with a question on CEO departures.   KING-CEO [5:22] Ray speaks to working with larger-than-life people and what a company needs to build around such big personalities in order to foster the best out of their people and protect their assets.   SO YOUR FIRM'S BEEN BOUGHT? [8:51] Ray shares his experience with being bought out by a private equity firm, the first discussions he had with the new owners, the relationship before, during, and after the transaction as well as the factors that made them keep him onboard. Ray shares his advice for CEOs who may be going into this kind of situation and the type of work structure they can expect.   WHEN OUTCOMES DON'T MEET EXPECTATIONS [14:50] Admitting failure is the toughest part of life. Ray shares a professional story of failure.   LEARNING FROM JACK WELCH AND GE [17:16] Good ideas come from everywhere is what Ray remembers first, he gives a few examples and explains how he integrated what he learned from Jack into his own management style. He also speaks to the influence Jack had on corporate America.   [21:22] Ray unpacks the toolkit he inherited from GE and explains what he still uses and what he had to change.   MENTORSHIP [24:18] Ray gives tips on how to be mentored.   REWARDS, SURPRISES, AND CULTURE [26:27] Setting a company culture starts with leading by example; Ray also shares what surprised him about being in a leading position.   LEGACY [30:23] Learning and being a good human is the legacy Ray hopes he has. He shares the aspects he enjoyed the most and the least about being a CEO — they're the same!   IS THE OLD STILL NEW? [33:11] Giving people the power to make decisions is something Ray saw at GE and still sees today. However, decentralization and the increase in remote work make it harder to stand out.   DIVERSITY [36:51] Corporate America still has a long way to go, but diversity has increased; Ray speaks to simple things that can be done to improve flexibility.   [39:30] Motivating younger generations is a challenge that Ray thinks can be tackled with empowerment, ownership, and flexibility; he details why.   MILITARY SPOUSE [40:48] Ray speaks to his wife having been on active duty in the Air Force and the challenges related to juggling two careers, a military commitment, a family, and multiple deployments and countries!   WORK HABITS [45:20] Ray breaks down his usual routine.   RAY'S ADVICE FOR HIS YOUNGER SELF [47:12] Don't worry, it'll all work out.   BEST WORST JOB RAY EVER HAD [48:37] Ray shares his experience working at a circus and what it taught him!   [52:47] Michael thanks Ray for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us five stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Book: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, by Jim Collins Six Sigma ROTC   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

CEO Ray Schiavone comes on the podcast for a special two-part interview where he shares his thoughts, experiences, and advice on a broad range of subjects ranging from leadership and management to the importance of listening and learning, coaching and building good teams. Ray is one of the most talented and well-rounded CEOs I've ever met.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Ray Schiavone started his career at G.E. during the then-CEO Jack Welch's tenure. He then moved on to act as a tech company CEO twice over and has since settled into running his own firm.   Ray is a graduate of Syracuse University and subsequently earned an MBA from the University of Maryland where he serves as a board member for the A. James Clark School of Engineering. He has been recognized for his accomplishments with numerous awards including the Michigan Venture Capital Association's Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Crain's Detroit Business 40 Under 40 and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.   GET IN TOUCH WITH RAY ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Ray Schiavone and asks him to share an interesting fact about himself — from a formal living room to a music studio: piano, drums, and guitar.   [3:31] What does Ray do now? Business is his passion and he now helps entrepreneurs move their business along towards successful exits. He touches on the start of his career.   CROSS-FUNCTIONALITY [5:40] Becoming a jack of all trades and a master of none can be scary, but on the road to CEO, it can be a blessing: every skill and insight was invaluable in higher roles. David shares the way he approaches new opportunities: always say yes and make sure to position yourself so that when the opportunity comes, you are ready for it and start by listening, learning, and then trying something new.   14 YEARS AT G.E. [11:45] In the late '80s and early '90s, G.E. was one of the most revered companies in the world. Why did Ray decide to change? An opportunity showed up!   THE FIRST DAY AS CEO AT ARBORTEXT [15:29] Terrifying! Ray recounts his experience from not knowing what to expect in terms of employee perspective to defaulting to himself. For Ray, that meant listening and learning. He shares the first few weeks of interviewing employees, working with them to build an assessment and getting their support.   IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME! [20:34] Ray gives his tips on managing people who bid for but didn't get the position you now hold. He also shares two pieces of advice on when you should engage the board on an issue: Bad news doesn't get better with age What's your solution   CHALLENGES [23:48] A CEO works for all the employees; in that regard, Ray shares some missteps to avoid: Don't think you have all the answers — you don't Don't be a bully Rally the team   WHY BECOME A CEO [27:32] Ray asks why not to do it instead: power, you really don't have as many decisional levers as you might think! Ray and I discuss leadership and management which leads to a story about what Ray's employees had to say to his wife!   CEO INTERVIEWS [32:52] The interview process for the CEO position is mostly about assessing character and evaluating trust. Ray shares a funny anecdote on his personal experience with the interview process at Arbortext!   EXPERIENCE [35:22] Ray describes the kinds of experience you should aim to get if you are an aspiring CEO. From taking chances to making sure you are visible.   MANAGEMENT STYLE [36:35] Ray speaks to his management style of empowerment, driving and demanding excellence and his mantra: “Have fun, make a buck, and win.” He also touches on how he rewards excellence and shares the actual organizational concept and work routine he uses — quick market intelligence.   VPs AND SVPs [42:22] What does Ray look for in a VP or SVP? He explains what sets people apart that manage to break into the c-suite: how they tackle ambiguity! Can you come up with a vision without any directive?   GUT HIRES [44:57] Ray shares the story of a persistent applicant and how he hired one of his CFOs.   [47:38] Michael invites Ray Schiavone for a Part 2 and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us five stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Jack Welch   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Todd Siegler joins the show today to shed some light on the differences in C-suite roles depending on the organization, C-suite interactions, management of direct reports and aiming at having an impact, above all else.   Join us today for an in-depth discussion about the inner-workings of the C-suite.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Todd Siegler graduated from Princeton University and Tulane Law School — talk about a well rounded CXO! He has been a CFO, a COO, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Development Officer, General Counsel and saved the CEO title for his own company.   GET IN TOUCH WITH TODD ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCexecutivesearch.com    KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Todd Siegler and asks him to share an interesting tidbit about himself.   [3:05] Todd talks about the two things his firm currently does and the one product he is poised to launch in the next quarter.   ACCIDENTALLY INTENTIONAL CAREER PATHS [3:54] Todd and Michael discuss the often convoluted paths that take you on your professional journey.   SO, WHAT'S A CAO? [6:28] Todd touches on the nature of the CAO role, from human resources to legal counsel, with a stopover on infrastructures, as well as the differences in how companies tackle this role with regards to the importance they place on HR.   Todd also shares his takeaways from nine years of experience wearing and stacking different hats from Corporate Development, General Counsel, to finance and even technology.   MULTI-BILLION TRANSACTIONS [10:25] Having been privy to 100+ mergers and acquisition deals, Todd speaks of his involvement in two major transactions and shares a war story!   PREPPING FOR CEO/COO [13:50] Todd highlights the two principal ways being a CAO prepared him for higher positions: Hiring —  it offers you an opportunity to get a first-hand understanding of what it takes to build a successful team. Multiple facets of business — being a CAO lets you stick your fingers in many aspects of the business; you can learn a lot.   Todd shares tips and best practices for building great teams as well as the importance of clear expectations and building good structures.   FOR INFLUENCE: CFO OR COO? [17:32] Todd speaks to the wide span of company structures, and how a variety of C-suite structures can fit into each according to their primary needs and goals. This makes it harder to determine which has the most strategic influence and overall impact since from one company to the next, their effective reach may differ.   Todd's advice? When looking for new opportunities, you should really focus on people as opposed to title.   [21:45] Why aim for a COO position? It's a question of impact in mentoring and growing people, as well as on the business and the strategy. Todd shares a story from his time at Marketforce that emphasizes the importance of building people — and companies — up to the point where they don't need you.   [24:30] What's your legacy? Is a question I like to ask prospective candidates. Todd shares his view on the importance of the impact you have   ADVICE FOR A VP [25:39] You're aiming for C-suite? Stretch yourself. Feel uncomfortable.   C-LEVEL SURPRISES [26:41] Todd opens up about what surprised him when he made the C-suite. Impact first, but also the titles may be the same but the job is different according to the company.   This last one leads him to underscore the important questions to ask when moving into a role: What does it mean to be Cxx here? What decisions can you make? What role can you have?   THE REWARDS [28:01] The rewards are all about people for Todd: mentoring, seeing people grow, seeing your teams do well and having an overall positive impact on the company.   MANAGING DIRECT REPORTS [28:53] Todd discusses best practices when it comes to managing your direct reports. It's about them.   But really, hire great people and let them do their job, and lead by example.   BOARD EXPERIENCE (IS IT A BLESSING OR A CURSE?) [31:02] Todd breaks down the steps to getting a good balance on your board — it's really about relationships — as well as how to properly prepare for meetings.   MAKING BAD DECISIONS [34:51] You will never have perfect information; don't be afraid to make a mistake: it's a chance to learn. Todd can tell you every detail of the three to four bad mergers and acquisitions he was a part of, he learned.   Making mistakes is par for the course to becoming CXO.   TODD'S ADVICE FOR HIS YOUNGER SELF [37:40] Continue to push on the opportunities that deliver experience, not money. Stay you, and if it doesn't fit with you, you can say no. Finally, live below your means.   BEST WORST JOB TODD'S EVER HAD [39:55] Todd shares his worst job but really, all his jobs have had some bad.   [42:23] Michael thanks Todd for coming on the podcast to share his insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please gives us five stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Malcolm Gladwell Freakonomics Lean startup   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

This episode is Part 1 of 2 of a fascinating interview with Mary-Margaret Henke, a trailblazer executive with a wealth of knowledge gained from a multi-faceted career.   Today we will discuss building an internal coalition and support network for both personal and professional growth and promotions as well as managing the international responsibilities and relationships for a Fortune 500 company with 12,000 employees and 5.6 billion dollars in revenue.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Mary-Margaret graduated from the University of Denver and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is a member of the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business executive advisory board. She started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC as a consultant, then CoBank followed by Janus Henderson Investors as their Chief Audit Executive. She then joined Western Union and pursued several roles including CAE.   Mary-Margaret recently served as Chair of the Audit Advisory Committee on the Supervisory Board for the Western Union International Bank out of Vienna, Austria. Mary-Margaret volunteers with the learning source and was recognized as an emergent leader by the Colorado Certified Public Accountant organization in 2014.   GET IN TOUCH WITH MARY-MARGARET ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:52] Michael introduces Mary-Margaret and asks her to share an interesting tidbit about herself — she has visited 27 different countries!   THE AUDIT WORLD [4:29] Mary-Margaret shares three surprising aspects of the audit world as it relates to executives: Having access to the entire executive team Having a broad view of the organization Becoming skilled with uncomfortable conversations   REPORTING [7:19] The head of Audit in a public company is required to report to the board. Mary-Margaret touches on how that affects the relationship with the CEO.   WHAT IS A CAE? [10:36] What exactly does the Chief Audit Executive do? Mary-Margaret explains when the CAE is brought in: is it for corporate espionage? embezzlement? or even note-sliding under doors?   CAREER PATH [16:00] Mary-Margaret touches on how, and why, the head of audit position often leads to other CXO positions. She also dives into what her career path unfolded and how it brought her to where she is today.   200+ COUNTRIES [20:48] Mary-Margaret details her relationship with 50 direct reports across the globe, as well as how she kept abreast of different foreign news and laws.   [23:10] Mary-Margaret shares how Western Union works with law enforcement to thwart terrorism, drug cartel, and human trafficking cases.   SALES [26:29] Sales is the only part of the business the Chief Audit Executive doesn't touch.   INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS [27:24] Mary-Margaret explains why it's so important to work on your relationships one-on-one, whether within the company, B2B, or with regulatory bodies. She shares a personal story of working with challenging personalities as well as how she turned the situation around.   FILLING A CXO CHAIR [31:24] Western Union is a $5 billion-plus company; Mary-Margaret talks about the recruiting process as well as how her position was involved.   PROFESSIONAL GROWTH [33:26] Mary-Margaret shares her three keys pieces of advice for scaling within a company: Hard work (all aspects of it!) Champion Luck   [37:06] Michael closes out Part 1 of this interview with Mary-Margaret Henke and invites listeners to tune into Part 2.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Western Union   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

This episode is Part 2 of the interview with Mary-Margaret Henke. Today we discuss her insight on aiming for and reaching the C-suite.   ABOUT OUR GUEST Mary-Margaret graduated from the University of Denver and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is a member of the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business executive advisory board. She started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC as a consultant, then CoBank followed by Janus Henderson Investors as their Chief Audit Executive. She then joined Western Union and pursued several roles including CAE.   Mary-Margaret recently served as Chair of the Audit Advisory Committee on the Supervisory Board for the Western Union International Bank out of Vienna, Austria. Mary-Margaret volunteers with the learning source and was recognized as an emergent leader by the Colorado Certified Public Accountant organization in 2014.   GET IN TOUCH WITH MARY-MARGARET ON LINKEDIN   THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS Podfly Productions: Podfly.net Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFWpost1.org OC Executive Search: OCExecutiveSearch.com   KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:16] Michael opens up Part 2 with a question on palace intrigue as well as how Mary-Margaret's path to the C-suite unfolded. She shares a tip about being verbal with your ambition.   RAISE YOUR HAND, SAY YES [5:57] Mary-Margaret shares specific examples of how she nurtured the relationships that propelled her along the way.   MENTORS AND SPONSORS [8:55] Mentors and sponsors are very different; Mary-Margaret details how. She touches on how to develop those relationships and shares her own experience mentoring junior executives and even further, teenagers!   REACHING THE C-LEVEL [11:55] Reaching the C-level isn't a simple endeavor, Mary-Margaret reiterates the 80/20 rule she shared earlier but adds a caveat: is the C-suite your end-all goal?   WORK/LIFE [13:38] Balancing family and the C-level is hard, and it's done over time. Mary-Margaret shares her advice for managing stress and getting it all done: reach out to your support systems!   INFLUENCE [17:35] Mary-Margaret shares aspects of businesses where a CAE is not required but ultimately beneficial.   SURPRISE, WE'RE ALL HUMAN! [19:44] The most surprising aspect of being at the C-level for Mary-Margaret was the deconstruction of the ideal: they're human too!   GLOBAL INFLUENCE [21:15] The global aspect of Western-Union was the most influential in shaping Mary-Margaret as an executive; she shares why.   LINEAR OR OPPORTUNISTIC? [22:44] Mary-Margaret takes a look back at her career journey. She opens up about the three qualities that have served her best.   PRESSURE [24:22] Pressure points in head of audit roles are common; Mary-Margaret shares a personal experience to highlight how she handles them.   BANKS [28:49] The differences between farm and consumer banking?   INITIATIVE [31:33] Mary-Margaret shares an initiative she spearheaded as well as how she set it up. She also invites people who see an opportunity for solving a problem to raise their hand to solve it!   MARY-MARGARET'S ADVICE FOR HER YOUNGER SELF [34:09] When you lose, don't lose the learning.   BEST WORST JOB MARY-MARGARET EVER HAD [35:27] Working for an unpleasant, emotionally unstable, volcanic basketcase — twice — sometimes, it's OK to walk away.   READ, LISTEN AND GET IN TOUCH [37:17] Mary-Margaret shares her reading and listening list, find all the links below.   [38:54] Michael thanks Mary-Margaret for coming on the podcast to share her insight and closes out the podcast with his favorite takeaways.   We hope you learned something today and enjoyed the conversation. Please give us 5 stars on iTunes and share your comments so we can improve and ask the questions you want to hear.   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Book: QBQ! Be Outstanding, by John G. Miller   SPECIAL THANKS TO Jalan Crossland for the music Angela Johnson at OC Executive Search Joseph Batty at Podfly Corey Coates at Podfly

Thank you to today's sponsor, Dream Business Academy! Dream Business Academy is a 3 day marketing and business building live event where you will learn how to build a million dollar platform for your dream business. The event takes place in Orlando, FL February 8, 9th and 10th. To get $100 off your ticket, use the coupon code PODCAST at checkout. On this episode of Rhodes to Success I answer the question I often get from my clients who are guests on other shows: “Ok, Jessica, I really like being a guest on podcasts and I want to start a podcast! How do I do it?” This episode is not about how to edit a podcast or use a mixer. This episode is for the entrepreneur or business owner who wants to add podcasting to their marketing platform, and doesn't want their podcast to take up all their time.   Why being a guest is easier: 1. The startup costs for a guest expert are very minimal compared to hosting your own show. 2. You can learn what it's like to speak behind a mic and get ideas for your future podcast. 3. You have the opportunity to build an audience before you start your own podcast. 4. You can perfect your content as a guest expert, so know what you want to focus on with your own podcast.   Part 1: The stuff you do once, before you launch Come up with a name for your podcast Write the show description and get clear on your target listener Get podcast artwork designed Come up with a list of roughly 10 topics that you will address in your show, that way you don't get stuck on what to talk about or who to interview. Instead of coming up with a list of people you want to interview, come up with topics and find people who can help teach those topics. Audio branding and/or a voice over for the intro and outro. This is not necessary but a lot of podcasters do want this for their podcast. Submit your show to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and iHeart radio. Get an account with a media host like Libsyn.com Hire an editor, like Podfly.net.   Part 2: The stuff you do every week. 1. Book guests If you want to have a successful, well-respected and highly recommended podcast, then you need to make it super easy for your guests to get booked and scheduled! After all, if your guests enjoy their experience not only during the interview but before and after the recording, they'll become a raving fan and brand ambassador for your podcast. First, make sure your ask is clear and specific and they have an understanding of what you want to talk to them about during the interview. A confused guest is a frustrated guest! Next, make the scheduling process super easy. I recommend using a scheduler like Schedule Once. However, sometimes guests will not want to use a software and prefer a more personal touch. Never hesitate to call them and schedule a time manually. Ask your guest for only what you need, not everything you want. Request the contact info you will need the day of the interview (skype name and back up phone number), a brief bio or preferred intro, headshot, and any preferred suggestions or talking points. Communicate the fact that you ask for talking points so that you can steer to conversation to focus on the topic that will best spotlight them! If the guest doesn't schedule within 2 business days, or they don't send you their info, send a friendly reminder and follow up. Chances are they forgot! Send a confirmation email before the recording with whatever info they need to be prepared for the interview (your questions, your skype name), and most importantly, connect on social media and start building a relationship.   2. Prepare for your interviews There are two schools of thought with interview prep: Going in with no prep and having a completely organic convo Or doing a ton of research on the guest so your questions are super unique and tailored Either way is fine; just avoid having a scripted show flow that doesn't change from guest to guest Save to Dropbox Your editor and edit and publish it Your assistant can write show notes Your assistant can create a show graphic and promote it on social for you.   3. The last thing you must do is commit and be open to change. Your artwork may change, your audio branding may change, the format may change. That is all okay. Just don't give up! The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic 

Catching up with Chase Shumway! Marie Lanza and Barry Funkhouser are joined by Chase Shumway from Who Asked You? in Las Vegas. We talk about the death ray, and lying out by the pool and snoozing, Chase and Barry break down NAB the National Association of Broadcasters, drones everywhere, marriage-ender games, the drug krokodil and balance between horror and the real world, a scorn spouse has sued his mistress and karma is an evil bitch, nobody wears pants, Iron Man lets the dogs out and breaks a pump, and we indulge in throwback Thursday with the number one song from Chase's birth year. Enduldge along! @ProducerMarie @FunkFM @whoaskedyoushow #TheDiRT music from Alexandra and the Starlight band - Love Ain't Easy (from 4/24/13) @AlexandraBandToto - Africahttp://www.spreaker.com/user/nmxlive/hour-1b-april-14-chase-shumway-nmxNMX / NMX 2015 Chase Shumway and David Silverman from Clammr join us from 12:30pm - 1pm, April 14, 2015http://www.spreaker.com/user/nmxlive/hour-3-april-14-chase-shumway-nmxWe're joined by Corey Cotes from PodFly, Bob Hines from Heil Sound, fellow Spreaker user, Jay Sharp with Indie Revolution Radio and Jon Bowes of Podcasting Press.

Corey Coates has edited both radio and podcasting shows for the last 10 years. He is also the owner of Podfly, a company that produces professional podcasts and provides audio editing services. Corey talks with Jason about the future of podcasting and how easy it is to make one-on-one connections with listeners through this up and coming medium.    Key Takeaways: 2:20 – Corey has been podcasting since 2006 and has worked with a lot of industry leaders in podcasting over the last 9 years.  4:20 – With podcasting you can target a very specific audience on your own terms.  7:50 – Overseas Radio Network had a regular radio stream of shows, but also had it available for download in case people wanted to listen to a specific show on their own time.  9:10 – Podcasting takes time and patience. Developing a good podcast is still best done organically and through word of mouth.  12:37 – You don't need a large audience to be a successful podcaster.  15:50 – Audio equipment is so cheap and compact that you can literally record your show using GarageBand on your iPhone.   19:18 – Corey talks about the company Buzzsprout, who is looking at new ways to make podcasting easier.  23:45 – Corey talks a little bit about Podfly and how they help clients with the pre and post-production aspect of their podcast.  25:15 – Jason loves Podfly. He says that he is able to produce content faster than ever before because Podfly takes a load off his hands.  28:15 – Having a lot of content available on a regular basis is what builds a great audience.  29:15 – You can't game the Apple iTunes system. Apple ranks you based on a number of downloads and the number of subscribers you have over a 4 week period.    Mentioned In This Episode: http://www.podfly.net/ overseasradio.com/ http://www.libsyn.com/ http://www.buzzsprout.com/