RIMScast

The Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.

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The official podcast of RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. Tune in for weekly discussions about risk management hot topics, interviews with leaders in the profession, and updates on RIMS events and education.

23/12/2025

Year In Risk 2025 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this last episode of 2025, Justin interviews Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine on the most impactful risks of 2025 and what's expected in 2026. They discuss the difficulty of reporting on the rapid pace of risk change. Morgan and Hilary discuss the most impactful natural events of 2025: wildfires in California and Canada, Hurricane Melissa, and flooding. They discuss the economic risks posed by the unusual tariff changes in 2025 and how supply chains and inflation are affected. These risks are covered in the Q4 edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine online now. Morgan and Hilary will return for the first episode of 2026, launching on January 5th. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. This is our final episode of 2025, and who better to spend it with than Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle of RIMS Risk Management magazine? [:44] We will discuss some of the top risk management stories of 2025 and what they might mean for 2026. They will rejoin us for the first episode of 2026! But first… [:55] RIMS-CRMP and Some Prep Courses. The next virtual prep course will be held on January 14th and 15th, 2026. These are virtual courses. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:12] RIMS Virtual Workshops are coming up. On January 21st and 22nd, Chris Hansen returns to deliver the course, "Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the US". [1:26] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:38] RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:48] The RIMS-CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management is hosted by the famous James Lam. This is a live virtual program that helps elevate your expertise and career in ERM. [2:01] You can enroll now for the next cohort, which will be held over 12 weeks from January through March of 2026. Registration closes on January 5th. Or Spring ahead and register for the cohort that will be held from April through June, 2026. Registration closes on April 6th. [2:20] Links to registration and enrollment are in this episode's show notes. [2:27] On with the show! The annual Year in Risk Review edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine is now available. Visit RMmagazine.com for more information. [2:39] I wanted to dive deeper into some of the pages and the stories that made major headlines in risk management this year. Morgan and Hilary are rejoining us as part of our annual tradition. [2:54] We're not just looking back; we're also going to talk about how these events should be some warning signs and provide some extra insight for risk managers around the world. [3:05] Interview! This is our final episode of the year, and we're going out with a bang with two of my favorite people! [3:12] Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle, welcome back to RIMScast! [3:23] Justin saw Morgan and Hilary, just a month ago in Seattle, at the ERM Conference. Morgan says it was raining the whole time, but it was a good conference. It was well-attended, and everybody enjoyed themselves, and the attendees got a lot out of it. It was a great event! [3:51] Hilary also thought it was great! The turnout was fantastic! There was some great feedback on a lot of the sessions. There were some packed rooms! People seemed pleased with the programming. Hilary didn't see the sun until she left, but she enjoyed the city! [5:12] Morgan and Hilary's goal for attending the ERM Conference is to gather good ideas for articles. They look for presenters who might be good content contributors in other formats. They look to get a sense of what is new and what is emerging. [5:24] Morgan and Hilary talk to members about what they're seeing in practice and what's concerning to them. Morgan says if there's a packed room for a session, it's clearly a topic that's resonating, which bumps it to the top of the list of things to pursue, since there's interest in it. [6:17] Justin notes that Morgan's always there in the sessions with pen and paper. He's old school! [7:36] Morgan says the hardest part of reporting on risk is the breadth of the risks they cover. Everything has a lot more nuance and a lot more effect. This incident happened, which had 57 knock-on effects. [7:47] Morgan explains why distilling that down to something that makes sense in article form is a huge challenge and compares writing about risk to the experience risk managers have with everything they deal with. [8:10] Morgan says that, at the end of the year, spotlighting the year in risk coverage is a challenge. How do you get the entire economic, geopolitical situation down to 200 words? [8:37] Hilary says the velocity of change is a challenge when covering risk. Unlike in everyday news coverage, they have to add an amount of value or takeaways for a reader who is looking to do something about risk. Developing that value, at the speed of risk, is particularly challenging. [9:15] Hilary continues. Crises are compounded now. You can't ignore a lot of those factors that make a crisis a bad issue. Hilary cites hurricanes, rapid intensification, which is a knock-on effect of climate change, lax building codes, and people building more in certain regions. [9:38] Hilary says you have to add so many layers to explain why this crisis is happening now. It becomes a lot more challenging to figure out how it impacts insurance. You have to take into account different exclusions or the way the policies are created. There are a lot of moving parts. [10:04] Morgan says, It's not just your picture. It's the picture of your suppliers and your customers, who might be across the country or around the world. All of their risks become your risks or, at least, will impact your business. [10:33] Justin compliments the digital layout of RIMS Risk Manager magazine. He speaks of how Morgan and Hilary go to RIMS events looking for inspiration for content and content contributors. [11:05] Morgan says, We're only as good as the information we've learned through the people we've met, or what we've read. We're not practicing risk managers. Hearing from experts who deal with it every day is the strongest way to get good content that resonates with our readers. [12:17] Morgan says wildfires were probably the most costly insured loss of 2025. Hilary says that earthquakes were the most costly in terms of the loss of life. The LA fire was the largest single economic loss. There are lots of expensive homes in Southern California. [13:26] Canada has had wildfires raging almost non-stop for two or three years. Wildfires are no longer secondary perils. They're a prime source of loss. Severe convective storms, in the aggregate, probably caused more damage than wildfires this year. [14:04] Hilary says severe convective storms have been in the top 10 for seven out of the last 10 years. Morgan says this was one of the top convective storm years. In natural disasters, you're not looking just at hurricanes and earthquakes, but also fires, floods, and more. [14:32] Hilary talks about secondary factors, like tremendous wind events in California, increasing the rate at which fires spread, making containment difficult. Things were moving fast. A lot of buildings were burning. It took three weeks to put out two of the largest fires. [15:05] Canada faced different challenges. All but two provinces had record, above-average fire seasons. Some fires impacted remote areas where getting people out is logistically extremely difficult. Seventy-something First Nations communities had to be evacuated. [15:35] If you're dealing with areas that are largely only accessible by air, getting communities of people out for long periods is logistically very challenging, with a devastating human impact. They're very different fires. [15:52] Hilary says it was quite a year. Morgan ties it back to the impact of climate change. It starts with drought, and it's exacerbated by winds. Then you've got these weird things that pop up where Mother Nature says, Hey, I've got a weird twist for you! [16:13] Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. Booth sales are open now! [16:35] General registration and speaker registration are also open right now! Marketplace and Hospitality badges will be available starting on March 3rd. Links are in this episode's show notes. [16:50] Let's Return to Our Interview with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle! [17:11] Some of the fires Canada experienced this year were zombie fires, also called holdover fires, or overwintering fires. They can live in the soil under the snow until it gets warm, the snow melts, and they reignite. Some of the fires of 2025 were started in 2023. [16:23] Hilary believes those holdover fires were in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and up North. Holdover fires are most common in the Arctic Circle. [18:43] Morgan and Hilary believe that's a good example of things that will happen more frequently with climate change, affecting a larger number of people than before. [19:15] Morgan says convective storms are tornadoes and thunderstorms. Hilary adds that it has to do with the pressure front that leads to forming them. Outbreaks of many tornadoes in a couple of days wreak havoc in the U.S. Midwest. [20:06] Morgan says the highest intensity of a tornado is EF5. There was an EF5 tornado in North Dakota for the first time in 10 years. It touched down in a place wh

40 min
16/12/2025

Risk Decision-making in 2026 with Joseph A. Milan, Ph.D.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Joseph A. Milan, Ph.D., about the core philosophy or mindset for risk managers, the definition of acceptable risk, and how acceptable risk changes, depending on the organization's culture, strategy, or industry. Joseph shares his view on common mistakes and how biases can lead to gut decisions that are the least effective solutions. Justin and Joseph discuss Joseph's upcoming two-day virtual seminar, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", on March 4th and 5th, and how participants should prepare for it. Finally, Joseph shares closing thoughts for those in one-person risk departments. Listen for thoughts on how to keep the gut reaction out of decision-making. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Joseph Milan, Ph.D. You know him from the RIMS CRMP Insights Series. [:40] As one of our virtual instructors, he's here to discuss his own risk philosophies ahead of the RIMS Virtual Workshop on March 4th and 5th. He'll be leading "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making". But first… [:54] RIMS-CRMP and Some Exam Prep Courses. The next virtual prep course will be held on January 14th and 15th, 2026. These are virtual courses. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:12] RIMS Virtual Workshops are coming up. On January 21st and 22nd, Chris Hansen returns to deliver the course, "Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the US". [1:26] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:38] RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:48] The RIMS-CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management is hosted by the famous James Lam. This is a live virtual program that helps elevate your expertise and career in ERM. [2:00] You can enroll now for the next cohort, which will be held over 12 weeks from January to March of 2026. Registration closes on January 5th. Or Spring ahead and register for the cohort that will be held from April to June, 2026. Registration closes on April 6th. [2:20] Links to registration and enrollment are in this episode's show notes. [2:25] On with the show! Today, we will discuss facilitating risk-based decision-making with our friend Joseph Milan, Ph.D. He is the Principal at J.A. Milan & Associates and is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado. [2:43] He is a RIMS CRMP Commissioner. You get a lot of his insights from the RIMS CRMP Insights Series. A link is in this episode's show notes. In this dialog, we will get a preview of his upcoming workshop, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", on March 4th and 5th. [3:02] But we're really going to get into Joe's risk philosophies, which are the sorts of things the RIMScast audience can use as they develop their careers and as they move into higher positions, ascend the corporate ladder, or become a department of one. [3:20] Interview! I've known him for years, and I'm so glad to finally be saying… [3:22] Joseph Milan, welcome to RIMScast! [3:41] Justin notes that he and Joseph have recorded so many things through the years, but not RIMScast. Joseph says it's great to be back with Justin, and on this medium, and he looks forward to sharing more information with Justin and all the RIMS members. [4:21] Joseph shares his RIMS history. It started in the olden times of 2005 when he got involved in a committee Carol Fox set up, called at the time the ERM Development Committee, now known as the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council. [4:46] Then Joseph started helping with curriculum development and in-person professional development, before COVID. [4:58] After COVID, Joseph has been involved not only in delivering seminars but, as a commission member for the RIMS-CRMP, helped develop that curriculum and governance structure. Joseph has been involved with RIMS in different ways over the years. [5:12] There's a good chance that someone listening to this podcast will think, Hey, I know that guy! I recognize that voice! [5:26] Joseph is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado, Denver. He's been active in the Risk Consulting Space since 2008, doing projects that range from simple commercial insurance placements to complex ERM implementations. He brings a unique perspective. [6:02] Joseph teaches at the University of Colorado Business School. He helped develop a course on Enterprise Risk Management. ERM is truly becoming a mature discipline. Joseph thinks RIMS is establishing a global presence for ERM. Justin credits Joseph, in part, for that. [7:05] When Justin saw that Joseph was going to host a two-day workshop, March 5th and 6th, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", he said, Let's get Joe on the show and end 2025 with a great interview with him. [7:38] Joseph says the course is, in many ways, the pinnacle of risk management as a discipline. If we think about the domains and components of the RIMS-CRMP, the fifth domain within the CRMP is about supporting risk-based decision-making. [8:06] This is a two-day seminar that takes a deep dive into that space. Joseph says it's the most fun, advanced, and interactive. It's the task that requires the best blend between the technical and the so-called soft skills. It's really exciting. Joseph is looking forward to it. [8:28] Joseph hopes a lot of the audience listening to this podcast will take enough of an interest to spend the 14 or 15 hours — it seems like a lot, but it goes fast! There are breaks. [8:52] When Joseph leads a course, he takes questions live. His approach is dynamic and flexible in terms of making sure that people get what they expect from the seminar. [9:05] Joseph says crunching numbers is super important. The assumption for this seminar is that these are advanced practitioners who can do number crunching or hire somebody to do it. The number crunching is important because it sets the foundation for control limits. [9:23] Number crunching sets the foundation for being able to answer questions about risk philosophy. [9:34] Core philosophy is risk philosophy. Risk philosophy comes from definitions of risk appetite and risk tolerance, and being able to operationalize those definitions in simple statements, in plain language, tied to the control limits that come from the number crunching. [10:00] With a good amount of work, within any organization, a risk professional and a team of people dedicated to risk and ERM should be able to put those definitions into action. [10:31] In the context of an advanced risk management or ERM seminar, when we talk about risk, it's always also about opportunity. [10:46] The simplest definition of acceptable risk is that which fits within the risk philosophy of the organization, within risk appetite and risk tolerance, and supports the organization in terms of its pursuit of objectives. [11:04] It's almost always about higher profitability, more money in for-profit companies. Non-profit companies describe it differently. Maybe it's focusing on providing more service, which is a proxy for getting more money. [11:19] It's about remaining a going concern and achieving goals. That's the simple definition: fitting within risk appetite and risk tolerance. [11:52] Joseph says it's constantly about finding balance. It's not just about the most influential senior leader, the risk leader, or the ERM leader. [12:05] It's also about the risk owners within the organization and how they fit into the strategic direction of the organization: growth vs. stability. Maybe it's an organization in distress and is focusing on retrenchment and building up a balance sheet to be able to redirect itself. [12:27] It's in that space that a lot of times, there is an unintentional lack of organizational risk competency. That can contribute to not just conflict, but also misunderstandings about what's acceptable, in terms of taking on risk in pursuit of objectives. [12:49] Communication is something we focus on in the seminar "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making" quite a bit. [12:58] It is in the soft space of actively listening and identifying triggers in terms of perception of risk that have a huge impact on the decisions that an organization takes in risk and opportunity. It is challenging and time-consuming, but done correctly, it's super worthwhile! [13:27] Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. Booth sales are open now! [13:49] General registration and speaker registration are also open right now! Marketplace and Hospitality badges will be available starting on March 3rd. Links are in this episode's show notes. [14:04] Let's Return to Our Interview with Joseph Milan! [14:14] Joseph Milan will be hosting a workshop, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", on March 4th and 5th. Registration closes March 3rd. Justin says there is nobody better than Joseph to host this RIMS workshop. Joseph has a wide range of experience. [15:14] A risk practitioner may focus more on the traditional space, insurance. Joseph says ERM will not supersede traditional risk management. [16:06] A common mistake is that risk practitioners tend to get distracted by what they think are big numbers, but which pale in comparison to the big picture on the balance sheet. [16:36] A good solution to that mistake is to find influential people in the organization who are plugged into financial planning, analysis, and bud

35 min
09/12/2025

The Evolving Role of the Risk Analyst

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Andréia Stephenson, BSc SIRM, Enterprise Risk Analyst at London Metal Exchange, about her shift from a Bachelor of Science in biology to a risk analyst and risk professional. Andréia speaks of her passion for data and the importance of communicating at all levels of your organization. She regards working for different organizations with good leaders as a way to learn risk frameworks and gain foundational knowledge. She shares views on how risk analysts can influence risk culture. She also tells how she uses AI as an assistant. Listen for thoughts on building a risk-aware culture by asking leaders the right questions. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is Andréia Stephenson, BSc SIRM, Enterprise Risk Analyst at London Metal Exchange. She will discuss her career and the evolving role of the Risk Analyst. But first… [:43] RIMS-CRMP and Some Exam Prep Courses. From December 15 through the 18th, CBCP and RIMS will present the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Boot Camp. [:53] Another virtual course will be held on January 14th and 15th, 2026. These are virtual courses. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:07] During the interview with Andréia, you will hear her reference the RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management, which is hosted by the famous James Lam. Andréia is an alum of the program. [1:23] You can enroll now for the next cohort, which will be held over 12 weeks, from January through March of 2026. Registration closes on January 5th. Or Spring ahead and register for the cohort held from April through June of 2026. Registration closes on April 6th. [1:39] Links to registration and enrollment are in this episode's show notes. [1:46] Justin shares that RIMS suffered a tremendous loss in December. Chief Membership Experience Officer, Leslie Whittet, with RIMS for almost three years, tragically passed away due to injuries she sustained in an accident. She was walking her dog when she was struck by a truck. [2:18] Some of the RIMS staff, including CEO Gary LaBranche, knew Leslie from years prior. We are all shocked and saddened. Leslie was a remarkable association leader with 30 years of experience. [2:33] Gary LaBranche had the privilege of working alongside Leslie Whittet at the Association for Corporate Growth for nine years. For the last three years, Justin has had the pleasure of working with her at various RIMS events and seeing her weekly on our remote calls. [2:50] Leslie was always a source of positivity, inspiration, and creativity. She was just a wonderful person who will be deeply missed. Her memory is certainly a blessing. [3:03] RIMS will celebrate her memory at the Chapter Leadership Forum in Orlando in January. If you have any questions, please contact Josh Salter, jsalter@RIMS.org. Tributes are pouring in on LinkedIn and various networking groups. [3:22] If you have memories and photos you'd like to share, we encourage you to do so to honor her memory. [3:29] It wasn't easy to speak these words or read them, so I want to take a brief moment of silence to honor Leslie before we go any further. [3:44] On with the show! Our guest today is Andréia Stephenson. She comes to us all the way from London, where she's an Enterprise Risk Analyst for the London Metal Exchange. [3:57] You may know her a little bit from some promotional videos we've done on social media, promoting the James Lam CRO Certificate Course. In getting to know her, I was struck by how enthusiastic she was about her role as a Risk Analyst for years. [4:14] Many risk professionals begin as risk analysts; others, like Andréia, can make a thriving career of it. She's here to share some tips on how to do that, where ERM fits into the mix, and where she believes the role of the risk analyst will be going in the near future. Let's get started… [4:36] Interview! Andréia Stephenson, welcome to RIMScast! [4:47] Andréia may sound familiar to you because she did a testimonial on LinkedIn for RIMS for the James Lam CRO Certificate course. Justin says she was great to work with. That's how she and Justin met, and that's why she's here. [5:19] Justin notes that his voice is lower from "shouting" during the ERM Conference. Andréia looks forward to the RIMS ERM Conference 2026. [6:09] Andréia shares an overview of her career. She started at O.R.X., an operational risk data exchange association, where she learned all the principles of risk management. It gave her a strong background in operational risk. [6:36] From there, she went to London to go into a second-line risk management function as an analyst at a wealth management investment firm, then she went to a small investment bank, then to another wealth management firm, and now, to the London Metal Exchange. [7:00] They were all analyst roles, primarily operational risk, but also enterprise risk management. Risk has been part of her life for the last 10 years. The foundation was set by O.R.X. She holds the company close to her heart. [7:28] Andréia loves data. It's incredibly important for driving analysis. She says any analyst who doesn't love data is not an analyst! Data structure and data quality are very important for risk analysis, or any analysis. You need to love data to be able to do good risk management. [8:13] Andréia says that working in different organizations is important for risk management. It helps you connect the dots between the components of a risk management framework. [8:28] When Andréia started at O.R.X., she understood all the components, but she didn't join the dots until she went into the industry, hands-on, in the deep end, trying to figure out an RCSA, a KRI, or a KPI. Then, all the components of risk management started to make a bit more sense. [8:53] Andréia has always been fortunate to have worked with several exceptional leaders, each of whom had a kind of superpower in risk management that influenced her approach and understanding of risk. [9:07] Andréia's first manager at O.R.X. was tough and meticulous. She had a deep understanding of corporate governance and the boundaries between the risk types: strategic, financial, and non-financial. [9:22] At the time, Andréia didn't really appreciate how valuable the discipline was. She didn't understand yet. In hindsight, it gave her a strong foundation. Another CRO she worked with taught her the importance of communication in risk. [9:46] Aside from his technical ability, he understood stakeholder management at every level of the organization and how to translate the risk concepts for different audiences and build alignment. [10:00] Then she had a head of risk who was incredible with data, with an exceptional ability to quantify risk using analytics and evidence. Having a science degree, numbers were not Andréia's strongest area, but working with someone who pushed her helped her to become stronger. [10:25] Andréia thinks that working in risk in different organizations can help you build those thoughts. [10:32] Andréia has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Bath in England. She's happy she decided not to pursue biology and took the risk road, instead. [10:55] Justin tells of recently having Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair on the show. She's on the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council. Kellee Ann started in Chemistry.l She moved into Energy and Power and became the de facto ERM Manager for her organization. [11:15] Kellee Ann and Andréia channelled other areas of knowledge to apply them to risk. For Andréia, the statistical side of biology has been helpful in risk management. James Lam states in his CRO Certificate program that risk is probability and statistics. Risk management isn't easy. [12:19] Andréia believes that legacy tools and practices fall short when they are disconnected from the organization's purpose, vision, mission, and strategic objectives. GRC systems have different modules: an RCSA module, a budding issue module, and an incident module. [12:49] Andréia hasn't seen a system that can connect the dots well. Risk practitioners don't always know how to connect the dots, either. An RCSA becomes isolated from the risk itself because people don't understand the context of those risks. [13:17] Working with business senior leaders to understand the context of your organization will help you to provide more valuable use of those tools and practices. [13:32] Andréia explains RCSA. It stands for Risk and Control Self-Assessment. It's a thought process. You sit down to understand what's most important to you, how much you care about it, and what you have in place to protect what's most important to you. [13:55] Andréia says the way we try to document that thought process is quite heavy. The industry requires that process to be complicated. Andréia recommends simplifying it. [14:20] To simplify it, have a process that's more sensible. The industry requires you to do assessments for inherent risk and residual risk. First, determine if a risk is important to you. If it's not important, why are you assessing it? [15:09] Andréia thinks the industry makes it difficult by requiring organizations to assess risks in a certain way, when it doesn't actually make sense. Managers have to have the courage to say it doesn't make sense for the organization, let's try a simpler approach. [15:34] Andréia uses screens, but sometimes pen and paper will do. Having that brainstorming session with the business really helps in trying to understand the purpose of what you do for your organization and where you fit in the strategic purpose of the firm. [15:51] What is most important to you, as

30 min
02/12/2025

Presilience and Cognitive Biases with Dr. Gav Schneider and Shreen Williams

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews two guests who presented at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. First, Dr. Gav Schneider, Group CEO Risk 2 Solution Group and Founder, Institute of Presilience Risk 2 Solution, and second, Shreen Williams, Founder & CEO, Risky Business SW, LLC, and a member of the RIMS Rising Risk Professional Advisory Group. Dr. Schneider explained the meaning of Presilience and risk intelligence in ERM. Shreen Williams discussed the cognitive biases that can be mitigated through the six stages of an ERM Framework. Listen for insights into implementing an ERM Framework in your organization. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our interviews were recorded live on site at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle. Our guests are Dr. Gav Schneider and Shreen Williams. We're going to have fun in this episode! But first… [:48] The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep will be held on December 9th and 10th. From December 15 through the 18th CBCP and RIMS will present the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Boot Camp. [1:05] Another virtual course will be held on January 14th and 15th, 2026. These are virtual courses. Links to these courses can be found through the Certifications page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:18] RIMS Virtual Workshops! "Managing Data for ERM" will be led again by Pat Saporito. That session will start on December 11th. Registration closes on December 10th. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:37] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:48] The RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management is hosted by the famous James Lam. This is a live, virtual program that helps elevate your expertise and career in ERM. [2:01] You can enroll now for the next cohort, which will be held over 12 weeks from January through March of 2026. Registration closes on January 5th. Or Spring ahead and register for the cohort held from April through June of 2026. Registration closes on April 6th. [2:21] Links to registration and enrollment are in this episode's show notes. [2:25] This episode was recorded at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025. We've covered a lot of ERM ground in the last few episodes, and for those who want to catch up, I've included a link to the RIMS ERM Special Digital Edition of Risk Management magazine in this episode's notes. [2:49] RIMScast ERM coverage is linked as well. Enhance your ERM knowledge with RIMS. [2:54] On with the show! We are following up last week's episode with ERM Global Award of Distinction winner Sadig Hajiyev by featuring interviews with two of the presenters who appeared at the RIMS ERM Conference, Dr. Gav Schneider and Shreen Williams. [3:12] Long-time RIMScast listeners may remember Dr. Gav Schneider from an episode in November of 2023. We were delighted that he made the trip all the way from Australia to join us at the ERM Conference in Seattle. [3:27] Dr. Gav is the Group CEO at Risk2Solution Group and the Founder of the Institute of Presilience. The title of his session on November 17th was "Embedding Presilience and Risk Intelligence into ERM." This harkens back to his prior episode about wicked problems. [3:45] We're going to start there and discuss how presilience takes that thinking to the next level for ERM leaders, and we're going to get some of his risk philosophies and have a great time. Let's get to it! [3:56] Interview! Dr. Gav Schneider, welcome back to RIMScast! [4:24] Dr. Schneider is here at the RIMS ERM Conference for the first time. It's the second-highest-attended ERM Conference in RIMS history. His session, later today, is called "Embedding Presilience and Risk Intelligence into ERM." [4:54] On Dr. Schneider's last visit to RIMScast, he talked about wicked problems. How does presilience take that mindset and thinking to the next level for ERM? [5:08] Dr. Schneider says the core idea of ERM is about getting scalable decision-making, recording, and outcomes, in terms of risk, for your organization. More and more, our organizations are facing these wicked problems. [5:25] We can't function anymore in a world of absolutes. When we plug risk intelligence into the way we think, act, and plan, we become adaptive. We also become opportunity-centric. [5:37] A wicked problem is not easily solved. When you implement a solution, it often leads to more problems. You have to be able to learn. If you can't learn, you can't adapt. [6:17] What are the core components of the Presilience Framework? Dr. Schneider says, simplistically, we think about tackling risk at three levels: the self, the team, and the organization. Then we overlay that with people and process, connected through leadership. [6:34] To make that work, we have to develop a set of core attributes: situational awareness, critical thinking, enhanced decision-making, effective and directive coms, the ability to act and enact, and the ability to learn and grow. [6:46] When you can plug that into your architecture, leveraging insight, hindsight, and foresight, you then can make the right calls about whether or not to do something. It becomes an overlay model for most ERM-type structures, where we can plug the human piece into the system. [7:15] Dr. Schneider says the core aim of ERM turns risk management into a team sport, with everyone across an organization reporting, collaborating, and understanding to make great decisions about where the organization is and where it's going, not where we think it is. [7:32] To do that, we need to plug certain things into the ecosystem of the organization, some of which are policies, procedures, and tech. Most ERM experts do that. The piece that we've ignored is the human part, because it's hard. [7:49] Dr. Schneider has compiled The Organizational Risk Culture Standard. It took about nine months of work. It was a thorough process. Five experts wrote it, 15 peers reviewed it, and 11 organizations have approved it, endorsed it, and are supporting it. [8:09] For years, Dr. Schneider had heard that organizations would not focus on human-centricities that they couldn't measure. [8:17] Dr. Schneider's framework has 10 domains with a maturity model that aligns beautifully with RIMS's ERM Model. It's built to encapsulate and incorporate ISO 31000 and COSO. Dr. Schnieider has just released it, free to download. [8:39] Dr. Schneider is excited about presenting his session in a couple of hours. Everyone tells him that the RIMS ERM Conference is the sharp end of the spear, with the smartest risk people. The session is "Embedding Presilience and Risk Intelligence into ERM." [9:10] Session attendees will learn about risk intelligence. Dr. Schneider's definition is an applied attribute or living skill that enables you to seize upside opportunities while you manage potential negative outcomes. [9:44] When you speak of risk intelligence as a living skill and applied attribute, it becomes an ability to scale great decision-making. You want risk-intelligent people, working in risk-intelligent teams, empowered and structured into a risk-intelligent organization. [10:18] Dr. Schneider says if we can't get those three layers to integrate and work together, you get frustrated stakeholders. Get your ERM team working to get everyone to understand the basics of risk reporting, using the metrics, and sharing information. [10:33] Justin compares it to the gears in a watch. Dr. Schneider agrees; there's not one moving piece, it's a complex ecosystem in most organizations because humans are complex. We're relying on tech and on variables we don't control. [10:46] Dr. Schneider says, in the conference, everyone's accepted how disruptive the current climate is, how difficult it is to forecast, and how uncertainty and volatility are dominating. [10:59] With that in mind, we've got to think of it differently. You can't force people to adopt a system and think it will work. If you want to get a high-performance culture, ERM is an incredibly useful tool, but only if people want it, like it, want to use it, and understand the benefit it adds. [11:17] Dr. Schneider thinks ERM is going to take a massive leap forward because of generative AI and because we've done well in process-based risk management. There are models, standards, and tools we can reference on how to do this. [11:32] Why most organizations fail is that people don't understand people and the drivers people have. The one thing that Dr. Schneider would love people to take away from his session is that "I have to start with me." [11:43] Dr. Schneider continues. If I'm trying to get people to do something, I need to understand the voice in my head, what's coming out of my mouth, and what my actions are. If I can't control that, what makes me think I'm going to change organizational culture? [11:54] It starts with me. Then I can move to us, and we can get this high-performing risk team. If I can get a high-performing risk team, now we are ready to take it through the organization. We can be the real value-add. [12:06] The risk departments of the future are not going to be what they were or what they are now. They're not going to be compliance departments anymore. [12:14] Risk departments of the future are going to be insight, hindsight, and foresight departments. They're going to create understanding of what's happened, what's happening, and what we need to do to capitalize on opportunity, while we manage downside. [12:34] Dr. Schneider points out that if we're looking at the same thing, we see something different. That's great for managing bias, but terrible if we can't align because we'll each think we're ri

26 min
25/11/2025

RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction 2025 Winner Sadig Hajiyev — Recorded live from the RIMS ERM Conference in Seattle!

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Sadig Hajiyev, SOCAR Türkiye, Risk & Compliance Group Director, about SOCAR Turkiye and winning the RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction. Sadig speaks of their ERM transformation that shifted SOCAR Türkiye from a compliance-oriented approach to an integrated, strategy-driven system, and a pivotal change. Sadig explains how they keep the ERM cohesive for business leaders, enabling decision-making. Sadig comments on external shocks that pressure-tested the program, showing the organization's true resilience and how it adapted its ERM approach. He speaks of one innovation with the biggest measurable impact. Justin and Sadig discuss SOCAR Türkiye's maturity jumping from a level-3 "repeatable" program to a level-5 "leading practice" in just a few years, supported by both the RIMS RMM and internal surveys, and how they are sustaining that momentum, having reached the top tier. Listen for words of wisdom and encouragement for risk practitioners. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is Sadig Hajiyev. He is the Risk & Compliance Group Director for SOCAR Türkiye, and he was one of two recipients of the RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction. [:47] We will talk about the unique characteristics of his ERM Program and his unique risk philosophies. But first… [:55] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on December 3rd and 4th. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA will be held on December 4th and 5th. These are virtual courses. [1:12] Links to these courses can be found through the Certifications page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:19] RIMS Virtual Workshops! "Managing Data for ERM" will be led again by Pat Saporito. That session will start on December 11th. Registration closes on December 10th. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:38] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:50] The RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management is hosted by the famous James Lam. This is a live, virtual program that helps elevate your expertise and career in ERM. [2:02] You can enroll now for the next cohort, which will be held over 12 weeks from January through March of 2026. Registration closes on January 5th. Or Spring ahead, and register for the cohort that will be held from April through June of 2026. Registration closes on April 6th. [2:22] Links to registration and enrollment are in this episode's show notes. [2:27] This episode was recorded at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025. We've covered a lot of ERM ground in the last few episodes, and for those who want to catch up, I've included a link to the RIMS ERM Special Digital Edition of Risk Management magazine in this episode's notes. [2:50] RIMScast ERM coverage is linked as well. Enhance your ERM knowledge with RIMS. [2:56] On with the show! This special episode was recorded live from Seattle at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025. [3:05] It was one of the best-attended ERM Conferences in RIMS history, with hundreds of ERM practitioners and students from around the world connecting, learning, and celebrating. [3:17] In RIMS tradition, we awarded the RIMS Global ERM Awards of Distinction. This year, there were two winners, one of which was SOCAR Türkiye, a pioneering energy company based in Turkey. The company's ERM program wowed our judges. [3:34] Accepting the award is Sadig Hajiyev. He is the Risk & Compliance Group Director. As you will hear, he took the ERM Program to the next level. Since we were in person, it was the perfect time to sit down and speak with him after receiving his award. [3:49] We're going to learn all about the program and Sadig's unique risk philosophies. Let's get to it! [3:53] Interview! Sadig Hajiyev, welcome to RIMScast! [4:18] Sadig says winning the award is a great feeling! Knowing someone here understands the value of the ERM Program and appreciates it is great! He shared photos and his reflections with his organization and got many congratulations, even though it was almost midnight in Turkey! [5:09] Saig explains that SOCAR is a global company, based in Azerbaijan, with more than 100K people working in Turkey. They have refineries and petrochemical facilities working together. They are also in the energy trading business. They have terminals. [5:34] They have multiple sectors, including fiber optic cables. They are doing so much in Turkey. SOCAR Türkiye is the biggest single-point investment in the history of Turkey, worth around $20 billion U.S. [6:01] Sadig's department is 15 people, including compliance professionals. They have a resource pool of experts and allocate teams as needed. [6:16] In 2022, SOCAR Türkiye shifted from a compliance-oriented approach to an integrated, strategy-driven system. [6:29] SOCAR Türkiye does international business. It is highly dependent on international trade regulations, especially trade sanction regulations. Being compliant is not sufficient for SOCAR Türkiye. Sadig says sanction regulations are very dynamic, and you should be adaptive to them. [6:57] Sadig says adaptation should be risk-based. At that time, SOCAR Türkiye started to implement risk-based compliance studies and approaches to make healthier decisions. They understood that it was the right decision. [7:21] SOCAR Türkiye has a modular ERM framework that spans Scenario Analysis, Risk and Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs), Regulatory Attestation Cycles, the ISO 22301, and the Resilience Maturity Model. [7:42] Justin asks how Sadig keeps them cohesive and digestible so that his leaders in SOCAR know that ERM is enabling decision-making. Sadig says it's not easy. They all met the needs that came up. [8:14] The risk leader needs to understand the context of the company. Being very close to the first line, Sadig does not believe there is value in going to the C-Suite and asking what they expect of risk management. They have no idea. [8:33] Sadig says it's more important to have a smooth discussion with them. At that point, the skill of the risk manager comes in to understand the context there and find out what would work best for this need. By that, you are supporting the company's decision-making. [9:05] Sadig is a boxer. He keeps telling his team that risk management shouldn't be very friendly. Conversations shouldn't be easy or enjoyable. Discussions should be disruptive. Sadig risk is the department asking, if zombies are coming and invading our vault, what will happen? [9:47] Risk leaders are the ones at the table to trigger those discussions and have the tough conversations. At that time, a leader's personality and personal brand are important. Managers should understand you are not doing it just to disrupt. [10:08] You are doing it for the company's sake, to make the decision-makers consider all the aspects, risks, threats, and opportunities. [10:43] SOCAR Türkiye faced significant external shocks in the last couple of years: security incidents, sanctions, and energy price volatility that pressure tested the ERM Program, but the company demonstrated resilience. [11:11] Each of these incidents had its own dynamics that made the ERM Program learn or find a way to adapt. [11:29] Turkey is a country with a very diverse range of uncertainties: political, economic, and geographical. The oil and gas sector is under pressure from international regulations, the climate, and more. There are so many issues going around. [11:51] Facing real-time instances can be disruptive and impactful on daily business. The most important thing is the ability to adapt. It's the top management's job to adapt. Risk management is about the future. If something happens, risk management is there to support. [12:23] Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate wth them. Booth sales are open now! [12:45] Registration is open for RIMS members now, as well. General registration and speaker registration will open on December 3rd. [12:53] Links are in this episode's show notes, and this year, when you purchase one Full-Conference Pass by December 2nd, you can add a second Full-Conference Pass at 50% off, through December 31st. [13:07] When an eligible member selects a Full-Conference Pass while registering online, a Promo Code will be generated on the Review step of the registration form. [13:05] This code will also be included in the Confirmation Email. It may be shared with a second eligible member from the same company or same email domain, and receive that 50% discount. Bring a colleague for 50% off. This is available to organizational and individual RIMS members. [13:32] Links are in this episode's show notes. [13:35] Let's Return to My Interview with 2025 RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction Winner Sadig Hajiyev! [13:46] Justin speaks of SOCAR Türkiye's impressive innovations, dynamic risk appetite metrics tied to EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), an AI Geopolitical Scenario Engine, and a Resilience Scorecard linked to Capital Allocation. [14:10] Justin says he thinks all of this helped drive SOCAR Türkiye's nomination to the winning category. Justin asks which one brought the biggest measurable impact. [14:20] For the biggest financial result, Sadig says it was the assumption studies SOCAR Türkiye implemented to its financial projection. Sadig believes risk managers look at a range of values. [14:50] Sadig says, like quantum physics, it's not one or zer

24 min
18/11/2025

Managing Risk, from Farm to Fork with Julie Anna Potts, Meat Institute CEO

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Julia Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute, about her career, background, lifelong interest in agriculture and food, and how she joined the Meat Institute following a career in environmental law. The discussion covers the role of the Meat Institute in the food supply chain and how it serves member companies and the food industry in general, through its food safety best practices and a free online course, "The Foundations of Listeria Control." Julia reveals the Protein PACT initiative and explains how food safety relates to risk management with their shared values. She tells how meat processors are good community members. Listen for advice on the culture of safety and how it starts at the very top of the organization. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by Julia Anna Potts, the CEO of the Meat Institute. We'll discuss food safety and education, and risk frameworks that the Institute uses to ensure that our food and supply chains are clean. But first… [:47] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on December 3rd and 4th. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA will be held on December 4th and 5th. These are virtual courses. [1:03] Links to these courses can be found through the Certifications page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:11] RIMS Virtual Workshops! On November 19th and 20th, Ken Baker will lead the two-day course, "Applying and Integrating ERM." [1:24] "Managing Data for ERM" will be led again by Pat Saporito. That session will start on December 11th. Registration closes on December 10th. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:40] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:52] This episode is released on November 18th, 2025, Day Two of the RIMS ERM Conference in Seattle, Washington. We've covered a lot of ERM ground in the last few episodes. For more ERM, click the link to the RIMS ERM Special Edition of Risk Management magazine in the notes. [2:18] RIMScast ERM coverage is linked as well. Enhance your ERM knowledge with RIMS! [2:24] On with the show! Our guest is Julie Anna Potts. She is the President and CEO of the Meat Institute. She leads the Institute in implementing programs and activities for the association. [2:38] She is an agricultural veteran, previously serving the American Farm Bureau Federation as its Executive Vice President. [2:47] With Thanksgiving coming up next week in the U.S., I thought this would be a great time on RIMScast to talk about food safety, food production, and what another not-for-profit is doing to ensure the safety of our products and the speed and efficiency of our supply chain. [3:07] We're going to have a lot of fun and talk turkey, so let's get to it! [3:12] Interview! Julie Anna Potts, welcome to RIMScast! [3:27] Julie Anna Potts and RIMS CEO, Gary LaBranche, are both part of the Committee of 100 with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. They get together with other association heads across industries. Julie Anna says it is very valuable. [3:44] Julie Anna and Gary were talking in the summer about food safety and about what the Meat Institute does, and Gary invited her to be on RIMScast. [3:57] Justin notes that it is the week before Thanksgiving in the U.S. Juliana says they are doing so much in Washington now, and food safety is always top-of-mind around the holidays. There are lots of turkeys and turkey products being sold in the United States. [4:45] Julie Anna says turkey is cultural for Thanksgiving, and poultry, and how you cook it and handle it in the kitchen is incredibly important for food safety. [5:01] Justin asks, Is fish meat? Julianna says fish is protein, but we don't classify it as meat or poultry. Justin wants to keep the argument going with his family at Thanksgiving. [5:31] Julie Anna says they have lots of arguments around the Meat Institute, like whether ketchup belongs on hot dogs. Julie Anna says the answer to that is no. [5:41] Julie Anna has been at the Meat Institute for a little over seven years. She came in as President and CEO. She has been in Washington for most of her career, since undergrad. She graduated from law school in D.C. and worked at a firm. [5:59] Julie Anna has been in agriculture, representing farmers for years. She went to the Senate as Chief Counsel of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She has been at the Meat Institute for the last seven years. [6:19] Food and agriculture have been central to Julie Anna's career and also to her family life. Her husband grew up on a farm. Julie Anna is two generations off the farm. [6:32] They love to cook, dine out, and eat with their children; all the things you do around the holidays, and gather around the Thanksgiving table. They have passed to one of their three children their love of food traditions. She's their little foodie. [6:52] Julie Anna has a career and a personal life that is centered around food. [7:11] The Meat Institute members are the companies that slaughter animals and do further processing of meat. They are in the supply chain between livestock producers and retail and food service customers. [7:35] To be a general member of the Meat Institute, you have to have a Grant of Inspection from the Food Safety Inspection Service of the USDA. The Federal Grant of Inspection is a requirement to be able to operate and to sell into the market. [7:56] When we look at the capacity we have at the USDA, in the last several months, we're not seeing a decline in capacity, but more emphasis on our Food Safety Inspection Service. [8:18] Through DOGE, voluntary retirements, through additional resources coming in with the One Big Beautiful Bill, and through recruiting, the Meat Institute is seeing its member companies have staffing, even through this government shutdown. They're considered essential, as always. [8:54] The Meat Institute was established in 1906 for the purpose of addressing food safety and industry issues. Those are Jobs One, Two, and Three, every day. The Meat Institute has all kinds of education it offers to its members. [9:15] The members of the Meat Institute have strong food safety programs. They have HASSA Plans and third-party audits. The Meat Institute helps any member company of any size, from 25 employees to global companies, with education on, for example, Listeria training. [9:53] The Meat Institute has just launched an online platform that has had great uptake. If you have associates in your business who have never had food safety training, for all levels of folks, there is online, free, and freely available training on how to deal with Listeria. [10:19] All the Meat Institute member companies have significant Food Safety staffing and Food Safety Quality Assurance Programs. Julie Anna praises the people throughout the industry who work in Food Safety for their companies. It's a life-or-death matter. [10:45] Food Safety staff are always seeking to become better, so the Meat Institute has a Food Safety Conference and Advanced Listeria Training (an in-person module). They interface with the regulators, who are partners with the Meat Institute in this. [11:14] The Meat Institute is always striving for better Best Management Practices across everyone's programs, which are never just the minimum. A philosophy of doing just what is compliant does not get you into the best space. [11:36] The Meat Institute is here to encourage Best in Class, always. Food Safety is non-competitive in the Meat Institute. Everyone across the different-sized companies, from 25 employees to 100,000, can feel comfortable sharing what's working for them. [12:06] That is important when it comes to conferences and other things they do. Let's be candid with each other, because nobody can get better if you're not. [12:17] The Meat Institute has seen cultural issues where CEOs don't think about Food Safety and Quality Assurance because they have great people taking care of it. That's true a lot of the time, until it isn't. [12:42] The tone that needs to be set at the very top of the organization is that this is hugely important for risk management. Hugely important for your brand and your ability to operate. [12:56] The Meat Institute board asked, if we are pushing culture down through the organization, what kinds of questions do I need to ask, not just my Food Safety Team, but everyone, and demonstrating my knowledge, understanding, and commitment to governance of this big risk? [13:31] The Meat Institute created a template of a set of questionnaires for executives. It is a C-Suite document and documentation. [13:47] It's a voluntary questionnaire for a CEO, regardless of company size, indicating that you understand how important this is in ensuring that everything that you push down through your organization, culturally, is focused on Food Safety. [14:05] The link to the Listeria Safety Platform is in this episode's show notes. [14:11] Justin says the structure of the Meat Institute is very similar to the structure of RIMS, with open communications and knowledge-sharing, or else the industry does not grow or improve. [14:27] Justin says it sounds like the industry executives are stepping up their game amid the tumult coming out of Washington. Julie Anna agrees. [14:47] Julie Anna says the Meat Institute has been driving that progress. It is incredibly important. Julie Anna thinks that in a lot of industries, there is a pull and tug between the companies and regulators. [15:07] In the case of meat and poultry inspection and what the Meat Institute does with FSIS, it is a col

46 min
11/11/2025

Risk Rotation with Lori Flaherty and Bill Coller of Paychex

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Lori Flaherty and Bill Coller of Paychex about how the ERM Team serves as the "conscience" of Paychex and how it operates within the organization. Some of the topics include winning the RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction in 2024, structured peer reviews, risk rotation, a strong culture of risk management, interviewing new team members, fostering curiosity, and preparing for mergers and acquisitions. They talk about having the ear of the executive team and promoting a culture of risk management for the entire organization. Listen for tips on presenting to an audience of ERM practitioners. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. I'm delighted to be joined by Lori Flaherty and Bill Coller of the ERM Team at Paychex. They won the RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction in 2024. We're going to talk all about their risk and RM philosophies. But first… [:53] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM will be held on December 3rd and 4th. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep with PARIMA will be held on December 4th and 5th. These are virtual courses. [1:10] Links to these courses can be found through the Certifications page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:18] RIMS Virtual Workshops! On November 19th and 20th, Ken Baker will lead the two-day course, "Applying and Integrating ERM." [1:31] "Managing Data for ERM" will be led again by Pat Saporito. That session will start on December 11th. Registration closes on December 10th. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:46] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:59] The RIMS ERM Conference 2025 will be on November 17th and 18th in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and this is the last week to register so click the registration link in this episode's show notes or visit the events page on RIMS.org. [2:16] The RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep will be held on-site, on November 15th and 16th in Seattle. You can learn more by clicking the link in this episode's show notes. [2:29] On with the show! Our guests today are winners of the RIMS Global Award of Distinction in 2024. Bill Coller and Lori Flaherty are past presenters at the RIMS ERM Conference. [2:44] They let us into their thought process a little bit this year in the RIMS ERM Q&A Series, with an interview titled, "Risk Optimized Decision-Making at Paychex." We will expand on that dialog a bit here today on RIMScast, so Let's get to it! [3:03] Interview! Lori Flaherty and Bill Coller, welcome to RIMScast! [3:21] Lori and Bill were winners of the RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction in 2024, in Boston. [3:42] ERM is a passion for Lori and Bill. Bill says, You have to love it to be in it as long as we've been in it. It's always something new every day. There's always some new challenge that we have to keep our eyes on. [4:07] Lori has been in risk management, in different roles, for a little over 25 years. She has been with Paychex for eight years, leading the ERM Team. [4:31] Bill has been in risk management for over 20 years. He has been in the ERM space for about four years. [4:53] Lori loves the diversity on her team. In an ERM program, you need a diverse team without groupthink. Bill and Lori are not the same at all, and they complement each other. Bill agrees. [5:42] Lori says the whole risk organization at Paychex has more than 800 people, some were added due to the recent acquisition of Paycor. The ERM Team has about 10 people. [6:21] Justin says listeners can learn about the contributions Lori and Bill made during a complex and time-consuming acquisition by checking out the ERM Q&A from 2025, "Risk Optimized Decision-Making at Paychex", by Russ Banham, in this episode's show notes. [6:52] In the interview, Paychex described ERM as acting like the company's conscience. Lori says ERM, a small but mighty team within a large risk organization, may seem challenging to have the ear of leadership, but they have a direct line. [7:25] One of the values as a risk organization, as well as a Paychex organization, is talking about integrity. Integrity is a key cornerstone of the team. The ERM Team remains independent. [7:38] Although the ERM Team reports to the risk organization, where the risk organization sits within the enterprise, this is part of what enables the ERM Team to remain independent. ERM is not transactional or client-facing. [7:55] The ERM Team has strong partnerships with the Enterprise Strategy Team and other key leaders across the enterprise. Leaders count on the ERM Team and reach out to them. Being independent allows the ERM Team to be the conscience of the company. [8:29] Bill says, The ERM Team has several different risk review programs. They always have an actionable remediation plan that comes out of any risk review. They are reporting and remediating any residual risk. [8:54] Before the completion of any program, the ERM Team gains commitment from the risk owner to own the remediation plan. That allows the ERM Team to continually follow up and make sure that the remediation plan is taking form and remediating the risk. [9:19] It's easy when they get that commitment before the end of the program. That sets the stage. Then they follow up. [9:36] Bill says he is going through the process now to hire a new team member. He is looking for someone who has ERM experience. That can be difficult to find. There are a lot of people out there with experience who love the job they have, stay, and continue to build their programs. [10:17] First is true ERM experience. Outside of that, someone with internal audit experience, with the ability to view risks from a data-based perspective, and identify what could happen and how often it could happen, the impact of it happening, and how to mitigate the risk. [10:47] With any interviewing, you have to get the best that you can through many different characteristics and experiences. [10:57] Lori adds, We want someone who complements the diversity and the team. You can teach methodologies, like COSO, internal audit, and business processes. It's hard to teach people to be curious and to think from a risk mindset. [11:36] Those are key skills, no matter the role; certainly for this role. For anyone joining the team, it's that mindset. You need to remain curious. Channel your inner toddler, asking the why. [11:59] Quick Break! The RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management is our live virtual program led by the famous James Lam. Great news! A third cohort has been announced, from January through March 2026! [12:21] Registration closes January 5th. Enroll now. A link is in this episode's show notes. [12:29] Save the dates March 18th and 19th, 2026, for The RIMS Legislative Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C. [12:37] Join us in Washington, D.C., for two days of Congressional Meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. Visit RIMS.org/Advocacy for more information and updates and to register. [12:52] We've got more plugs later. Let's return to our interview with Bill Coller and Lori Flaherty of Paychex! [13:10] Does inquisitiveness enhance the risk culture? Lori says that staying curious is key, especially when looking at remediation, defining risks, thinking about scenarios, and what could go wrong. Being curious opens your mind up to what could be. [13:47] Bill says it's tough to measure a strong risk culture. Bill looks at interactions with key partners across the enterprise. ERM meets with folks across the enterprise very frequently in Key Partnership Meetings. [14:13] The key partners are engaged with ERM, and they're having productive conversations. A lot of the risk programs the ERM Team performs are at the request of those partners. That's one way to measure a strong risk culture: full engagement and asking ERM to perform risk reviews. [14:33] Lori and Bill accepted the award last year, with Frank Fiorille. Lori says Frank is the Chief Risk Officer. He is the VP of Risk for Paychex. Lori and Bill report directly to Frank. He is over all the other risk teams, also. [15:15] Lori and Bill were heavily involved with the Paycor acquisition. Their involvement in the acquisition was critical. If you're in ERM and you're not a part of the M&A process, you should definitely be. It's aligning the strategic objectives of your company. M&A strategy is part of that. [16:13] The ERM Team is involved in the due diligence and the whole process. It's a critical part of your ERM program. [16:31] Bill explains that Risk Rotation is an ERM program. They bring in people from outside of the risk management organization to spend a week with the ERM Team. Since COVID[17:17] The ERM Team shares exactly what they are doing and puts the people through exercises. Bill has a risk scoring exercise. He asks them to bring some risks that they face in their roles. Bill talks about impact, likelihood, and control effectiveness, and makes a heatmap. [17:57] Frequently, after a Risk Rotation, some will ask to participate in a future Risk Review. [19:02] Lori shares tips for presenting at a RIMS conference. Knowing your material and being passionate about the topic are important. A presenter should know the audience. You are the audience. What would you want to know? [19:24] When Lori goes to a session, she wants to know how to practically apply what this means. She wants some takeaways. She wants to know how the presenter is doing it, what's working, and what's not working. Keeping that in mind is super helpful. [19:42] When Lori has presented, she tells them, This is what's worked at Paychex. She can see th

35 min
04/11/2025

Energizing ERM with Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In this episode, Justin interviews Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair, the Vice President, Commercial, Phoenix Park Energy Marketing Limited. Justin and Kellee Ann discuss her target risk career starting in her undergraduate days studying chemistry, to her role as VP of Commercial for a gas supply organization. She describes the range of responsibilities she carries. Kellee Ann also speaks of her presence at the upcoming RIMS ERM Conference 2025 on November 17th and 18th in Seattle, Washington. Listen for understanding about the complexity and interconnectivity of risks in ERM. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair. She is the Vice President of Commercial at Phoenix Park Energy Marketing Limited, and a member of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council. There is much to discuss with her! But first… [:47] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Virtual Workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found through the Certifications page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:07] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, "Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders." It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. [1:21] On November 11th and 12th, Chris Hansen will lead "Fundamentals of Insurance". It features everything you've always wanted to know about insurance but were afraid to ask. Fear not; ask Chris Hansen! RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops! [1:40] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:51] RIMS Webinars! On November 6th, HUB will present "Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World". That session will be moderated by Christina Howard, our guest from last week. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:08] The RIMS ERM Conference 2025 will be on November 17th and 18th in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and the link is available in this episode's show notes. [2:20] That brings us to today's guest, Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair. She is the Vice President of Commercial at Phoenix Park Energy Marketing Limited, a U.S. subsidiary of Phoenix Park Gas Processors, LLC. [2:35] We're going to learn all about oil, gas, and the energy sector and how it intertwines with ERM. In addition, Kellee Ann will be making her RIMS ERM Conference debut! [2:48] Kellee Ann will be highly visible, especially on November 18th, when she leads the ERM Networking Breakfast, the Conference Finale Panel, and the recently added session at 1:30 p.m. on the 18th, "Exploiting Uncertainty: Making the Business Case for Strategic Risk Treatments." [3:09] That session was added after we recorded this interview, which is why we do not discuss it. Kellee Ann has a fascinating career and background. Between that and her presence at the ERM Conference, she's a wonderful guest, and I'm so glad we had this interview! [3:23] On with the show! Let's get to it! [3:25] Interview! Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair, welcome to RIMScast! [3:34] Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair, it's a pleasure to finally have you on our show! [3:43] Kellee Ann is a relatively new member of the RIMS Strategic and Enterprise Risk Management Council. She will be at the RIMS ERM Conference on November 17th and 18th. She will lead the ERM Networking Breakfast Tabletop Discussions. [4:12] Kellee Ann has a fascinating career, and she works in a unique sector. She's an energy sector professional and works in the oil and gas industry. The key to her embarking on the risk journey was when she did her Master's in Project Management. [4:36] One of the areas was Project Risk Management, to which Kellee Ann had a great affinity. She liked the analytical thinking that goes behind assessing what could likely impact your project. [4:53] Also, the accountability and ownership that goes into the planning phase, making sure that you're thinking of everything that could go wrong, as a means of making sure that you're achieving your objectives. [5:05] In 2004, Kellee Ann wrote her thesis on implementing enterprise risk management practices into private sector organizations. [5:15] It honed the tools she would use in project risk management with the greater goal of having a large impact on the organization, by impacting strategy and strategy delivery. [5:33] From there, Kellee Ann participated in risk committees in her organization and other organizations, helping them push the risk agenda and making sure they have the right mindset that allows them to make sure that they are achieving their business mandates. [5:59] Kellee Ann always intended to work in the energy sector in oil and gas. Her undergraduate degree is in chemistry. She always liked understanding how things are made and how they function. In the energy space, many of the operations are rooted in chemistry. [6:22] Kellee Ann speaks of the business component of getting the molecules out to market. ERM meshes with her affinity for chemistry, risk management, business, analytical thinking, and understanding how your business model functions and what could likely impact it. [7:13] Kellee Ann has managed project risk registers for her department, on the commercial side. She is always risk-focused, identifying any threats to the business and incorporating that into contract negotiations, and how she liaises with her stakeholders and customers. [7:41] For Kellee Ann, it was a perfect match, meshing her passion and her job responsibility. In the risk management profession, you get to have a direct impact on the success or failure of your business. [8:03] Kellee Ann is based in Houston with Phoenix Park Energy Marketing Limited, the U.S. subsidiary of Phoenix Park Gas Processors LLC, which is located in Trinidad and Tobago. It's a natural gas processing facility. [8:23] Kellee Ann leads the commercial function of Phoenix Park Energy Marketing Limited. The energy sector is dynamic, impacted by geopolitics, the volatility of market prices, and even other industries, and the investments they make. [8:37] For example, AI requires lots of power to run. For AI development to be successful means heavily investing in power. That's likely to have an impact on commodity prices. Everything is interconnected. [8:52] Interconnected risk is a current process in terms of managing the complexity of the current business environment. The energy sector becomes a good proxy for how you manage complex operations and still run a profitable business, fulfilling its purpose and mission. [9:16] Kellee Ann's mental model of risk management is prudent decision-making. You have to be able to justify to the shareholders that you are leading the organization in the right direction and prove the thinking behind what you are recommending. [9:42] You have to demonstrate the value proposition: This is what will prevent me from implementing my mission, and this is what I'm going to put in place. [9:51] Even though this is preventing a threat, these are the opportunities I'm seeing out of it. This is how I can move the needle a little further, because I'm looking at it from a holistic perspective. I'm no longer looking at it as a separate function. It becomes good business. [10:16] Kellee Ann is not functionally in charge of commercial. She is in charge of the strategic aspects of it. The Risk Management Department focuses on the operational aspects of the business and also feeds in strategic elements. [10:29] Kellee Ann has incorporated ERM into her lifestyle because of her subject matter expertise. She has gotten the opportunity to lecture on enterprise risk management and offer consultancy for private sector organizations that are early adopters in terms of risk maturity. [10:49] Kellee Ann considers that she has a broad experience in risk management, leveraging the tools in each of her job responsibilities. [11:05] Kellee Ann is over enterprise risk management from a strategic perspective. She has a high-level view of all risks likely to impact operations. She ensures that all risk mitigations are in place and makes sure she is exploiting all opportunities the organization would like to embrace. [11:31] There is enterprise risk management expertise within the organization, focused on the functional perspective, while Kellee Ann focuses on the strategic perspective, looking at emerging risks and how they impact the business and the marketability of the product. [11:49] Kellee Ann also looks at what areas of opportunity it opens up for her in terms of making an impact on the customers. [11:58] Kellee Ann is Vice President of Commercial. There is a separate Risk Management Department. They work together regularly. Kellee Ann tells how risks are managed functionally and strategically, and that employees have toolkits to distill information for prudent decisions. [12:36] Quick Break! The RIMS CRO Certificate Program in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management is our live virtual program led by the famous James Lam. Great news! A third cohort has been announced, from January through March 2026! [12:57] Registration closes January 5th. Enroll now. A link is in this episode's show notes. [13:06] Save the dates March 18th and 19th, 2026, for The RIMS Legislative Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C. [13:14] Join us in Washington, D.C., for two days of Congressional Meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. Visit RIMS.org/Advocacy for more information and updates and to register. [13:28] We've got more plugs later. Let's return to our interview with Kellee Ann Richa

37 min

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Creator

The Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.
Years Active

2018 - 2025
Episodes

100
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Clean
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Episodes

Year In Risk 2025 with Morgan O'Rourke and Hilary Tuttle

Risk Decision-making in 2026 with Joseph A. Milan, Ph.D.

The Evolving Role of the Risk Analyst

Presilience and Cognitive Biases with Dr. Gav Schneider and Shreen Williams

RIMS ERM Global Award of Distinction 2025 Winner Sadig Hajiyev — Recorded live from the RIMS ERM Conference in Seattle!

Managing Risk, from Farm to Fork with Julie Anna Potts, Meat Institute CEO

Risk Rotation with Lori Flaherty and Bill Coller of Paychex

Energizing ERM with Kellee Ann Richards-St. Clair

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