Risk Management, Appliances with Christine Schelble
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.
