RIMS commitment to global expansion illustrated with new chapters, award recipients announced

RIMS, the risk management society, now has 82 chapters, welcoming Australasia and Peru to the fold, notes a statement released Monday during the 2013 RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Los Angeles, where RIMS also announced several presitigous award winners. 

The latest chapter additions – based in Melbourne and Lima, respectively – demonstrate RIMS commitment to global expansion, notes a statement from the society. With more than 11,000 members in 60-plus countries, RIMS chapters are located in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Australia and Peru.

“Most companies today have some level of foreign exposure requiring risk professionals to think globally when analyzing threats and opportunities,” RIMS president John Phelps says in the statement. The addition of the chapters “makes it even easier for the society to share its wealth of resources and knowledge while helping to establish a more uniformed approach to risk management,” Phelps adds.

“More and more, we’re finding that boards around the world are realizing the importance of having strong risk management capabilities,” added RIMS executive director Mary Roth.

Also  Monday, a number of honours recognizing jobs well done, including for Karin McDonald for her work with the RIMS Ontario Chapter, were handed out during the RIMS Award Luncheon.

Check out the action at #rims2013. See the award winners, session updates and more! rlm.ag/QPpx2

— Risk & Ins Mgmt Soc (@RIMSorg) April 23, 2013

The Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award, RIMS’ most prestigious honour, was presented to Daniel Houston, executive director of enterprise risk management and learning for The McCart Group in Duluth, Gerogia. The award pays tribute to an individual who has furthered the goals of RIMS and the risk management discipline through outstanding service and achievement.

Other recipients include the following:

• the Richard W. Bland Memorial Award to Janet Kerr, vice president of risk management for Boston Properties, Inc. in recognition of dedicated commitment in the area of legislation or regulation;
• the Ron Judd “Heart of RIMS” Award, recognizing outstanding performance in furthering risk management at the chapter level, to Scott Clark, risk and benefits officer for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and Karin McDonald, director of risk and insurance for Hydro One Networks Inc.;
• the Cristy Award, for highest marks on the three exams required to earn the associate of risk management designation, to Ed Mitchell, director of risk management for Metropolitan Stevedore Company in Wilmington, California;
• the 2013 Risk Manager of the Year Award, presented by RIMS and Business Insurance magazine, to Lori Gray, risk management division chief for Prince William County in Virginia.

RIMS and American International Group, Inc. (AIG) also announced yesterday that David Sterling and Robert Spencer had been named the 2013 inductees to the Risk Management Hall of Fame (RMHF). Both honorees were officially inducted at RIMS 2013 Annual Conference & Exhibition in Los Angeles.

Criteria considered by the RMHF Selection Committee include considerable contributions to the field; significant achievements, innovation and trend setting; demonstrated leadership, character and service; and the highest caliber of ethical and professional conduct, notes a statement from RIMS.

“The best way to preserve and enhance the future of the risk profession is to acknowledge the achievements of the individuals who set the bar and have introduced or popularized strategies that continue to be adopted by organizations today,” Mary Roth, executive director of RIMS, notes in the statement.

“With this year’s inductees, the Selection Committee has once again chosen risk management leaders who have had a profound and lasting influence on the industry,” adds Peter Eastwood, president and CEO, Americas Region for AIG Property Casualty.

RIMS also recognized the exceptional work of its chapters for a number of achievements, details of which are available on its website.