The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) will use the occasion of its Seminar on 20-21 October 2014 to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the publication of an anniversary brochure and a gala dinner. The Seminar will take place at the Square venue in central Brussels, where FERMA will announce the results of the 2014 FERMA Risk Management Benchmarking Survey.*

Julia Graham

The anniversary brochure, 40 Years of Risk Management in Europe, tells the history of FERMA through its presidents. A second section, Looking Around, describes FERMA’s current projects, such as the professional certification of risk managers and events, especially Seminars and Forums. Finally, the brochure looks forward to FERMA’s plans for the future.

FERMA President Julia Graham says, “FERMA is proud to have played a leading role over the last 40 years in the development and recognition of risk management as a profession. FERMA’s strategic objectives are to be a significant stakeholder in the decision-making process at the European level on risk management, and insurance and risk financing issues, and to coordinate, promote and support the development and use of risk management, insurance and risk financing in Europe. It is through the delivery of these objectives that we provide value to our members and the risk community as a whole.”

FERMA began in 1974 as an organisation to represent the commercial insurance buying community with the European Commission and the insurance market. Six countries then had associations of insurance buyers, captive brokers or risk managers: Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands and the UK. They created the Association of European Industrial Insureds or AEAI, which was based in Brussels so it could be close to the Commission.
The next major step was the creation of a European risk management conference, held jointly with the US Risk and Insurance Management Society. Starting in 1981, it took place every other year in Monte Carlo until 1999. By then, the number of members had grown to nine with Denmark, Spain and Switzerland joining the original six. AEAI was ready to stand on its own feet. It became FERMA and held its first FERMA Risk Management Forum with great success in Berlin in 1999.

Since then FERMA membership has risen to 22 national associations in 20 European countries with the addition of risk management associations in Czech Republic, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden and Turkey, Spain and Germany have two associations each. These associations represent more than 4300 individual risk and insurance managers. More recently, FERMA has begun admitting international individual and corporate members with an interest in European risk management but who are not eligible to join a national association member.

The brochure will be distributed at the 40th anniversary gala dinner which will take place at the famous Bozar, the Belgians’ fond name for their Palais des Beaux Arts. (www.bozar.be). The building is an art deco masterpiece by Victor Horta (1861-1947), which has been intensively renovated and restored to create what is probably the most prestigious venue for the arts in Belgium. All are welcome to attend the dinner, which is free for risk managers.

*Invitation to press

• Journalists are invited to attend the Seminar on 20 and 21 October in Brussels; where FERMA will announce the results of its 2014 Risk Management Benchmarking Survey;
• There will be a press conference from 12.30 to 13.30 on Monday 20 October;
• A publications table will be available.

For more information and registration, see:
https://www.ferma.eu/event/ferma-seminar-2018/