Demand for sustainability, good corporate behaviour and rapid digitalisation are leading to profound changes in organisations and the work of risk managers. “The risk manager can be a co-pilot for the board and top management in this transformation,” said the President of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA), Jo Willaert, as he opened the FERMA’s 2018 European Risk Management Seminar now taking place in Antwerp.
The Seminar aims to strengthen the risk manager’s role in helping organisations deal with cyber risks associated with the digital revolution and the pressure for sustainability to reduce their ecological footprint and to make business conduct responsible. It has attracted more than 200 risk professionals from 17 countries.
Said Jo: “In Europe, we see that organisations need to be sustainable. This term – sustainable – can have different meanings, often linked with climate change. It can mean that organisations build their resilience to the effects of climate change and manage other environmental risks. Through innovation, they can also help to mitigate climate change and reduce its impact on the community.
“But sustainability is not just a green issue. It can also apply to good corporate behaviour as a whole, because companies depend on the acceptability of their practices to continue developing and prospering. Society is putting pressure on companies to disclose activities like their employment practices and human rights, diversity and avoidance of bribery and corruption, as well as their environmental record.”
Jo stated that when it comes to digital transformation, we are seeing growing awareness of the value that professional risk management can add. “More than one-third of the risk managers who responded to the FERMA 2018 European Risk Manager Survey are already involved in the transformation of their organisations, including analysing risks linked to the development of new technologies. The relationship between risk management and IT, which was under-developed two years ago, is now reaching first-tier level.” These data are preliminary findings of the 2018 Survey which FERMA will publish on 29 November.
He said: “In terms of cyber risk, we are starting to find our way forward from the prophesies of cybergeddon to a situation where it is a manageable risk. Yes, it is an evolving and difficult risk, but one that we can approach with good risk management methods.”
Jo emphasised the importance of education, one of the themes of his FERMA presidency, and told the delegates that the aim of the seminar was to help give them a good sense of direction as a co-pilot for the journey of transformation that is now taking place.
Full details of the seminar: https://www.ferma.eu/event/ferma-seminar-2018/
Want to know more about the evolving role, the stakes and the activities of risk managers? Join us for the 2018 European Risk Manager Survey webinar on 29 November from 12h00 – 12h45 CET. You can register on the following link:
Contacts
Lee Coppack
Media coordinator, FERMA
+44 (0)7843 089904 and +44 (0)208 318 0330
Typhaine Beaupérin CEO FERMA
+32 (2) 761 94 31