Climate Resilience in a Complex World: Strategic Risk Management with Amy Barnes of Marsh

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Aug 6, 2025

In this discussion, Amy Barnes, Head of Climate and Sustainability Strategy at Marsh, shares her journey from environmental consultant to a leader in climate strategy. She emphasizes the crucial role of curiosity in adapting insurance to climate change. Amy reveals how tools like the tariff simulator enhance supply chain resilience and stresses that climate considerations should permeate business decisions. She also addresses the evolving role of risk managers from mere safety departments to strategic partners driving organizational growth.

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ANECDOTE

Amy Barnes's Insurance Origin Story

Amy Barnes fell into insurance unexpectedly after moving and needing a job.
She started as an environmental insurance broker and has never looked back.

INSIGHT

Embedding Climate into Risk Strategy

Climate should be embedded in all risk thinking, not isolated in a climate team.
Insurance must evolve to cover risks from new technologies and extreme weather impacts on people and resources.

ADVICE

Risk Management Needs Curiosity

Risk professionals must be curious and collaborative across all business functions.
Connect with HR, tech, asset teams to effectively manage complex risks.

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We're coming to you LIVE from Riskworld 2025! In this episode of Risk Management: Brick by Brick, host Jason Reichl sits down with Amy Barnes, Head of Climate and Sustainability Strategy at Marsh, to explore how organizations can build resilience in an increasingly complex world. Amy shares her unique journey from environmental consultant to leading global climate strategy, and reveals how risk managers can transform from cost centers into strategic enablers of business growth.

Discover how Marsh's innovative tools like the tariff simulator are helping clients navigate supply chain volatility, why climate considerations should be embedded in every business decision, and how the insurance industry is evolving to meet unprecedented challenges. Learn practical strategies for managing everything from extreme weather events to supply chain disruptions, and why curiosity and collaboration are the key characteristics for success in modern risk management.

To find out how TrustLayer manages risk so that people can build the physical world around us, head to TrustLayer.io.

Podcast Host: Jason Reichl

Executive Producer: Don Halliwell

Episode Highlights:

00:00 - Intro: Meet Amy Barnes, Head of Climate Strategy at Marsh
02:07 - Climate Integration: Embedding Risk Thinking Across Organizations
03:56 - Legacy Industries: Adapting Traditional Business to Modern Challenges
05:23 - Strategic ROI: Building Business Cases for Climate Investment
06:31 - Innovation Spotlight: Marsh's Tariff Simulator and Supply Chain Insights
08:16 - Volatility Management: How Insurance Becomes More Critical
09:07 - Global Perspectives: Climate Conversations Across Markets
10:44 - Career Evolution: From Department Function to Strategic Partnership
12:16 - Future-Forward Thinking: Moving Beyond Historical Data Models
14:39 - Industry Advice: Stepping Up in an Era of Complexity

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Previous guests include: Seth Hausman of Kraus-Anderson Insurance, Matthew Meyer of The Horton Group, Diana Rich of Foundation Building Materials, Christy McHenry of Suffolk Construction, Mark Rieder of NFP, and Cory Mangum of Primoris Services Corporation.

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