Global Perspectives with RIMS Mexico, Australasia Chapter Leaders

Feb 6, 2024

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Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

Justin interviews guests Katie Sexton and Adrian Castillo, recorded live at the RIMS Leadership Forum 2024 in San Antonio, Texas on January 25 and 26. Katie and Adrian each describe the companies where they work, their ERM responsibilities there, how they began in the risk management profession, and what they do for their respective RIMS Chapters. They discuss the risk management culture of their Australasia and Mexico Chapters and planned activities for 2024.

Listen in to learn more about the RIMS Australasia and RIMS Mexico Chapters.

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMScast.

[:13] Public registration for RISKWORLD 2024 is now open. Explore infinite opportunities with RIMS from May 5th through May 8th, 2024, in San Diego, California. Register at RIMS.org/riskworld. Be thankful that it's a leap year! Advance Registration rates end on February 29th, 2024.

[:38] About today's episode of RIMScast. We will be joined by leaders from the RIMS Australasia Chapter and the RIMS Mexico Chapter.

[:59] The RIMS-CRMP is the only competency-based risk management credential. That matters because earning the certification shows employers and recruiters that you have the skills necessary to manage risk and create value for your organization. [1:16] Several Exam Prep virtual workshops are coming up. On March 19th and 20th, this two-day course will be presented with PARIMA. The next RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop will be held from April 2nd through the 4th and led by Joe Mayo. Visit the certification page on RIMS.org for more information. A link is in these show notes.

[1:46] If there is a full group of employees in your organization who should earn the RIMS-CRMP, visit RIMS.org/webinars and register for the complimentary webinar, How Deloitte Leveraged the RIMS-CRMP: A Fireside Chat. A link is on this episode's show notes.

[2:05] We will have leaders from the RIMS-CRMP Commission as well as leaders from Deloitte, who will speak to why they supported several of their employees in earning the RIMS-CRMP. It will be a relaxed, informational session and a lot of fun. Mark your calendars for March 15th and register!

[2:25] We are looking forward to RISKWORLD 2024 in sunny San Diego, California, from May 5th through May 8th, 2024. Public registration is open. Register today at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD and the link in this episode's show notes. Early registration rates are available through February 29th, 2024, brought to you by RIMS and leap year!

[2:52] RIMS recently hosted its Annual Leadership Forum in San Antonio, Texas. This is a chance for chapter leaders to meet, network, and share ideas on how to strengthen their own chapters as well as RIMS, globally. Justin was delighted to meet several of you and he invited some to be on the show, who traveled long distances.

[3:14] We will hear from two leaders today. The first guest is the Vice President of the RIMS Australasia Chapter 2024, Katie Sexton. She is also the Risk Manager for Woods Bagot, a global architectural firm. Justin wants the RIMScast audience to hear what she's got in store for her chapter and how she has championed ERM at Woods Bagot.

[3:47] Katie Sexton, welcome to RIMScast! Katie is Vice President of the RIMS Australasia Chapter and next year, she will be the chapter President. Her daytime job is Global Leader of Risk for Woods Bagot, an architectural firm.

[4:17] Woods Bagot has studios in 17 cities around the globe. It has been an architectural practice for about 150 years. Its largest operations are in Melbourne and Sydney. Katie is based in Melbourne. Katie has always enjoyed architecture. Before Woods Bagot, Katie was at a large American engineering firm.

[5:06] The risk group at Woods Bagot consists of two people. Katie's title is Global Leader of Risk. Woods Bagot has a unique way of managing risk. From an insurance perspective, their key risk is professional liability for project disputes and litigation. From a company perspective, cyber is a massive risk.

[6:01] Other concerns are health and safety, legislative and governance compliance, with the increasing cost of compliance being a key risk for international firms, data protection, and supply chain risks. Woods Bagot also works in interior design and consulting so it's a multi-disciplinary firm operating in multiple environments.

[7:03] Woods Bagot has a company-wide ERM framework that gets reported up to the board. A lot of their regions have the risk registers they manage and comply with. Projects also have their risk registers. Katie has been with Woods Bagot for eight-and-a-half years. She replaced the old ERM framework and built one from scratch.

[7:55] It's key for documents to be streamlined and easily reported up to the board and the Audit and Risk Committee. The risk group does workshops every year with board members and the Audit and Risk Committee to update the ERM framework, based on risk tolerance levels, risk appetite, and a risk register, all collated together and reported.

[8:35] The Woods Bagot ERM framework is an ongoing process. They improve it and streamline it every year after the workshops with the board and Audit and Risk Committee. The initial development of the ERM framework took about six months. The board and executive team receive the framework well, as they are quite risk-aware.

[10:01] The RIMS Australasia Chapter has a great board with collaborative members. Everyone pulls their weight. Katie loves working with chapter members. She enjoys promoting risk management and networking for younger, rising professionals, and sharing knowledge from herself and sponsors, partners, and RIMS.

[11:23] The RIMS Australasia Chapter's conference held last November was a one-day event in three venues, ending with a working drinks session. The theme was The Human Factor. Great partners came to talk. It was an excellent event. The 2024 event will be in the fourth quarter. The Australasia chapter website link is in this episode's show notes.

[12:21] Katie says "Get involved if you're not already. Get to the events of your chapters and global RIMS. They're always great and the networking's fabulous. Come to Australia to see us and get involved in our events! Most of them are online. You can listen to them or the recordings. Like us on LinkedIn, as a lot of our events are open to all."

[13:23] RIMS plug time! RIMS Virtual Workshops: Visit RIMS.org/virtualworkshops to see the full calendar. On February 7th and 8th, we have Facilitating Risk-based Decision Making. On March 6th and 7th, our friend Elise Farnham hosts Applying and Integrating ERM.

[13:47] Information about these workshops and others is on the RIMS Virtual Workshops page and a link to the full calendar is in this episode's notes. Save $100 when you register for any February or March Virtual Workshop using the promo code RIMSVW100. You must use the code through February 9th. Register today!

[14:10] On February 29th, Hub International sponsors Ready for Tomorrow: Protecting Your Profits in the Property Market. On March 7th, in celebration of International Women's Day, Origami Risk leads the session Women of Risk & Compliance: Leading & Learning One Step at a Time.

[14:31] Visit RIMS.org/Webinars to learn more about these webinars and to register! Links are in the show notes. Webinar registration is complimentary for RIMS members.

[14:45] Quick shout-out to our friends at the Spencer Educational Foundation, which funds the education of next-generation risk management and insurance talent. Spencer's scholarship program is open but coming to a close on March 1st for Ph.D. applicants.

[15:00] Spencer's course development grant cycle is entertaining submissions through February 15th. Students and risk management and insurance faculty with interest can visit Spencered.org for additional details.

[15:18] Our next guest is the Global ERM Manager for CEMEX, a global company known for its cement ready-mix concrete and aggregates and urbanization solutions. He is also the president of the RIMS Mexico Chapter. We had a nice chat about the state of risk management in Mexico, the RIMS Mexico Chapter, and business continuity.

[15:49] Adrian Castillo, welcome to RIMScast! Adrian has been a risk professional for nearly 20 years. He has dealt with risks for his entire life. Adrian is with CEMEX, a global cement, ready-mix, and aggregate company, and a construction material producer. He has been working at CEMEX for a quarter of a century.

[17:07] As a global company, risks include conflicts in the Middle East, the geopolitical situation with shifts of power, climate-related events, and natural disasters. Last year, Mexico was impacted by Otis. The intensity of the storm was new for Mexico and it took weather monitors by surprise. Overnight, it went from a category one to a category five.

[18:41] CEMEX has operations in the Middle East, including Israel, and Europe. Their supply chains are impacted by the present conflict. The effects are spreading beyond the Middle East. CEMEX monitors the risks to keep ahead of them.

[19:25] Adrian believes that in Latin America, in general, their risk awareness is not yet mature. In the beginning, they have a tendency to deny the risk of something happening. Then, they say they will cross that bridge whenever they come to it. It is a very resilient culture, on the positive side.

[19:58] Nothing can prepare you for a situation, other than performing risk management techniques and programs. Once a situation hits you, it's an overwhelming sensation. If you're not prepared, there's a great risk that you might not overcome it. Once you have done your risk management assessment and preparation, you have extra confidence.

[20:32] For global companies, especially, preparation is key. In business continuity, you prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Adrian says that in Latin America, they still need to foster that risk awareness culture.

[21:04] The risk group at CEMEX, in the sides of ERM, security, and business continuity, is close to 100 people. Adrian's boss manages these groups. Adrian and his team give them support and guidance on preventing risks and mitigating the consequences of risks that happen with crisis management techniques and guidance.

[21:59] Adrian talks about CEMEX's Business Continuity Implementation (BCI) plan. They revamped it after the pandemic so they could be more prepared and more resilient than they were before the pandemic. The plan will be unveiled in several months. 2023 was preparation for the 2024 kickoff.

[22:48] The RIMS Mexico Chapter raises awareness of risk. Its membership is composed of people who have risk management responsibility and believe that risk has to be managed formally and professionally. All managers manage risks. If you have a technique and a plan you follow with discipline, that gets you ahead, with better sleep.

[23:35] Adrian says that's something Mexico needs to work on, with the rest of Latin America; raising awareness of risk. Risk management needs to be managed professionally, in a disciplined way.

[23:59] Adrian says they are planning at least one but possibly two activities to revamp the RIMS Mexico Chapter and regain momentum. They want to support their risk management professionals to network, learn, get content, and be updated. Those are the objectives they have for this year, to raise the level of maturity in risk awareness.

[24:55] The dates of events will soon be finalized. They want one event in the first quarter and one after vacations. The link to the RIMS Mexico Chapter is in this episode's show notes. They are launching a new web page, supported by RIMS staff. 2024 will be a year of revamping. They are also working on digital content for those who can't travel.

[26:21] Justin thanks Adrian for being on RIMScast.

[26:35] Special thanks to Katie Sexton of the RIMS Australasia Chapter and Adrian Castillo of the RIMS Mexico Chapter. Links to their chapter pages are in this episode's show notes. We hope to see them again at RISKWORLD 2024, May 5th through May 8th. Register now at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD.

[27:03] Go to the App Store and download the RIMS App. This is an exclusive members-only benefit with all sorts of RIMS resources and coverage. Everybody loves the RIMS App!

[27:28] You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. RIMScast has a global audience of risk professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate! Contact pd@rims.org for more information.

[28:12] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. The RIMS app is a benefit of RIMS membership and is available only for RIMS members! You can find it in the App Store.

[28:37] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more.

[28:53] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com, and check out the blog at RiskManagementMonitor.com. Justin Smulison is Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org.

[29:15] Thank you for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Riskworld 2024 — San Diego, CA | May 5–8, 2024

NEW FOR MEMBERS! RIMS Mobile App

Spencer Educational Foundation

Spencer Educational Foundation — Grants Page

RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP)

RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops

RIMS Mexico Chapter

RIMS Australasia Chapter

2024 International Risk Manager Survey conducted by FERMA in partnership with PwC FERMA

RIMS Webinars:

Ready for Tomorrow: Protecting Your Profits in the Property Market | Sponsored by Hub International | Feb. 29, 2024