The Voices of Risk Management

Jen Blair is the Global Risk and Insurance Manager at Bose. Jen started her career as a Financial Analyst and did not expect to be thrown into the world of insurance. However, seven years later and she’s still fascinated by what the field can offer. Every day there’s something new and in this week’s episode, Jen talks about how she thinks about risk in the electronic space, what happens when they’re knockoff products, and her experience getting her Master’s degree in Risk and Insurance.   Key Takeaways: A little bit about Jen and her role at Bose. When Bose was going through a reorg, Jen originally was not interested in the position. Jen doesn’t have any insurance employees but has credit risk employees. How is her department structured? When Jen took on risk management, what surprised her most about the insurance industry? A good risk manager really has to be connected to every aspect of the business. How has Jen’s role evolved over the years? How does Jen think about risk when it comes to electronic product dupes or knockoffs? Jen explains how she navigates losses in the company. What was Jen’s experience getting a Master’s degree in Risk and Insurance? What advice does Jen have for a young risk manager? How can you stand out as a broker or a consultant? What piece of advice would Jen give her younger self?   Mentioned in This Episode: Bose.com Jen on LinkedIn

Michal Gnatek is the Department Head of the Enterprise Risk Management program at The MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates multiple Federally Funded Research & Development Centers. In this episode, Michal talks about the dynamic group of people he gets to work with across a wide variety of sectors, why this field is such a fascinating space to be in, and the power of networking in this industry.   Key Takeaways: A little bit about Michal and his work at MITRE. Because a lot of the work MITRE does is for the federal government, traditional risk models don’t necessarily apply at Michal’s company. MITRE manages risks in some big sectors like cybersecurity, aviation, data integrity, and healthcare security. Is it a challenge to talk to different industrial sectors about risk? Michal sometimes has to ask his industry expert to dumb it down so that he can figure out the true risk. How did Michal get his start in insurance? Insurance is never really going to go away. However, the past two years really have shown that risk management is part of our daily lives. Michal took a big risk in his career by switching to a startup. What was that transition like? How does a non-compete work when you’re switching to a new insurance broker? Michal is grateful for the past opportunities he’s had because they’ve prepared him to be a better risk manager than ever before. If you really want to excel in your career, get good at networking and connecting people to other people. Is Michal ever tempted to go back to the broker side? When you connect the dots through people, really unique opportunities begin to show. Risk management is a far more interesting industry than people give us credit for. Michal loves staying active and has a passion for biking to keep himself healthy.   Mentioned in This Episode: Mitre.org Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by James Clear  

Emily Bloedel is Manager, Contracts and Legal Affairs lawyer at Merrick & Company. Emily has been with her firm for seven years and has learned a thing or two about risk management during that time. There are so many exciting opportunities out there for young professionals and Emily shares a bit of her experience as a lawyer in the space. It can take time to really understand the vast opportunities available to you, but this rapidly growing industry has a lot to offer.   Key Takeaways: A little bit about Emily and the work that she’s doing with Merrick & Company How did Emily learn Japanese? Emily was in her early 20s and was faced with a career and educational pivot. What was Emily’s first experience at law school like? Is there a difference in personality types between a litigator and a risk manager? Emily loves that there is a risk management podcast out that she can showcase to new risk management professionals and students! Emily shares some learnings and mistakes she had made in her career. It’s important to remember mistakes happen. Just own up to it! What advice would Emily give to her younger self? Emily wished she was more herself and less “stiff” as a professional. It can be really intimidating to be in a room with a lot of smart and senior people. Emily discusses what it’s like being in a male-dominated field. Insurance is a people industry and everyone in her field has made an effort to get to know her.   Mentioned in This Episode: Merrick.com Emily on LinkedIn    

Courtney Davis Curtis is the Assistant Vice President of Risk Management and Resilience Planning at the University of Chicago. She was also named RIMS Risk Manager of the Year 2022, 2020 Business Insurance Women to Watch, 2017 Business Insurance Break Out, and received the 2015 Risk & Insurance Power Broker award. In this episode, Courtney shares her journey as an insurance professional, what a risk manager has to think about when there’s a university under their care, and her next steps as a seasoned insurance and risk professional.   Key Takeaways: A little bit about Courtney and her role at the University of Chicago. When COVID-19 first hit, what was Courtney’s approach to keeping her students safe? How did Courtney find herself in insurance? Higher education institutions can end up being the highest employer in a city. If you think about it, they’re like mini-cities in themselves. Protesting can be part of a university’s culture. How does a risk manager think about protests in terms of risks? When it comes to risk managers, the answer is often “no” when you want to do something new. However, it’s important to work with partners to get to a “yes.” Everything we do has an inherent risk to it. Why is Courtney so passionate about the insurance industry? Has Courtney ever thought about going back to being a broker? Courtney recommends really diving deep into a topic and getting your hands dirty so that you can shorten the gap and become an expert in that field quicker. How important are CPCU certifications and what has Courtney’s experience been like so far with it? Is the insurance industry still a male-dominated field? Mentorship and support are critical pieces of getting more diversity into the insurance space. What do younger generations need to be mindful of? Courtney won the risk manager of the year award. What was that like? What’s next for Courtney? What gets her the most excited?   Mentioned in This Episode: Urmia.org Courtney on LinkedIn White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color, by Ruby Hamad  

Lorena Torres is the Director of Risk at Clearway Energy Group. She’s been a Risk Manager for the last seven years and has seen a lot of growth in the industry during this time. When Lorena first started her career, she had accidentally stumbled on it, and has found it exciting and engaging ever since. In this episode, Lorena talks about renewable energy, political science, and the very few Latinas in the industry.    Key Takeaways: A little bit about Lorena and how she found risk management.  What is ESG and why is this incentive so important for companies and people?  We need people to feel passionate and engaged when it comes to renewable energy.  What do people need to think about when it comes to solar and its risks?  There are smart partnerships happening with farm animals and solar panels. The batteries that store the extra solar energy are always a concern and a risk.  People are still trying to figure out the battery problem in solar.  How has diversity and inclusion changed over Lorena’s career?  Lorena is a Latina risk manager and shares her thoughts on how to attract more Latinas in the space. People of color internalize the requirements of a job description with a lot more gravity. They really want to make sure they fit the bill before applying.  Lorena founded an organization called Mujeres Ayudando La Raza and explains why this movement is important to her.    Mentioned in This Episode: Clearwayenergygroup.com Lorena on LinkedIn Mujeres1990.weebly.com/about.html   Tweetables:   “With the crisis in the Ukraine, energy, and our gas prices going up, I feel more and more passionate about how we need to find solutions sooner rather than later regarding renewable energy.”   “A small town had actually banned solar from the community being sold into homes because, they believed, solar was taking energy away from the sun.”   “The amount of sun that is generated is only so many in a day, so how do you capture that energy when it might be underutilized? You want to make sure you’re storing it [correctly].”

Lori is a Director and Global Head of Real Assets Insurance Risk Management for BlackRock, Inc. She has over 30 years of diversified experience in risk management and insurance. Lori won the Heart of RIMS Award earlier this year which recognizes the impactful volunteer work she had made at her New York chapter. In this episode, Lori catches up and shares some exciting things happening in the world of insurance!   Key Takeaways: Lori knows this is a relationship business and everybody has really missed each other since the pandemic! Lori is a recipient of the Heart of RIMS Award. What’s it like to be recognized in this way? Lori really didn’t expect to win the reward and it’s been such a huge honor to volunteer at RIMS and get the backing of her peers on this. For Lori, it’s been really motivating to see the influence and inspiration her career has sparked in others. Lori feels good going to bed at night. There’s a lot of bad publicity in the insurance industry. However, there are so many good people behind that bad publicity that work really, really hard. The next generation really needs more support. Lori explains why. Lori is so excited to mentor the newer generation and to see how enthusiastic they are for the future. Sometimes you just have to have the difficult conversation so that you can build mutual respect for one another. Lori shares a fangirl moment she had with the Steve Miller band. Lori is excited to have an in-person event happening at her chapter for the first time this year!   Mentioned in This Episode: Blackrock.com Lori on LinkedIn Rims.org/about-us/rims-2022-awards-winners    

Vitaly Pisetsky is the Underwriting Manager and Head of Executive Liability at Energy Insurance Mutual, a company for which he’s worked for slightly over seven years. Vitaly offers insight into what he does at EIM, how he thinks about executive liability, where the future of the insurance industry is headed, and how to proactively manage different risks as an underwriter.   Key Takeaways: A little bit about Vitaly and the type of work he does at EIM. Fun fact that Vitaly used to be on the Russian soccer team! Vitaly shares what it was like migrating to the United States as a teenager. Vitaly talks about his love for sports and transitioning from playing soccer to American football. It’s important that with anything you do, you give effort with results. Vitaly learned a lot of important sports lessons and has transferred some of those skills into the way he shows up in the insurance industry today. How did Vitaly get his start in the insurance industry? When it comes to executive liability, what are some of the things Vitaly has to think about? Is underwriting reactive or is there an art to staying ahead of the curve? If you’re struggling with understanding underwriting, Vitaly says keep at it, it all clicks into place after two to three years. If you find yourself making a mistake, own up to it. Everyone makes mistakes. You make things worse if you try to hide them. What is Vitaly currently reading about or inspired by?   Mentioned in This Episode: Eimltd.com Vitaly on LinkedIn  

Robert Cartwright Jr. is the Division Manager for Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability and the former President and Board of Directors at RIMS. Robert has seen a lot of growth after being in the industry for over 25 years and shares some of the rapid improvements the insurance industry has undergone since he’s been in the field. Everything from being a more welcoming, and diverse, place to work, how he used his work ethic to shine through, and what young professionals can look forward to in the insurance space today.   Key Takeaways: A little bit about Robert and how he got into risk management. Robert has been at Bridgestone for over 25 years and has seen a lot of promotions and changes since then. As a minority, Robert has seen his fair share of challenges and the lack of diversity in the space didn’t help. Robert has seen this space completely open up and make diversity a priority. It’s blown him away. It’s a great time to join! Robert grew rapidly in his career field; what made him so successful early on? Whenever someone asked Robert to do something, he always wanted to know why. When Robert understood the reason, he was able to be an advocate for the new solution and get more people behind the change. What did it mean to be a black professional 25-plus years ago in health and safety? Diversify was always talked about, even back 20 years ago, but it was always just a noun with no action plan. Today it’s much different. The people in power are the only ones who can make the change. The next generation wants a diverse workforce. Nobody walks on water, but when you’re being second-guessed, you do have to be conscious of the details. Robert was the first black president to serve on the RIMS organization and it was a huge honor and opportunity. Ships are safer in the harbor but that’s not what they’re built for. What advice would Robert give his younger self?   Mentioned in This Episode: Bridgestone.com Robert on LinkedIn  

Lars Bille is the Executive Vice President of DSV, a Danish transport and logistics company. Prior to his role as Executive Vice President, he was the Director of Group Insurance & Group Procurement at DSV. Lars shares his extensive knowledge in this field and how he views insurance from a global perspective. With an underwriter background, Lars feels like this knowledge has helped shape him into a more holistic leader that’s well-prepared for different and unknown risks. Find out more about Lars’s story in this week’s episode!   Key Takeaways: A little bit about Lars and what he does for DSV. Growing up, Lars wanted to be a police officer! He shares his story of how he got into insurance. Lars believes his experience as an underwriter has really shaped him into the leader he is today. When Lars started his career, global insurance was still not as widely known or used. Today, many young professionals are versed in this. What was Lars’s experience working for the Lego group? One of the nice perks of working at Lego is that Lars got to see his children play with legos, and they always had an unlimited supply. What makes Lars so successful in his line of work? He shares some of his strengths as a leader. The transportation market share is very fragmented. There isn’t an Amazon or Google that dominates this sector of the market, which means there’s a lot of room for growth. Supply chain is a real issue and these are challenges that still have no solution. How does Lars relax during his time off? Lars loves to take the time to run as it clears his head and gets the blood flowing. What lessons does Lars wish he’d learned sooner in his career? Lars offers advice on how to get young people interested in insurance and its growing industry.   Mentioned in This Episode: Dsv.com Lars on LinkedIn  

During the worst of the pandemic, SEPTA’s Rick Graham saw a drastic decline in ridership due to closures and people working from home. As the Chief Risk Officer for the sixth-largest public transit system in the U.S., Rick needed to take special care in assessing the risks and loss of revenue to his organization. During today’s informative interview, Rick offers advice to risk management professionals who are new to the game and those looking to enhance their careers. He also conveys the importance of understanding the culture and communication style of an organization and how risk professionals can develop cross-functional relationships with other departments for the benefit of all.   Key Takeaways: Rick has been the Chief Risk Officer of SEPTA for eight years. SEPTA is the sixth-largest public transit system in the U.S. Philadelphia has a large education and medical economy. Starting as a junior in high school, Rick left the volunteer fire department as an Assistant Chief. As an undergrad, Rick had part-time work performing underwriting tasks. Rick compares time in a career to tomatoes on the vine. Risk is risk. Risk managers must prepare for anything, like a pandemic. If you risk nothing, you get nothing. Advice for developing cross-functional relationships with other departments. How to measure an organization to check its tolerance for change. Rick explains how his group interacts with government affairs and utilizes public funds. Risk managers can help their clients get to yes. Rick has a hockey mask that makes risk management relatable. It’s key to understand the culture of an organization and how it communicates. What to look for in a broker or risk consultant. The book Band of Brothers offers examples of great and poor leadership qualities.     Mentioned in This Episode: Band of Brothers, by Stephen E. Ambrose