“COVID-19 will heighten awareness of the value of sound risk management”
The President of FERMA, Dirk Wegener, told the FERMA General Assembly held on 23 June that the experiences and lessons of the COVID-19 crisis would heighten awareness of the value of risk management.
“I have no doubt that we will reflect a great deal on the experiences and lessons of this extraordinary period of our lives. We strongly believe that it is also an opportunity to heighten awareness of the value of sound risk management. Perhaps as never before, risk managers can demonstrate their true potential as the co-pilot on risk and insurance for senior management and the board,” he said.
In his activity report for the year for the General Assembly, Wegener highlighted the steps that FERMA has been taking to support its members and European businesses in the face of COVID-19. FERMA is currently focusing on its proposal for a European Catastrophe Risk Resilience Framework to address future pandemics and other systemic risks across Europe.
Wegener also set out the broad framework that FERMA has created to strengthen its position as a strategic partner for the European Commission by linking FERMA’s work streams with specific Commission programmes:
- A new Sustainability Committee for A European Green Deal
- The Digital Committee for A Europe fit for the digital age
- The Solvency II & Captives Committee for the Commission programme An economy that works for people
- In addition, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, FERMA has created its Resilience Taskforce
Board elections: seven new board members
The FERMA General Assembly elected seven board members to fill three-year mandates:
- Philippe Cotelle (AMRAE) – a second mandate
- Simon Grima (MARM) – new member of the board
- Tapio Huovinen (Finnrima) – a second mandate
- Gaëtan Lefèvre (BELRIM) – a second mandate
- Xavier Mutzig (Airmic) – a second mandate
- Laurent Nihoul (ALRiM) – a second mandate
- Lene Ritz (DARIM) – new member of the board
FERMA Seminar 2020
The 2020 FERMA Risk Management Seminar will take place in Antwerp from 12-13 October as a hybrid event, a combination of physical presence and online, in view of possible continuing travel restrictions.
The theme this year is “Corporate and Finance, Financing the ever growing universe of risk”. Said Dirk Wegener: “Chosen before the pandemic, this theme is more relevant than ever. Translating strategic risks into financial terms, quantifying emerging risks and communicating about risk with the CFO and CEO in their language are essential skills for the risk manager in the post-COVID-19 world.”
Registration is now open for this evening which is free and exclusive for risk managers.