The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) intends to announce a definite plan for the European certification of risk managers when it holds its next major event, the FERMA Risk Management Forum starting on 29 September 2013. FERMA first revealed in June 2012 that it was considering a certification project.
Over the next 11 months, the working party will discuss the scheme with FERMA’s 22 member associations and possible education providers and project managers to have a definite plan ready for announcement at the Forum.

Michel Dennery

FERMA has appointed to the working group its newest board member, Isabel Martinez, who has extensive experience of higher education. She is a senior lecturer in corporate finance at the Autónoma University of Madrid school of business and economics, in addition to her role as Head of the university’s finance and marketing department.

FERMA Vice President and working party memberMichel Dennerysays, “For European companies, it is important that their risk manager has European recognition.
“Certification can provide an indication to a company that its risk managers are competent to a recognised level which is in turn compliant with best practice of different risk management disciplines across Europe.”

Julia Graham

Working party and FERMA board member Julia Graham comments, “There are already many courses and qualifications in risk management, but they are at different levels and cover different countries and different aspects. Nothing currently exists that provides a consistent benchmark of competence for risk managers across Europe.”

The working party has stated clearly that FERMA does not intend to organise education courses itself. Its role will be to confirm that the risk manager has achieved a high level of professional competence and skill.

The presentation at Maastricht is most likely to propose European certification at two levels: confirmation of competence in risk management for newer entrants into the profession and a full recognition of competence and experience for more senior risk managers.

Both Michel Dennery and Julia Graham stress the importance of the views of FERMA’s 22 member associations in developing this ambitious project. “One of our first steps is to understand what education programmes they currently provide, and what kind of competence and experience they want to see included in certification,” said Graham.