PRIMO Europe

2012 Alarm Learning & Development Forum 24th – 26th June 2012 Manchester

Primoeurope — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:43:20 +0000

Source: Alarm

Join Alarm in Manchester to celebrate 21 years of public risk management.

The UK’s premier event for managers of risk in public services will celebrate Alarm’s past, its achievements and the future – so why not come and join us?

At a time when public services are facing unprecedented re-organisation and cuts in funding, the effective management of risk is needed more than ever. A risk-managed approach to decision-making helps organisations achieve their objectives and deliver services more efficiently, using innovative and cost-effective means. Read more >

Corporate water risk tools

Primoeurope — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:56:32 +0000

To mark World Water Day, Bill Baue takes a look at new corporate water risk tools introduced by WRI, Ceres, and GEMI

Source: Bill Baue for the Guardian Professional Network

The term ‘water risk’ is new enough to draw a blank on Wikipedia search, though the concept of measuring and managing water-related risks dates back to antiquity. Egyptian priests in Pharaonic times used nilometers to predict flood or drought from the rise and fall of the Nile. Now, the recent rise of water risk tool launches suggest that the business community is waking up to the physical, reputational, regulatory, and litigation risks around freshwater availability in a warming world. Read more >

It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark

Primoeurope — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:07:52 +0000

Source : The Times, Malta
Author: John O’dea

Risk management in the private sector is about protecting yourself, your business or project and your employees against the probability of uncertain future events

Mr O’dea is a founding member of the board of the Malta Association of Risk Management, president of Public Risk Management Organisation (PRIMO) Malta and secretary general of PRIMO Europe.

Good risk management implies control of possible future events and is proactive rather than reactive.At the risk of sounding irreverent and profane, without a shadow of a doubt Noah wrote the first textbook about risk management. Admittedly he had good connections and prior warning, but despite the fact that there was not a cloud in the sky and www. weather. com forecast good weather he followed professional advice, took heed of Murphy’s Law, did a risk assessment and built the ark, thus ensuring the continuity of the species.

Risk management is the process of identifying, analysing and responding to risk factors throughout the life of a venture and in the best interests of its objectives. Good risk management implies control of possible future events and is proactive rather than reactive. Good risk management will reduce not only the likelihood of an event occurring, but also the magnitude of its impact. It ensures business continuity.

Risk management in the private sector is about protecting yourself, your business or project and your employees against the probability of uncertain future events. Risk management in the public sector is about protecting the public against those risks that may affect any part of society and for which government is expected to respond, including pandemics, economic or financial crisis or natural disasters and the performance of those companies and organisations that provide the basic public services.

Traditionally, private and public enterprise in Malta have relied on insurance as the main source of risk management, comfortable in the belief that once they do what the insurance companies require them to do, and pay the premiums, the risk is totally covered. In this sense businesses have yet to learn how to take more responsibility in protecting the business against future negative events. This latter aspect is often financially motivated as executive management fail to see justification in going beyond the insurance stipulations. It is as if the overriding perception dictates that insurance is the be- alland- end- all of risk management strategies. Clearly this attitude is unsustainable in today’s business and operational environments.

The Malta Association of Risk Management (MARM) was formed with the intention of establishing itself as the principal risk management body in the Maltese islands with an emphasis on raising awareness of the need for good risk management practice and reaching out to all sectors that potentially stand to benefit from the discipline. MARM seeks to present risk management as a complementary approach to mainstream management, which takes into account the potentially negative as well as positive outcomes of decision making.

Business managers at all levels must not expect risk management to solve bad management, nor will it make up for inadequate resources and poor decision making. Risk Management can, however, reduce the likelihood and consequences of events that might affect organisations from time to time. Most importantly, good risk management is also about identifying opportunities in risk and this is a very powerful idea in today’s interconnected world.

MARM will be formally launched during a half- day conference to be held at the Dolmen Hotel, Qawra on March 30. Jorge Luzzi, president of FERMA (Federation of European Risk Management Associations) and group risk management director for Pirelli worldwide, executive director of Pirelli Insurance and Reinsurance Company in Dublin and managing director of Pirelli Group Reinsurance in Switzerland will be the keynote speaker.

The guest speakers will be Jack Kruf, president of PRIMO Europe, principal consultant with Acestes and former city manager of Roosendaal; Marie Gemma Dequae, scientific advisor to FERMA and a past president of the federation, who was recently appointed by the Belgian government as an independent director of Dexia Bank Belgium and its subsidiary Dexia Insurance Belgium; Carolyn Williams, head of thought leadership with the Institute of Risk Management (IRM); and Guy Kurjian, president of the World Food Safety Organisation (WFSO).

Entrance to the conference, which starts at 9 a. m., is free. Seating is limited to 60 participants and registration is required.

Alarm Risk Management Toolkit

Primoeurope — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:29:06 +0000

Alarm, the public risk management association has launched a new Risk Management Toolkit. Developed in association with Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management, the Toolkit builds on Alarm’s Core Competencies in Public Service Risk Management and has been designed to provide a ‘how to’ guide to the management of risk in public service organisations.

The Alarm Risk Management Toolkit differs from other risk management guides as it has been designed specifically for individuals working in a public service environment who have responsibility for managing risk or are tasked with implementing or improving the management of risk across their organisation.

The Toolkit provides clear guidance on the terminology associated with risk management and the process itself, along with a set of practical tools and techniques that will help you manage risks, deliver objectives, meet targets and maintain organisational resilience. The Guide and Toolkit will be particularly useful to public service professionals who are new to risk management or who have responsibility for the training of others, as the templates provided in the toolkit can be customised for the needs of you and your organisation.

To read more or to purchase the Toolkit visit the Alarm website.

Have we sown the seeds of dystopia?

Jack P. Kruf — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:54:32 +0000

The word dystopia refers to a fictitious place in which everything has gone awry. It is the flip side of utopia, the word coined by Sir Thomas More in his fictional portrayal of a seemingly ideal society. Although such ideas have fascinated novelists ever since More’s musings in the 16th century, there is now reason to fear that we are sowing the seeds of a variety of dystopia which is all too real. Read more >

Global Risk Report 2012

Jack P. Kruf — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:43:56 +0000

The World Economic Forum launched the Global Risk Report 2012.

Quote: “Economic imbalances and social inequality risk reversing the gains of globalization, warns the World Economic Forum in its report Global Risks 2012. These are the findings of a survey of 469 experts and industry leaders, indicating a shift of concern from environmental risks to socioeconomic risks compared to a year ago. Respondents worry that further economic shocks and social upheaval could roll back the progress globalization has brought, and feel that the world’s institutions are ill-equipped to cope with today’s interconnected, rapidly evolving risks. The findings of the survey fed into an analysis of three major risk cases: Seeds of Dystopia; Unsafe Safeguards and the Dark Side of Connectivity. The report analyses the top 10 risks in five categories – economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological – and also highlights “X Factor” risks, the wild card threats which warrant more research, including a volcanic winter, cyber neotribalism and epigenetics, the risk that the way we live could have harmful, inheritable effects on our genes. Key crisis management lessons from Japan’s earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters are highlighted in a special chapter.”

Future Global Shocks

Primoeurope — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:19:09 +0000

IMPROVING RISK GOVERNANCE

Bron: Alex Wittenberg, Partner, Oliver Wyman Global Risk Center

Recent global shocks, such as the 2008 financial crisis, have driven policy makers and industry strategists to re-examine how to prepare for and respond to such events in the future, whether they arise in financial, natural, public health or even political systems. This OECD report is part of the organisation’s pioneering work on the policy implications of emerging and systemic risks and supports the development of foresight capacity in its Member countries. The report’s findings draw primarily from analysis contained in five case studies on different types of events: financial crises, cyber risks, pandemics, geomagnetic storms and social unrest – some of which have proven capacity to produce global shocks. All five background papers are available separately on the OECD website: www.oecd. org/futures.

Global leaders are acutely aware that anothersystemic shock could severely challenge economic recovery, social cohesion and even political stability. Visible indicators of vulnerability persist in the forms of economic imbalances, volatile commodity prices and currencies, colossal public debts and severe budget deficits. Less visible than these metrics are the drivers of vulnerability that tightly weave interconnections between commercial supply chains, technological systems and investment vehicles underlying the global economy. Unanticipated events such as natural disasters, failures in key technical systems or malicious attacks could disrupt these complex systems and produce shocks that propagate around the world.

There is a palpable sense of urgency to identify and assess risks arising from vulnerabilities in these crucial systems, and to develop policies that will bolster efforts for prevention, early warning and response to ensure sustained economic prosperity. This urgency explains the demand for OECD to deliver strategic advice on preparing for and responding to potential global shocks mired in uncertainties.

Since the beginning of this project in 2009, the world has witnessed the effects of a global financial meltdown, the first declared pandemic in over 40 years, political upheaval in the MENA region, the BP oil spill, closure of European air space due to a volcanic ash cloud, and most recently the Tohuku earthquakes, tsunami and ensuing nuclear reactor accidents at the Fukushima power plant. Never before have global risks seemed so complex, the stakes so high, and the need for international co-operation to deal with them so apparent.

Download Future Global Shocks

Making cities resilient

Jack P. Kruf — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:52:16 +0000

“Cities and local governments need to get ready, reduce the risks and become resilient to disasters. For the next two years and beyond, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) will campaign together with its partners for this to happen.

The 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign “Making Cities Resilient” addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon previous ISDR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on the sustainable urbanizations principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign 2009-2013.”

Source: United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

Risk Returns

Jack P. Kruf — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:51:51 +0000

This book was published for launch at the third Session of Global Platform for Disaster Reduction (GPDR) and it is the latest in a series of volumes addressing natural disasters, and how their impact can be reduced by effective capacity building and prevention strategies.

Source: United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)

Press release RMP and PRIMO start partnership

Jack P. Kruf — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:47:21 +0000

‘Risk Management Partners (RMP), a leading UK company in the public sector to provide individually insurance programmes, integrate claims management, information management and risk control services that will reduce cost of risk in the medium and long term and Public Risk Management Organisation (PRIMO) have decided to start a dedicated partnership for 2011 and 2012.

The partnership of RMP and PRIMO is focused on strengthening the dissemination of relevant public risk related information in the Dutch and English language area’s by further investing in newsletter, website and magazine. The second focus point is to contribute to a further development of the PRIMO Academy, which comprises scientific research and education development.

RMP Managing Director Kaz Janowicz, PRIMO Europe President Tom Wustenberghs and PRIMO Founding President Jack P. Kruf are very content with the new partnership and are looking forward to a fruitful partnership.’