The missionary

Even though I sometimes refer to the Bible, my podcasts are not meant to be religious!

And I make a difference between a missionary and a zealot. Both are driven by strong beliefs, but where the zealot defends his beliefs at all costs, my friend the missionary is passionate and persuasive, he spreads his message with patience, and strategically.

It took him about ten years of missionary work to form an association of risk managers that counts 3,000 members across 23 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

And he did not stop there! Now that he has become the chair of IFRIMA, the International Federation of Risk and Insurance Management Associations, he travels the world with an inspired slogan: “Make Risk Management Great Again”.

Some of you will say that risk management was never great and you would have a point.

However, I like this slogan because it is in the spirit of our time, and calls people’s attention.

I now feel that your patience is wearing out! What is the content of the message?

It is an appeal to all risk managers in the world to make their profession even more relevant to the companies they work for. “Make your voice heard by top management: you are an agent of change and opportunities”. In other words, the risk manager’s function goes beyond risk management and risk financing. It identifies and describes looming threats years ahead and contributes to strategic thinking and planning.

We have come a long way from my beginnings in the insurance industry when there were no risk managers, just a guy who placed insurance with friendly insurers.

Will my friend’s message be heard? Yes, certainly, because he is not a prophet in the desert but a missionary amongst people who want to be believers. We are in for another ten years of patiently building up a new doctrine!

Paul.

P.S. Don´t forget to ask PAVEL anything about insurance.