Over the Horizon

Saskatchewan has always been known for its expansive views, and risk managers can expect to see that broad perspective reflected in the program of Horizons 2012, the RIMS Canada Conference to be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Sept. 9-12.

“The theme, of course, is Horizons 2012, where today’s risks meet tomorrow’s solutions,” says RIMS Canada Conference co-chair Doug Brown.

The ‘horizon’ theme has always been a part of the provincial lore, and is even the subject of local humour. “There’s a joke about Saskatchewan: You can watch your dog run away from home for days,” quips RIMS Canada Conference co-chair Lisa Brost, adding in a more serious vein that there is so much more to the horizon motif. “You follow the sun as it goes down on the horizon, and again when it comes back up,” she says. “It’s brilliant, it’s beautiful and it’s fantastic here in Saskatchewan, and that’s what we want to emulate at this conference.”

Brown also picks up on the limitless horizon captured in the joke about the dog running away from home. “The opportunities in Saskatchewan are endless, too, it seems,” he says. “The provincial economy is booming. The resource sector is a strong foundation block in the provincial economy. Whether it’s potash or uranium mines, oil or natural gas, resources play a big part in the provincial economy right now.

“The population is expanding. If Saskatoon is not the fastest-growing city, it’s one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada. And we want to try and play off that, too.”

A broad range can also describe the professional backgrounds of Brost and Brown.

Brost has been a senior risk analyst for a diversified natural resources company, BHP Billiton, since September 2011. Prior to that, she worked in various roles for 15 years at Cameco Corporation, a uranium mining company.

During her last five years at Cameco, she worked as a risk manager helping to develop the company’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program. Previous to that, she had experience at the company in the role of a quality control administrator and statistician.

What did she like about risk management? “I liked the analytical aspect and the fact that it was closely related to the continual improvement of quality management, improving the processes, improving the communication, putting controls in place,” she says. “In the uranium industry, you can imagine there are some significant risks involved. Learning more about what they were was very, very exciting. The good thing is, I already knew a lot about the industry and the company because I was there for 10 years prior to my work in risk management. Working closely with subject matter experts at the mines and corporate office aided in building a successful risk management program.”

Brown, who is the risk manager for The City of Regina, says his risk management background followed a path through insurance adjusting. He started his career in 1972 with Saskatchewan Government Insurance. He worked there for 18 years, rising up through the ranks of the adjusting profession. He left SGI in 1990 and worked as

an independent adjuster for a couple of international companies, subsequently joining the City of Regina in 1995. He has been at the City of Regina since.

Brown said the City of Regina, which doesn’t yet have an ERM program, practices a “traditional, bricks-and-mortar type of risk management.” Specifically, his group handles complaints and concerns from the public, as well as doing formal risk assessments and risk reviews, contract reviews, purchasing insurance and managing the insurance workflow.”

The risks facing the City of Regina aren’t out of line with the risks facing many municipalities across the country, he observes. For example, “we’ve all heard and are more or less familiar with aging infrastructure,” he says. “It poses several risks. It has an effect on the city’s ability to deliver services. It’s harder to maintain. Potholes in areas or cracks in sidewalks can lead to damage or people being injured.”

The wide-ranging experience of Brown and Brost in the private and public sectors would appear to be a benefit when organizing a national conference for risk managers. Brown says risk managers can expect to hear from their own at this conference. “We are hoping to have a panel of risk management experts,” he says. “Risk managers would like to hear from more risk managers.”

Right now, the exact number of sessions and the precise list of topics and speakers for the RIMS Canada Conference is still a matter for discussion. But definitely four speakers booked thus far show a broad range of professional experience in the risk management industry.

They include Hans Laessoe, senior director of strategic risk management at LEGO Systems A/S; Daniel H. Kugler, corporate risk manager and assistant treasurer at Snap-On Inc.; Craig Tilford, director of risk governance at TELUS; and Carol Fox, director of strategic and enterprise risk practice for RIMS.

Brost is in charge of planning the social portion of the program. “The feel of the conference will be very much Saskatchewan, which will be bursting with hospitality, entertainment, fun, camaraderie, a lot of networking opportunities, and a lot of really fun surprises,” she says.

Surprise also promises to be a key element of events at the Exhibit Hall this year.

“We are going to be putting a huge focus on our sponsors and our industry partners,” Brost says. “We will have a lot of activities in the Exhibit Hall, making it the place to be. We’ll be putting a couple of very creative twists on it. This will be a different conference. We are doing a few things that haven’t been done before.”

In an effort to “go green,” the conference will be foregoing a hard copy of the conference program, and people can expect to hear about the conference primarily through ramped-up online communications.

And speaking of electronic media, this year’s conference, as in Ottawa last year, will have a mobile app, allowing conference delegates to access information on their mobile devices. “If you download the app, you will be kept up to date on the conference and have access to conference information via your smart phone, iPhone or other mobile device,” Brown said.