Charlotte Hedemark became president of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) on Oct. 16 at an official handover ceremony at the FERMA Seminar 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium.
She replaces Dirk Wegener, who was president for four years.
In her first address to the FERMA members as president, Hedemark, who is a risk management expert at SAP, said the federation’s strategic priorities include enhancing FERMA’s advocacy capabilities, strengthening its leadership position and elevating the value of risk management, and making the federation more agile and dynamic.
“We want to expand our advocacy capabilities by developing partnerships with other EU professional or sectorial associations, and inside EU institutions. We want to tap into even more expertise and knowledge and increase the involvement of the national risk associations in our advocacy work,” she told seminar delegates.
Commenting on bolstering the standing of the risk management profession, Hedemark said: “We want to cement FERMA’s position as a risk leader and emphasise the value that we bring. We will focus on strategic foresight and work with high-level experts from various fields to gain insight on emerging topics.”
The federation will promote “a new vision for global risk management,” while supporting education and training to “elevate the standing of the profession and attract new talent,” she continued.
With FERMA’s 50th anniversary taking place in 2024, Hedemark said: “We will ensure that we remain relevant, and that FERMA is an agile, dynamic federation in this time of risk evolution and transition.” She added that it will look to “enhance our reputation as a knowledge resource for individual risk managers and national associations and increase our dialogue with you.”
Encouraging delegates to “watch this space,” she closed her address by stating: “We embark on this strategic journey with the following slogan: connect, influence, empower.”
Earlier in the handover ceremony, Wegener spoke about the progress FERMA has made during his four years as president in boosting its visibility at the EU level, strengthening its network, and raising the profile of risk management.
“FERMA has become much more impactful and effective in its advocacy work,” he said. “I would like to thank our members for their active engagement in our committees and working groups. This strengthens our expertise and the value we provide, both of which are recognised by the European institutions.”
Wegener also took the opportunity to thank FERMA’s partners in the insurance industry, highlighting the sometimes tense but increasingly collaborative relationship the federation has with the insurance sector in these challenging times of multiple crises.
“We have cooperated with the insurance industry on regulatory issues and crucially ways to support risk transfer, and I am sure FERMA will continue to increase dialogue and take concrete action on key issues for the insurance and risk management communities,” he said.
“We believe we are stronger together – in the good times and the challenging times,” Wegener added.
Source: Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA)
Topics Europe Risk Management
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