Why is the BELRIM Academy a finalist for the FERMA Risk Awards in 2021?
BELRIM, the Belgian Risk Management Association, is a medium-sized association with around 200 members. They have 1 ½ part-time staff members and otherwise run on volunteers from the board.
Nevertheless, since its creation in 1974, BELRIM has been organizing its “exchanges” on a monthly basis. These – usually ½-day – seminars focus on hot topics in the Risk and Insurance Management field. They are free of charge for BELRIM members.
Whereas at the start, there were attended mainly by the Board Members, in the course of the years, these events have grown into real training and education sessions. Around 40 to 80 members attend on a regular basis. The agenda of the “exchanges” is based on the requests and suggestions of members and verified by the Board of Directors. Per event, two board members are in charge of the content. They invite top-notch speakers and ensure interaction with the attendees. On the one hand, most exchanges are open to all the members (risk managers and non-risk managers), on the other hand, some special “closed exchanges” are for risk managers only, allowing them to interact more openly with each other and share good practice examples behind “closed doors”.
Once a year, BELRIM organizes a lunch-conference called “Ladies Mind Risk”. This initiative focuses on women in Risk and Insurance Management, deals with topics specifically related to feminine issues in a particular field (e.g. Travel risks), and offers a casual environment to exchange views on what is still perceived as a male-dominated profession.
Since the creation of the student prize within the FERMA Forum context, BELRIM has been able to motivate students to participate. In this field, too, a lot of progress has been made. The BELRIM Prize has grown into a valuable and recognised competition at an academic level. Thanks to the efforts of its Scientific Committee, BELRIM maintains close relationships with universities and colleges. The Prize is promoted, deadlines are set, a jury is selected, participants are shortlisted etc. Over the past years, several candidates presented excellent work. All candidates’ papers are published on the website and used as a basis for an “exchange”.
As far as the Rimap certification is concerned, BELRIM has taken several initiatives to further the renown of this professional recognition. A special page is reserved on the website, roll-ups with QR codes have been produced and during the closing speech of each event, the attention of the participants is drawn to this initiative. Furthermore, several members of the Board and the Scientific Committee have passed the exam and are now organizing specific information session with future candidates based on their own experience. Following this, a joint exam session will take place. Recently, a work group has been set up within the Scientific Committee focusing on further steps to take in the promotion of the certification and the creation of a course based on the book of knowledge preparing for the exam. In the meantime, all our activities are CPD recognised by FERMA.
Considering the facts that BELRIM, with its BELRIM Academy:
- runs mainly on volunteers;
- and yet organizes 10 half-day seminars per year;
- takes into account special needs of women in Risk Management;
- has a smoothly running procedure for the BELRIM prize;
- is a recognized partner in the academic world;
- promotes and facilitates the RIMAP certification
The BELRIM Academy is therefore a finalist for the FERMA Risk Awards, in the category of Training and Education Excellence.
About the European Risk Management Awards
The European Risk Management Awards have recognised individual and team achievements in the field of Risk Management and its associated service providers since 2016.
The aim of the Awards is to promote the vital work of the Risk Management Community to a larger audience, celebrating the success of the individual while acknowledging that individual merit depends ultimately on a collective contribution.
Click here to view the complete list of finalists
Book your seat for the FERMA Awards ceremony on the 14th of December 2021
