Get a read on risk.

The risk industry and the professionals within it have changed drastically over the last few decades.

Once, risk professionals simply purchased insurance to transfer losses onto another company. Now, they are expected to monitor the risk environment, identify and predict risks, and implement proactive strategies to prevent issues from occurring or minimize their impact when they do. Top-leadership positions based on risk management, such as Chief Risk Officer (CRO), are becoming increasingly common.

With this in mind, what skills and competencies are now necessary for a risk professional to be successful? Certainly a general knowledge of the insurance industry and financial risk will no longer suffice. In addition to an understanding of many topics and environmental factors, there are necessary personality traits, such as influential, flexible, and collaborative.

This week we're pleased to feature a guest post from Shannon Devane. Shannon is a ClearRisk user and also the Risk Manager at the City of Vaughn, Ontario. 

Full disclosure – I am not an Information Technology Specialist nor a Business Analyst. In fact, I’m a Risk Manager ‘moonlighting’ in software implementation and development. My background involves various areas of insurance, risk, and claims, primarily in the Public Sector. Throughout my career, I have been involved in several large software purchases and designs. From a large, multi-organization project to one catered to a specific group of clients with a single municipal implementation on the side, I have come away from each project feeling more confident and knowledgeable.