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Q&A: Typhaine Beauperin, Federation of European Risk Management Associations

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Q&A: Typhaine Beauperin, Federation of European Risk Management Associations

Typhaine Beauperin was appointed CEO of the Brussels-based Federation of European Risk Management Associations in October. She previously was senior adviser of European affairs at Eurochambres, the association of European chambers of commerce and industry in Brussels. In a recent interview with Business Insurance Senior Editor Sarah Veysey, Ms. Beauperin discussed her goals for FERMA and the risk management profession. Edited excerpts follow.

Q: What attracted you to the FERMA job?

A: The opportunity to diversify my experience and bring my 10 years' experience in E.U. public affairs to this job. Working for a profession in the process of development — risk management is growing, with more and more expectations from stakeholders and governance bodies. Risk managers must be real professionals and recognized as such. And the potential to further develop FERMA, to support and promote the importance of the risk management profession in Europe.

Q: What lessons and experience from your previous role do you think will help in your role at FERMA?

A: Before joining FERMA, I worked for 10 years as a lobbyist for a multinational retail company, a global law firm and one of the leading European business organizations, Eurochambres. My understanding of how E.U. policies are made and legislation is passed will help to strengthen FERMA's advocacy role. I am familiar with how membership-based associations work. It is important to inject dynamism, to know the members well and unite them around a common goal and shared objectives which reflect their interests and concerns.

Q: What are your aims for FERMA?

A: To make FERMA an even more open and effective organization to which all member associations want to commit and participate. We cannot live without our members, and to work with them, we have to be open and inclusive. We have to be efficient and effective so that we can increase our visibility at the E.U. level and in that way provide added value to members. Bringing the certification project — rimap — to implementation is also a top priority to achieve recognition of the critical importance of the professional standing of risk managers.

Q: How can FERMA build upon the work and progress of the past few years to become even more visible at the European level?

A: FERMA has been well established since 1974. My objective is to consolidate the influence of FERMA vis-à-vis the E.U. institutions and strengthen our political impact.

We will establish a policy committee to agree (on) lobbying priorities and structure the gathering of input. Improving our external communication with media, stakeholders and the European Commission, Parliament and Council is also a priority.

One of the main dossiers on the table at the moment is cyber security. Businesses have difficulties with reaching a basic level of protection often because of a lack of risk insights and data-driven risk mitigation. In that respect, we advocate a central role for the risk managers.

Q: What are the next steps for the FERMA certification project (rimap)?

A: FERMA, as the profession's representative at E.U. level, has committed itself to create the professional certification — rimap. We are developing the exam questions and seven rimap guides. The books will be ready for the summer, and the first online exams will start in September. We will also organize a paper exam in Malta at the FERMA seminar on Oct. 3 and 4.

The first tangible and immediate benefit for certified risk managers is the right to use the rimap brand on their professional credentials. But rimap is much more. It will help the career development of the risk manager by showing that he or she has peer recognition of their professional standing, and provide every employer with the external assurance that the person meets the best standards of the profession.

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