Business Insurance created the Risk Manager of the Year^® award in 1977 to increase recognition of the risk management profession and to recognize outstanding performance in the practice of risk management.

The Risk Management Honor Roll^® was introduced in 1981.

Honorees are selected by an independent panel of judges that includes winners from the previous year, insurance industry executives and the immediate past president of the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc., which co-sponsors the awards.

Judges for the 2013 awards were:

Grace Crickette, chief risk officer for the Office of the President at the University of California in Oakland, and a member of the 2012 Risk Management Honor Roll^®.

Julie DeSantis, vice president of risk management at Sony Corp. of America in New York, and a member of the 2012 Risk Management Honor Roll^®.

Kevin T. Kenny, executive vice president and head of insurance brokerage and consulting at Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA Inc. in Madison, N.J.

Deborah M. Luthi, enterprise risk manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and 2012 president of RIMS.

John J. Marren, director of global risk and insurance management at CSL Behring L.L.C. in King of Prussia, Pa., and 2012 Risk Manager of the Year^®.

Thomas F. Motamed, chairman and CEO of CNA Financial Corp. in Chicago.

John Pearce, general manager of policy and risk at Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd. in Auckland, New Zealand, and a member of the 2012 Risk Management Honor Roll^®.

The judges scored each nominee on a scale of 1 to 10, according to how well he or she:

• Established and implemented an effective risk management program within the organization.

• Tackled and solved one or more major problems for his or her organization.

• Innovatively applied the diverse tools of risk management and insurance.

• Creatively and effectively used risk financing/insurance to structure a risk financing and risk transfer program that served the needs of the organization.

• Established a workable intelligence system inside and outside the organization that culminated in a flow of information about events and activities that affect the organization's risk management and insurance.

• Skillfully performed the functions of management in the overall organization and within the risk management/insurance department.

• Achieved the most effective program at the optimum cost over the long term.

• Developed technical expertise in any or all of the broad categories included within risk management, leading to a better managerial grasp of the operations aspects of the job.

• Exhibited an attitude and performed activities fostering the advancement of the risk management profession.

• Developed his or her career.