The growth of the event, which held its inaugural session in 2007 with 15 participants, was a clear indication of the increasing interest in risk management, particularly in emerging markets. To add realism to the event, delegates were immersed in actual high-profile case studies and interactive simulations.

“I’ve participated in each of the three annual conferences,” Bob Sweeney, DFS Group Limited’s Vice-President of Risk Management for Asia, said. “Each ensuing conference has grown in terms of the number of participants, the industries represented, the scope and interactive nature of the presentations, and the opportunity to network. This year’s offering was especially good. There was a great deal of useful and thought-provoking information packed into a day and a half. I look forward to participating in the future conferences. I applaud JLT and Control Risks for dedicating the time, effort and expense to host what may be the premier risk management activity in Asia.”

Diverse representation

Delegates were from a diverse cross-section of industries – oil and gas, hospitality, commodities trading, food and beverage, telecommunications, legal and retail. Ray Mattholie, currently risk management advisor to Jardine Matheson, and winner of several awards including “Asian Risk Manager of the Year”, “European Risk Manager of the Year”, and “Lifetime Achievement Award” chaired the conference.

Steve Tunstall of Cathay Pacific, Nelson Ng of Hong Kong’s MTR, and Victor Tse of Jardine Matheson hosted a highly interactive session called “how to keep risk management fresh”. Current issues facing Asia’s risk managers, including the various strategies that can be adopted, were also discussed during the practical workshops and interactive presentations.

There was specific focus on strategies that can be used to keep organisational stakeholders engaged in the risk management process, as well as on walking a fine line between raising risk concerns and maintaining a good relationship. Samuel Manasseh of PT Astra International Indonesia shared his detailed insights on an often-overlooked area – the development and implementation of a robust supply chain risk management process.

Real world case studies brought to life

Real life examples, such as that of the Singapore Flyer breakdown, were used to guide participants through the key points of a crisis management plan, such as plan development, decision-making, escalation procedures, stakeholder identification and media handling. Paul Clarke and Martin Goh of JLT Risk Consulting delivered the session “practical risk management - responding to a crisis”, bringing participants through the ‘ups and downs’ as well as ‘ins and outs’ of managing a crisis, as part of business continuity management.

A more unusual approach to risk management was provided by Mike Wellsted from JLT, who addressed the risk management strategies he employed to survive a grueling 250-kilometre trek through the Namibian desert, complete with gruesome slides.

Other topics/speakers included a review of Political and Security Risks in Asia by Dr Jacob Ramsay and Dane Chamorro of Control Risks, a review of the uses of Catastrophe Modelling and its application to risk management by Helen Ye of AIR Worldwide and Matt Payne of JLT, an Asia Economic Briefing by Sebastien Barbe of Calyon, and a review of insurance market conditions by Geoff Riddell, CEO Asia Pacific and Middle East of the Zurich Group.

JLT Asia’s Managing Director, Warren Merritt, said: “The substantial increase in the number of participants, industry and geographic diversity are a testimony to the fact that the ARC is meeting and exceeding the challenges that risk managers face.”

Ray Mattholie said: “The original concept of the ARC was to support the growth of risk management in Asia, and it is particularly satisfying to see this being reflected in the success of the event.”

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