Engage today, embrace tomorrow: Charlotte Hedemark, President of FERMA shares the top insights from RISKWORLD 2025 in Chicago
What were some of the main talking points at the RISKWORLD event?
The overarching theme of this year’s RISKWORLD conference, “Engage Today, Embrace Tomorrow,” perfectly captured the spirit of the conference, providing a platform to connect with risk managers and explore best practices and strategies to navigate increasing global uncertainty.
Topics ranged from the implications of U.S. tariffs and reciprocal trade measures, and the impact of rising geopolitical tensions, to the opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence, and strategies for managing the green transition.
Presentations also covered areas such as ESG integration, alternative risk transfer and loss mitigation strategies. These were just some of the critical themes that shaped discussions over the course of the event.
For FERMA, the conference was also another opportunity following on from the FERMA Forum to engage with peers across the global risk community, such as with the members of IFRIMA as well as several of FERMA’s strategic partners.
Our participation at the IFRIMA meeting allowed us to gain deeper insight into how risk priorities are shifting regionally in response to geopolitical changes. For instance, in some parts of the world, the urgency around achieving carbon neutrality has lessened compared to a year ago, while in others, it remains a top priority.
What were some of the main takeaways from the event?
One clear takeaway from our conversations with international peers, partners, and association representatives was the strong support for increased global collaboration.
A good example of this was FERMA’s decision last year to extend its Risk Manager Survey to a global audience for the first time. The results were overwhelmingly positive and contributed to a richer understanding of how the risk management discipline is evolving worldwide.
There is now a shared commitment to build on this momentum and pursue further global initiatives, including the FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026 and opportunities to conduct joint webinars.
Amid the backdrop of uncertainty - from geopolitical shifts to regulatory change - another key theme that emerged in Chicago was the importance of our advocacy work in areas such as digitalisation, sustainability, ERM and risk transfer, and the positive outcomes being delivered by the associated working groups.
FERMA and its peers play a vital role in providing risk managers with clear guidance and support at a time when regulatory demands are increasing and often shifting direction.
A recurring concern across all regions and sectors was the ongoing talent crisis. It’s widely acknowledged that more must be done to promote risk management as a viable and attractive career path.
Given the dynamism and diversity of our community and the expanding scope of the risk manager’s role, we must do more to attract, develop, and retain talent in the profession.
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