more sophisticated.”
How did Walker get into the field?
“When I initially started studying at St.
John’s University in New York, the focus
was to get an MBA in finance. But the
year was 2008, and the subprime mortgage
crisis was going on, so there was a great
need for risk-management skills.” Instead,
he received an MBA in risk management
and insurance.
“This presented an opportunity to
get into a career where the focus was
on bringing value to an organization
and addressing specific needs that were
neglected over the past decade.”
What does Walker enjoy about the
profession?
“The nice thing about risk management
is that it fits within every sector, every
industry and every segment. Everyone
needs some level of risk management. It’s a
huge need right now in business.”
What’s a trend that Walker expects will
increase in importance in coming years?
“Enterprise risk management, for me,
is the way to go. A business needs to
aggregate and put together all aspects of
its risk under one umbrella. You have risk
managers in companies addressing HR
needs as well as the traditional risks a client
might face, like business interruption. It’s
good that they’re trying to include every
risk aspect under ERM.”
What are Walker’s responsibilities?
“Currently I work for the global
employee-benefits practice; we provide
support to more than 60 countries.
“We typically go to the market and find
providers for employee-benefits services
for our clients—medical, health, life and
disability coverage. I’m working on a
project now where we focus on wellness
and take a more proactive approach to
risk management.
“The emphasis is on promoting
healthy employees and a healthy work
environment. This increases morale,
which motivates employees and ultimately
increases productivity.
“The employer, in turn, can see
reduced premiums, because across the
globe there is a huge problem with
medical inflation. An employer with
more than 5,000 employees can see a
10-percent uplift on their premium year
over year. So there is a lot of interest
right now in wellness programs. I’m
heading up a group focused on bringing
a product to the market to help clients
address these issues.”
In what ways is Walker’s relative youth
an edge?
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One Common Thread: Great Mentors
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ALL THREE YOUNG risk managers who spoke with NU cited a common influence on their careers: a mentor
who helped to show them the ropes.
“I was fortunate to have a mentor at my
job—the woman who was my supervisor at
Turner,” says Jennifer Matthews, director of
risk management at Home Box Office, who
began her career at Turner Broadcasting.
After Turner Broadcasting purchased
New Line Cinema and Castle Rock
Entertainment, the company needed
people in risk management to be on the
West Coast.
“So I moved into entertainment and
relocated,” Matthews recalls. “[My mentor]
took me under her wing, and we moved out
here at the same time and set up the office.”
Dequan Walker’s mentor, Chris Oddy,
the COO of Marsh’s Global Employee
Benefits Practice, has looked out for
Walker since he joined Oddy’s group,
where he is assistant vice president and
business analyst.
