National Underwriter - April 16, 2012

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Philadelphia Story

WELCOME TO OUR annual RIMS issue, where we dedicate an extra helping of pages to risk management to coincide with the Risk and Insurance Management Society’s yearly conference and exhibition—which is taking place this week in Philadelphia.

Our cover story is an in-depth interview with Michael Liebowitz, a former RIMS president and the head of risk management at New York University. As a multi-billion-dol-lar, international operation with thousands of employees, NYU presents many of the same risks dealt with by Corporate America.

But Michael also has to respond to the unique lineup of perils posed by an institute of higher learning: research labs, a renowned film school, high-rise dorms, a major hospital, museums, libraries—and oh yeah, that little fact that a major chunk of his constituency are risk-relishing young adults.

If you read the story, you’ll discover that he is more than up to the challenge. Just look at that picture. I love his expression—if I were a risk, I’d definitely think twice before messing with Michael.

Of all the lessons that the interview with Michael reveal—and there are a lot of them—the one I’d single out is his emphasis on finding creative but safe ways to say “yes” whenever possible to students, faculty, staff and the university’s leadership. As he points out, saying “no” is easy—but only affirmative answers to “can we do this?” can really move an organization forward.

Digital subscribers can watch a video
with Michael that includes what I con-
sider some compelling footage: We get
to see him in action, practicing “real life”
risk management as he meets with a film-
school student and goes over the risks in
the scripts—and how to mitigate them.
While I know that you’ll all want to
spend some time with Michael, I also
know that many of you jumped right
from the cover to our annual Risk Manag-
ers Compensation Survey—and who can
blame you for prioritiz-
ing a pocketbook issue?

We give you five full pages of charts and graphs, slicing and dicing salary data by industry sector, company size, age, sex and other factors. The survey also addresses captives, areas of responsibility, reporting structures, licensing, layoffs and more.

Our featured insurance line this issue is also a top-of-mind concern for many risk managers: Directors and Officers coverage. Editor Chad Hemenway reports that while large class-action suits are down, smaller cases are proliferating.

I also want to take this chance to once again call attention to—and profusely thank—NU’s Risk Managers Advisory Board, whose members were first announced this time last year. They have been an incredible—and frequently availed—asset for the magazine, always there to provide the editorial team with insight and advice. You can meet the Board on page 37.

An impressive percentage of the insurance universe is converging on Philadelphia this week, and I have appointments to sit down with many of you (who knew it was possible to schedule 300 meetings in a day?). But serendipitous encounters in hallways and coffee counters can be some of the best. So say hello if you see me—I’ll be the guy race-walking through the convention center with the tripod slung over my shoulder.