NU Online News Service, June 15, 2:25 p.m.EDT

A four-day conference of 80 business leaders and riskdecision-makers from around the world met in Dubai earlier thismonth to discuss the best practices and latest trends inimplementing enterprise risk management in the region.

Participating in the 2^nd annual Enterprise RiskManagement MENA (Middle East North Africa) 2012 conference,presented by TCQ Triangle a global provider of workplace learningsolutions, was part of the Risk and Insurance Management Society,Inc.'s initiative to expand its international profile. Theconference included keynote speeches and workshops by RIMSexecutives and corporate risk experts.

“Raising the global profile of RIMS and the risk managementprofession is essential for [RIMS's] sustainability and growth,”said RIMS President Deborah M. Luthi. “Expanding our presenceoverseas will inevitably lead to new relationships, as well as thedevelopment of more resources and knowledge that we can thenleverage to benefit our members.”

Christopher E. Mandel, a former RIMS President and the executivevice president and head of professional services at rPM3 Solutions,LLC, delivered a keynote address and presented the “Strategic RiskManagement—Integrating ERM and Strategic Planning” workshop.

“While a long way to travel, the MENA ERM forum was one of thebest I've attended where the focus was ERM and in this case,specifically managing risk strategically,” says Mandel. “Thedelegates were incredibly engaged in the dialogue and debates andto my surprise, generally far more advanced than I wouldhave thought. The Middle East has tremendous potential for RIMS toexpand its footprint and bring value to an underservedconstituency.”

Joseph A. Milan, a former member of the RIMS ERM committee andthe principal of JA Milan & Associates, LLC, delivered a secondkeynote address and presented the “ERM Implementation—AcceleratingERM Theory into Practice” workshop.

“From some of the largest oil companies in the world togovernmental and not-for-profit entities, there is a disciplinedfocus that includes aligning ERM with strategic risk management,”says Milan commenting on the maturity of the implementation of ERMin the Middle East and North Africa. “Practitioners in the regionlook to RIMS as a highly credible source for up-to-date ideas inthe discipline and I am certain there will be more opportunitiesfor collaboration and outreach in the region.”