Author Archives: Hilary Tuttle

About Hilary Tuttle

Hilary Tuttle is the managing editor of the Risk Management Monitor and Risk Management magazine.
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Black Lives Matter: Taking Action on Diversity and Inclusion

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As protesters across the United States call out systemic racism and police violence against Black people, and Pride Month honoring the LGBTQ+ community begins, diversity and inclusion issues are—and should be—drawing headlines and dominating conversations around the world.

RIMS CEO Mary Roth and 2020 President Laura Langone released a statement Friday saying:

“To the Black members of our community, we cannot fully appreciate how pained you must be by not only this most recent act—but by all acts that reflect bigotry and hatred in our nations’ communities. What we can do is accept the responsibility to ensure that RIMS community reflects something different. Let us be clear: RIMS does not tolerate any form of racism or discrimination in our global community. And we will always look for ways to improve.”

The editors of Risk Management and the Risk Management Monitor echo this message and stand with our Black colleagues, RIMS members and the Black community at large.

As we all look to support, advocate, learn and do better, we have compiled a list of resources to help, including industry advocacy groups for Black risk and insurance professionals, as well as resources for strengthening your organization’s policies, procedures and diversity and inclusion programs. You can also review selections from our previous coverage of diversity and inclusion below:

Industry Advocacy Groups and Research

National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA)

International Association of Black Actuaries

REPORT: The Journey of African American Insurance Professionals, from Marsh and NAAIA

For public sector risk professionals:

The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE)

National Forum for Black Public Administrators

From ICMA, the association for professional city and county managers: WEBINAR: Sharpening the Focus on Social Equity to Make Strategic Budget Decisions

ARTICLE: Silence Is Complicity: Can White America Demonstrate that Black Lives Matter?

Diversity and Inclusion Resources

Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks, Standards for Organizations Around the World, from the Centre for Global Inclusion

The Diversity & Inclusion Revolution, Eight Powerful Truths, from Deloitte

Corporate Equality Index, from the Human Rights Campaign

Previous Risk Management Coverage on Bias, Diversity and Inclusion

Beyond Pride: Building Strong Diversity and Inclusion Programs

Pale, Stale & Male: Does Board Diversity Matter?

The Benefits of Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives

Getting Serious About ESG Risks

Why Cultivating and Maintaining a Diverse Workforce Is Important

Activists Against Insurers

Spotting Coronavirus-Related Phishing Emails

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Amid widespread public concern and constantly evolving news about the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals are finding new fodder for phishing campaigns. With the eagerness for new information about the coronavirus outbreak, distraction during disruption, and the disorienting shift to remote work for many, employees may be particularly susceptible to falling for these schemes right now.

Some of these phishing emails play off companies having employees work from home to launch credential-stealing attacks. Such phishing campaigns may impersonate IT teams or may direct recipients to fake login pages to access work networks or accounts remotely. See the screenshot at right for an example. Email security firm Mimecast’s Threat Intel team reported seeing over 300 examples of such a campaign using a fake OneDrive login.

“We see that threat actors are keeping up with the daily developments concerning the coronavirus,” said Mimecast’s Threat Intel team. “As the pandemic continues to spread and more and more people are made to work from home, we are seeing more phishing emails that are trying to trick users into giving their credentials through a faked login page. Threat actors are actively utilizing this pandemic to attempt to compromise individual’s accounts and organization’s networks. The potential for human error will inevitably increase in the coming weeks and we expect to see more of these phishing attempts in the coming days and weeks.”

Other phishing scams purport to be new updates from government authorities or public health organizations, directing recipients to click malicious links for updates on the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, new containment measures ordered by governments, or local advisories. Last month, the World Health Organization warned that some criminals were spoofing WHO officials to send fraudulent emails, and Kaspersky Labs reportedly found emails spoofing the CDC asking for Bitcoin donations to help fund a coronavirus vaccine. Some other phishing emails include malicious attachments purporting to be tips for protecting yourself from the coronavirus or maps of the outbreak, for example, but actually contain malware.

“We are living in a heightened time of cyberrisk,” said David Simpson, Virginia Tech professor and former chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. “Cybercriminals will take advantage of public fear and due diligence health measures to generate coronavirus-themed phishing attacks. We should be aware of unsolicited COVID-19 emails with specious links or attachments.”

To help employees detect these scams, check out the following infographic from Cofense’s Phishing Defense Center for tips on spotting coronavirus-related phishing emails:

RIMS Risk Forum India 2019: Top Risks and a Special Edition Magazine

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rims risk forum india 2019

MUMBAI—”Why are we here?” asked RIMS CEO Mary Roth, welcoming over 100 risk professionals to the recent RIMS Risk Forum India 2019 in Mumbai. “If you look around this room, I think we all share very similar reasons. Risks are changing. Today’s risks seem more complex, and they hit our organizations faster. Think about our climate: heat waves, droughts, and other extreme weather events we’re experiencing. Data: it’s abundant and rich. Technology: it’s evolving overnight, and so are the related risks and opportunities.

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She added, “Expectations have never been greater for our organizations to quickly adapt and implement emerging technologies, address cyber exposures, brace for political change, and uphold ethical and social standards.”

The day’s sessions delved into critical issues like emerging technology, fraud, regulation, and building a risk culture, drawing upon expertise from panelists ranging from the C-suite to regulators themselves. Another key theme was clear to all in attendance: the rapidly shifting role of risk management in organizations across India, and the opportunities that new risks are presenting here.

top risks india 2019According to the new Marsh and RIMS “Excellence in Risk Management” report State of Risk Management in India 2019, which was unveiled at the forum, many of these issues dominate the risk landscape for organizations operating in the country. Indeed, cyberattacks, extreme weather, and data fraud or theft top the agenda for risk professionals in India this year.

Across 23 industries, a vast majority of senior risk professionals cited cyberrisk as their top concern, with 62% agreeing cyber poses the greatest risk to their organization—nearly four times the number who prioritized the runner up, weather events.

“India, like other countries, has been susceptible to malicious cyber attacks and there is growing awareness among corporates of the need to ensure they have appropriate cybersecurity controls,” said Sanjay Kedia, Country Head and CEO, Marsh India. “Firms need to keep up with the evolution of cyber threats if they are to capitalize on technology-based opportunities.

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This will require organizations to make additional investment to ensure they have adequate protection.

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As the profession matures and expands in the region, risk professionals looking to earn a seat at the table are focusing on their potential to serve as a key strategic partner driving these investments.

“Global business leaders who have engrained risk management into the fabric of the organization’s strategic planning processes have become better equipped to make informed, proactive, and rewarding decisions,” said RIMS CEO Mary Roth.

“India’s risk management community continues to demonstrate its strength, as well as its passion for developing advanced capabilities that support growth and innovation.”

risk management india special edition coverTo that end, these top issues are also covered in greater depth in a recent special issue of Risk Management curated specifically for risk professionals in India. Originally available exclusively for attendees of this year’s RIMS Risk Forum India, Risk Management Special Edition: India is now available for readers worldwide. Check it out today and, if you have any feedback, we would love your input to help inform future international coverage—email your thoughts to HTuttle@rims.org.

Beyond Pride: Building Strong Diversity and Inclusion Programs

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Today, June 28, marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, demonstrations widely considered the most formative event to formally start the fight for LGBTQ rights in New York City and the United States as a whole. As June comes to a close and the city begins celebrating World Pride this weekend, enterprises should be thinking about how to extend the spirit of Pride month and embrace the importance of diversity and inclusion. Long after companies have retired their rainbow logos, they still face increasing need to build and maintain meaningful policies and programs in practice.

Whether looking to start a formal diversity and inclusion initiative, review existing policies, or audit the efficacy of D&I programs, here are some key resources companies can use to build better workplaces for LGBTQ employees and the workforce at large:

RIMS has also been increasingly focused on diversity and inclusion initiatives for both members and the organization itself with Risk Management Magazine content, webinars and conference networking events. Special thanks to Joshua Lamangan, senior membership manager at RIMS, for sharing many of the resources above from his work leading the RIMS Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council.