RiskACUMEN: Recent Episodes
Johnny Thomson
Poor mental health isn't just a personal issue; it's a significant organisational risk that affects productivity, employee retention, and workplace safety. This episode of the RiskACUMEN podcast from RiskSTOP asks how connected do employees feel to their company culture?
Mental health expert Peter Larkum joins RiskSTOP’s Johnny Thomson to share insights on the importance of fostering positive connections at work and managing the impacts of social media on mental health. The pair discuss how proactive engagement with employees' mental wellbeing can help create a positive working environment and improve performance. Listen to the podcast now to understand the real cost of overlooking employee wellbeing.
Extreme weather events are reported to be costing $5 trillion a year, and with food and water shortages leading to loss of life and destabilisation, there’s more than just economic consequences arising from environmental issues. So, what can we, and in particular the insurance industry, really do about it? Turns out, quite a lot, and there’s also things not to do!
For part 2 of a series of podcasts, RiskSTOP Group’s Johnny Thomson talks to Kerris Earle from Zing365 about the E in ESG… the Environment. Political, topical, and packed with information… you really won’t want to miss this one!
Please note, this episode was recorded towards the end of 2023, a few weeks after the UN Climate Change Conference.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) are hot risk factors for organisations of all sizes, but with these issues being so broad, where do you begin? Kerris Earle, Training and Development Manager at Zing 365 has been helping large insurers, brokers and others get to grips with ESG. Kerris joins us to deliver a fascinating series of recordings designed to cover the thing everyone is asking... what should we be doing with ESG?
Trees are incredibly important. They keep us all breathing, regulate the temperature of our planet and can even make humans feel better. But trees also have a troublesome side. For this fascinating episode, lawyer Sarah Dodd of Tree Law Ltd, explains the the risks that foliage can bring, reveals how many trees it takes to replace an ancient oak and highlights how sustainability is not as simple as you might think...
For all kinds of reasons, inflationary pressures across the globe have been mounting, which in turn has led to a significant buzz around the issue of underinsurance.
For this episode of our podcast, Will Molland, MCIOB AssocRICS, a Director at innovative building insurance valuation providers RebuildCostASSESSMENT.com, explains why the topic is suddenly on everyone's agenda and discusses how long rebuild costs may continue to rise...
Digital transformation, readily available funding and the global pandemic have led to unprecedented mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in recent years and in the UK, two thirds of chief executives say they will be looking to consolidate in some way.
However, M&As are not without risk. For this episode Philip Mettam, director at Meridian Corporate Finance, talks us through some of the common risks, how they can be mitigated and introduces the 3 Ds of divorce, disease and death!
Risk identification and control is only part of a much big picture when it comes to managing risk. David Reynolds, Head of Risk Engineering & Surveys at RiskSTOP Group explains how as well as delivering independent-risk evaluation, insurance risk consultants need a range of soft skills so they can add more value for insurers, policyholders and brokers. Discover more about the fascinating, rewarding and occasionally frustrating world of a risk surveyor.
All kinds of financial pressures are building up on UK businesses right now, so what's the best way to navigate through such difficult times? Surging inflation, energy crisis, supply chain issues and that's just the tip of the iceberg. UK businesses are facing all kinds of financial risks and challenges right now. Our guest for this podcast episode is Hannah Justice, a director at BSN Associates, a team of Chartered Accountants, which helps small and medium sized businesses with their financial and strategic decisions. Hannah offers insight around current financial risks and tells us the one thing businesses do not want to get wrong right now. Listen in...
Award winning trainer Peter Larkum supports organisations such as the Ministry of Defence, NHS, HSBC and Boots with managing mental health risks at work. For this episode, Peter talks about how and why mental health has risen to the top of everyone's agenda recently and whether that's a good or a bad thing! He also explores the new ISO 45003 standard around Managing Psychological Health in the Workplace, aspects of legal liability and discusses the role we can all play in supporting others and ourselves. Listen in to this fascinating and open conversation today...
It's safe to say we all now know what a crisis situation is like. However, do we have the knowledge and understanding to play our part better than before? Our guest, author and consultant Jonathan Hemus, talks us through some of the biggest mistakes people make, as well as the critical success factors around crisis management. Listen to the end for how you could receive a free copy of Jonathan's award winning book Crisis Proof - essential reading for business leaders, risk consultants, safety managers, insurance underwriters or brokers or anyone else with a role to play.
Is it time to end the silo-mentality around cyber-risk? Isn't it all just risk? Our guest, Guy Warren of enterprise IT and operational resilience providers ITRS Group, offers some useful insight around cyber-risk and explains why it's time for all of us, whether we're in operational, risk management or even risk underwriting roles, to fully understand and take ownership of digital risks and their very real-world outcomes. Listen in...
Lucian D'Arco, Group HSE Leader at O’Keefe Group, explains why he and many of his construction industry counterparts are concerned that health and fire safety basics are being neglected due to Covid-19 distraction. He talks about five key areas for the industry to focus on in order to get back to simple risk management practices to keep people safe and avoid liability costs. Lucian has also kindly provided some guidance text to accompany this episode, which can be found in an accompanying pdf.
Our guest this time is Finlay Smith, former Chief Underwriting Officer with RSA and now Chairperson of innovative MGA Accelerate Underwriting. Finlay talks openly about the insurance industry's approach to risk management, customer-centricity and the importance of relationships and mutual value. And with risk becoming 'a more important factor for business across the world' he encourages an 'evolution' in the way risk engineering and management is delivered to clients.
Our guest for Episode 3 of the Risk ACUMEN podcast is Wembley Stadium's Health and Safety Manager Tom Wike. Speaking at the end of 2020, Tom reflects on how the iconic venue's plans were thrown into turmoil last year, the way the team responded and some of the positive thoughts he'll be taking into the New Year.
For this episode we talk to Business Continuity and Crisis Management author and consultant Charlie Maclean-Bristol about the Covid-19 crisis and what lessons can be learned.
We talk to Karl Simons of Thames Water about how the organisation has created a culture of care and compliance around safety and health and what the benefits have been.