LEOPOLD LARIOSINTERVIEW

ASSOCIATION: AMRAE - FRANCE

AGE: 33

JOB: RISK MANAGER (2010 – PRESENT)

EDUCATION: MASTER IN FINANCE SPECIALIZED IN INSURANCE , MASTER IN COMPUTER SCIENCES AT PARIS DAUPHINE

QWHAT MADE YOU WANT TO

BE A RISK PROFESSIONAL? 

A“On the one hand I love anticipating worst-cases scenario. This has been my hobby for both personal and professional life.

On the other hand, I like to take risks as long as I have first assessed the potential gain and loss.”

QWHAT TYPE OF SKILLS DO YOU REQUIRE MOST TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN YOUR DEPARTMENT? 

A  

First to be open-minded in order to understand the organization. I work for Edenred which runs businesses in 40 countries. We launched Ticket Restaurant® in 1962. So the Company has its own culture and we are used in managing risks.

Thirdly you have to be able to communicate about Risk Management. We need to share our view of Risk Management with people at all levels of the organization, especially if we want to be efficient in the prevention of risks.As a conclusion, every experience of crisis that occurred in any industry could help anticipate that something doesn’t sound good and could trigger a change.

Secondly, it’s important to bring a broader point of view for the management of risks and not only of the day to day business. Additionally, we need to have a track record of crisis from other industries. Over ten years of experience in the risk management acquired both in Insurance companies and as consultant help me every day.

Q HOW CAN REDUCING ORGANIZATIONAL RISK HELP COMPANIES IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE?  

AWell, As Risk Manager of Edenred my goal is to protect the Profit and Loss and the share equities of the group. In order to succeed we manage two main gears. First we launch new processes in order to enhance old habits, which have generated loss in other industries: that’s Prevention. Secondly, we transfer the risk to the insurance markets, if there is both appetite and knowledge about it. Overall, my goal is only to ease the work of operational teams.

QWHAT KIND OF LINK EXISTS BETWEEN INSURANCE AND RISK IN YOUR ORGANIZATION?   

AAs Risk Manager of Edenred I identify these risks, I assess their impact, I propose prevention and if insurance markets allow it, we transfer part of the risks. The insurance is only the last resort of Risk Management. By the way, I have always made it clear that at the end of the day, the risk taker keeps being the Director of the Business Unit. As a Risk Manager I try to anticipate the risks and I present options in order to mitigate an high impact risk.

QWOULD YOU ADVISE STARTING TO LEARN IN A LARGE ORGANIZATION WITH SOME EMBEDDED RISK PROCESSES OR IN A COMPANY WHERE THIS AREA IS AT THE BEGINNING OF

ITS DEVELOPMENT? 

AWhen you join a company after a spin-off such as Edenred, the good point is that we had the experience of the former parent company (Accor Group) and in the same time the opportunity to launch new processes. The only goal is to be efficient and to adapt the solutions to our new core business: the prepaid services.

QWHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE TO STUDENTS CURRENTLY STUDYING RISK MANAGEMENT?

AGain work experience first as the position of Risk Manager comes at least one decade after!

It is not a joke, I started to work in the insurance industry in 1999, and I became a Risk Manager in 2010! Today, I understand that after the University we need to practice for a while in various positions and not only the Risk manager position.

QWHAT DEPARTMENTS DO YOU WORK CLOSEST WITH IN YOUR ORGANIZATION?

HOW BIG IS THE TEAM YOU ARE WORKING IN?  

AMy position requires me to work very closely with the both the Legal and Finance departments.

As Risk Manager I am alone at the headquarters of the group. In the Risk Management practice in general we have: Legal and Finance counterparts in 40 countries + 2 other Risk Managers in countries.

@GET INVOLVED IN THE NETWORK

JOIN THE YOUNG RISK PROFESSIONAL NETWORK ON LINKEDIN:

 The Young Risk Professionals Network is targeted at European Risk Professionals under 35 years of age, and provides a platform for discussion and networking. We aim to raise awareness of Risk Management, and show the benefits of collaboration across industries and countries. This group, for experienced Young Risk professionals and aspiring students alike, provides the opportunity to share insights and experiences of working in Risk Management, as well helping build a vision of the industry’s future.

On LinkedIn the top right hand corner, search Groups for ‘Young Risk Professionals’ or click here: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Young-Risk-Professionals-4086521