Presentation

Some historical facts

The concept of Risk Management came from the USA in the early 70’s.

The term was used to designate all techniques used for the control and management of security in companies, from the supplies to customer satisfaction through all the stages of production en commercialisation.

In parallel, an analysis and policy of financial retention of risks was applied in the structure of the insurance programmes bought by these companies. Risk Management’s main feature was a vision that was primarily based on proactive management of prevention in all the fields and founded on techniques such as forms of retention, control of statistics, optional reinsurance.

This new concept of risk management induced the insurance managers of the big European companies, until then restricted to the underwriting of insurances, to unite their efforts in order to compare their experiences in the field of risk management.

Therefore, in 1974, risk and insurance managers of industrial, commercial and service companies decided to create the Groupement des Assurés de l’Industrie (GAI / VVI) . In 1992, they changed their name to

BELGIAN RISK MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION ( BELRIM  )

 BELRIM’s objectives are:

• On a national level
   
  1. allow risk and insurance managers to compare their experiences and to discuss their problems :
     
     In order to do so :
     • BELRIM organises specific work groups on claims management, personal covers, extra-legal pension schemes, liability matters, et… to inform its members about the evolution on the insurance market, the new legal provisions and to defend their point of view in the concerned fields.
     • BELRIM regularly invites specialists in Risk Management to the BELRIM EXCHANGES, work meetings during which members can compare their experiences with those of their colleagues and deepen their knowledge in risk management matters.
     •  Moreover, a NEWS, an information letter, is regularly sent to the members to keep them informed of the association’s activities and the current affairs in the field of Risk Management.
     • BELRIM also takes an active part in study days in collaboration with other organisations and universities as well as other academical educational institutions.
     • Since 1992,  the Insurance Commission has recognised the role of BELRIM by giving them the seat reserved for the Insured of the Industry and Commerce.
      
  2. act as a spokesperson with regard to the authorities, the administration, the Federation of Belgian companies (FEB/VOB), the Belgian Association of Insurance companies (ASSURALIA), the Banking, Finance and Insurance commission (C.B.F.A.), the associations of brokers and auditors and the world of insurance on the whole.
      
• On an international level
   
  1. BELRIM is a member of the European Federation of Risk Management ( FERMA ), a platform dedicated to the exchange of information among the different national associations of more than 15 European countries. FERMA organises a two-yearly congres called Risk Management Forum, meeting place of risk managers, brokers, insurers, experts and consultants from all over the world.
      
  2. On the other hand, BELRIM is a member of the l’International Federation of Risk and Insurance Managers Associations ( IFRIMA )- New York founded in 1984 in order to promote and defend the practice of risk management worldwide.

Since 2000, BELRIM has opened up to all actors of Risk Management in Belgium, and as such distinguishes the Risk Managers as working members and the affiliated members, who are people involved in risk management from any possible sector (insurance and reinsurance companies, brokers, lawyers, experts and auditors).
En 2008, BELRIM has about one hundred working members and more than fifty affiliated members.