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NEW YORK (October 15, 2021) – After a remarkable 36-year career dedicated to creating opportunities for and advancing the global risk management profession, RIMS CEO Mary Roth has announced her plans to retire following RIMS 2022 Annual Conference & Exhibition.  The timeline is fluid and Ms. Roth will not vacate her role until a suitable candidate is in place and the transition is complete.

The process for making this announcement began in 2019 but, as the global pandemic significantly impacted RIMS business and its members, Ms. Roth determined that it was imperative to lead the Society through the immediate challenges and delay the announcement to this date. RIMS Board of Directors and a specially formed RIMS search committee will work with Russell Reynolds Associates, one of the world’s leading executive search firms, to find RIMS next leader.

“As RIMS CEO for the last 17 years, Mary and her team have helped create a path for risk management’s evolution, providing my fellow risk practitioners and me with the power to impact organizational strategies, set professional goals and achieve them,” said RIMS 2021 President Ellen Dunkin. “The best way RIMS Board can thank Mary for all that she has given to this Society is to ensure that this transition process is carried out flawlessly and that we position RIMS for continued success for years to come.  On a personal note, I would like to congratulate Mary and wish her all the best in this next chapter of her life.”

In a letter to RIMS membership, Mary Roth stated:

“I cannot express enough what RIMS has meant to me and what a heart-wrenching decision this was. In addition to leading the development and delivery of thought-leading risk knowledge, professional education, a globally accredited certification, career growth opportunities and advancing a mission critical to this profession for over three decades, I have made lifelong friendships.  Together, we have scaled the toughest challenges, achieved great success and built a professional community that genuinely cares about becoming better, and more importantly, about lifting each other up.

RIMS Board of Directors and Staff are committed to this Society’s future success. I have witnessed their perseverance, dedication, and skill in action, especially over the last year, and am confident that their strategic ingenuity will continue to fortify the Society’s position as the world’s leading risk management association.

I want to thank this community for their dedication to RIMS and their passion for risk management.  You have made my RIMS career rewarding, special and unforgettable.  For more than 70 years, RIMS has created opportunities and advantages for the world’s risk management community to excel and elevate, and I know that this proud tradition will continue for years to come.”

ABOUT MARY ROTH
Mary Roth joined RIMS in 1985. Since that time, she has served in such roles as Assistant Director of Research and Director of Membership and Chapter Services. In 1999, she was appointed Deputy Executive Director, in which she played a key role in managing RIMS headquarters and staff activities including budget development and business strategy. In July 2004, she was named Chief Operating Officer. And, in October 2004, she was tapped to lead the Society and continues to serve as its Chief Executive Officer.

Additionally, Ms. Roth is the chairwoman of the International Federation of Risk and Insurance Management Associations’ (IFRIMA). Ms. Roth was featured in Business Insurance magazine’s 2006 “Women to Watch” and was recently named the 2021 Funding the Future Honoree for lifetime achievement by the Spencer Educational Foundation.

She received her Bachelors of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University and completed Columbia University’s Institute for Not-for-Profit Management. She holds The Institute’s Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives.

About RIMS
RIMS, the risk management society®, is a global not-for-profit committed to advancing the practice of risk management throughout the world. We bring networking, professional development, certification, and education opportunities to our membership of 10,000 risk management professionals in over 60 countries. Founded in 1950, the Society represents more than 3,500 industrial, service, nonprofit, charitable and government entities throughout the world. To access RIMS Risk Knowledge resource library and for additional information about the Society, visit www.RIMS.org.

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