Risk Manager of the Year Award

The Risk Manager of the Year Award® was created in 1977 to increase recognition of the risk management profession and to recognize outstanding performance in the practice of risk management. The first award was presented in 1978. The Risk Management Honor Roll Awards were introduced in 1983 to recognize other exceptional risk managers. The Risk Manager of the Year Award® and Risk Management Honor Roll® are presented by RIMS. Recipients will be honored at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia.


View Past Recipients

Now accepting nominations for the 2026 Risk Manager of the Year.

The deadline to complete the Part 1 Nomination Form is Saturday, November 22, 2025.

Please review the guidelines below before you submit a nomination.


Guidelines

Eligibility

Anyone involved in risk management for a corporation, financial institution, not-for-profit institution or government entity can be nominated. The person need not practice risk management full time, but the candidate must be a full-time employee of the organization for which he or she practices risk management. Administrators and executive directors of self-insurance funds or self-insurance pools that deliver risk management services to members are eligible for nomination. The candidate may be nominated by anyone familiar with his or her work, such as a supervisor, the risk management staff, a colleague with another company or a broker, insurer or other service supplier. Individuals named to the Risk Management Honor Roll® are eligible to be re-nominated for the Risk Manager of the Year Award® five years after being named to the Honor Roll.

To be considered for Risk Manager of the Year or the Risk Management Honor Roll, nominees must be a current RIMS member in good standing.

Judging Panel

The Nomination Form Part I will be reviewed by the RIMS Awards Committee. The Nomination Form Part II will be judged by professionals representing all aspects of the risk management industry.

Nominations, Part II

Please note that candidates selected for Part II of the nomination process will be asked to provide a more detailed nomination form, as well as a letter of endorsement of the candidate by an executive of his or her corporation or organization, who can be the candidate’s supervisor or any higher officer. The letter must certify the accuracy of the information submitted in the nomination.

Awards

After Part I nominations are screened, each candidate who is selected for further nomination information completes the Part II nomination, which is scored by the judges on five criteria (see below). The candidate with the highest aggregate score will be named Risk Manager of the Year®. The Risk Management Honor Roll® will comprise the next highest scoring candidates.

Judging Criteria

  1. Established and/or implemented risk management strategies that are based on the organization’s business model and are customized for its needs.
  2. Tackled and solved one or more major problem(s) for his or her organization, e.g., creatively and effectively used risk financing/insurance or risk transfer program to solve a specific issue, led a major risk management training initiative that improved performance, collaborated with another function to address an emerging risk, etc.
  3. Innovatively engaged in applying diverse strategies and techniques in developing integrated organizational risk management competencies, such as enterprise risk management, strategic risk management, business continuity management, safety and health management, information and privacy management, compliance management, claims management, etc.
  4. Established a workable intelligence gathering and sharing system inside and outside the organization to inform decision-makers about potential trends, events, or activities that may affect the organization’s performance objectives.
  5. Advanced the risk management profession (as well as his or her career) through engagement, e.g., risk management related awards, certifications/designations, mentoring, public speaking, advocacy, research, guest lecturing, publications, etc.​

Past Recipients

2025 Risk Manager of the Year

Jennifer Pack, Vice President, Hyatt Hotels Corporation


2025 Risk Manager of the Year Honor Roll

Mark Saltsgaver, Vice President, Corporate Risk Management, Eli Lilly and Company


2024 Risk Manager of the Year

Steven Robles, Assistant Chief Executive Officer – Risk Management and Privacy, County of Los Angeles


2024 Risk Manager of the Year Honor Roll

Mrunal Pandit, Senior Manager – Insurance, Tata Consumer Products Limited