When most people conjure images of top-performing risk managers,they probably picture executives with many decades ofexperience.

But the truth is, being a world-class risk manager is less aboutage and more about having good instincts, and the right training,when it comes to identifying potential threats to business.

Three such young talents—all 40 years of age or younger—arealready making a name for themselves in the field. We profile themhere. 

Jessica Maldonado,
Director of ERM
Centerline Capital Group

“I'm fortunate to be at an organization where I have a seat atthe table,” says Maldonado, 37. “I report into the audit committeeon the board and I have a direct line to the CEO”—access that evenmuch more experienced risk managers can find a challenge toobtain.

“I'm in an organization where there are a lot of young,successful people, so age is not a challenge from thatperspective.”

How did Maldonado get into the field?

“I started in the brokerage world with Johnson & Higginsright out of high school as a receptionist. I worked and also got adegree in business from the University of Connecticut. I loved myjob as a broker, and I learned the business of the brokerage worldfrom the ground up, supporting claims and placements, and movedinto my own book of business for placements.

“I was exposed to many clients, but I focused on financialinstitutions and real estate, which is how I had the opportunity tobecome a risk manager.

“[Centerline] approached me about five years ago. They didn'thave anyone dedicated to risk management. It was an opportunity tomove into an organization that didn't have a team of risk managersand to be entrepreneurial in crafting the position.”

What are Maldonado's current day-to-dayresponsibilities? 

“We do multifamily debt and equity lending as well as programsfor government-sponsored agencies like Fanny Mae, Freddy Mac andGinnie Mae. We asset-manage and we service the loans.

“There are a lot of compliance requirements relative toinsurance and making sure the underlying assets in a portfolio havethe right levels of coverage. There is risk to the organization,whether you're loss-sharing or taking balance-sheet risk as youfund these loans or equity transactions.

“Today, we also oversee all the responsibilities forinsurance-monitoring and insurance reviews around ourportfolios.  Coming from the brokerage environment givesme an understanding of how the business is done—the technicalaspect of insurance policies and how the systemworks. 

“My role is overseeing all the audit functions, and in the lastyear-and-a-half we've spent time building a framework formonitoring risk—which is where my Enterprise Risk Management[title] comes from.

“We've developed an internal risk committee and we have a solid[process] for reporting risks into the board. The first half-hourof every board meeting, in fact, starts off with a discussion aboutthe company's risks.”

Jennifer Matthews
Director of Risk Management
Home Box Office

“I handle all the insurance for all of our television series,documentaries and some movies of the week,” says Matthews, 40, whohas been at HBO for eight years. “This means we handle all theinsurance for the cast; we handle any liability situations; weinsure all the vehicles and all the sets and props and wardrobe—allthe things you see on the screen.”

How did Matthews get into the field?

“I started out at Seton Hall University in the businessdepartment and transferred in my sophomore year to the Universityof Georgia.

“At first I checked out accounting, and it wasn't for me, so Itook some insurance classes. I graduated with a risk-managementdegree and got a job soon after graduation with Turner Broadcastingin Atlanta with the risk-management department.

“I worked at CNN Center in Atlanta for acouple of years. When Turner purchased New Line Cinema and CastleRock Entertainment [both in California], they needed people in riskmanagement to be on the West Coast because of the timedifference—and because that's where the exposure is. So I movedinto entertainment and relocated.”

What does Matthews enjoy about the profession?

“I've been doing this now for 18 years, and there's somethingnew every day.”

Walker's advice for other young professionals who may beconsidering a career in risk?

“Risk management is a dynamic industry, and there are so manyways you can go with it. Companies are looking at risk managersmore—it's more mainstream now, and companies see the benefit ofhaving someone in-house who is dedicated to risk management asopposed to just tagging it onto another position.”

Dequan Walker
Assistant Vice President and BusinessAnalyst
Marsh Inc.'s Global Employee Benefits Practice

“The role of brokers is changing,” says Walker, 32, who startedat Marsh in 2010. “It's not just placing risk-transfer business,but assessing a business' overall risk exposure. So it's becomingmore sophisticated.”

How did Walker get into the field?

“When I initially started studying at St. John's University inNew York, the focus was to get an MBA in finance. But the year was2008, and the subprime mortgage crisis was going on, so there was agreat need for risk-management skills.” Instead, he received an MBAin risk management and insurance.

“This presented an opportunity to get into a career where thefocus was on bringing value to an organization and addressingspecific needs that were neglected over the past decade.”

What does Walker enjoy about the profession?

“The nice thing about risk management is that it fits withinevery sector, every industry and every segment. Everyone needs somelevel of risk management. It's a huge need right now inbusiness.”

What's a trend that Walker expects will increase in importancein coming years?

“Enterprise risk management, for me, is the way to go. Abusiness needs to aggregate and put together all aspects of itsrisk under one umbrella. You have risk managers in companiesaddressing HR needs as well as the traditional risks a client mightface, like business interruption. It's good that they're trying toinclude every risk aspect under ERM.”

What are Walker's responsibilities?

“Currently I work for the global employee-benefits practice; weprovide support to more than 60 countries.

“We typically go to the market and find providers foremployee-benefits services for our clients—medical, health, lifeand disability coverage. I'm working on a project now where wefocus on wellness and take a more proactive approach to riskmanagement.

“The emphasis is on promoting healthy employees and a healthywork environment. This increases morale, which motivates employeesand ultimately increases productivity.

“The employer, in turn, can see reduced premiums, because acrossthe globe there is a huge problem with medical inflation. Anemployer with more than 5,000 employees can see a 10-percent uplifton their premium year over year. So there is a lot of interestright now in wellness programs. I'm heading up a group focused onbringing a product to the market to help clients address theseissues.”

In what ways is Walker's relative youth an edge?

“Being young in this field is definitely an advantage. A lot ofpeople say they fell into the role of risk management. So I meetpeople and they are shocked that I went to school for this and amworking in the industry. You can get a lot of attention, becauseyou are a novelty in this respect.”

Walker's advice for other young professionals who may beconsidering a career in risk?

“You will always need people with risk backgrounds to address[the potential for] crises at organizations, so it's a verysustainable profession.

“Some people have a view of risk management as boring and notglamorous, but in risk management there are so many directions andopportunities. So we have to do a better job of selling theprofession. This is one of the reasons I am on the student advisorycouncil for RIMS. We're trying to get more students into theprofession and letting people understand what we do.”