One consideration for holding the Risk and Insurance Management Society's annual conference in Hawaii this year was that “we had hoped to attract some of the Pacific Rim attendees who might not be able to travel to Philadelphia or Florida as easily,” said Janice Ochenkowski, a director of the New York-based group.

Since the Federation of European Risk Management Associations will be meeting in Hawaii as well, RIMS will have more of an international flavor, said Ms. Ochenkowski, who is director of global risk management, Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago.

The result is a Honolulu conference agenda containing more international topics than ever. Ms. Ochenkowski noted that the RIMS conference even offers some translated sessions.

Craig Watanabe, captive insurance administrator for the State of Hawaii Insurance Division, will participate in three sessions on captive insurers geared to Pacific Rim attendees:

o “Miso Soup to Kukui Nuts” on April 24 covers the basics of captive formation. The special guest is John J. McCarthy, director of risk management for The Salvation Army, which has a captive in Hawaii.

o “Captive Formation and Utilization for Japanese Corporations,” on April 25, will examine the unique objectives, processes and difficulties of forming captives for Japanese corporations. The guest speaker is Ytaka Sugimoto, director of risk management with Yazaki Management Co.

o “All You Ever Wanted To Know About Captives But Were Afraid To Ask,” on April 25, is sponsored by the Captive Insurance Companies Association.

Guest panelists include Soraya Wright, director of corporate risk management for The Clorox Co., which has a captive in Hawaii; Ryan B. Ralston, global risk manager at Whirlpool Corp.; and Luis Pereira, director of insurance for Rohm and Haas Co. The panel will review case studies and discuss captive basics.

“This is the first time at RIMS we have really been focusing on captives in this market,” Mr. Watanabe said. He added that an early attendance sheet showed at least 50 attendees pre-registered to attend from Japan.

Special Reports /

RIMS Sessions Target Buyers From Pacific Rim

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