Risk management professional and former RIMS President Susan Meltzer (Courtesy photo)
RIMS, the risk management society, has announced the passing of former RIMS President and celebrated risk management professional Susan Meltzer. To honor her memory, RIMS The Foundation for Risk Management has established the Susan Meltzer Scholarship Fund.
RIMS will initiate the fund with a $10,000 donation, with a goal of raising $40,000 total. The scholarship will fund expenses for one Canadian risk professional to attend the RIMS Canada conference each year.
“Throughout her remarkable career, Susan was a passionate champion of the RIMS Ontario Chapter, the RIMS Canada Council, RIMS Global, and the broader advancement of the risk management profession. Her passing is a profound loss to the global risk management community,” current RIMS President Kristen Peed said in a statement. “This year, I had the privilege of meeting Susan at the RIMS Canada Conference, where we honored her as the newest inductee into the RIMS Risk Management Hall of Fame. Her impact on the profession was far-reaching, and it was evident at the conference just how many of today’s risk leaders were touched and inspired by her generosity.”
Meltzer served as RIMS Global president from 1999 to 2000. She was a member of the board of the International Federation of Insurance for around a decade and served as the federation’s president from 2004 to 2008. She also served on the CIP Society Council and the Graduate Society of the Insurance Institute of Canada.
Her risk management career included roles at Bell Canada, SunLife Financial and Aviva Canada. In her last risk management role at Aviva, Meltzer led enterprise risk management across Aviva North America and was responsible for risk management in Aviva Canada. She retired from Aviva Canada as the organization’s vice president of risk in June 2019.
Meltzer was named a Business Insurance Women to Watch in 2006; received Canada’s highest honor, the Donald M. Stuart Award in 2001; was awarded RIMS' highest global honor, the Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award, in 2004; and was inducted into the RIMS Risk Management Hall of Fame in 2025. In recognition of her service to risk management, she is also a RIMS and ORIMS Chapter Emeritus member.
In 2024, ORIMS renamed its Top CRM Graduate Award to the Susan Meltzer Award, commemorating her outstanding contributions to the CRM program.
“Susan Meltzer will forever be remembered as a Canadian risk management icon. Whether it was her approach to tackling complex risks or elevating the power and prominence of risk management, her innovative and collaborative spirit inspired us all to think big, be proactive, and focus on the future,” RIMS Canada Council Chair Valerie Barber said. “Beyond all her extraordinary career achievements, Susan was a role model for many women starting their insurance and risk management careers as in the early years, she was one of just a few prominent Canadian female leaders in the industry. She was an incredibly generous and compassionate person who devoted countless hours to helping others reach their goals and achieve their dreams.”
“Beloved within Canada’s close-knit risk community,” Barber continued, “Susan’s contributions will continue to open doors for the next generation of risk management leaders for years to come. Her passing undoubtedly leaves a huge void within Canada’s risk management community, and on behalf of RIMS Canada Council, our deepest sympathies go to her family, friends, colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of engaging with her over the years.”
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