Amrae launches online tool for local government risks as it seeks to broaden reach

The breadth of initiatives developed by France’s risk management association Amrae were on full display last week as the organisation hosted its annual research and training meeting in Paris.

Members gathered at the Bois de Boulogne to hear about the work of Amrae’s thematic commissions on topics ranging from geopolitics, cyber and captives to motor insurance, construction risks and spreading risk management among SMEs.

Participants were also treated to a presentation by Olivier Brun, head of security for the 2024 Olympic Games, about the risk management challenges facing the event.

Amrae used the meeting in Paris to announce the launch of a new online service to help local governments in France manage their risks and better navigate a very difficult insurance market for the segment. The new service follows a similar initiative, already online for some months, to support SMEs in their risk management endeavours.

The association’s board stressed that it is focused on spreading Amrae’s reach across the French market to a wider range of organisations that are still developing their risk management capabilities.

That is why Amrae has joined forces with regional branches of Medef, France’s main business association, to offer an online tool that can be used by SMEs to assess their risk exposures and find out what they can do to mitigate threats.

The tool, which can be accessed via www.macartodesrisques.fr, offers a series of questions that can be answered by business owners themselves or with the support of their local Medef representatives. It asks them to define risk exposures in four categories ranging from ‘limited’ to ‘catastrophic’. Risks are then rated by their expected frequency, also on four different levels from ‘improbable’ to ‘frequent’.

The initiative inspired Amrae to develop another virtual tool, this time aimed at France’s local governments, which are facing an insurance capacity crunch.

The project is led by board Amrae member Marie-Elise Lorin, risk manager at mutual insurer SMACL, one of the main players in the market. It was created with the participation of local government representatives. The online tool can be found here.

Such tools are part of Amrae’s efforts to reach beyond its traditional membership of large companies.

The association said that it has been making progress, especially among SMEs. One of Amrae’s four new board members, elected during its latest general assembly, comes from an ETI, an acronym for large mid-sized companies with revenues of around €1.5bn. Jason Crumley represents ARaymond, the assembly and fastening solutions group.

Amrae also presented its latest publishing venture, a small book that debates risks from the point of view of philosophy.

The 76-page booklet, called Frontières, Une Illusion? (Are Frontiers an Illusion?), was written in partnership with a philosophy magazine. It includes essays by philosopher Dominique Bourg, political scientist Astrid von Busekist, and diplomat and geographer Michel Foucher.

“The goal (of the book) is to bring forward reflections about risk and to nurture them with the world of philosophy,” said Sophie Gherardi, a journalist and political scientist who organised the publication.

Amrae president Oliver Wild noted that this is not the first time the association has brought together the world of risk management and philosophy. Its first book, Méditation sur le risque (Meditations on Risk), was presented last year during Amrae’s annual conference in Deauville. It has now evolved into a series of works on variations of the theme.

“For some years already, panels during the Rencontres were designed around speakers, including philosophers, who come from outside our risk management ecosystem,” Wild said. “It shows our will to expand our risk horizon and to understand the environment where we live.”

Frontières, Une Illusion? will be available for purchase in bookshops.