PRMIA volunteer spotlight Oleg Lebedev & Rustum Bharucha
by Adam Lindquist Former US President John F. Kennedy once stated, “Leadership and Learning are indispensable to each other.” The London Chapter of PRMIA has enjoyed a long legacy of exceptional volunteers and volunteer leaders who motivate each other and accomplish much. Two great examples are Oleg Lebedev and Rustum Bharucha, Co-Chairs and Regional Directors of the PRMIA London Chapter. I was fortunate to connect with both and discuss their leadership style and why London has such an effective chapter with a strong member following.
Adam
Gentlemen, I would like to ask you as leaders, what makes the London Chapter unique?
Oleg We have a good mix of people willing to put their time, skills, network, and creativity for the good of the organization. Although we have a friendly and supportive environment, we do not shy from tackling issues head on if things are not going as expected. We are also happy to try new ways of working, which served us well in the challenging pandemic year of 2020. Rustum The London Chapter is one of the most successful within the PRMIA network, and this success is attributed to a strong team of volunteers within the chapter who come together to help drive collaboration though innovation – especially during the pandemic when most chapters stopped doing events the London Chapter replaced their in-person events to virtual events and doubled the events on their calendar.
Adam
How did you decide you wanted to volunteer with PRMIA?
Oleg Having worked in risk management in banking for many years, it was a natural choice to give something back to the risk community. PRMIA, a volunteer-led professional international association with noble objectives of promoting risk management profession, ticked all the boxes. Rustum Volunteering for PRMIA truly gave me an opportunity to give back to the industry I serve and work within. Outside of my professional network I also volunteer as a local Scout Leader, and the role of volunteers is key to the success of any association or charity.
006
Intelligent Risk - July 2021
