PRMIA volunteer spotlight - by Adam Lindquist Oleg Lebedev & Rustum Bharucha

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.

Adam

What have you learned as a volunteer about others?

What do you look for when recruiting others?

What is the secret to being a good volunteer?

What is your favorite part of your role?

Oleg There are two types of people: talkers and walkers. It is great if you can walk the talk or simply walk without talking, but it does not do anyone any good if you simply talk without ever walking. Nothing gets done if we simply talk!

Rustum It’s more to do with motivation – finding out what motivates an individual and their interests. If you can give volunteers an opportunity that meets their expectations, they will certainly help contribute towards the overall objectives of the wider group, in this case the London Chapter.

Adam

Oleg We look for three things: time commitment, sufficient level of seniority so that the voice of PRMIA can be heard, and last but not least, clarity on the expectations from both sides. In fact, we have a set of minimum expectations that we share with every prospective volunteer, which also serves as a basis for selfassessment at the end of each year.

Rustum Finding out what potential volunteers’ expectations are and what motivates them is key to recruiting the right person. Volunteering is a two-way street and would not suit an individual who wants to get more out of PRMIA than what they can offer.

Adam

Oleg There is no secret. If you are prepared to put the time in, be truthful to yourself and others on what you can and cannot do, and respect others and not be afraid to hold them and yourself to account, you will do well for yourself and the organization you volunteer for.

Rustum The London Chapter has a number of results-driven focus groups, and matching a volunteer’s skills and interests to the focus group that would suit them best is key to getting the most out of a volunteer, in addition to offering them a sense of achievement in being involved as a volunteer.

Adam

Oleg Seeing the results of hard work of the Chapter materializing, be it a successful event with positive feedback, more members joining PRMIA or taking up its training, desire of various professional or commercial organizations partnering with PRMIA, and also increasing demand from volunteers to join the London Chapter.

Rustum Volunteering can be extremely rewarding. Personally, for me being involved with PRMIA gives me the opportunity to network with like-minded risk professionals by organizing and attending various events run by the London Chapter.

Adam

How many hours per month/week do you usually volunteer?

Oleg As a Chair and a Regional Co-Director, I spend between four and five hours per week. London Steering Committee members are expected to contribute at least two hours per week, Regional Directors - three to four hours per week; however, preparing for and chairing Steering Committee meetings takes additional time.

Rustum Between three to five hours per week. This is not set in stone, and there may be busier times if one is working on an event or deliverable on a certain project. However, planning and creating a workflow certainly helps with time management.

Adam

How has being a part of PRMIA impacted your personal / professional life?

Oleg The biggest impact is that it connects me to a wide community of like-minded individuals at all levels of seniority and gives additional credibility of being part of a large international professional association.

Rustum On a personal level, joining PRMIA has really helped me further expand my network while cementing existing relationships. I’ve also made some friends along the way.

Adam

What skills have you developed or honed while volunteering?

Oleg Soft skills and influencing others is a must have when running a chapter in a volunteer organization. Luckily, I had plenty of opportunities to practice these skills when running complex cross-functional transformation programs during my career in consulting.

Rustum Luckily, my volunteering role as a Scout Leader has taught me how to work with and manage other volunteers. The biggest challenge is managing other volunteers who need to be motivated in order to deliver, rather than using a more directive approach.

It is obvious that both of these exceptional leaders have both given and received by being part of PRMIA. If their story inspires you, why not contact us to learn how you can become a volunteer? Reach out to adam.lindquist@prmia.org.