PRMIA volunteer spotlight, Emil Nysschens by Adam Lindquist

PRMIA volunteer spotlight Emil Nysschens, Regional Director, PRMIA South Africa

by Adam Lindquist

PRMIA Volunteers are risk professionals who have a desire to help others and benefit from helping build the PRMIA network. Some, like Emil Nysschens, take a leading role in helping a local Chapter flourish and grow. I caught up with Emil, Regional Director of the PRMIA South Africa Chapter.

Adam role? Tell us how you got started in risk, how long have you been in risk, and what is your current

Emil I had a long career in the accounting field prior to risk and there were several steps along the way. My ‘risk journey’ started in 2003 when I realized I had a great interest in investment management and banking in general during my tenure at the asset management division of a large South African bank. From there I moved into the financial markets training field in 2008, and I am now at Riskworx, a unique South African consultancy that focuses on Financial and Quantitative Modelling as a Lecturer. My introduction to PRMIA happened back in 2008, right after I officially left the accounting fraternity and started working for a financial markets training company. One of the very first projects I worked on was with the late Dr Graeme West and involved the original second exam of the PRM (the mathematical foundations of risk measurement). Within the PRM I found the perfect intersection of my interests in business, mathematics, and science. My first foray into volunteering started a very long time ago! I first served on the South African PRMIA Steering Committee back in 2009 to 2011.

Adam How did you first learn of PRMIA?

Emil

Adam When did you first volunteer and why?

Emil

Adam You have relaunched a chapter. What lessons have you learned about volunteering and your experience in doing so?

Emil I think the relaunch has been a collective effort. There is an African proverb that my colleagues at Riskworx are fond of referring to “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I think our team effort in relaunching the chapter has been a manifestation of this proverb. It was also the first lesson we had to learn, and I think modelled on the Steering Committee I was a part of all those years ago, i.e. structuring the committee in such a way that it plays to people’s strengths and interests. It also helps for the members to care and identify with the PRMIA mission. Having the chapter restored also would not have been possible without the assistance and support from PRMIA staff. In particular, Sara Lepp Soliz has been of tremendous help all along the way and we cannot thank her enough for her efforts. At no time did we feel like we were going at this alone or that we were in the dark. Previously my role was in the events portfolio, and it was a great amount of fun at the time. It involved a lot of face-to-face events and networking. Of course, this was during a time long before COVID. We all had to adjust to the change to remote events and remote working in 2020. I am grateful for and enjoying my current role as Regional Director, and it feels like an evolution from my previous role. After all these years I’m still enjoying my involvement and actually feel that we are living through some of the most exciting and challenging times ever in the risk field. I tend to take a big picture view on this, and the benefits I have experienced from my involvement in PRMIA are significant. At first the benefits as a Sustaining Member have been numerous, and among these I benefit tremendously from webinars, publications, and networking opportunities. Secondly, having the PRM™ Designation (and later teaching the PRM) has done wonders for deepening my own understanding and knowledge in the field. It has also been a major factor in my career advancement along the way. Lastly, to be involved as a volunteer has intensified some of the aforementioned benefits experienced and, in turn, I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community that shaped me.

Adam

Did you/ do you have a favorite role you have done?

Emil

Adam

Have you leveraged your experience to the benefit of your career or in other tangible benefits?

Emil

Adam

What are the hardest things with volunteering?

What advice would you give someone who has not considered volunteering?

Emil, thank you for your contributions to PRMIA and for the great insights on your role and why others should volunteer.

Emil I think our committee stumbled upon a secret to success that we had not consciously planned but worked well in our favour. We all know that volunteering requires sacrificing your time for a noble cause and interestingly, our initial meetings were all held on Fridays in person and after work! I think by doing that we immediately got a handle on making the time available in our schedules and also finding out who will be in this for the long haul. Thankfully, things have been easier since those days and the capability to now meet online has also made staying connected that much easier and more convenient. I most certainly have some advice. If you answer yes to any of the following, I suggest that you should consider volunteer work: If you are interested in volunteering for your local Chapter, contact the local Regional Director for any Chapter under Network on the PRMIA website. If you are interested in a volunteer role for a committee, please contact adam.lindquist@prmia.org.

Adam

Emil

• Do you have a passion for risk?

• Would you like to be part of a group of people with similar interests as you?

• Do you enjoy meeting like-minded people?

• Do you have the desire to leave the world in a better place than how you found it? Possibly, even contribute to a legacy in the strive towards more effective risk management for future generations?

Adam