Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

 

Justin divides this episode into three segments. He first interviews Eddie Tettevi, Sandbox Mutual Insurance CRO and RIMS Canada Council Chair — DEI and Comms, about his risk career and his service on the RIMS Canada Council. In the second segment, Justin interviews Janiece Savien-Brown, Metro Vancouver, and Shaun Sinclair, BCIT, about the C2C Challenge and the winning student team. The third segment is a recording of "Intentional Mentorship," an improvised session from the DEI Studio, featuring Dionne Bowers, Co-Founder & Chair of the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals (CABIP), Ray Chaaya, Head of talent for Zurich Canada, and Natalia Szubbocsev, Executive Vice President at Appraisals International Inc.

 

Listen to learn about some exciting events of the RIMS Canada Conference 2025.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast.

[:17] About this episode of RIMScast. This episode was recorded live on September 15th, 16th, and 17th at the RIMS Canada Conference 2025, at the Telus Convention Center in Calgary. We had a blast! We will relive the glory of the RIMS Canada Conference in just a moment, but first:

[:50] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham.

[1:07 ] On November 11th and 12th, my good friend Chris Hansen will lead “Fundamentals of Insurance”. It features everything you’ve always wanted to know about insurance but were afraid to ask. Fear not; ask Chris Hansen! RIMS members enjoy deep discounts on virtual workshops!

[1:26 ] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode’s notes.

[1:37 ] Several RIMS Webinars are being hosted this Fall. On October 9th, Global Risk Consultants returns to deliver “Natural Hazards: A Data-Driven Guide to Improving Resilience and Risk Financing Outcomes”.

[1:50 ] On October 16th, Zurich returns to deliver “Jury Dynamics: How Juries Shape Today's Legal Landscape”. On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”.

[2:07 ] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars.

[2:20 ] On with the show! It was such a pleasure to attend the RIMS Canada Conference 2025 in Calgary. There’s always electricity in the air at RIMS Canada, and I wanted to capture some of it! 

[2:33 ] We’ve got two interviews, and then an improvised session I recorded at the DE&I Studio. The sound came out great, and I used it here with the panelists’ permission.

[2:49 ] We’ve got excellent education and insight for you today on RIMScast! My first guest is Eddie Tettevi. He is the Chief Risk Officer at Sandbox Mutual. He’s a very active member of the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter and a member of the RIMS Canada Council.

[3:11 ] We’re going to talk about his risk management career, his RIMS involvement, and how his insights from one of his RIMS DE&I sessions led to this discussion.

[3:24 ] First Interview! Eddie Tettevi, welcome to RIMScast!

[3:38 ] Eddie is the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Sandbox Mutual Insurance. He’s also the Corporate Secretary, which means he helps the organization navigate strategic initiatives within the boundaries of risk appetite and regulatory compliance.

[4:12 ] Eddie has been at Sandbox for approximately two years. When he joined the company, Sandbox was going through a period of rapid growth and taking the right risks. That was something Eddie looked forward to being involved in.

[4:54 ] The CRO role was not an independent role at Sandbox before Eddie started. It was held by the Chief Financial Officer. The CCO role was held by HR. The Corporate Secretary role was held by the CEO. Eddie fills the three roles in his new position. His background fits all three roles.

[6:06 ] Eddie normally leads a risk group of three. Eddie was previously in cyber for 13 or 14 years. His background is in electrical engineering and computer science. He helped organizations secure their software and network.

[7:02 ] Eddie doesn’t think risk management is any different. He’s helping organizations make the right decisions. The difference is that the portfolio is much larger. Cybersecurity is one aspect of Eddie’s risk management work.

[7:33 ] Eddie says cyber attacks are growing. Individuals who may not be skilled are using AI tools to perpetrate cyber attacks. The attacks are increasing exponentially in skill and sophistication.

[8:09 ] Eddie co-hosted a session in the DE&I Studio with Aaron Lukoni and Tara Lessard-Webb, focused on understanding how mental health plays a part in risk management and how organizations should think about mental health as part of a risk management framework.

[8:31 ] The session was “Building Resilient Workplaces, the Role of Mental Health in Risk Management.” In it, Eddie revealed he is skilled in multiple languages, but an expert in none, including English. He grew up with influences from English, French, Malay, and Creole Patois.

[9:38 ] Eddie loves learning about new cultures. That has influenced his accent. In every language he speaks, he has an accent, which makes it interesting. He has worked in French and English organizations. He learns languages in six months. He picks them up quickly.

[10:50 ] Eddie, Aaron, and Tara emphasized making sure we are thinking about and embedding mental health in our risk framework.

[11:02 ] When designing any strategies and initiatives, risk professionals should consider what’s happening in the organization. An organization going through a lot of change is already a stressed organization. You have to consider that as you introduce more change.

[11:40 ] Eddie says the award-winning Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter is exciting. It’s great to work with people who are interested, dedicated, and committed. He says the chapter is doing some incredible things, such as introducing risk courses into the universities in the province. 

[12:15 ] Eddie was a RIMS member before joining Sandbox. You can be a RIMS member without joining a chapter. Moving to Saskatoon created the opportunity for Eddie to join the Saskatchewan RIMS Chapter, which he had been looking forward to, to connect with people.

[12:36 ] Justin gives shoutouts to various Saskatchewan Chapter members.

[13:03 ] Eddie serves on the RIMS Canada Council as Chair of the Communications, External Affairs, and DEI Committee.

[13:22 ] The committee is responsible for making sure that all RIMS communications have a DEI lens and advocate for the risk community, partnering with other advocacy groups around Canada.

[13:52 ] Justin says it’s been such a pleasure to meet you and hang out with you! I look forward to seeing you at more RIMS Canada and RIMS events.

[14:02 ] Our next guests organized the 2025 C2C Coast to Coast Challenge. This is a competition for risk management students based in Canada. We’ll learn about the case studies and what it took to produce their presentations, and also have a chance to acknowledge the winners.

[14:19 ] We will hear from Shaun Sinclair, the Program Head of General Insurance and the Risk Management Program at British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Janiece Savien-Brown, the Manager for Risk and Claims Management at Metro Vancouver.

[14:35 ] We’re going to learn about their various roles, as well. Let’s get to it!

[14:39 ] Second Interview! Shaun Sinclair and Janiece Savien-Brown, welcome to RIMScast! 

[14:47 ] Janiece Savien-Brown is the Manager of Risk and Claims Services with Metro Vancouver by day. She has been involved with BCRIMA for 17 or 18 years. BCRIMA started the Coast 2 Coast Legacy Challenge three years ago. Last year was its first year in Vancouver.

[15:07 ] Shaun Sinclair is the Program Head of the Gener