Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin interviews Bob Bowman, the CRO of Wendy’s in today’s episode. Bob will be the guest panelist in the December 12th RIMS webinar, Prepare Yourself for the New Generation of Risk. Bob speaks of his career trajectory and what he learned as a claims manager for Safeco Insurance, a risk manager for Macy’s, and the Chief Risk Officer of Wendy’s. He talks about connecting with programs across the corporate reach of Wendy’s and what falls under his oversight as the CRO. Justin shares the focus of the December 12th webinar and also provides his words of advice for young risk    Listen in for an interesting overview of ERM at Wendy’s.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMScast. [:14] RISKWORLD 2024 will be held in sunny San Diego, California, from May 5th through May 8th. Booth and sponsorship sales are open. Member registration opens in November 2023. Public registration opens December 6th, 2023. Visit RIMS.org/riskworld for more information. [:35] About today’s episode, a discussion of franchising, merging risks, and professional development, with our guest, Bob Bowman of Wendy’s. [:56] The RIMS CRMP is the only competency-based risk management credential. That matters because earning the certification shows employers and recruiters that you have the skills necessary to manage risk and create value for your organization. [1:16] Several Exam Prep virtual workshops are coming up, starting on December 13th and 14th with former RIMS president, Chris Mandel. On January 13th, 20th, and 27th, 2024, the RIMS-CRMP Exam Virtual Workshop will be presented in conjunction with Conrad Clark Nigeria. [1:39] The RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop will be held on January 30th and February 1st. That’s a two-day course. Visit the certification page on RIMS.org for more information. A link is on this episode’s show notes. [1:56] RIMS is gearing up for awards season. At RISKWORLD 2024, we will honor individuals, organizations, and chapters for their outstanding achievements in risk management. If you know someone who is truly making an impact on the risk profession and paving the way for future generations, consider drafting a nomination! [2:15] The deadline to submit award nominations is Friday, January 5th, 2024. A link to the awards applications and guidelines page is in this episode’s show notes. Go to RIMS.org’s About Us page and see the awards link there. Nominations for Risk Manager of the Year have closed but there are other awards that might appeal to you or a friend. [2:43] Bob Bowman is the CRO (Chief Risk Officer) for Wendy’s. We will talk about franchising risks, merging risks, enterprise risk management, and professional development and hear about his career, which started in insurance. He worked at Macy’s for several years and is now at Wendy’s [3:10] We’re going to talk about how and when Bob and his risk group are involved at different stages of decision-making for this global brand. [3:20] Quick plug! Bob Bowman is going to be the guest panelist for our upcoming RIMS webinar, presented by Riskonnect on December 12th. It’s titled Prepare Yourself for the New Generation of Risk. The link is in this episode’s show notes. Anyone who hears this interview will want to hear more from him in this webinar on December 12th! [3:45] Bob Bowman, welcome to RIMScast! [4:12] Bob’s title at Wendy’s is Chief Risk Officer. He has been with Wendy’s for a little under 10 years. Bob tells of his time before that. He started in claims management in 1990 at Safeco Insurance. He backed into insurance as his degree is in restaurant and hospitality management. [5:38] From Safeco Insurance, Bob moved into the risk management space with help from a mentor and professional networking connections. [6:10] Bob was at Macy’s for over 20 years. Macy’s was going through a lot of change and transition at the time. When Bob joined Macy’s