Erwann Michel-Kerjan

Not very long ago, extreme events were considered to be low probability events because they simply did not occur often. In a sense, that was reassuring for many top decision-makers who might not have to face them during their term of office. But in just the first few years of the 21st century, the world has faced a string of catastrophes of a totally new dimension on almost every fronts: large-scale natural disasters, global climate change, mega international terrorism, energy crises, technological accidents, major corporate failures, and, of course, an historical financial crisis with ripple effects world wide. In fact, there has not been a 6-month period in the past few years without a major crisis that simultaneously affected several countries or industry sectors. Those have seriously challenged the old risk management paradigm.

In this groundbreaking talk Erwann Michel-Kerjan will introduce the key pillars of our new architecture using concrete examples. He will also demonstrate how you can change your organizations so it is not only better prepared, but can also take advantage of a more chaotic world.

Large-scale financial risks are reshaping the future of our increasingly interdependent world and this new era calls for a new model. In this talk, world-renowned catastrophic risk speaker Erwann Michel-Kerjan helps organizations find their way through an array of black swan nightmares. What separates Michel-Kerjan from the pack is his knowledge on value creation--how public and private organizations can design blueprints that allow them to flourish and actually increase value in tough times rather than static as innovators pass them

Imagine a scenario where a massive flood or earthquake takes out the supplier of one critical widget needed to build your company's highest selling product. All of a sudden you've lost weeks of revenue while finding an alternate source for a part that only represents a fraction of the cost of your product. This kind of situation is one, says Erwann Michel-Kerjan in this forward-thinking talk, that many companies simply don't prepare for. Yet, in an increasingly disaster-ridden world, it's an issue that will separate the companies that prosper from those that stumble. While growing globalization of social and economic activities worldwide has brought many benefits, its flip side is that the risks you face are becoming more global too.

Interdependency is the defining element of the 21st century. Some companies are now competing with one another on an engagement and stewardship level that remains uncharted for many other major players. Michel-Kerjan outlines the ways companies can lead in a modern marketplace that includes re-evaluating global business change and interdependent risks, and innovative plans for catastrophic what-if scenarios.