A day in the life of a Risk Management Advisor

Risk Management Advisor, what is that really?

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My name is Kevin Verpalen, 42 years old from Zundert in Brabant, and today I'm taking you to show you what it means to be an advisor at RiskChallenger.

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Initially, I started in the banking and insurance world and then made the switch to risk management. I have now been working at RiskChallenger, a relatively young organization, for six months, where I see great opportunities to further expand my experience in the field of project risk management.

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But enough about me, what does a risk management advisor actually do?
I help organizations to identify and manage their risks; finally, as an entrepreneur, you want to know what your risks are and how to best deal with them. Every week is different because I work on multiple projects where I speak to a lot of people one week and spend more time on administrative matters the next. It is precisely this variety that ensures that I will never get bored.

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Now, risk management is certainly not the sexiest topic to talk about, but I would like to show you the wonderful world of risk management by taking you into my work for a day.

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05:00 — The alarm rings, starting up and driving

Today, the alarm goes off very early because I'm going to Amsterdam where I'm currently working on an assignment for the municipality of Amsterdam. Because I live in beautiful Brabant, near the Belgian border, I have to take a 1.5 hour drive. I prefer no traffic jams along the way, so that's why I leave on time. During the car ride, I listen to music and go through the day in my head to prepare a bit.

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07:40 — Arriving at the office

After a 1.5 hour drive, I park my car in Amsterdam. After a short walk, I arrived at the office and looked for a seat at a desk. Now get coffee first and then get to work.

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07:50 — Strategic risk file

I'm in Amsterdam today because I work for the Municipality of Amsterdam, for the Bridges and Quay Walls Program. The Municipality of Amsterdam has asked me to manage the strategic risk file for the Bridges and Quay Walls Program from the beginning of 2025 to at least the end of 2025.

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This does not fall under the 'normal' assignments that are more project-oriented, but it is about the risks that affect the entire program. The Bridges and Quay Walls Program is a challenging job to ensure that all Amsterdam's bridges and quay walls are checked in the coming years, and then repairing or replacing them if necessary.

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My task in this program is to ensure that the management achieves the program goals by identifying and monitoring the most important strategic risks. On a daily basis, this means that I read a lot of both public and internal information about the program. In addition, I talk a lot with colleagues who are involved and can give me a lot of valuable information.

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09:00 — Cup of coffee and a chat

After I started updating the strategic risk file in the morning, it is now high time for a cup of coffee and catching up with a colleague. My colleague Atena Zywna has been working at the Municipality of Amsterdam for a year, where she has supported all the necessary projects in setting up and managing their risk file. Atena regularly gives me important information about what's going on in the projects that I can make good use of for my strategic risk file.

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09:30 — Discuss the risk file

This morning, I am discussing the strategic risk file with one of the directors and a project control manager. I have now formed a good idea about the program and what the goals of the program are. My first task has now been completed; in this meeting, I can show the first results in a short presentation together with the plan for the coming year.

The goal for the coming year is to create a risk file that will be supported and monitored by the management.

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12:00 — Lunch and a bit of stretching

Time for lunch and a walk outside along the canals. During the walk, I pass by a project from the program where they are repairing a quay wall.

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12:30 — Tender process

In the afternoon, I go to a construction site for another customer in Amsterdam where they have started a tender process to build a large waterfront area. This customer has asked us to cooperate in preparing a risk file for the tender. It's my first tender process, so I'm really excited about this new experience.

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For a successful tender, it is important to create the best possible file to demonstrate to the Municipality of Amsterdam that everything is thought of. More and more often, we see that customers are asking us to join at a very early stage so that they are prepared later in the process.

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For this start, we are using the Brainstorming function that is included in RiskChallenger. This is best compared to a Brown Paper session where you stick post-its to a paper; via RiskChallenger, you do this digitally, where everyone can participate via their laptop, mobile or tablet. In this way, we retrieve a lot of useful information in a short period of time, which is then immediately converted into a risk file.

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15:30 — End of meeting and back home

The discussion for the tender is over. It was a fun session with people who know what they want and are also well aware of the risks they face. Because of their enthusiasm, my work also comes almost naturally.

This is certainly not always the case; in some sessions, risk management is still seen as an annoying, time-consuming and mandatory part. During these sessions, I spend a lot of time demonstrating the usefulness and necessity of risk management. That's also part of the job, not everyone can be as enthusiastic about risk management as my colleagues and myself.

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17:15 — Coming home and processing notes

As soon as I get home, I'll first process some notes I made during the meeting this afternoon. That way, it's still fresh in my head and tomorrow I can discuss the first setup of the risk file with a colleague who will later take over this process for me.

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18:15 — End and relax

The notes are ready, I've updated the risk file and I've sent a few more emails. The day is over, tomorrow I'm going to the office in Amersfoort where I'll see the other colleagues again to hear what they've been up to over the past week. We use Fridays to see and speak to each other and also exchange experiences so that we can learn from each other and grow even further as an organization but also as experienced advisors!

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Would you also like to work as a risk management advisor at RiskChallenger? Check out the vacancy here.