RIMS, the risk management society®, has announced that Gary LaBranche will take over as CEO, beginning June 1, 2022.
LaBranche is currently the president and CEO of Virginia-based NIRI: The Association for Investor Relations, whose members represent 1,600 publicly-traded companies with a combined market cap of $9 trillion. Before that, he served as CEO for the Association for Corporate Growth, the Association Forum of Chicagoland and two other organizations.
He has also been a senior executive at the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), where he was responsible for identifying, developing, and sharing best practices, models, and innovation in association management. He also produced the ASAE’s 6,000-person annual meeting.
LaBranche said he looks forward to partnering with RIMS leaders and the society’s “powerful and engaged community” to continue its legacy of advancing best-practice risk management throughout the world.
“Risk management makes the world safer, more secure and more sustainable,” he said. “I am honored to be asked to help advance that important work and pave the way for this dynamic professional community’s continued success.”
LaBranche will succeed longstanding RIMS CEO Mary Roth, who announced her retirement in late-2021 after 37 years of service with RIMS. She said LaBranche “will add tremendous value” to the association and its members.
“My RIMS journey has been remarkable,” said Roth. “Starting in the society’s research and education department and advancing to its CEO, I am so proud of the progress we have made, the barriers we have broken and all the milestones we have achieved. I am eternally grateful for all the exceptional RIMS staff members, volunteers and risk leaders who have contributed to our success.
“Most importantly, throughout my RIMS career I have made some wonderful friendships that I know will carry-on long into my retirement. I want to congratulate our executive search team for their excellent work.”
New CEO LaBranche has earned numerous accolades for his work with different associations. In 2007, he was named ASAE’s Key Award winner, the highest award in the association management profession. He was also named the 2012 National Association Executive of the Year. The Association Forum named him the 2019 recipient of the Samuel B. Shapiro Award for Chief Executive Achievement.
He is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Association Committee of 100 and is past chairman of the Chamber’s Institute of Organization Management. He was named an ASAE Fellow (FASAE) in 1995.
RIMS board president Patrick Sterling commented: “Recent events have elevated risk management expectations and, as we approached this executive search, we were determined to identify a leader with the skills and experience to help RIMS meet risk professionals’ evolving needs.
“Gary LaBranche brings a world of knowledge and a proven track-record as an association management leader. Throughout his career he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to lifting his staff up, creating opportunities for them to grow and, in turn, achieving impressive results for his previous associations. We look forward to learning from him and are proud to welcome him into the global risk management community.”
