Venice’s Verdant Isola Della Certosa

Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Scott Sink is a senior executive vice president of the energy division at McGriff, Seibels & Williams, Inc. Passionate about travel, Birmingham professional Scott Sink has had the opportunity to visit various cities across Italy such as Rome, Milan, and Venice.

While the historic center of Venice and sights such as St. Marks Basilica and the San Giorgio Maggiore Bell Tower are more popular among tourists, there is much more that a municipality of islands within a lagoon can offer. A verdant respite from the urban milieu, Isola Della Certosa was traditionally home to Carthusian monks, who built a grand monastery decorated with lavish art and contained ducal tombs.

In the 19th century, as the Serenissima Republic declined, the military requisitioned the island and sold pieces of the monastery off to collectors. This included the cloister, which was acquired by Prince Charles of Prussia in 1850 and reassembled in his Berlin summer castle.

Today, the Carthusian monks' legacy is most felt in the abundant trees that grace an island that has been converted for use as a public park. One of the unique trees on the property, which can be enjoyed on a walking path, is a centuries-old mulberry of a type from the Orient used for silkworm breeding. The island also contains a 300-berth marina complex that runs summer regattas and offers a sailing club and alfresco restaurant

 

The RIMS Annual Conference Goes Digital

An alumnus of the University of Georgia, Scott Sink is an experienced risk management leader who has served as senior executive vice president at McGriff Insurance Services, Inc., in Birmingham, Alabama, since 1994. He leads the firm's Energy Division and provides risk management and insurance brokerage services to US-based utility companies. Birmingham’s Scott Sink regularly attends the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) Annual Conference.

The RIMS Annual Conference will be held entirely online this year due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled from April 19 to 30, RIMS LIVE 2021 is being promoted as the world's largest risk management event with more than 100 hours of educational programing and several social events. It is also expected to be attended by risk management professionals from all over the world.

Selected education sessions include "5 Ways Risk Professionals Can Leverage LinkedIn to Expand Their Professional Presence" and "Bad Faith, Policyholders, and Brokers: Navigating Tricky Waters." These and other sessions will be available on-demand for 60 days following the virtual conference.

The 12-day conference will include dozens of guest speakers, as well as keynote speakers Duncan Wardle and Jade Simmons. Wardle, an innovation and creativity consultant, will focus on how businesses can get the most out of human resources with expected surges in AI. Simmons, meanwhile, is a transformational speaker and former classical concert pianist who leverages music to help inspire audiences.

Georgia Bulldogs Win Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

An alumnus of the University of Georgia, Scott Sink was named Outstanding Student in Risk Management & Insurance in his senior year and has since accrued more than three decades of experience in this field. He has served in an executive capacity at McGriff Insurance Services, Inc., in Birmingham, Alabama, since 1994. Outside of his professional endeavors, Scott Sink enjoys following his Alma mater's football team.

The Georgia Bulldogs won the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the fourth time in school history on January 1, 2021, with a 24-21 victory over Cincinnati. Georgia trailed 21-19 and had possession of the ball at their own 20-yard line with only 1:25 left in the game. Quarterback JT Daniels completed five consecutive passes, three of which were to Kenny McIntosh, to drive the team to Cincinnati's 36-yard line. Kicker Jack Podlesny then made a career-long 53-yard field goal with only 2 seconds left in the game. Podlesny and linebacker Azeez Ojulari were named MVPs of the game.

Georgia last won the Peach Bowl in 2006 with a 31-24 victory over Virginia Tech. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and linebacker Tony Taylor were named MVPs of that game. The Bulldogs also won the Peach Bowl in 1998 and 1973. It now has a win-loss record of 4-2 in the Peach Bowl with its losses coming against Virginia and Syracuse in 1995 and 1989, respectively.

RIMS Collaboration with HKFI to Advance Training in Hong Kong

A Birmingham, Alabama resident, Scott Sink is Senior Executive Vice President for McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. The Birmingham-based company serves clients throughout the United States, providing risk management to utility firms. Outside of his role as an executive vice president, Scott Sink is a member of RIMS or the Risk and Insurance Management Society, a global non-profit association of 10,000 professionals across 60 countries.

In October 2020, RIMS announced its collaboration with the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers (HKFI) to develop a multi-year program that would deliver management training to professionals in the Hong Kong market. RIMS is an association whose objective is to advance risk management tools and connect industry professionals; HKFI is an organization that promotes progress in the insurance industry in Hong Kong.

The focus of the collaboration is on three courses designed to train industry professionals. These courses cover enterprise risk management, ORSA guidelines for insurers, and areas covered by RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) Certification. Incidentally, RIMS-CRMP certification is the only international certification to have accredited status through the American National Standards Institute.

For the HKFI, the courses and certification will be a part of strengthening practices across the Hong Kong insurance industry. The program is expected to provide professionals with the skills to perform more informed risk and solvency assessments.