RMA/Wharton Advanced Risk Management Program

I was recommended to attend the RMA/Wharton Advanced Risk Management Program by Mr. Ed Schreiber. I met Ed when I was president and CEO of a small minority depository institution headquartered in Houston, Texas. My small community bank was undergoing an amazing transformation and he was assisting me in addressing my staffing and training challenges. At that time, he strongly suggested that I attend this RMA program because he believed it would round out my experience and provide me with the blueprint needed in leading a banking institution. And he was right!

This RMA program has provided me with all the tools and access to resources I need to be successful. The staff, academic directors, and the program team made me feel welcomed and valued. But more important, they facilitated a program that addressed risk in a very comprehensive and strategic way. And all the instructors were outstanding! I came into the program feeling a bit insecure and out of my league with my class of highly experienced and seasoned chief risk officers and managers from many of the top 10 banks from around the world — but ended with a new network of amazing colleagues that will be my lasting friends. The highlight of this program for me was preparing and delivering our Bridge Project. Our differences became our strengths. It was amazing!

As I embark on my new journey of creating a new de novo minority depository institution, I will use each risk model to guide how I manage my institution. This Advanced Risk Program is not limited to risk officers only. I highly recommend and strongly encourage bank executives leading small community and MDI banks attend this program. You will not be disappointed!"

Laurie Vignaud CEO, ViZ Bank

I head the team of credit adjudication and portfolio management at the National Bank of Canada. I took the RMA/Wharton Advanced Risk Management program to broaden my horizons. I had a strong credit background but not as much exposure to the entire suite of risks present in a large bank (operational, market, compliance, reputational, cyber, emerging risks, etc.)

The program was excellent. It was really about opening your eyes on different practices and angles, to give you a more holistic view of risks. The length of time and the intensity of the course were perfect for an executive. The assignments between the sessions, and the relationships you could create with people, were just stellar. The learnings were actionable and I had a ton of ideas about things that I could really apply or improve upon at my bank.

Another key takeaway was the quality of the faculty. I appreciated the mix of academia and real-life practitioners; it was the best of both worlds.

I particularly enjoyed Professor Dick Herring’s presentation about what happened in 2007-2008, which gave a general understanding of the mechanics of what can go wrong. That’s what we have applied in our team to think about detecting patterns in our own bank. There can be “unknown unknowns,” questions I did not even know to ask. The program made me better at asking the right questions.

The course gave me many industry contacts. It was a very diverse group geographically, in the types of risk in which people operate, and the types of financial institutions. This yielded really unique perspectives. The way you interact with the other participants, and the questions that they ask in class—especially deep domain experts in a certain risk that you’re not absolutely familiar with—to academia members who are also deep experts in that risk, brings you an exponential level of learning.

I would give the program a ten out of ten. It was above expectations.”

Jean-Sébastien Grisé Vice President, Credit Risk, Commercial, Retail and Wealth Management, National Bank of Canada, Montreal, Canada

I enrolled in the RMA/Wharton Advanced Risk Management Program hoping to broaden and deepen my perspectives on the practice of risk management. I’d developed my career in a singular risk discipline and wanted to have some insights on the other risk types. The program was a great overall experience. The quality of the instruction was first-class and the facilities are outstanding.

Some highlights for me were working with Professor Bob Stine, who simplified some pretty complex issues around model development, model risk, the statistics of risk management, and thinking about how we can employ those ideas in our businesses. Coming from my background that was still a new science for me, so it was great to get that perspective. I also enjoyed hearing from Professor Mauro Guillen on global macro trends. That was a great presentation with important insights about looking beyond today and thinking about emerging risks and evolving trends.

The program elevated the practice of risk management in a way that I think positions me to help my organization deal with new challenges in the financial services industry. I can better serve my company’s stakeholders as we deal with the pace of change.

I really appreciated the opportunity to engage with the other professionals. I’ve been to other seminars and discussions, but at Wharton we had a really candid and open group, all willing to share ideas and concerns. I think those relationships are of incalculable value over and above the education. For me it was one of the great takeaways from the experience.

I would recommend the program highly. I definitely see an opportunity to identify the right kind of talent within our risk management organization and sponsor them into the program for the lessons that they could learn, contacts they could make in the industry, and to help them understand the broader practice of risk management.”

Eric Ensmann Director of Enterprise Risk Management, BBVA Compass

As head of operational risk management for a U.S. bank, I’m responsible for making sure that our bank has implemented our operational risk management framework. We work with all of our respective business lines to make sure that they understand their key processes, risks, and controls, and that key controls are designed and operating effectively.

The RMA/Wharton Advanced Risk Management Program broadened my knowledge beyond just operational risk. The course includes all the different risk disciplines, from operational risk, retail and commercial credit risk to market and liquidity risks. It was a great curriculum, and the Wharton faculty and the presenters were exceptional. I particularly enjoyed the enterprise risk management section. Also, the fact that this program brings in industry leaders is a big benefit. It’s not a 100% academic; we’re actually getting real perspectives from different business leaders coming in.

The professors had great presentation styles. Even in an intensive program where it’s hard to sit still all day, I never found myself looking at my watch, because I was so engaged. The whole class was very engaged as well. The expertise of my classmates as well as the presenters made for an overall wonderful experience.

Another benefit is the contacts that you make in the program. These are people I can reach out to now because we’ve built that relationship. I can say, I’m dealing with this type of issue; how have you dealt with it at your institution?

What I really took away from the course is that operational risk is embedded in all the different disciplines that we talked about. So whether we’re talking about market risk, commercial credit, retail credit, third party, whatever it may be, it was all relevant to me. Having a better understanding of those areas allows me to be a better operational risk professional. I can now better interact with those areas at my own institution.

I also appreciated the facilities and the amenities of the program, and enjoyed the vibe of being on Wharton’s campus in May when school was still in session. I would recommend the program 100 percent. I thought it was fantastic!”

Christopher Nestore Head of Operational Risk Management, TD Bank

The participants were a good mix of people from different types of institutions — I also liked that the program was held over two separate weeks so you have an opportunity to get to know people and reflect on course content at home before coming back to the classroom. There were two types of lectures that were really outstanding — one was star academic lectures on topics such as global risk the first week and ethics and strategic thinking the second week. The Wharton faculty really knew their subject matter and had applicable experience as well as being really engaging lecturers who connected with the audience. The other standout lectures were by colleagues from different financial institutions. Two that stick in my mind were the CRO from one of the major Canadian banks, covering risk appetite, and a board director of a major international bank who shared insight on the expectations and perspectives from the board and board risk committee.

Since the financial crisis of 2007 and more recently Brexit in the UK, there is heightened uncertainty in how the economy might turn. Wharton’s program was very helpful in providing me with specific insights and an appreciation for common topics and current challenges in the industry, including how regulation works in different jurisdictions. Having that perspective means when I am talking to the chief executive or other directors in my organization, I’ve got a greater understanding of how a risk issue fits not only within our organization but also in a wider context.

This is a premium program that I would recommend to the right person at the right stage in their career. It’s not often you get that time to really engage with the wide range of risk management issues this program addresses. I would absolutely recommend it to senior colleagues who are thinking about how to lift their career up a step and contribute more strategic insights to their organization.”

James Tebboth Chief Credit Officer, Nationwide, UK