Steven Robles Named 2024 RIMS Risk Manager of the Year

Steven Robles, assistant chief executive officer / county risk manager for the County of Los Angeles, has been named the 2024 RIMS Risk Manager of the Year, with Mrunal S. Pandit, senior manager-insurance for Tata Consumer Products Ltd., inducted into the Risk Management Honor Roll, according to RIMS.

The Risk Manager of the Year program aims to raise the profile of the risk management profession and the outstanding programs the honorees have implemented within their organizations. The program was initiated in 1977 and the Risk Management Honor Roll was added in 1981.

“Despite coming from different parts of the world and from opposite business sectors, this year’s honorees have demonstrated the universal power of risk management and its ability to drive enterprise forward,” said RIMS CEO Gary A. LaBranche, FASAE, CAE. “Steven Robles and Mrunal Pandit have built robust risk programs that have empowered their organizations’ to keep people safe, support innovation, and strengthen resilience. On behalf of the global RIMS community, I congratulate them both and thank them for sharing their experiences.”

Risk Manager of the Year

Robles, with over 30 years of experience in risk management, has been recognized for his transformative risk programs, particularly within the County of Los Angeles. His approach to managing risk for the County, which boasts the 21st-largest economy in the world, has been singular: minimize the cost of risk. His team has implemented a multi-year plan to control costs and reduce liability, which includes expanding commercial insurance to protect against catastrophic losses, an aggressive claim closure program, and a comprehensive risk financing plan to lower long-term workers’ compensation liabilities.

Under Robles’ leadership, risk management has transformed the County from a fully self-insured organization to a fully insured entity for nearly all risks. His team recovered over $19 million last year through a robust loss recovery program and saved the County millions over the last decade through a compromise and release program.

Risk Management Honor Roll

Pandit, the global head of insurance for Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL), has been recognized for her proactive and forward-thinking approach to risk management. Upon joining TCPL in 2017, Pandit began cataloging and mapping the company’s business units to fully understand its exposures. She identified insurable and non-insurable business risks, as well as the advantages of self-insuring or transferring the risk. This led to significant premium savings for the company.

Pandit also developed a comprehensive natural catastrophe risk mitigation and management framework. When TCPL and the surrounding area were impacted by a monsoon that led to floods in 2018, TCPL was better prepared to assess the situation, support those affected, and recover from the event, resulting in nearly 20% in insurance premium savings.

Robles and Pandit will be recognized at the RISKWORLD conference in San Diego, during the opening general session on May 6 starting at 8:00 am PDT. &