The Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc. said Friday that CEO Mary Roth will retire following next year’s annual conference after more than 17 years in the position.
The RIMS board of directors and a specially formed search committee will work with executive search company Russell Reynolds Associates Inc. to find Ms. Roth’s successor, the New York-based organization said in a statement.
The timeline is fluid, and Ms. Roth will not vacate her role until a suitable candidate is in place and the transition is complete, RIMS said.
RIMS annual conference and exhibition is slated for April 10-13 next year in San Francisco.
Ms. Roth’s retirement plans were already underway in 2019, but she decided to delay the announcement and continue to lead the organization through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, RIMS said.
Ms. Roth joined RIMS in 1985 as director of membership services and served in various roles before being appointed deputy executive director in 1999. In 2004 she was named chief operating officer and later that year tapped to lead the organization as CEO. Ms. Roth is only the fifth CEO in RIMS’ 71-year-history and the second female to serve as CEO.
In a letter to RIMS members, Ms. Roth said the decision was “heart-wrenching” but that the “strategic ingenuity” of the RIMS board and staff will continue to “fortify the Society’s position as the world’s leading risk management association.”
RIMS 2021 President Ellen Dunkin said in the statement, “The best way RIMS Board can thank Mary for all that she has given to this Society is to ensure that this transition process is carried out flawlessly.”