Anna Kingsmill-Vellacott has been appointed co-ordinator for the Leonardo Project, the joint venture between FERMA and other risk management bodies and academic institutions in France, Germany, Italy

Anna has a background in insurance and strategic risk management, within the UK and internationally. A graduate trainee with what was then Royal Insurance, she has also worked with the National House Building Council and Buildings Research Establishment (BRE) to provide specialist insurance and socio-economic risk expertise. Following BRE's acquisition of the Loss Prevention Council, Anna had a strategic role linking BRE, the insurance industry, government departments, the European Commission and other funding bodies.

She is convinced that access to appropriate, robust, up to date and wide-ranging knowledge is crucial to the profitability of any business. Anna set up AKV Associates in 2003 to provide organisations with expertise to strengthen strategic decisions on risk management. Current projects include methodology for transfer of knowledge in capital projects, insurability of infrastructure, decision-making process in whole life costing and service life design and other insurance related issues.

Forum 2005

Europe, the world and the future: opportunities for risk management is the theme chosen for the 2005 FERMA risk management forum, which takes place in Lisbon on 2-5 October 2005. FERMA's biannual event is concurrent with the fourth conference of the International Federation of Risk and Insurance Management Associations (IFRIMA). Jose Manuel Dias de Fonseca, the chair of the Portuguese risk management association, APOGERIS, is chairman of the forum committee. More details will be posted on the FERMA web site at www.ferma-asso.orgas planning for the event advances.

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