Jose Manuel da Fonseca, president of the Portuguese risk management association APOGERIS, and Hans Gorree, president of the Dutch association, NARIM, have been appointed vice-presidents of FERMA for t

Da Fonseca is group risk manager for the Sonae Group, a worldwide leader in wood-based products, with important interests in retailing, shopping centres and telecommunications. One of the founding members of APOGERIS, da Fonseca has worked extensively to spread the concept of risk management in Portugal.

Hans Gorree has been corporate risk and insurance manager of the Dutch-based construction group, Volker Wessels, since 1991. He began his career working in financial control in the construction industry. Describing himself as 'a typical autodidact', he is a member of the Institute of Risk Management and of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Da Fonseca says that he looks forward to continuing FERMA's work in developing risk management in European accession countries. He adds, "I believe that we can strengthen the relationship between FERMA and the national risk management associations, with FERMA becoming an increasingly important portal for information."

Gorree would like to increase the contacts between European risk managers from different countries in between the FERMA Forum and the alternating, smaller scale seminar, which will take place in October 2006. "I would like to see more contacts between risk managers during the year, with special interest groups who could get together for certain projects or issues," he says.

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