金融海嘯-風險管理之證照
隨著金融海嘯的肆虐，全球的公司都體認到「風險管理」的重要性。風控經理人的需求也隨之浮現，他們的工作旨在分析「交易的風險」，舉凡企業的債券財務規劃、信用違約交換等，皆是涵蓋的範疇。而面臨公司決策時，必要時需做出建言。
在此氛圍下，「風險管理」理所當然躍升為眾人矚目的焦點，多個協會皆提供相關的認證機制。而美國勞工統計局指出，在往後的數年內，需求人數將會持續成長，而這正是肇因於財務交易的日漸複雜。且各項認證考試皆不要求實務經驗，所以報名認證考試的人數暴增。
紐約人壽風控長吉丹表示，要有硬底子才應考；而且通過考試後，勢必對觀念將更為熟捻。
全球兩大的主要風險認證機構：全球風險專業人士協會(GARP)以及國際專業風險管師協會(PRMIA)。提供的考試需大約500至600小時的研讀，通過的人數大約一半。GARP的考試費用為1250美金，而PRMIA需花費500美金。
對有經驗的風控經理而言，準備的時間可較少；相對地，一般未接觸過的考生可能就要花一年以上準備。專家表示，讀書時旨在深入理解，舉凡財務市場、基本數量方法、當代風管技術、和職業道德等專業考科。
美國精算師協會(SOA)、風險保險管理學會(RIMS)，也提供相關的認證。但是受關注的程度就稍弱於前兩個協會。據悉，2009年參予FRM考試的人數多達23000，與2008年相比成長幅度高達69%。其他機構的報名人數也小幅增加。
身為威爾(WILL)集團的副總裁，擁有FRM和PRM和CERA證照的風控經理人－伊格曼說，這些專業證照幫助證明其專業能力，並協助説服客戶，獲致交易；且在更高的職位上更顯重要。伊格曼表示，一些客戶從未接觸過他，可是需要專業的背書，此時這些證照便派上用場。
證照也是履歷上的要角之一。李察美爾集團執行長表示，像是FRM或是PRM之類證照，在求職上事關入取與否，並占很大因素。而如何選擇該考哪張證照呢？成本、方便性、和雇主觀感也許比考試內容更重要。係因兩個主要的證照容大多相同。美爾說，當你選擇其一，就專注投入，別管另ㄧ個。
而身處多角化企業內的風控經理人，RIMS fellow、CERA、CRM將是不錯的選擇。
大多數的企業對考照皆設有「誘因」。國際稅務稽核BDO國際有限公司，擁有2700名員工。成立了ㄧ個專案，補貼員工考照費用、補助上課，大約花2530美金。再者，該公司設有「彈性」方案，讓要考照的員工調整上班時間，以便考試。BDO風險部門顧問薩曼表示，我們將證照列入應徵條件，且將會影響績效考核的成績。
紐約人壽則要求剛進入風控部門的同仁，在18個月內要拿到FRM或PRM的資格，而且全額補助考試費用、教材參考書等。紐約人壽貝爾表示，通過考試能彰顯實質的貢獻。而且列入起薪、晉升、拔擢等的參考。
貝爾說，70%的部門同仁皆以拿到證照，而且還有師徒制度引領新人上軌道。
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Risk Managers Get Certified
As Profession Grows, Demand Increases for Standards-Setting Examinations
By JEREMY GREENFIELD
(See Corrections & Amplifications item below)
As companies assess the lessons of the global financial crisis and look for ways to safeguard their firms against the effects of another one, demand has surged for risk managers—professionals who analyze the risk in transactions, from investments in treasury bills to credit default swaps, and make recommendations about whether to move forward.
With the profession in the spotlight, several industry organizations are vying to provide a standard certification for the field, which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts will grow in the next several years, in part due to the increasing complexity of financial transactions.
While no certification is required to practice risk management—and many companies don't require one—there has been a jump in the number of people signing up for certification exams.
"You have to have the hard skills. [Getting certified] is a way of getting more familiar with the concepts," says Gideon Pell, the chief risk officer at New York Life Insurance Co.
The Global Association of Risk Professionals and the Professional Risk Managers' International Association—a group created by former GARP volunteer officials—are two trade associations to offer certification exams.
The tests, dubbed the Financial Risk Manager exam and the Professional Risk Manager certification, require about 500 to 600 hours of study, and are passed by roughly half or fewer of those who take them, the groups say. Fees for the two-part GARP exam total $1,250, while the Professional Risk Managers' four-part test costs $500.
An experienced risk manager can often earn the designations with a few months of study, while it can take more than a year for those who are new to the field. Both courses of study require a proficiency in understanding financial markets, the mathematical basis for risk management, current risk management techniques and behavioral ethics, experts say.
Two other groups, the Risk and Insurance Management Society and the Society of Actuaries, also offer certifications geared toward risk managers which are less focused on financial risk than the FRM and PRM.
More than 23,000 people registered for the Financial Risk Manager exam in 2009, a 69% jump over 2008, according to the group. The other groups say they have also seen an uptick in interest.
Risk manager Dave Ingram, who has FRM and PRM certifications, as well as another from the Society of Actuaries, says his certifications have helped him convince possible clients of his expertise, win new business and perform his job at a higher level.
Mr. Ingram, a vice president at Willis Re, a division of international insurance company Willis Group, says there are still times when he talks to a client who hasn't worked with him before who needs assurance. "The certifications go a long way there," he says.
A certification can also be a powerful résumé builder. Richard Meyers, chief executive of Richard Meyers & Associates Inc., a N.J.-based risk-management talent search firm, says that certifications such as the FRM or PRM can be the difference between getting a job and not.
"It reflects the extent of their professional commitment," says Mr. Meyers. "As a recruiter, I'm very attracted to people that have the credentials on their résumé," he adds.
When it comes to deciding which certification to get, factors like cost, convenience and employer considerations might be more important than course-work. That's largely because the two main designations are nearly identical, says Mr. Meyers. "When you really get down to it, [they are] hybrids of each other."
Other risk management designations that are more suited for enterprise risk managers—who work more broadly with risk issues across companies, rather than just in finance—include the RIMS Fellow, the Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, the Certified Risk Manager and the Associate in Risk Management.
"The RIMS Fellow designation combines general risk management knowledge with business courses. It's a very broad certification," says Mary Roth, executive director of RIMS, which stands for Risk and Insurance Management Society.
In some cases, companies offer rich incentives and rewards to achieve certifications. BDO International Ltd., an international tax and accounting firm with more than 2,700 employees, has a program that helps to pay for certification fees and classes—which can cost as much as $2,530 when study courses are included.
The company also has a "flex" program that allows employees to adjust their work hours when studying for the exams, says Jennifer Salzman, a managing director with BDO's risk advisory services group. "We do take [designations] into account when we hire and do performance evaluations," says Ms. Salzman.
New York Life requires that all professionals in its risk management department achieve the FRM or PRM within 18 months of their start date and covers the entire cost of the exams as well as any study materials.
We provide "the tangible help in terms of passing the exam," says Mr. Pell. He also takes certifications into account when determining starting salaries, raises and promotions.
New York Life pays for the cost of materials, classes and exams, and with 70% of the department already holding certifications, mentors are available to those pursuing the designations, Mr. Pell says.
Corrections & Amplifications
Jennifer Salzman is a managing director with the risk advisory services group of BDO Seidman LLP, an accounting firm that is the U.S.
—--Jeremy Greenfield is an editor for FINS.com
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