"Risk management is at the heart of what I do."

Chosen by the South East Committee and Marsh for her passion and dedication to risk management, Emma was surprised but feels privileged that her work is being recognised and honoured.

Presented with the Award at the South Conference, Emma said:

I am shocked, delighted and proud to find out I have won the Bob Craik Award. It is lovely to be nominated by my peers.

As part of her role at the Council, Emma is responsible for ensuring the quality and performance of the claims handling function for 11 councils, in addition to a portfolio of schools, academies, and wholly-owned local authority companies. She has worked for the Council for 18 years and was involved in bringing all claims in-house in April 2009.

“I believe it is really important to have a supportive and adaptive work and training environment to ensure you get the best from your team,” Emma says. “I take a holistic view when overseeing claims for different stakeholders, ensuring we are noting their uniqueness, while protecting the Council’s reputation and public purse.”

“Risk management is at the heart of what I do. I identify trends and areas of concern, or forecast future risks such as Ash Dieback and e-scooters, ensuring the team, stakeholders, and other partners are in a position to respond.”

Bob Craik was a former ALARM member and South East Committee member who died in 2015. He was a passionate supporter of ALARM for many years. In 2015, JLT Specialty (now part of Marsh) sponsored an award in Bob’s memory. The award is given annually to an ALARM member who exhibits the same professional approach as Bob did: taking pride in their work, having integrity, being motivated, committed to his authority and roles, reliable and a team player.

Julia Reffell, Managing Director at Marsh said:

Emma has been a driving force in her council for the past 18 years, while successfully supporting 11 other local councils. A very deserving recipient.