Riskonet's gain in Spain
June 6, 2022
After four years as the Riskonet partner in Spain, Eduardo Valdizán points out several things that make the network good, as well as a way that it can be made even better.
International approach
Eduardo Valdizán, who is CEO and founder of Oryzont and the Riskonet partner in Spain since 2018, starts off by applauding the fact that the Riskonet partners throughout the world have such an international approach. It’s something he hasn’t experienced with other companies he has worked with, he concedes. As a Riskonet partner he is hugely appreciative of enjoying a shared knowledge and approach to safety and risk, with people from different parts of the world. “Business-wise too, it’s really beneficial,” he says, “because I’m currently doing Riskonet work in Spain. It’s better for the clients too, because it’s always an advantage to have work done by local people.”
Ever-hardening insurance market
Currently, Oryzont mainly provides inspection services for insurers but, with Riskonet’s help Eduardo would like to extend this to offering risk-management services to larger companies. In Spain most risk-management activities are traditionally the responsibility of insurers and mostly brokers, he begins. “But nowadays in what is an ever-hardening insurance market, brokers are looking to specialised risk-management players like us to provide these services. I’m convinced that Riskonet’s support, experience and reputation will make it so much easier to give larger clients this service, even though it will probably still need to be done through the broker.”
Powerful tool
For its part, Oryzont is increasingly putting its knowledge of the Spanish market at the disposal of the Riskonet network. Having local representation and consultants adds significant value and impacts everything from safety to design, he insists. And knowing the language and culture of the country in which you are doing business is also key. For example, northern and southern Europe have different approaches to safety, which again underscores the importance of local representation. “A network that can provide all this is a very powerful tool, and one that will give Oryzont the space and time to grow. Thanks to Riskonet, we are already providing these local services to international clients such as CBRE in its European headquarters and Servier in France.”
Sole provider
Eduardo goes on to explain that the only end customers in the Oryzont portfolio are those referred by Riskonet. “There is no independent risk-management culture in Spain, it’s nearly all taken care of by the insurance sector. Oryzont is one of the few companies in Spain that provides this kind of service. What’s more, when it comes to risk engineering, which is a specific field in which you need many years of experience, the service is provided by specialists working on a freelance basis. At the moment, Oryzont is the only company in Spain that focuses exclusively on this service.”
“I’m very proud to be a member of Riskonet. Being able to tell a client that you are part of an effective international network always adds value. Multinationals often have assets in several countries and it’s both difficult and expensive to give good advice if you have to do so remotely, from a different country.”
Eduardo Valdizán, CEO and founder of Oryzont and the Riskonet partner in Spain since 2018
Excellent opportunity
Eduardo saw the recent RISKOMEETING in the Netherlands as an excellent opportunity for members of the network to get to know one another better. Meeting in person once in a while is important because it gives much more depth to a relationship than a telephone call or video conference, he reasons. “Before the meeting I hoped to return feeling that we are indeed a real network, willing and able to support one another, to share information and the confidence to know that if I send someone a question by email I’ll get an accurate, professional and reassuring answer. I went to the Netherlands for a whole week, despite having so much to do in Spain. Before going, I asked Ron to put together a programme that would underscore and increase the value of the network and that’s exactly what he did.”
Room for improvement
Since joining the Riskonet network four years ago, Eduardo feels that some of the hoped-for benefits have indeed materialised. That said, he feels that there is room for improvement in the area of communication and the relationships between member companies need to be further developed. “I don’t know enough about Riskonet’s activities and capabilities in other countries, for example. And, despite the number of tools that are available these days, we don’t really have a standard, proactive communication platform, such as technical forum or an intranet. So yes, for the benefit of all of us, communication needs to improve.”
Differentiate from competitors
Shortly after joining Riskonet, in an earlier blog Eduardo said he hoped that partnering with Riskonet would enable Oryzont to differentiate from its competitors. And four years later that has certainly been the case, he concedes. “I’m very proud to be a member of Riskonet. Being able to tell a client that you are part of an effective international network always adds value. Multinationals often have assets in several countries and it’s both difficult and expensive to give good advice if you have to do so remotely, from a different country. This ability alone differentiates me from my competitors.
