Riskonet’s strengthening ties with North America
June 13, 2022
Mark Mangels, Riskonet partner in North America talks about his pride in being part of a network that he believes in, that offers many advantages and that could have unlimited potential.
Boots on the ground
Since joining the Riskonet network, two years ago, it’s been working out very well for US-based Global Fire Protection Group, begins its EVP of Business Development Mark Mangels. “We’re very proud to be part of a network that we’ve already used in six or seven countries. By giving us ‘boots on the ground’ as it were, we don’t need to travel and this enables us to significantly reduce time, travel and costs in servicing our clients. And it’s consistent too. It has gained us quite a bit of traction with some of our international clients because we can reach places that we would otherwise not have been able to. During the pandemic it helped us greatly and now it’s actually increasing some of our mainstay international business.”
Utilising the network
By way of example, he cites one of Global’s insurance clients. The network enables Global to carry out loss-control surveys in countries that they normally wouldn't be able to serve. “We can utilise the Riskonet network to carry out these surveys in places like London and other sites in Europe and provide the level of service we want to give. This client simply couldn’t free up the budget to send us to all these places from the United States. The network is the only way that we have that particular client.” On the flip side of the coin, he concedes that Global has not recently done a lot for Riskonet’s European clients in the US. “However, there are a several promising opportunities in the pipeline, so watch this space.”
Self-policing
Something Mark loves about the network is that it’s self-policing, by which he means everybody has a vested interest in always doing their best for the client. “This, in turn, creates an atmosphere in which you never want to let the client down. Continued membership of the network is just too important, and valuable.”
“We can utilise the Riskonet network to carry out these surveys in places like London and other sites in Europe and provide the level of service we want to give.”
Mark Mangels, Business Development Global Fire Protection Group and Riskonet partner in North America
Win-win-win?
When Global joined the network, Ron de Bruijn of Riskonet in the Netherlands predicted the collaboration will be a win-win-win situation for Riskonet, Global and its clients. Two years on, Mark is convinced that this has indeed been the case. To illustrate this, he explains that Global recently succeeded in acquiring a client in the pharmaceutical sector. “Part of the reason for that successful acquisition was that we belong to a network that gives them what they want. This client wants everything to be done the way things are established in the US, and the ability to reach all their locations around the world.”
Growth
For his part, one of the things Mark was expecting when Global joined the network was growth. And while the pandemic pushed many things back, he’s confident that that growth is now imminent. “We are currently doing a prototype water model project for a large US chemical company. As soon as the pilot programme is successfully completed, we’ll be taking it around the world. It entails a lot of on-site work and we’ll need help from Riskonet in up to eight different countries. I expect it to generate significant growth for us.”
Promoting the network
The collaboration is getting stronger and more cohesive all the time. “The pandemic certainly hurt the network because it limited our ability to meet in person. We have monthly calls, but participation in these is not as high as I would have hoped for. Get-togethers like the recent RISKOMEETING in the Netherlands do more to strengthen the network than 10 video conferences ever could. Global is very much a relationship-based company that likes to do business in person.” As well participation in monthly calls, another area in which Mark sees room for improvement is the promotion of the network. “Sharing costs and sharing marketing efforts are things we could do better. We’re all building up our businesses as separate parts of the network, but it would be great if we could actually market the network itself.”
Potential for growth
Mark attended the RISKOMEETING to get a better understanding of his colleagues in the network, build on the relationships he’d already started and create some new ones. He succeeded on all three counts. “Now, I’m very curious as to how big we can actually grow this network. When it comes to potential for growth, I’m convinced that we haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s possible. And I don’t mean grow as individual companies, but grow in terms of the work that we can all do together. We’re all in business to make money. At Global we believe in this network.”
