Tom de Nooij, Riskonet, the Netherlands

The analogy with a steering wheel is carefully chosen. When you work with a reputable risk-management consultancy firm, it gives you control over the “risk” steering wheel, says Tom de Nooij of Riskonet Nederland. “We give our clients control of their steering wheel.”

“What we do is identify risks”, says Tom. “We identify the safety of property and the safety of life, along with all kinds of associated risks. We then combine it all and provide the client with a fire-safety strategy. Having done so, we go to the insurer and say “this is how it all works”. And we say exactly the same to the building codes authorities.”

But that’s not all. Thanks to the international network that Riskonet has built up over the years, the risk steering wheel can, in a metaphorical sense, work anywhere. As Tom de Nooij puts it: “Depending on which country you are in in the world, the steering wheel can either be on the left or the right side of a car. In mainland Europe, for example, it’s on the left, but in countries like India and South Africa, it's on the other side. The beauty of our steering wheel is that it works everywhere, on any side.”

“In a global perspective, it’s the level of cooperation that makes it all so interesting. We have the know-how and capability of adapting that steering wheel internationally. It’s why our network is so important: is allows us to support and help clients in every situation, anywhere in the world.”