Iconic Canadian P&C leader inducted into Risk Management Hall of Fame

Canadian risk management veteran Susan Meltzer has been inducted into the RIMS Risk Management Hall of Fame (RMHF).

The RMHF maintains the history of the field of risk management and recognizes risk practitioners who have made significant contributions to advancing their discipline, as RIMS explains in a press release Wednesday. The honour was presented at the RISKWORLD event, which ran from May 4 to 7 in Chicago.

The RMHF selection committee considers the following criteria for induction into the hall of fame:

• Considerable contributions to the field
• Significant achievements, innovation and trend-setting
• Demonstrated leadership, character, and service
• The highest calibre of ethical and professional conduct.

“Susan Meltzer is one of the most-respected and most-accomplished risk management professionals within the RIMS community,” RIMS says in the release.

Meltzer graduated from Carleton University in 1975 and began her risk management career with Morris and Mackenzie Insurance Brokers right after graduation. Her risk management journey has included roles at some of the largest and most successful organizations in Canada, including Bell Canada, SunLife Financial, and Aviva Canada.

In her last risk management role at Aviva, Meltzer led enterprise risk management across Aviva North America and was accountable for risk management in Aviva Canada. She retired from Aviva Canada as the organization’s vice president of risk in June 2019.

Why innovative customer experience will define the future of personal auto insurance Image

Insights Paid Content

Why innovative customer experience will define the future of personal auto insurance

Technology is helping insurers reimagine how they support personal auto customers — and it starts the moment a collision is reported, say experts at Accident Support Services International.

By 

Sponsor Image

“Throughout her career, [Meltzer] has been one of the biggest supporters of RIMS’ Ontario Chapter (ORIMS), RIMS Canada Council, RIMS Global, and the overall advancement of the risk management profession,” RIMS says. “Susan has not only guided and mentored countless risk management professionals, she also taught Canadian Risk Management Certificate (CRM) courses at University of Toronto and participated in the Spencer Educational Foundation’s Risk Manager in Residence program at several universities in Canada and the United States.”

Meltzer served as RIMS Global president from 1999 to 2000 — during RIMS’ 50th anniversary year. She was a member of the board of the International Federation of Insurance and Risk Management Associations (IFRIMA) from 2000 to 2010, holding the position of president from 2004 to 2008. She also served on the CIP Society Council and the Graduate Society of the Insurance Institute of Canada.

Meltzer received Canada’s highest risk management honour, the Donald M. Stuart Award, in 2001. She received the highest global honour, the Harry and Dorothy Goodell Award, in 2004.

“In recognition of her amazing service to risk management, she is a RIMS and ORIMS Chapter emeritus member,” RIMS says. “And, in 2024, ORIMS renamed its Top CRM Graduate Award to the Susan Meltzer Award, commemorating her outstanding contributions to the CRM program.”

Meltzer was one of three global risk managers inducted into the RMHF this year.

The other two were:

• Dr. Gert Cruywagen — During a risk management career of more than 40 years, Dr. Cruywagen was most recently the director of risk for the Tsogo Sun Group, Africa’s largest owner and operator of a range of hotels, casinos, and entertainment destinations across South Africa. He passed away in 2022.
• Bradley Wood — With a 34-year career in the field, Wood is the leader of a large and diverse global team of more than 250 risk management employees and is responsible for risk management for hotel chain Marriott International.

“As we celebrate RIMS’ 75th anniversary and look toward the future, it is incredibly important that we recognize the exceptional trailblazers who have given so much to help empower risk professionals around the world,” says RIMS CEO Gary A. LaBranche. “Dr. Cruywagen, Susan Meltzer, and Bradley Woodley have had remarkable careers and are wonderful examples of the immense impact we can have on future generations.”

Jason Contant

Jason has been an award-winning journalist with Canadian Underwriter for more than a decade, including the past three years as associate editor and, before that, as digital editor for seven years.