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There are awards ceremonies that feel like the Oscars: lights, cameras, emotional speeches, someone crying into a microphone while clutching a golden statue. And then there are awards ceremonies in the accounting profession, where the emotional range typically runs from “mild nod of approval” to “slightly firmer handshake.” So when the Canadian Internal Control Association (CICA) announced that Ward Ching would receive its 2026 Distinguished Service Award , you could practically hear the collective murmur of respect echoing through conference rooms filled with spreadsheets and compliance binders. Because in the world of internal controls, governance, and audit oversight, this award is basically the equivalent of getting knighted with a calculator. And Ward Ching? He earned it. But before we get into why the accounting world is applauding politely but enthusiastically, we should talk about what the Distinguished Service Award actually means—and why someone would spend decades of t...

Once upon a time—not even that long ago, honestly—renewing insurance felt like updating a driver’s license photo. A few forms, some polite back-and-forth, mild annoyance, and then voilà: coverage bound, crisis postponed. Those days are over. Thoroughly. Irrevocably. Welcome to the modern insurance market, where underwriters are no longer content with your word, your spreadsheet from 2019, or your lovingly vague assurances that “we take risk seriously.” Today’s insurers want receipts . They want footnotes. They want process diagrams, governance structures, cultural proof, and probably a blood sample if you hesitate too long. According to new market findings from Alliant Insurance Services , insurers across nearly every major sector have collectively decided that the old level of disclosure is no longer cute, no longer sufficient, and definitely no longer insurable. This is not a gentle tightening. This is a structural shift in how risk is priced, evaluated, and—crucially—trusted. T...

Let’s talk about political risk insurance. Yeah, political risk insurance—the thing your CFO pretends to understand while secretly praying nobody in the boardroom asks what the hell “currency inconvertibility” means. Political risk insurance, or PRI for those who love acronyms that sound like government agencies you hope never call your house, is having a moment. Not the sexy kind of moment, like when a new tech gadget launches and everyone mobs the Apple Store. No—this is the kind of moment where executives stare at global headlines, gulp, and whisper to themselves, “Oh, no… now we actually have to deal with this stuff.” And why? Because the world has turned into an international carnival of uncertainty. Every continent is presenting a new flavor of chaos. Governments are seizing mines, currencies are locking themselves in the bathroom refusing to come out, and tariffs fly around like confetti at a political rally where nobody bothered to check the fire code. In short: business lea...

Date: October 15, 2025 Location: Goldsboro, N.C. (where career pragmatism meets caffeinated ambition) Let’s play a quick word-association game. I say “insurance,” you say… paperwork? Beige cubicles? Endless phone menus narrated by a robot who calls you “valued customer” while redirecting you to oblivion? Cute. Now let’s do it again, but this time with reality attached: data, fraud analysis, cyber risk, public sector infrastructure, compliance, corporate risk assessment, and a salary ladder sturdy enough to climb in sensible shoes or steel-toe boots—your choice. Welcome to Wayne Community College’s Risk Management and Insurance program (RMI for short) and the story of a student who didn’t just peek behind the curtain—she walked in, took notes, shook hands, and started building a career before the cap and gown even ship from the bookstore. Her name is Brianny Gillis , and her approach to “finding a career path” is the opposite of rolling the dice on vibes. It’s deliberate, rigorous, a...

Ah, Las Vegas. The city where the house always wins, unless the house suddenly realizes it has no insurance policy against the guy in cargo shorts who manages to win $40,000 at the blackjack table and then sues because his free shrimp cocktail was room-temperature. It’s the town where “risk management” usually means deciding whether to keep drinking after your 9th margarita or whether you can walk in heels down the Strip without falling into a decorative fountain. And yet, in the most ironic twist since Taco Bell launched a diet menu, UNLV has decided to plant its academic flag in one of the most… practical fields imaginable: insurance and risk management. Yes, you read that right. The Lee Business School is launching Nevada’s first Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in insurance and risk management. Because nothing says “Viva Las Vegas” like actuarial tables and deductible structures. The program is now accepting applications for fall. Which means somewhere, a hi...