The Australian associations representing risk managers – the Association of Risk and Insurance Managers of Australasia (ARIMA) and the Australasian Institute of Risk Management (AIRM) – have voted in favour of a merger. The final vote of approval came at last week’s ARIMA national conference in Cairns. The merger will see the creation of the Risk Management Institution of Australasia (RMIA), boasting a membership of more than 1200.

ARIMA President Brad Greer says there are many synergies between the two bodies. They have shared similar goals ever since the AIRM was established in 1987 to focus specifically on risk management education.

The move followed a decision in 2000 by ARIMA members to broaden their membership. Mr Greer said the vote was the culmination of more than 12 months of solid work by ARIMA directors, AIRM councillors and state chapter representatives to ensure members were fully informed of the implications before making a decision.

Meanwhile, ARIMA ­has named SA chapter president Peter Brass as Risk Manager of the Year for “providing excellence in risk management”.