In recent weeks, IIRSM has received plenty of interest from risk and safety professionals in becoming a IIRSM Fellow. So, here's the lowdown on IIRSM Fellowship. We hope you find it useful, and you're inspired to join our growing community of Fellows.

An Introduction to IIRSM Fellowship

If you combine strategic insight, risk expertise and business acumen, and put the wellbeing of your people at the forefront to drive performance, then IIRSM Fellowship is for you. IIRSM Fellowship recognises senior professionals who are changing the way that organisations think about and approach risk management and using their expertise and experience to deliver long-term value to both their organisation and profession.

A recap on IIRSM

    •    IIRSM is an independent educational and membership body with a global community of members.

    •    Our community is united around a common desire to use risk management in order to make better decisions in business, both in operations and strategically.

    •    Our members work in all areas of risk, at every level, playing a vital role in keeping both people and organisations safe, healthy and resilient.

    •    We provide practical education, resources, shared experiences and networking in order to help people and organisations to identify and manage risk and succeed in the many challenges they may face.

What is IIRSM Fellowship?

There are five levels of IIRSM membership – Student, Affiliate, Associate, Member and, lastly, Fellow. Fellowship is the pinnacle grade of IIRSM membership. IIRSM Fellows combine strategic insight, risk, expertise and business acumen and put the wellbeing of their people at the forefront to deliver long-term value to both their organisation and their profession.

IIRSM Fellows are:

    •    Driven to lead the way in their profession and to promote and redefine best practice in managing risk.

    •    Passionate about achieving the highest levels of professional standing.

    •    Committed to going above and beyond in how they help and support others.

As a Fellow of IIRSM, you benefit from:

    •    Use of the designatory letters, FIIRSM.

    •    A network of peers from which to build contacts and share experiences, ideas and challenges.

    •    Opportunities to raise you profile, showcase your expertise and influence best practice through getting involved with IIRSM initiatives and activities.

    •    The rewarding experience of giving back to the industry by helping our emerging risk leaders.

"For me, being a Fellow of IIRSM is about three things - respect, recognition and responsibility. I demonstrate and receive respect from my peers, I am recognised for my professionalism and expertise, and I have a responsibility to give back. I am proud of my achievement and enjoy my relationship with IIRSM and its members” - Karla Gahan, FIIRSM

Becoming a Fellow of IIRSM

At IIRSM, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to join and benefit from our global network of risk management professionals. We also recognise that not everyone has access to the same learning opportunities and, as such, no one-size-fits-all approach can be applied when it comes to professional recognition.

In line with this, we have recently updated our routes to membership in an effort to make IIRSM even more inclusive. We will continue to recognise existing qualifications, but have also introduced a number of competency-based routes to membership in an effort to recognise broader skills and experience.

Am I eligible for IIRSM Fellowship?

There are three routes to becoming a Fellow of IIRSM. These are:

Route One

You have been a member, or specialist member, for a minimum of three years AND have five years of demonstrable relevant experience working consistently at a senior level.

Route Two

You have a risk-related Bachelor’s degree with honours, a Master’s qualification, a professional qualification at Level 6 (on the England and Wales Regulated Qualifications Framework or equivalent), or are a Chartered Member or Fellow of another recognised professional body, AND have five years of demonstrable relevant experience working consistently at a senior level.

Route Three

You have no formal risk-related qualifications or professional memberships, but have nine of more years of demonstrable relevant experience working consistently at a senior level.

To apply to become a Fellow of IIRSM, you will need to:

    •    Meet five technical competencies.

    •    Meet six leadership competencies.

    •    Maintain up-to-date continued professional development (CPD).

You will also need to supply:

    •    A completed application form.

    •    A copy of your CV.

    •    Two references.

    •    Copies of any existing membership certificates.

How IIRSM supports you through your Fellowship Application Process

Of course, you’re not alone when applying to become a Fellow of IIRSM, and we will support you along this journey in any way we can. To this end, we provide a number of documents that you can call on at any time for help with your application. These include:

    •    IIRSM Fellowship Assessment Guidance, which helps you to ascertain whether or not you are eligible to apply for IIRSM Fellowship and assists you in filling out the application form, including details on how each section is scored.

    •    A reference request letter, which you can send to your chosen referees in order to request a reference from them. This can be accompanied by the reference application form that we have also produced in order to assist you.

    •    IIRSM’s Risk Management and Leadership Competency Framework, against which you can measure your experience, skills and competence in line with our requirements and overall values.

How is my Fellowship application marked?

Your application will be scored and reviewed by an independent panel, with a minimum of 40 points required to achieve IIRSM Fellowship. If you were to fall short in any areas of your application, we will communicate this to you in order to give you every opportunity to submit the further information required in order to secure your Fellowship.

Usually, the application process for IIRSM Fellowship takes around 6-8 weeks to complete, but may take slightly longer at busy times of year.

Further information on becoming a Fellow of IIRSM

You can find all the information on becoming a Fellow of IIRSM, including the relevant forms and range of useful documents previously mentioned here. Good luck!