Director, risk management services
YORK UNIVERSITY
Toronto, Ontario
First starting his risk management career as York University’s Y2K coordinator, Steve Pottle was exposed to the discipline through frequent risk-related reporting of the Y2K project to the board of governors. From there, the board recommended that the university create a centralized risk management entity within the administration. Pottle was able to take his experience from Y2K and apply it to a larger risk management role.
As York University’s director of risk management services, Pottle has a lot of exposures to consider at the educational institution. Student mental health and well-being concerns, cyber risks, internationalization of academic activities, nanotechnology, and the growing trend of educational malpractice claims among universities are just a few of the big risks Pottle faces today. To tackle those risks, he looks to work with “insurance providers that not only understand my industry, but appreciate it for what it is as well,” he says. “I would much rather partner with insurers who take the time to get a sense of what I do and what my risks are – to work together to support the university’s academic mission.
“Universities are where risks are born,” he adds. “We welcome risk – it is what a university does. As a risk manager for a university, there is not one day that goes by that I’m not challenged to find a solution to a risk-based issue. The fact that I’m in those risk discussions as opposed to watching from the sidelines is an accomplishment in itself.”
