I moderated a lively panel discussion among my competitor/colleagues in New Orleans today, "Meet The Insurance Press," during the Risk and Insurance Management Society's annual conference. Unfortunately, only a handful of risk managers showed up, with the bulk of the audience serving in public relations at some of the leading brokers, insurers and associations. It's time for risk managers to come out of their shells and engage the press–even if they have to confront their own communication departments and corporate counsels to do so–for their own good, as well as that of their organizations.

Indeed, I will throw down the gauntlet by stating that if risk managers aren't key players in shaping and executing media policy at their press-shy firms, they will never be able to truly claim the titles of either enterprise risk manager or chief risk officer that have become the profession's holy grails.

Reputational risk is a big buzzword in the risk management community these days, but the words ring hollow unless risk managers play a key role in protecting their organization's brand and public credibility. To do that, they must be proactive players with the media, insisting that their public relations departments and corporate counsels allow them be among the front-line soldiers in the battle to protect their employer's image in the market.