Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

 

Justin interviews Neil Colclough, RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter President and 2025 RIMS Volunteer of the Year Award Winner, about his career path, how his Royal Marines service time helped steer his risk management path, and why he moved to Colorado. Neil tells of his years of experience in risk management, his risk philosophy, his DE&I philosophy, and how he feels about volunteerism.

 

Listen to learn the benefits of making your risk management career more fulfilling through volunteering.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. RIMScast is a proud nominee of the 20th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards. We are nominated in the category of Government and Organizations, and we would appreciate your support. Help us win that award at PodcastAwards.com. 

[:35] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest today is the RIMS Volunteer of the Year Award winner, Neil Colclough. We will learn about his career and all the great work he has done for us at the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter.

[1:05 ] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd.

[1:17 ] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be led by Joseph Mayo on July 17th and 18th. Register by July 16th. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes.

[1:34 ] RIMS Virtual Workshops! We have a day-long course on July 24th, "Risk Taxonomy for Effective Risk Management." On August 5th, we have a day-long course about "Emerging Risks." [1:47 ] We've launched a new course, "Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders." This is a two-day course. The first two-day course will be held on August 12th and 13th and will be led by former RIMS President, Chris Mandel.

[2:02 ] The course will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts!

[2:11 ] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes.

[2:22 ] If you tuned in to the recent episode featuring James Lam, you will know he is hosting a new six-module workshop for us, the "RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management".

[2:36 ] The inaugural summer course is completely sold out! We are filled to the virtual capacity! Don't worry, in the Fall, the bi-weekly course will begin on October 9th. Registration closes on October 2nd. A link is in this episode's notes. Check it out and register today!

[2:55 ] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is being built. Soon, we will distribute a Call for Nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. I'll update this episode's show notes when that link is ready.

[3:19 ] Think about your organization's ERM program or one you know of, and how it has generated value. We will have more on that in the coming weeks.

[3:27 ] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th.

[3:41 ] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks.

[3:54 ] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to register at RIMS.org/membership.

[4:04 ] On with the show! Our guest today is Neil Colclough. He has been President of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter since 2023. In 2025, he was named the Volunteer of the Year. A link to his profile in the Awards Edition of RIMS Risk Management magazine is in the show notes.

[4:24 ] Justin is stoked that Neil is joining us on RIMScast to discuss his well-deserved recognition and why he shares it with many other members of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter.

[4:37 ]  We're also going to learn about his military career and how that shaped his risk career and his enthusiasm for volunteerism.

[4:45 ] Interview! Neil Colclough, welcome to RIMScast!

[5:00 ] Neil is incredibly proud of the RIMS 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award.

[5:16 ] Neil continues as the President of the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter until September.

[5:39 ] Neil has been in Colorado for 27 years. He left behind family, friends, and a job he loved to move to the Colorado Rocky Mountains to take advantage of the lifestyle the area offers. He wanted to be a semi-ski bum.

[6:25 ] Neil had to learn to ski in the military. He fell in love with the sport. He landed a job on Vail Mountain. He skied over 100 days a year for several years when he lived in Vail.

[6:51 ] Neil is from Stoke-on-Trent, England. As a kid, he wanted to be a soldier. He joined the Royal Marines for six years and travelled the world. He saw communities outside of the resort areas.

[8:10 ] Neil believes his risk management career grew out of his service. Public service is managing risk, considering what could go wrong at all times, and having a Plan B and C for those instances. It's also not being risk-averse.

[8:33 ] His military service left him with the mindset that you can do anything, you just have to put the effort into doing it properly and give it your best shot. They all kept themselves incredibly fit. The risk of not being fit didn't just impact you; it impacted the guys you worked with.

[9:17 ] Neil enjoyed the fitness routine in the military, going for morning runs with his closest friends.

[9:34 ] If Neil hadn't moved to Colorado, he probably would have stayed home. He was focused on moving to the Rocky Mountains. He had been to the U.S. about 10 times before he moved. He moved in 1998.

[11:11 ] Neil says he is of the generation who "fell into" the risk management industry, versus going to school for a risk management degree. He was dragged reluctantly into risk management.

[11:28 ] Neil was asked four times to fill a new role in the corporate headquarters of Vail Resorts. He didn't want to leave Vail, but he liked the person hiring him, and the offer made sense, so he joined the corporate office and did not look back. RIMS membership came with that job.

[11:58 ] At the time, Neil had no idea what RIMS was. He joined the Rocky Mountain Chapter in early 2008. He's been a member of the chapter since then. He attended programming and social events. He progressed in the chapter.

[12:14 ] The operational experience he had gained in the military and from running the Security Team at Vail Mountain fed into the risk management function. It gives him a bit of a leg up when it comes to solving issues. His experience adds credibility with his internal clients today.

[12:40 ] Neil's career has been a natural progression. He loves his job. He loves the people he does it for. It's like a hobby. He's genuinely interested in it.

[13:00 ] Neil loves being in the RIMS Rocky Mountain Chapter as a whole. He joined the board in 2018 with Incoming President Peggy Miller and Past President Emily Bloedel. The board was a great group of people. They have great, respectful discussions. There's no negativity.

[13:49 ] As long as Neil has been a member of the chapter, that has always been the case. He says the board feels proud to be part of the chapter and to have a positive impact. 

[14:09 ] Justin mentions that Emily Bloedel was a RIMS Rising Star recently. Peggy Miller is with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Justin met Peggy at the RIMS ERM Conference in Denver. Neil ran the DEI education session at ERM, and he did a great job.

[14:52 ] Neil says Emily Buckley is also on the board. They have a great pipeline of leadership to look forward to, and the future is super bright.

[14:58 ] Justin mentions there's a lot of talent in Colorad