Corporate Insurance Strategy and Risk Transfer Training Course

Programme Summary

Corporate insurance strategy and risk transfer is a five-day training course for senior finance, risk and legal executives at strategic level, culminating in a risk financing strategy and insurance programme plan for their own organisation. Many organisations renew policies year after year without asking which risks they should retain, which they should transfer and what the whole arrangement really costs. The approach links enterprise risk to insurable risk, then works through programme design, market placement, alternative structures and claims. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme in corporate insurance strategy and risk transfer.

The Business Case

Insurance is often one of the largest risk-related costs an organisation pays, yet cover gaps are usually discovered only when a claim is declined. Organisations that decide retention levels from their own risk appetite, buy cover against mapped exposures and manage claims actively spend less on risk overall and recover more when losses occur.

• Total Cost of Risk: Falls as premiums, retained losses, administration and collateral are measured and optimised together.
• Claims Recovery: Improves as policy wordings, notification duties and loss documentation are managed before and after an incident.
• Balance Sheet Protection: Strengthens as limits and layers are set against severe but plausible loss scenarios.

Principles and Evidence Base

• ISO 31000 Risk Management Guidelines: Frame the choice between avoiding, reducing, sharing and retaining risk in Session 1.
• COSO Enterprise Risk Management Framework: Connects risk appetite and strategy to risk financing decisions in Sessions 1 and 5.
• Total Cost of Risk Model: Provides the measure used to compare insurance, retention and alternative structures in Sessions 2 and 4.
• Risk Retention and Transfer Theory: Explains how deductibles, limits, layering and captives shift volatility between the organisation and the market in Session 4.

Intended Participants

• Executives who approve the annual insurance budget and retention levels.
• Leaders responsible for appointing brokers and approving insurer placements.
• Senior managers who oversee major claims and disputes with insurers.
• Legal heads who negotiate indemnities and insurance clauses in contracts.
• Risk leaders who report insurable exposures to boards and audit committees.

The programme serves industrial and energy companies, construction and infrastructure owners, financial institutions and government entities.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to diagnose which enterprise risks are insurable and which should be retained.
2. Participants will be able to construct a corporate insurance programme covering property, liability, D&O, cyber and business interruption exposures.
3. Participants will be able to evaluate brokers, insurers and policy wordings against the organisation's needs.
4. Participants will be able to justify deductibles, limits and layering using total cost of risk analysis.
5. Participants will be able to assess captives and alternative risk transfer as options to conventional cover.
6. Participants will be able to prioritise claims management actions that protect recoveries.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Corporate Insurance Strategy and Risk Financing

Which risks should the organisation keep, and which should it transfer?

• From Enterprise Risk Register to Insurable Risk Profile
• Risk Treatment Options Under ISO 31000
• Risk Appetite and Retention Capacity
• Contractual Risk Transfer Through Indemnities
• Insurance Governance Roles and Policy

Day 2: Exposure Analysis and Programme Design

What cover does the organisation actually need, and how much?

• Property Damage and Business Interruption Valuation
• General, Product and Professional Liability Exposures
• Directors and Officers Liability Cover
• Cyber Insurance Scope and Exclusions
• Maximum Foreseeable Loss and Limit Setting

Day 3: Insurance Market Placement

How are brokers, insurers and wordings chosen and controlled?

• Broker Selection, Mandate and Remuneration
• Insurer Financial Strength and Security Review
• Underwriting Submissions and Risk Presentation
• Policy Wording Review and Key Exclusions
• Tender and Renewal Strategy

Day 4: Retention Structures and Claims Management

When do deductibles, captives and active claims handling reduce cost?

• Deductibles, Self-Insured Retentions and Layering
• Captive Insurance Feasibility
• Alternative Risk Transfer and Parametric Cover
• Claims Notification, Documentation and Loss Adjustment
• Claims Disputes and Recovery Negotiation

Day 5: Applying the Risk Transfer Strategy

How are exposures, cover, retention and claims combined into one plan?

• Insurable Risk Profile of a Participant Organisation
• Total Cost of Risk Calculation
• Programme Structure Options Appraisal
• Major Loss Simulation From Notification to Settlement
• Risk Financing Strategy and Insurance Programme Presentation

Methodology

The programme is built around case analysis. Participants examine large losses, declined claims and programme redesigns from manufacturing, energy, construction and public-sector organisations, then apply each tool to their own exposures and current policies.

• Suggested activity: Mapping an enterprise risk register against an existing insurance schedule.
• Suggested activity: Comparing three deductible options using total cost of risk.
• Suggested activity: Reviewing a cyber policy wording for gaps and exclusions.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a risk financing strategy and insurance programme plan for their organisation. It contains an insurable risk profile, retention levels, recommended covers and limits, a placement approach, alternative structure options, a claims protocol and a total cost of risk baseline, ready for review by the finance or risk committee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is corporate insurance strategy suitable for executives without an insurance background?

Yes. It suits CFOs, risk managers, treasurers and legal heads. It assumes senior management experience but no technical insurance or underwriting knowledge.

Which frameworks underpin corporate insurance strategy and risk transfer?

It rests on ISO 31000 risk treatment options, the COSO enterprise risk management framework and the total cost of risk model.

How is the corporate insurance programme plan used at work?

You take back a plan that your finance or risk committee can review before the next renewal and use to brief brokers.

How does corporate insurance strategy differ from general enterprise risk management programmes?

It concentrates on financing and transferring risk through insurance, retention and alternative structures, whereas enterprise risk programmes cover identification and control across all risks.