Risk Management - Investments

Investments / Risk Management

IMCO recognizes the need for superior capabilities in the governance, identification, assessment, prioritization, management, reporting and monitoring of risk, both at the enterprise level and in clients’ investment portfolios.

We embed risk management practices within the strategic, operational and financial planning process, and seek to focus discussion on what matters most: risks that may impede business priorities. Regular risk discussions take place across all levels and departments, and risks are proactively identified and managed.

Our Risk Management Framework

Risk Governance

IMCO has governing rules, committees, structures and processes to effectively manage risk.

Risk Strategy and Risk Appetite

IMCO’s approach to managing material risks is shaped by the priorities of the organization, and risk appetite will dictate how much risk IMCO is willing to accept in the pursuit of these priorities.

Identification and Assessment

We identify and assess inherent and emerging risks in various categories including investment risk, operational risk, strategic risk and reputational risk.

Monitoring

Perspectives across all levels in IMCO are integrated to obtain a holistic understanding and prioritization of risks, to determine risk responses, and to monitor and report on risk management activities.

Risk Systems and Risk Data

IMCO ensures that it has appropriate and integrated applications, systems, tools and technology in place, and that the appropriate amount and type of risk data is captured to help drive risk-informed decision making.

People and Culture

We work to embed risk management across the organization, with a focus on learning, awareness, and continuous improvement.

Investment Risk Management

We assess investment risk from several perspectives, including liquidity risk; counterparty credit risk, concentration risk; and stress scenario risk.

Investment Risk Support:

This function has the unique role of acting as a liaison between the IMCO internal investment teams and the investment risk research function. Risk Support facilitates transaction reviews from a risk perspective, performs limit monitoring and helps with asset class modeling, working very closely with the investment teams while still maintaining independence as a risk function.

Investment Risk Research:

This team conducts research in the areas of robust risk methods, systems, data and quality; portfolio risk measurement methodology; and policies, frameworks, governing principles and procedures in areas such as benchmarks, performance, investment risk monitoring and measurement, attribution, and risk budgeting. It also provides portfolio construction risk support and model validation, as well as client reporting on investment risks.

Enterprise Risk Management

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) aims to provide an aggregated and integrated view of all the risks that IMCO is exposed to, allowing management and the Board to ensure that the total level of risk IMCO is exposed to is managed appropriately.

IMCO has a Business Continuity Management (BCM) program to ensure operational resiliency in the event of unplanned events, and a Corporate Insurance program to protect itself from events that may lead to potential losses.