RIMS President Scott B. Clark inducts the inaugural class to the Risk Management Hall of Fame as John Doyle, CEO of Chartis’ global commercial insurance, and RIMS Executive Director Mary Roth stand by to honor inductees John Pinner, Cheri J. Hawkins and Eldrich A. Carr as well as Cathy Maleschok, granddaughter of the late inductee Douglas Barlow.

Monday morning during the kickoff general session to open RIMS 2011, the Risk Management Hall of Fame was born. There has long been an Insurance Hall of Fame to honor those in that industry, but RIMS wanted to create a way to commemorate the landmark achievements of risk managers and “maintain the history and tradition of the field of risk management,” according to executive director Mary Roth.

The hall is a joint-venture between RIMS and Chartis and opens with an inaugural inductee class of five worthy pioneers in the discipline: John Pinner, Eldrich Carr, Douglas Barlow, Donald Barrett  and Cheri Hawkins. “These five inaugural inductees are richly deserving of this recognition and have set the standard in terms of what this honor should represent,” said John Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of Chartis’ Global Commercial Insurance in the announcement statement.

As for the honorees, here are their backgrounds:

John Pinner: Mr. Pinner spent 42 years with Mattel, Inc., creating and defining the risk management function for the world’s largest toy company. He served several terms as President of the Los Angeles Chapter of RIMS and, throughout his career, traveled extensively for Mattel in Europe and the Far East. Mr. Pinner was also responsible for the formation of Mattel’s Captive Insurance Company in Bermuda.

Eldrich Carr: Mr. Carr spent more than 25 years in risk management and insurance management positions, much of that time with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.  Mr. Carr was one of the first to use the internet for underwriting submissions and as a replacement for the insurance certificate process, and is a frequent speaker at various national and international risk management forums.

Douglas Barlow: Mr. Barlow was a risk management pioneer whose career spanned decades as a risk manager and educator. He is credited with creating the first global insurance and risk management program at Massey-Ferguson, a Toronto-based farm equipment manufacturer, where he spent much of his career. Mr. Barlow was also the first risk professional to hold the title of risk manager and is credited with coining the now-pervasive phrase, “cost of risk.”

Donald Barrett: Mr. Barrett’s career spans more than 30 years, much of that time with the Hydro Group, the fourth largest generator of electricity in Canada. He served as a member of the Risk Management Committee of the Canadian Electricity Association, including a two-year term as Chairman, and was on its Critical Infrastructure Committee following the events of 9/11.  Mr. Barrett was a founding member of the Newfoundland and Labrador RIMS Chapter, which in 1981 was accepted by RIMS as its newest Canadian chapter. He was the first Vice President of the chapter and held several executive positions, including six terms as President, until his retirement.

Cheri Hawkins: Ms. Hawkins is retired from her position as Assistant Treasurer and Director of Insurance for Weyerhaeuser Company, the international forest products company headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, where she spent 25 years of her career. In 1990, she became the first female president of RIMS, and in l992, she was given the Weyerhaeuser President’s Award for her efforts on environmental settlement.  In 2000, Ms. Hawkins was selected by Business Insurance as one of its first ever “100 Leading Women,” which celebrates women at the top of the insurance industry.

Congrats to the first five.

They will be joined by another class of future Risk Management Hall of Famers next year at RIMS 2012