Dear SiRA Community,
It’s been a short while since we last gathered, and as I reflect on another thought-invoking SiRAcon, I’m filled with gratitude for everyone who helped make it such a success. I’m also reminded that SiRA is in exactly the right place at the right time.
Quantitative, data-driven decision-making is becoming increasingly important across all industries. Having a diverse community of practitioners to lean on, challenge ideas with, and share wins alongside is essential to growing and maturing our practices, and SiRA remains committed to growing and supporting our vibrant community.
Over the past year, the Board and I revisited the strategy we developed together and shared during the State of SiRA presentations at the last several SiRAcons. We remain committed to our north star of enabling excellence in credible information and technology risk management, and we progressed on our strategic priorities, continuing to focus on:
- Cultivating a vibrant Member community focused on excellence in risk management
- Developing sustained, long-term sponsor relationships
- Establishing mutually beneficial global partnerships
- Providing strategic direction, oversight, and accountability as a Board
- Maintaining a prudent financial model that bolsters growth and long-term viability
As I shared during the State of SiRA session, each of our committees is actively working toward specific goals with Board members devoted to their success and evolution. I want to highlight a few of them here.
We intentionally aligned multiple Board members to our partnership efforts. In practice, this means four to five Board members are actively engaged in this space. We see partnerships as one of the largest opportunities for SiRA to give back by connecting our community with the broader risk industry. Strengthening connections with higher education enables us to create feedback loops between emerging skills and available opportunities, while collaborating with other risk organizations helps extend our ideas into new and influential spaces.
Our Sponsorship and Finance Committees are implementing models that will sustain SiRA for the long term, allowing us to support and grow our community further. This work includes developing new sponsor opportunities, pursuing grant funding, and continuing to steward our existing sponsor relationships. Together, these efforts lay a strong foundation for SiRA’s ongoing growth and long-term viability.
Our Marketing and Membership committees continue to focus on strengthening the SiRA brand and creating opportunities for members to connect wherever they may be. The meetups held at RSA and the day before SiRAcon were great successes. Looking ahead, we are exploring additional opportunities to build on this momentum, so please keep an eye on your email for what's next.
Finally, the SiRAcon Committee is leaning in to ensure the conference remains the industry leading event it has always been. In collaboration with other committees, they are exploring additional events to showcase practitioner talent through partnerships, highlight industry tools through sponsorships, and expand SiRA’s presence at other industry events through marketing efforts.
SiRA is a volunteer-led and -operated organization, and we are always welcoming new volunteers. Please reach out if you’d like to participate in any of these Committees or activities, including…
- Making an introduction to a possible partner or becoming a partner with SiRA
- Building the SiRA sponsor community or helping support the long-term financial well-being of SiRA
- Establishing a regular SiRA chapter meetup in your area or coordinating a Member Meetup at a local conference or event
These are just a few of the initiatives currently underway. There is much more happening across SiRA, and meaningful opportunities to get involved continue to grow. Whether you’re interested in contributing your time, expertise, or ideas, I encourage you to connect with me or any member of the Board to explore how you can engage. SiRA thrives because of its community—and we are strongest when we move forward together.
Together, let’s continue building the future of quantitative risk.