OpenPages User Symposium

OpenPages®, a vendor of enterprise GRC management solutions that optimize business performance, today kicked off its fifth annual OpenPages User Symposium (OPUS), to be held until October 22, 2008 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, MA. While previous OPUS events have focused on a wide-range of GRC initiatives, this year's event includes a significant focus on risk management insight and best practices, which will be especially valuable to attendees, given the current economic climate and heightened need for better risk management.

Leading off OPUS 2008 is OpenPages president and CEO Michael J. Duffy, who will share with attendees his vision for the future. As part of his keynote address, Duffy will discuss the current economic crisis and how an even greater urgency for improved risk management practices has evolved as a result of the financial meltdown. Duffy will discuss how the explosion of risk premiums combined with steep borrowing costs will create a challenge for companies moving forward. The session will also focus on how the new economic climate will reward those organizations that embrace strategic risk management resulting in a lower cost of capital and reduced losses from realized risks.

OPUS 2008 will continue its theme of promoting a risk-aware culture among its attendees with keynote presentations from the following top risk experts:

-- David Holcombe, director of risk management for International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and NASCAR, Inc., will address attendees on "Safety andRisk Management in Motorsports," and will walk attendees through the evolution of race cars and safety management from the 1950's to the present. Holcombe will also look at the challenges facing large Motorsport facilities, and in particular, managing risk at these large public gatherings.

-- Mark Beasley, Deloitte ERM professor and ERM Initiative director at NC State University, will be presenting on "Aligning ERM and Strategy." As part of his presentation, Beasley will discuss how organizations are responding to evolving risk demands by leveraging traditional risk management processes into an enterprise risk management (ERM) view of their key risks. Beasley will also explore how ERM should be linked to strategy planning to ensure that ERM is positioned to add value.