The University of Akron's Risk Management and Insurance Program welcomes Yanis Fernandes

ABOUT YANIS FERNANDES

Yanis has over 20 years of experience in the field of risk management and insurance. He currently serves as Director of Risk Management for Mohawk Industries, at its corporate headquarters in Calhoun, Georgia, just north of Atlanta.

With his progressive and diverse skillset in the Risk and Insurance industry, Yanis brings a unique perspective on the role of corporate risk management. His first full time position after college began with an insurance adjuster/private investigator for a small outfit in Atlanta. Yanis later joined a reinsurance brokerage firm, Minet Re, known today as Aon. In the last 20 years, Yanis has had the privilege of working in Corporate Risk in a variety of industries - Retail (Home Depot), Electric Utility (Entergy), Aerospace (Sierra Nevada/Sierra Space), and presently, Flooring (Mohawk Industries). In his career Yanis has led the resolution of complex claims, including his role in managing a significant component of Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005. Yanis has successfully managed complex Workers’ Comp, Auto and General Liability claims. He managed Owner Controlled Insurance Programs and claims associated with those programs. Yanis also led marketing campaigns facilitating technical briefings to worldwide space markets which led to the successful placement of a multi-mission Spacecraft program, as well as milestones associated with over a dozen Satellites. Yanis has managed Sponsored Cell and traditional Captive operations and structured complete insurance programs, while consulting on Risk and Insurance issues to mitigate risk for the organization, including negotiation with supplier and customer parties on related issues.

Yanis represented Entergy serving on the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Risk Management Committee for over eight years, interacting and exchanging ideas with utility industry peers. He also led the Survey effort, collecting, summarizing, and presenting benchmarking and trend information to participants.

To build on his knowledge, Yanis earned the Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and the RIMS Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP) designations. He continues to teach and learn while staying abreast of innovations and developments in the industry, emerging risks, and identification of sustainable solutions.

Yanis is part of the Risk Manager on campus program where he seeks to share his experiences, techniques, and accomplishments, while engaging in a fruitful exchange with students at various stages in their educational curriculum.

To view Yanis' complete bio, click here