Jorge Luzzi

What makes you unhappy?

Injustice. When I see people abusing power or privilege, that makes me mad.

Who is your greatest hero?

Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. I picked three as it was diffi cult to choose just one. These people had the strength and integrity to stand up to established institutions and challenge ideas. They all managed to do something that was extraordinary; they dared to go ahead when everything was against them. This is the spirit that I like. I fi nd it to be very inspirational.

The plane landed without any engine power at about 3 o’clock in the morning in the middle of a valley, in the middle of the Amazon; it was really terrifying.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

I was on a plane travelling from São Paulo in Brazil to Miami. While we were fl ying over the middle of the Amazon, the pilot said: “Prepare for landing, we are in Manaus in the Amazon.” At that point I was really terrifi ed. All we could hear on the plane was the pilot saying “prepare for impact” and I really thought that was going to be my last day on Earth. The plane landed without any engine power at about 3 o’clock in the morning in the middle of a valley, in the middle of the Amazon; it was really terrifying.

What is the worst job you’ve ever done?

I don’t know if this was really a job, but it felt like it. When I was at university I used to host parties at my apartment. I really enjoyed them but the problem was that afterwards it was up to me to clean the place up. Washing all the dirty dishes and cleaning up the apartment by myself, that felt like my worst job.

What is your greatest achievement?

I’ve helped to create or to develop several risk management associations in various countries and those are probably my greatest achievements.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?

You have two ears to listen and just one mouth to speak. This is a way of saying that you shouldn’t always try to impose your opinion on someone else and that it’s so important to listen to what other people have to say as this is how you learn.

Tell us a secret?

I say to students who are studying risk management: “Trust me, the risk management profession will give you a lot of opportunities.” Years ago, students in this fi eld often considered risk management to be their last option, or some thought these students weren’t doing well in banking or fi nance. That’s simply not true. I really think our profession is in a time of progression and development and that’s what people need to realise.

What are you thinking about right now?

How we can develop our profession in the upcoming years. I believe that we are in a time of change in the profession, so we should be very active in participating in its future development.

What is your greatest fear?

I’m worried about the global fi nancial crisis. We’re dealing with an ongoing crisis that started in 2008 and the business community needs to work very seriously to address this problem.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

One time when I was in the USA, I had to give a business speech. Before the presentation I was with Italian colleagues, and when I actually got up to make the speech I proceeded to speak for a few minutes in Italian. The people in the audience were very polite and let me continue speaking in a foreign language until I realised.

What is your most treasured possession?

I don’t think that treasure is related to possessions, my treasure is my family and friends. Possessions are transient so they’re not really important in the long term. If you are rich but you don’t have love for your family and friends then you don’t have much at all.

What makes you happy?

Spending time with my family and friends makes me happy. I think this is key for anyone who is looking to live a happy life and in modern times many people can forget this.