Tom Armstrong on Leading Risk at Comcast and RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter

Mar 24, 2026

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Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

In this episode, Justin interviews Tom Armstrong, a Global Risk Director for Comcast and the President of the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter. Tom shares what inspired him to pivot from studying music education to studying risk and insurance, and how his professors guided and inspired him into a career in risk management. Tom went directly from graduation into a risk management role, eventually landing at Comcast just as it acquired NBCUniversal, transforming from an ISP and cable supplier into a multimedia and theme park powerhouse. Tom discusses how the Risk Management Department works at Comcast. Tom tries to build long-term relationships with his interns that endure when they move on. The RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter is the host chapter for RISKWORLD 2026, held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The chapter is also celebrating its 75th Anniversary. Tom shares his enthusiasm for these events and for a member reception on May 1st, linking the chapter's 75th Anniversary to RISKWORLD.

Listen for ideas on advancing in your risk career and in your RIMS chapter.

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast.

[:14] Public registration is open for RISKWORLD 2026, which will be held from May 3rd through 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register.

[:28] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Tom Armstrong. He is a Global Risk Management Director at Comcast. He is also the President of the Delaware Valley Chapter of RIMS, which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary. Lots to discuss! But first…

[:59] RIMS Virtual Workshops. The next RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Course will be on April 21st and 22nd, and then again on June 9th and 10th. Registration links are in this episode's notes.

[1:13] On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops.

[1:30] Webinars. On April 16th, Zurich and World Travel Protection will present "Navigating the New Global Risk Landscape: Lessons for Business Travelers in Unstable Times". Register for webinars at RIMS.org/webinars and through the links in this episode's show notes.

[1:47] Folks, for more RIMS content, head over to YouTube and subscribe to @RIMSOfficialChannel. There you will find video podcasts, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS.

[2:05] On with the Show! Our guest today is a Director of Global Risk Management at Comcast. He oversees construction, crime, contracts, and executive risks.

[2:16] We will learn what it takes to be a Global Risk Director for one of the top communications companies in the world, as well as a household name and brand.

[2:27] We're also going to talk about all the joviality surrounding the Delaware Valley Chapter as they celebrate their 75th Anniversary. They happen to be the host city for RISKWORLD 2026, so we'll learn what they have in store for us. Let's get to it!

[2:43] Interview! Tom Armstrong, welcome to RIMScast!

[3:10] Tom says he is fortunate to hold the positions of Global Risk Director for Comcast and President for the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter. In each case, he is one of a team that makes it happen.

[3:47] Tom shares his career path. He went to Temple University intending to major in music education, to learn to conduct high school choirs and marching bands. After two and a half years into his degree, he decided it was not for him.

[4:11] Tom transferred to the business school, where he was fortunate to take an Introduction to Risk course taught by Professor Barbara Manaka, now Chairman of the department there. She told him he'd make a great risk manager.

[4:27] With help from Professor Manaka, Professor Robert Drennan, and the rest of the wonderful staff at Temple, Tom finished his four-year degree in only five years! He was one of the few to be hired into a risk management role straight out of school.

[4:43] He started at CDI. In 2008, the position was eliminated, and Tom moved over to Aramark. He spent about three and a half years at the risk department. Then he got a call that Comcast was looking for someone to help them with the review of insurance language in contracts.

[5:01] Tom was a contractor for his first 18 months at Comcast. A new risk manager came on board, Sandy Aspinall, and he brought Tom in-house as a senior analyst to review insurance language in contracts.

[5:24] Tom was able to add on some additional scope, supporting construction, property, executive risks, the crime program, and whatever comes up that needs some support. Like the rest of the team, he's happy to step up.

[5:57] Tom says that he never had a great talent for music. What he really liked was the community that a marching band or a choir brought to him as a kid in high school. He has found that this industry can give him a lot of the same community.

[6:09] Community is why Tom wants to be a part of RIMS. It's why he stepped up to lead a RIMS chapter. It's why he appreciates his peers at Comcast.

[6:23] Tom joined RIMS through meeting participation early in his career, in 2009 or 2010. Aramark supported his involvement in visiting and joining certain meetings. In 2017, he stepped up to be Treasurer of the Delaware Valley Chapter. He's been President for about three years.

[6:46] Some staffing changes happened in the RIMS and the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter in 2017 and 2018, opening up positions like Treasurer. Tom mentions former Treasurer Deborah Saunders and former RIMS President Robert Cartwright Jr., now a huge asset to the chapter.

[7:53] Tom says he enjoys his work. He is one of six Directors and Senior Directors on the team, each reporting up to Sandy Aspinall. They each have their slice of the business. Tom gets to work on some really cool stuff.

[8:03] Comcast deals with cable and internet delivery. Tom says there are some fun elements to it. They deal with theme parks and movie studios. They put solar panels on roofs. When Tom joined Comcast, he thought it was a boring cable company, but it is light-years more than that.

[8:42] Tom and his peers sit at the corporate level at Comcast but have responsibilities across almost all Comcast subsidiaries, with a few exceptions that have their own approach to risk. They have no line authority over any of the subsidiaries.

[8:58] Tom says everything we do is through demonstrating our value and persuading through convincing arguments. Risk Management doesn't say, "You have to do it this way."

[9:14] They say, "You're not going to say Risk Management approved this, unless we work together and we provide you with the advice that we think will let you do your business in a way that protects the organization while letting you do the cool and inventive things that you do."

[9:39] From day one, Tom's been involved in the review of insurance language in contracts. His team reviews 1,500 contracts in a year. They care about what they're doing, from the smallest contracts to the biggest engagements. They inform business leaders to make good choices.

[10:21] For Tom, contracts are a framework through which he can look at the operations of the business. If contractors are going to enter customers' homes, they need commercial general liability to make any damages right.

[10:38] Similarly, for people who handle customer data, design attractions in Comcast parks, or license intellectual property that Comcast distributes. In all of those situations, Comcast cares about how they engage.

[11:07] Tom says the nature of the business to which they apply the risk framework has changed again and again. When Tom came on in 2012 as a contractor, Comcast was just starting to acquire NBCUniversal.

[11:22] They went from an Internet Service Provider and a cable operator to a multimedia powerhouse with theme parks, movie studios, and TV production. That was a massive shift in how Comcast operates, and Risk Management had to learn to manage a new suite of risks.

[11:42] That happened in a different way when Comcast bought and started operating Sky UK a few years ago. Every time Comcast introduces another element of business, Risk Management has to figure out how that fits into how they manage risk.

[12:08] Peacock is a huge piece of the puzzle in terms of how Comcast is approaching its consumers and delivering content.

[12:16] From a risk perspective, it mirrors what Comcast used to do from a linear distribution, but through very new channels and with less mature partners. Risk Management has to think about how the partners are capitalizing their exposures and how that cascades onto Comcast.

[12:32] A Quick Break! RIMS is once again supporting the FERMA Global Risk Manager Survey 2026.

[12:43] Now in its second consecutive global edition, the survey, led by FERMA, brings together insights from Europe, the U.S., Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa, offering a truly international perspective on how the risk management profession is evolving.

[12:58] Surveys are anonymous, and the final report is free. The deadline to participate is March 31st. A link is in this episode's show notes.

[13:08] RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals from across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them.

[13:25] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges are now available. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information.

[13:43] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. Registration is open, and you can also submit a session. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information.

[14:00] Let's Return to Our Interview with RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter President Tom Armstrong!

[14:23] A former colleague told Tom: You've got to be nosy to do this job! Commonly, someone will give you an answer that they think you want to hear when you start asking risk questions.

[14:36] You have to ask at least five times. Why is it like this? How are you going to achieve that? How much is this really going to cost? Your vendor said that buying insurance is expensive, but can they define expensive? For all those questions, you can't just take an answer at face value.

[14:55] There has to be a level of ethics and willingness to behave with integrity, as well as a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get the job done.

[15:14] Tom says most of his regular partners understand the questions he's going to ask now. He doesn't have to ask why as often as he used to, because they've already done some of that work.

[15:23] Tom says it helps to know your partners and the mindset they've brought to their conversations with their vendors.

[15:34] Tom has one direct report, Juliana, who started two years ago to help him with some contract review work and let him focus on other things. Over the past four years, Tom has had four different interns. Two of them just won a CICA award.

[16:34] To help build the future of the industry, Tom gives work to interns not as busy work, but work that can be put to a demonstrable use.

[16:42] One intern helped move file storage from a network drive to a new SharePoint. Another helped finish a streamlined intranet page to deliver advice to internal colleagues.

[16:59] All of that came with a reason to go and talk to every colleague and understand how their work fits into the risk management picture. Tom tries to find ways to make the intern's work meaningful.

[17:19] The two interns posted about their CICA captive award. They have kept in touch with Tom and recently texted him for advice. Tom tries to build long-term relationships.

[17:42] Tom says Comcast's Risk Management department has been fairly stable for the last few years. It would be great to have more hands on deck, but there is a budget, just like there is in every department in the organization.

[18:15] Tom says in Orlando, they have Universal's Epic Universe, which opened in Spring 2025. They still have Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay theme parks. Tom says Epic Universe was such a cool project to work on. Tom started on it in late 2018.

[18:35] Tom says they put the park together with their partners at Universal Creative. Tom's part was to insure it.

[18:52] In 2020, as COVID started to become more noticeable, Tom was just about to bind coverage on the construction program for Epic Universe. It was a massive undertaking on 2,000 acres. There were 1,200 contractors with 7,000 people on site.

[19:09] Just as Tom was about to hit Bind, COVID happened. They had to pause their whole marketing efforts and, about nine months later, re-market the entire program, deal with all of the changing supply chain issues that came along with COVID.

[19:25] Comcast is very proud to have opened Universal's Epic Universe last year. It has been met with enthusiastic public reception.

[19:36] Justin says that this episode was recorded on March 13th, six years to the day after a national emergency was declared for COVID-19. Tom was in Italy for his wedding on that day, and they had to cancel due to COVID and come home. They finished the wedding last year.

[20:13] Justin says that for a risk manager, taking a theme park from conception to completion has to be a dream job. When people tell Tom insurance is boring, he asks them if they've ever received an email about the Ministry of Magic, or a giant theme park like Epic.

[20:54] Last November, Sandy took the Global Risk Management Department to Orlando for an off-site all-hands meeting. They walked through the park and experienced some of the rides. It was nice to get back to the park without a hard hat after the construction site inspections.

[21:30] Another Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September.

[21:55] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July.

[22:10] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th.

[22:22] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information.

[22:31] Let's Conclude Our Interview with RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter President Tom Armstrong.

[22:53] The Delaware Valley Chapter is celebrating its 75th year. They were close to New York, so they were the second chapter to be established. Tom said they've had a series of amazing individuals in the chapter, including Robert Cartwright, Jr., who have made the chapter what it is.

[23:26] Tom says the chapter has a rich pool of talent in the Philadelphia area. "Delaware Valley" refers to the river, not just the state of Delaware. It's the Greater Philadelphia Area. Ben Franklin founded the first insurance company in Philadelphia. The city has a long history of insurance.

[23:46] There are many awesome companies headquartered in Philadelphia, including Comcast and Aramark. The great professionals in the area have enthusiasm and a willingness to step in.

[24:06] Tom says the chapter has a hard-headed insistence on continuing to persist. Like in a lot of organizations, coming out of COVID, it has been harder to keep people showing up in person. They hold meetings on the first Tuesday of every month at 8:00 a.m. That can be a tough trek.

[24:32] Some members drive two hours to attend the meeting. The chapter is looking at the results of recent member surveys and might be making some changes to improve attendance. The chapter has a great community, and they try to foster what's already there.

[25:04] Tom says the chapter has a couple of popular social events. Golf is huge. A Phillies Outing is aimed toward both rising risk professionals and mature risk professionals. Last year, they showed up at Citizens Bank Park with 65. That kind of event helps engage members.

[25:35] The chapter partners with local Universities. Chapter VP Rory Magargee partnered last year with St. Joseph's University and helped them win a Black & Gold Award through Gamma Iota Sigma for the Networking for Newbies event to help students interact with professionals.

[26:05] Justin says that the rising risk professionals were in high school or middle school when COVID hit. Professionals have been tracking how that would play out later on in their careers and personal lives. Students had gotten used to a virtual setting and then had to transition back.

[26:49] Tom says, based on a recent membership survey, the chapter is looking at changing the upcoming programming year, starting in September, to preserve what works in the current approach and enhance it to bring in some folks who might not attend in person at 8:00 a.m.

[27:31] From May 3rd through 6th, RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia. The Delaware Valley Chapter will focus on its membership to celebrate its 75th year.

[28:00] On Friday, May 1st, chapter members, some RIMS leaders, and sponsors will gather at a reception at a venue soon to be announced. Tom extends his thanks to the sponsors who are making it possible.

[28:20] The chapter is passionate about Philadelphia. Tom is looking forward to RISKWORLD 2026 and showing the industry the best that Philadelphia has to offer.

[28:25] It's not just the chapter's 75th year; it's also the 76th year of RIMS. It's also 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.

[28:43] To learn more about the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter and apply for membership, visit DelawareValley.RIMS.org or find them on LinkedIn, or email any of the Board members.

[28:53] Tom, it has been a pleasure to see you again and to get to know you through this episode. I look forward to seeing you at RISKWORLD 2026 from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia. Congratulations again on your 75th!

[29:11] Special thanks again to Tom Armstrong for joining us here on RIMScast. We wish him and all the members of the RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter, past and present, a Happy 75th Anniversary!

[29:23] A link to the chapter's page is in this episode's show notes. We look forward to seeing many of those Delaware Valley Chapter members at RISKWORLD, which will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia. Visit RIMS.org/RISKWORLD to register.

[29:41] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes.

[30:09] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information.

[30:28] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information.

[30:45] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more.

[31:01] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management.

[31:16] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org.

[31:28] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!

Links:

RIMS Delaware Valley Chapter

RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members!

Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026!

Spencer Educational Foundation — Scholarships and Grants | Open Calls and Timelines.

RIMS-CRO Certificate Program In Advanced Enterprise Risk Management | April‒June 2026 Cohort | Led by James Lam

RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today and Submit an Educational Session!

RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute

RIMS Now

RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) | Insights Video Series Featuring Joe Milan!

The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center