Corporate operations face a wide variety of risks, and thanks to technological advancement, tax reform and growing competition, risk factors are only increasing with time. Boards of directors and company leaders have to consider and mitigate everything from social and environmental issues to claims of misconduct and financial corruption.
As a result, risk taking and risk management are high and rising on the corporate priority list. You need a forward-thinking leader at the helm, such as a CEO who can anticipate future risks and make wise decisions accordingly.
What Is Risk Management?
In the corporate world, risk management primarily centers on making sound financial decisions. It involves a series of methods, employed by company executives and managers and carried out by all employees, designed to minimize financial losses. This is often done by calculating the types of risks facing the company and mitigating these through solutions like insurance, safety training, loss control measures and more.
While day-to-day risk management is usually carried out by company managers, risk oversight — that is, designing and implementing risk management strategies and procedures — should be the responsibility of board committees. As this is the first and overarching line of defense against risks, it’s crucial to have a boardroom with the foresight and business acumen to set strong procedures in place.
The board is responsible for setting the tone from the top down, communicating strategies with transparency and consistency. A strong board will also be able to react quickly in response to issues that arise, particularly in the case of claims of harassment, as these carry high risks to both employees and the company at large.
Three Strategies to Enhance Company Risk Management for Directors
Efforts to improve risk management strategies are on the rise, yet there is still progress to be made. Much of this responsibility sits with directors and company leadership, and there remain gaps between what top management expects and what risk management strategies are able to deliver. To increasingly reach more challenging goals, leadership should apply the following risk management strategies:
- Focus on the people: A major roadblock to successful risk analytics is a lack of trained personnel. Investing in positions like risk technologists, risk managers and analysts will help you hone in on and improve your company’s risk management efforts.
- Stay forward-thinking: New risks are popping up all the time, many of which are foreseeable — if you’re looking in the right direction. Leadership should be focused on what’s ahead, keeping a close eye on current trends, changing markets and reformed laws. Being proactive lends itself to success more often than remaining reactive.
- Gain insights from data: There is a growing amount of available data regarding risk models, particularly in insurance and banking. While collecting data is a great place to start, successful leaders will take this a step further and draw insights from the information. Use these insights to assemble data-driven action steps to keep your company moving in the right direction.
Find Executives Who Can Strengthen Risk Management
If your company is seeking top talent to strengthen your risk management capabilities, reach out to Reaction Search International. Our network of expert recruiters located across the country is at the ready to find and place your next quality executives. No matter what industry you’re in, we can help you strengthen your enterprise risk management for strategic advantage by recruiting the right person for your company. Contact us online today to learn more.
