Board oversight

The 12 Days of ERM Christmas

Without a doubt, one of my family’s favorite holidays is Christmas. Part of the fun, especially for our son, is seeing what “Santa” brought, but most importantly, we treasure the spirit of peace and goodwill the season brings. And after what seemed to be a never-ending warm spell, the weather is expected to be good…

ERM Foundations are vital for organizational success

3 Phases to Creating and Launching an ERM Program Focused on Organizational Success

If you’ve been handed the task of creating an ERM program for your organization, let me first offer my congratulations quickly followed by my empathy for the task ahead of you. I don’t say that to scare you but to provide a small dose of reality. Building, launching, and refining an ERM program that is…

Should We Still Be Using the Term Risk Management?

“What’s in a name” you ask? Aside from “To be or not to be? That is the question,” this is probably one of Shakespeare’s most well-known quotes or idioms. And coincidentally, it forms the basis of one of the biggest debate’s in the risk management world today. Between risk appetite, heat maps, and the reliability…

5 Steps to Shifting Board Oversight from Operations and Risk to Strategy

Contrary to popular belief, a Board of Directors, Trustees, or whatever title fits the corporate culture are not only for publicly traded companies. Simply referred to as the Board by most, it can be defined broadly as “…a group of individuals either elected or appointed to provide organizational leadership and oversight.” Following the Enron scandal…

Alternative Methods to Clarifying Risks and Opportunities

Have you ever asked 10 people the same question and received 10 different answers? It may seem funny in hindsight or on your favorite sitcom, but I can attest personally that it can be incredibly frustrating. In a previous article outlining the elements of a clearly articulated risk statement, I discussed how not having a…

3 Components of an Effective Risk Statement

Have you ever been given an assignment at work without clear instructions? It can be dizzying to try and figure out what your first steps to be. At best, it’s disconcerting not knowing if you’re on the right track, and at worst, you don’t even know what your desired end result should be or look…

3 Factors to Consider Before Escalating Risk Issues to the Board

After beginning as a requirement for financial firms, active Board oversight of risk management has increasingly become an expectation, even a necessity, for all types of organizations over the last 20 years. The annual State of Risk Oversight report from North Carolina State University corroborates this. According to their survey, a high number of Boards,…

5 Tips to Making Board Risk Reports Meaningful Tools for Decision-Making

The year is flying by as we’re well into the second quarter already. Q1 board risk reports should be done, assuming your company prepares one quarterly, and you are likely getting ready to prepare a midyear update. As I discuss in The Ultimate Primer for Effective Risk Reporting, board risk reports serve a dual purpose……

2 Keys to Effectively Communicating Risks to the Board

It’s getting to be that time of the year when many organizations have major board meetings to finalize plans and budgets for the next year. Considering this year’s unprecedented volatility, many Boards will naturally want to discuss risks facing the enterprise. While the topic of Boards and reporting risks have been peppered in past blog…

Board oversight

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