Interview
PRACTICE
The power of simplicity If risk managers want to stay relevant in a complex world, they need to learn how to work and communicate effectively with others by keeping it simple, says Dr Sarah Gordon of the IRM’s Innovation SIG BY ARTHUR PIPER
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t is perhaps unsurprising that Sarah Gordon, a long-standing member of the IRM’s Innovation Special Interest Group (SIG), is advocating for risk managers at all stages of their careers to get interested in innovation. And to do so, not just because the world is changing rapidly, not only because it could be seen as a defensive ploy to stay relevant – but because she believes it opens up a whole world of opportunity for people to progress as individuals and to push professional boundaries. “If you’re not innovative as a business and as a risk manager, you are going to be surprised on a regular basis as the world won’t wait for you,” Gordon says. “If you are not innovative in the way you manage risk, those people who focus only on risk analysis are going to be out of a job because there is a high chance that aspects of their day-to-day work will be replaced by a computer.” While acknowledging that it is a threat to those who are comfortable in their current roles, she sees it as a massive opportunity to get rid of the “boring bits” of the job and get a machine to perform those tasks. “I really hope in the future that our lives will not revolve around Excel spreadsheets,” she adds, laughing. Supported by machines, she argues, risk managers
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If you’re not innovative as a business and as a risk manager, you are going to be surprised on a regular basis as the world won’t wait for you
Enterprise Risk
