Blog Post

Risk Management - Proactive Promotion versus Reactive Defence

Luke Taylor • 8 January 2019

It is the beginning of a new year, risk management professionals are coming back to work refreshed ready for new challenges ahead.

Be it fraud management, credit risk, revenue, business assurance or risk management, the need to review and justify the departments existence and value to the corporation is something that no senior manager can escape in their tenure. It probably feels like a needless and painfully laborious exercise for many of the senior managers overseeing these departments.

There will be some senior managers out there, who will not need to go through this process of justification every year. They have been consistently proactive, transparent, interactive and educated and successfully marketed themselves and the department to the senior management/board on the justification and value of a risk management department/function.

Some pessimists may see this as self-promotion, self-publicity, career promotion strategies, others will see this as clever PR and marketing, I hope many would see this as a key responsibility of a senior manager to fulfill his role and support his employees and team members to carry out his risk management responsibilities.

These proactive professionals this year will be not struggling to ‘nickel and dime’ and retain resources, they will not be sweating over spreadsheets and attempting to extract positives from the team in small rooms late into the evening.

These proactive professionals will be spending time at looking to extend the use of innovative technologies to assist them, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and even robotics to drive performance, improvements and productivity and provide value to the business.

These proactive professionals will be leading the innovation of risk management, building substantial but justified teams. They will be investing in technology, bringing in vendors and consultants to support their strategic initiatives. They will collaborate with their peers, instill an ethos of learning, sharing, motivation and education.

Which would you prefer to aspire to or work for?

I know my answer…

Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people. Steve Jobs

Lateral Alliances offer professional and dependable consulting for all aspects of your company. From initiating and supporting marketing strategies, including PR, web design, graphic design, social media, business development, sale, right through to business and exit strategies, we have the skills and experience to support your business. We are a 'hands on' organisation, who prefer to get deeply involved in your business and challenges, not hide behind aimless discussions.

Insightful business thinking...

by Luke Taylor 19 March 2021
In the past year, businesses have had to reassess their business, revenues and profit forecast, and some have had to look at diversifying to reduce risk, increase profits and adapt to their business environment. As we move out of Lockdown and restrictions around the world, is there a need to review your diversification strategy? Horizontal diversification Acquiring or developing new products or services that are complementary to core business and current customer base. For example, a soft drinks business adds a new type of snack into its product line. You may require new technology, skills or marketing approach. Concentric diversification Adding new products that have technological or marketing synergies with existing product lines or industries, but appeal to new customers. For example, a mobile phone manufacturer starts producing tablets, with possibility to leverage existing technologies, equipment and marketing. Conglomerate diversification Adding new products or services that are entirely different from and unrelated to the core business. For example, Coffee Brewing company opens up a range of cafes. The risks are high, as this approach requires entry into a new market, but also to sell to a new consumer base. Vertical diversification Expanding in a backward or forward direction along the production chain of product range, taking control of one or more stages of the supply chain. For example, a technology manufacturer opens its own retail store. The need to diversify maybe for many different reasons, competitiveness, to expand business revenues.=, reduce risk, provide longevity,, etc. Whatever the diversification strategy, we are sure you have taken the decision lightly and wish you every success.
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