Survey: Financial Leaders Understand Risk, But Few Feel Ready
Morristown, NJ (PRWEB) June 29, 2017 -- Despite the importance of aligning risk with their core business strategy, only 25 percent of financial leaders feel they are able to execute a proper response to risk, and almost 60 percent feel they are too late in recognizing the key risks imperiling their businesses.
These distressing findings are part of a new report from the Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF) in partnership with Grant Thornton LLP. The report – The Strategic Financial Executive: Managing Risk in a Disruptive World – is based on interviews with top CFOs, financial executives and corporate stakeholders, as well as a roundtable discussion with members of the Committee on Governance, Risk & Compliance at the Financial Executives International (FEI).
The report recommends that companies invest in better risk-management processes to keep up with change and disruption, especially processes that align risk with strategy, performance and business objectives. It also encourages leaders to partner with third parties that understand how to manage risk, and it urges them to adopt a shared risk-analysis approach across their leadership structures to foster strategic communication and improve decision-making.
“Risks are growing and increasing in speed; they're both multi-dimensional and multi-directional,” said Bailey Jordan, Risk Advisory Services partner at Grant Thornton. “Leaders can help their organizations reduce risk by looking not only at financial indicators, but at other metrics that measure business health. Risk can even drive opportunity.”
Report findings point to an organization’s workforce as a good place to start. It explains that 95 percent of executives believe an organization must encourage its employees to be vigilant in identifying emerging risks, going on to stress the importance of building a risk culture through employee training and a focus on improving skill sets.
Finally, the report recommends that leaders keep their board members aware of efforts to control the risks that impact critical items such as business objectives, competitive positioning and, ultimately, success.
“Organizations of all kinds face new risks from the fast rate of change in regulation, competition, technology and other factors,” said Andrej Suskavcevic, CAE, President and CEO of Financial Executives International and Financial Executives Research Foundation. “CFOs and financial executives are integral to advising CEOs and Boards of Directors on these changes, and partnering across their organizations to help identify and manage these risks. Our report helps empower CFOs and financial executives to lead forward-thinking and strategic finance departments.”
About Financial Executives Research Foundation, Inc.
Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF) is the non-profit 501(c)(3) research affiliate of Financial Executives International (FEI). FERF researchers identify key financial issues and develop impartial, timely research reports for FEI members and nonmembers alike, in a variety of publication formats. FERF relies primarily on voluntary tax-deductible contributions from corporations and individuals, and publications can be ordered by logging onto https://www.financialexecutives.org/Research.aspx.
About FEI
Financial Executives International is the leading advocate for the views of corporate financial management. Its more than 10,000 members hold policy-making positions as chief financial officers, treasurers and controllers at companies from every major industry. FEI enhances member professional development through peer networking, career management services, conferences, research and publications. Members participate in the activities of more than 65 chapters in the U.S. and a chapter in Japan. FEI is located in Morristown, NJ, and Washington, D.C. Visit http://www.financialexecutives.org for more information.
About Grant Thornton LLP
Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world’s leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Grant Thornton, which has revenues in excess of $1.6 billion and operates 59 offices, works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations.
“Grant Thornton” refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions. Please see grantthornton.com for further details.
Claudine Cornelis, Crimson Communicates, +1 (845) 424-6342, [email protected]
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