Why connection and insight still matter in governance

Why the NSW Governance and Risk Management Forum (GRMF) matters to me: connection, insight, and real conversations

My favourite part of the day (in Sydney) is really the human connection.  The work that we do is based in IT and working from home, and to hear what people are struggling with both in their organisations and in the wider community is so valuable for us because we are problem solvers.

Firstly, the diversity of the speakers, being able to hear from different segments of industry, whether that is government, universities and commercial, and how they are dealing with some of our biggest governance and risk issues.  Being able to take that away and really use it in our own practice, but also for our clients, is invaluable.

AI without panic: how much do you really need to know?

Well, being an AI developer, it is equal parts wanting to innovate but also to protect our clients and the community.

I have the privilege of working with this technology every day, but not everybody does.  They’ve got their day job, and to learn what is effectively a new skill, a new language on top of that, is very daunting.  It’s something, though, that you cannot bury your head in the sand about.  It is upon us.

But I liked the sentiment (at GRMF) that there’s no need for panic because that is a very risk-based approach and that’s why we’re here.  What I think is helpful is to really lean into those sources that are going to help you, bit by bit.  So, we don’t all need to become AI engineers overnight and nor should we, but we need to know enough to make it relevant for our role.  So, if you’re a board director, you need to know enough to govern your organisation through the AI change.  If you are a risk manager, you need to bring that into your role as well.

Career enhancer – how important is chartered designation?

I became a director and company secretary about 12 years ago, and that was after a career in law firms and in operational roles.  So, to be sitting on the other side of the desk, having those qualifications is really important. Again, it not only gives you the technical skills, but it makes you part of a community that helps with making sure that those skills are relevant.