Michael Rasmussen

In today's landscape of governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC), there's a prevalent but often misguided approach that begins with compliance rather than governance. If we were to parse the acronym logically, one might expect it to be CRG, or even Cr (intentionally lowercase), reflecting the common tendency where compliance takes precedence over governance and strategic performance considerations. This approach, while common, can lead to fragmented risk management efforts and overlooks the foundational role that governance plays in setting objectives and guiding risk mitigation strategies.

The last few years have shined a light on GRC (governance, risk management, and compliance) processes and shifted many attitudes towards risk. Yet, many organizations are left with numerous questions: What are the best practices to identify, analyze, monitor, and manage risks specific to your organization? Do these risk activities support future business growth, and should you implement ESG controls or reporting?

The landscape of Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance (GRC) is undergoing a profound transformation as organizations contend with rapid change, complexity, and interconnectedness. In this evolving environment, traditional approaches to GRC are proving insufficient, necessitating a shift towards more agile, resilient, and integrity-driven frameworks.

As regulatory landscapes grow increasingly complex, organizations are turning to governance, risk and compliance (GRC) programs as a force-multiplier. When implemented effectively, GRC can drastically improve an organization's ability to efficiently navigate rules and requirements while becoming more risk-intelligent. However, capturing these benefits requires taking a holistic, strategic approach from the outset.

As a GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) analyst, I've always been fascinated by the intersection of global politics and corporate strategy. In fact, if I could redo my career, I'd be tempted to become a geopolitical risk manager. But as I delve deeper into the world of GRC, I realize that geopolitical risk management isn't just fascinating—it's imperative.