How to be a CRO: Jennifer Geary

In this episode of Risky Women Radio, host Kimberley Cole kicks off Series 7 by discussing the predictions for 2024 in the field of risk regulation and compliance. She is joined by Carol Beaumier and Bernadine Reese from Protiviti, who share their insights on the compliance environment over the past decade and the evolving role of the Chief Compliance Officer. They highlight the key priorities for 2024, including the need for proactive risk assessment, horizon scanning, managing digital risks, effective compliance monitoring, and adapting to changing resourcing needs. The discussion emphasizes the importance of staying ahead of emerging issues and adopting a holistic approach to compliance in order to navigate the external and internal challenges that lie ahead. This episode provides valuable insights for risk and compliance professionals to effectively address the evolving compliance landscape in the year ahead.   SHOW NOTES00:01 Compliance predictions for 2024 with industry experts 05:36 Importance of internal and external factors 11:42 Lessons learned (or not) 19:05 Next 10 years and technology evolution

Jenny Wong of Protiviti and Debra Au, Head of Legal for DBS Hong Kong, explore the complexity of the compliance landscape in APAC as part of the Protiviti 2023 Top Risk Report. SHOW NOTES 00:01 Compliance landscape and career journey 04:42 Regulatory challenges and adapting to technological changes in APAC 10:02 Compliance function evolution and AI adoption in finance 16:48 Leadership and overcoming stereotypes

Kimberly Dickerson of Protiviti and Star McDade, SVP for Audit Services at USAA, discuss moving from activity based work to a more value added model and how to shift the mindset to an advisory audit role. SHOW NOTES 00:01 Adding value in risk and assurance profession 04:09 Risk management and business strategy alignment 08:45 Risk assessment, emerging risks, and third-party partnerships in the insurance industry 16:26 Risk management career paths and advice for young professionals 22:19 Career paths, challenges, and growth in the accounting industry 26:36 Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace culture

Kimberley Cole interviews Chrissy Hill, general counsel at Parity Technologies. The episode explores the concept of DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) and their impact on governance and compliance in the rapidly evolving landscape of blockchain, Web3, and the metaverse. Show Notes 03:19 Career Journey 07:42 Working with Tony Blair: Merging commercial and charitable assets 10:17 Lessons in agility and fundamental skills for career success 11:24 Web3 space and regulatory challenges 18:32 Exploring the cutting edge of governance and compliance with DAOs 29:56 How do you prepare for the future? Get transcript and Join Risky Women: https://www.riskywomen.org/2023/10/podcast-s6e9-exploring-dao-the-future-of-governance-and-compliance-with-chrissy-hill/

Kimberley Cole speaks with Emma Parry of Novafin Consulting about her journey from banking COO to conduct risk and culture advisor – what’s trending in tech, regulators and how to use your transferable skills.   Emma Parry is a C suite and board advisor with broad international investment banking experience. Following a successful career in financial services working for firms such as HSBC, and JP Morgan Chase, she is now building a portfolio career with a specialist focus on conduct risk. Emma has held various roles from COO to program management to leading global client service teams through to conduct and product governance. Her client base includes regtechs, fintechs, wholesale banks and occasionally law firms as an expert witness. Show Notes 01:16 Career Journey 03:51 Transferable Skills 14:39 Regtech Investment Trends 16:53 Technology Trends 17:47 Conduct Regulator Trends 20:02 Key Takeaways for Conduct Risk   Transcripts, membership & more > https://www.riskywomen.org/2023/09/podcast-s6e8-conduct-unbecoming-emma-parry/

Kimberley Cole speaks with Jennifer Geary, a 25-year veteran of the Risk industry, about her handbook for the modern Chief Risk Officer - practical advice, and skills you can bring into your own role as a CRO. Jennifer Geary has over 25 years of experience in finance, technology, risk and legal, across diverse industries from financial services to not-for-profit. She has been Managing Director, EMEA for a software company, and COO and CRO for a number of fintechs. She has also worked in major banks such as Santander and Barclays, and was also COO for Save the Children UK. She is author of a range of business books. Her first book was "How to be a Chief Operating Officer” and she followed up last autumn with "How to be a Chief Risk Officer", and has just launched “How to be a Chief People Officer”, a collaboration with a HR professional. SHOW NOTES 02:03 Career Journey 05:00 Doing Good for Social Good 10:00 Jennifer's 3 Books: How to be a COO, CRO, CPO 13:20 3 Pillars: Culture, Strategy & Execution. 6 Risks: Strategic, People, Tech, Financial, Operational & Sustainability 22:57 How to Keep Yourself Ahead of the Game   Transcripts and membership info: https://www.riskywomen.org/2023/09/podcast-s6e7-how-to-be-a-cro-jennifer-geary/

Tonya Hummers, Managing Director at Protiviti, speaks with Sarah Olthoff, Senior Vice President and Chief Business Risk Officer at Discover, about talent management, the nature of work, and the skills risk roles need most. Sarah K. Olthoff serves as a Senior Vice President of Business Risk Programs at Discover Financial Services.  In this role, Sarah is responsible for development, implementation, and oversight of the business risk management program across the enterprise.  This program include the Business Risk Offices that directly support Discover’s business units as well as centralized risk management functions that enable consistent and effective execution of risk activities, such as Change Management, Issue Management, and Risk Reporting.  Prior to this role, Sarah served as VP, Internal Audit overseeing the Regulatory Compliance Audit Program, which provides independent assurance around regulatory compliance and financial crimes risk. Show Notes 01:57 Career Journey 03:51 Culture at Discover 08:58 Who are your role models? 10:54 Resiliency in the workplace 15:57 Skills needed in talent 25:53 Differences between talent market and tech market Get transcript and join our network: https://www.riskywomen.org/2023/08/podcast-s6e6-talent-management-in-risk-sarah-olthoff/

Maryann Kennedy speaks with the Senior Deputy Comptroller for Bank Supervision Policy at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Grovetta Gardineer, about the regulatory priorities in current economic environment. Grovetta Gardineer is the Senior Deputy Comptroller for Bank Supervision Policy at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). In this role, Ms. Gardineer directs the formulation of policies and procedures for the supervision and examination of national banks and federal savings associations, chairs the agency’s Committee on Bank Supervision, and serves on the OCC’s Executive Committee. She oversees the units for policy related to credit risk, market risk, operational risk, and compliance risk, as well as the units responsible for international banking and capital policy, accounting policy, and community affairs. Maryann Kennedy joined Protiviti from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), where she was most recently the Senior Deputy Comptroller for Large Bank Supervision.  Show Notes 02:50 Career Journey  06:20 Key responsibilities of a senior deputy comptroller 18:50 Do US and Europe have the same root cause of the financial crisis? 21:55 What are examiners doing on the ground as a result? 24:22 How do you and your staff think about the next risks? 27:33 Talent across the industry 31:33 How to employ different mentoring strategies

Kimberley Cole speaks with Anna-Marie Slot on how companies can and should embed ESG into core business strategies and why risk professionals are uniquely placed to drive that change. Anna-Marie is the first global sustainability ESG partner for Ashurst and a finance partner as well. She brings a unique combination of legal, finance and ESG expertise which enables her to partner with other business leaders committed to leading a future focused sustainable organizations. Anna-Marie has developed and led the firm’s ESG strategy across practices and industries through engagement with clients and internally as Ashurst’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. Show Notes  01:57 Career Journey 10:35 What Businesses Have to Focus On Now 15:32 Organizational Structure and Where Risk Works 18:24 Ashurst’s ESG Ready Digital Tool 22:12 What are the Sustainability Data Gaps? 30:22 What the Best Companies are Doing Ahead of Regulations Transcript and more: https://www.riskywomen.org/2023/03/podcast-s6e4-amplifying-esg-business-value-anna-marie-slot/

Kimberley Cole speaks with Juliet Bourke on board composition and best practices for creating future fit organisations with diversity of thought and culture change.  Dr Juliet Bourke is an award winning author, speaker and advocate for diversity. She was a former Human Capital Partner at Deloitte leading Deloitte’s Diversity and Inclusion Consulting agenda. She continues to work with global clients to create cultural change through a focus on leadership, high performing teams, and diversity & inclusion. She has over 25 years’ experience in human capital, management, and law. Her latest book, entitled ‘Which two heads are better than one?: The extraordinary power of diversity of thinking and inclusive leadership’, is in its second edition and helps leaders understand how to systematically create diverse thinking and take team performance to the next level. SHOW NOTES 01:28 Career Journey 13:09 Future Fitness of Boards 18:31 Risks of not Having Diversity of Thinking on Boards 22:19 What Gets in the Way of Board Best Practices? 24:25 Who is leading the way? 29:24 Key Takeaways for Risky Women Get transcript and subscribe to newsletter: https://www.riskywomen.org/2023/03/podcast-s6e3-future-fit-organisations-managing-culture-risk-juliet-bourke/