Risk Management

October 11, 2024

DOJ Hold Boards Accountable Risk Management. New enforcement plans outline expectations for data oversight, compliance expand the potential for reputation risk.

DOJ has updated its expectations expanding the potential for reputation risk. Under the new guidelines, prosecutors will consider whether companies have a process for identifying and managing emerging internal and external risks related to the use of new technologies, such as AI, and whether they are integrated into broader enterprise risk management practices.

September 12, 2024

Reputation Risk Hinted by Nickname Nurse Death

Reputation risk arises from the failure to meet expectations. All too frequently, reputation risks arising from material operational problems known to insiders are dismissed by those in charge or authority. Nicknames can indicate an issue with ethics, innovation, safety, security, sustainability, and quality. “Junior doctors were referring to Lucy Letby as “Nurse Death” … two years before she was arrested. […] Letby, 34, was sentenced to 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others.” Board members should note that there are many windows into human resource-based organizational risk.

September 10, 2024

At the end of reputation risks’ long tail are board-level consequences, exemplified by the denouement of this infamous winter 2022 crisis precipitated by software quality issues, unaddressed. “Southwest Airlines on Tuesday announced an overhaul of its board of directors, including the planned departure of its executive chairman, Gary Kelly, after a meeting with a hedge fund that has called for sweeping changes at the company.” The takeaway: reputation risk management is always a vital governance issue.

At the end of reputation risks’ long tail are board-level consequences, exemplified by the denouement of this infamous winter 2022 crisis precipitated by software quality issues, unaddressed. “Southwest Airlines on Tuesday announced an overhaul of its board of directors, including the planned departure of its executive chairman, Gary Kelly, after a meeting with a hedge fund that has called for sweeping changes at the company.” The takeaway: reputation risk management is always a vital governance issue.

September 9, 2024

Affirming in practice what it disclosed in January, Blackrock "engaged 2,683 times on strategy, purpose and financial resilience-related themes with 2,014 companies — more than any of its other engagement priorities — this proxy year. Given this information, board directors may want to prioritize financial resilience in their own work and in engagement with index funds." Steel City Re can provide metrics and tools to support innovative strategies for strengthening financial resilience.

Affirming in practice what it disclosed in January, Blackrock “engaged 2,683 times on strategy, purpose and financial resilience-related themes with 2,014 companies — more than any of its other engagement priorities — this proxy year. Given this information, board directors may want to prioritize financial resilience in their own work and in engagement with index funds.” Steel City Re can provide metrics and tools to support innovative strategies for strengthening financial resilience.

July 25, 2024

Seventy-seven per cent of respondents to the July 25 2024 Airmic Big Question said their organisations model and quantify reputational risk – making it the top climate transition risk that their organisations measure. […] With the rise in cases of greenwashing reported around the world, reputational risk – as it relates to the climate transition – has emerged as a top concern.