Before we dive into specialist risk careers, it is worth asking a simple question: Who actually manages risk every day? While Chief Risk Officers and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) teams design frameworks, policies, and oversight mechanisms, the reality is that risks emerge first within business operations. They are spotted by engineers, procurement managers, finance executives, HR professionals, marketers, plant supervisors, project managers, and countless others making decisions in the first line of defense. This is precisely where the role of the Risk Champion becomes indispensable.
As organisations increasingly move towards embedding risk intelligence into everyday decision-making, a new breed of professionals is emerging—individuals who are not part of the dedicated risk function, yet possess the knowledge and mindset to identify risks, carry out risk assessments, and escalate and manage uncertainty within their own functional areas. These professionals are often referred to as Risk Champions.
The IRM’s Global Level 1 ERM Exam (“FoRM”) and the Level 2 International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management (IRMCert designation) are designed not only for aspiring risk managers who wish for careers in risk management but also for professionals who wish to strengthen their careers within their own business functions. Rather than moving into the second line of defense, many graduates choose to remain in operational roles where they apply enterprise risk thinking to create better decisions, stronger resilience, and sustainable organisational performance.
A Risk Champion serves as the bridge between enterprise risk management principles and day-to-day business execution. They understand how their department contributes to organisational objectives, recognise emerging threats and opportunities, appreciate interconnected risks across functions, and ensure that potential issues and business risks are identified early before they evolve into significant business disruptions. Most importantly, they help transform risk management from a compliance exercise into a business capability.
Unlike traditional perceptions that associate risk management solely with finance or compliance, enterprise risk management today encompasses more than 300 categories of risk spanning strategic, operational, financial risk, technological risk, environmental risk, geopolitical risk, legal risk, social, and reputational risk. Every department therefore has a critical role to play in strengthening organisational risk resilience.
Some examples include:
| Function | What an IRM-Certified Risk Champion Does |
| Research & Development | Evaluates innovation, intellectual property, technology adoption, product safety and commercialisation risks before investments are made. |
| Product Management | Assesses customer acceptance, regulatory implications, lifecycle risks and potential unintended consequences of new products. |
| Procurement | Identifies supplier concentration, ethical sourcing, geopolitical dependencies and contract risks before supplier selection. |
| Supply Chain | Monitors disruptions, logistics vulnerabilities, inventory resilience and alternative sourcing strategies. |
| Manufacturing & Operations | Anticipates operational failures, equipment downtime, quality issues and process bottlenecks while improving operational resilience. |
| Quality Assurance | Detects systemic quality failures, root causes and customer-impact risks before products reach the market. |
| Engineering | Incorporates safety, reliability, resilience and lifecycle risk considerations into engineering design decisions. |
| Projects & PMO | Identifies project uncertainties, schedule risks, budget overruns, stakeholder conflicts and emerging execution challenges. |
| Finance | Recognises financial reporting risks, budgeting uncertainties, fraud indicators and decision-making biases. |
| Treasury | Monitors liquidity, foreign exchange, interest rate, funding and counterparty exposures. |
| Sales | Identifies customer concentration, contractual commitments, pricing risks and market volatility affecting revenue stability. |
| Marketing | Assesses brand reputation, advertising compliance, consumer perception and campaign-related risks. |
| Customer Experience | Detects service failures, complaint trends, customer trust issues and early warning indicators affecting retention. |
| Human Resources | Identifies talent shortages, succession risks, employee conduct, wellbeing, culture and workforce resilience issues. |
| Information Technology | Evaluates system resilience, digital transformation risks, application dependencies and technology implementation challenges. |
| Cybersecurity | Promotes cyber hygiene, user awareness, incident escalation and collaboration between business users and security teams. |
| Data Analytics | Ensures data quality, model governance, responsible AI usage and analytical integrity for business decisions. |
| Legal | Anticipates contractual, litigation and regulatory exposures while advising business teams on legal implications. |
| Compliance | Strengthens first-line ownership by ensuring operational teams proactively comply with internal and external requirements. |
| ESG & Sustainability | Identifies climate, social, governance and stakeholder risks that influence long-term organisational value. |
| Business Continuity | Supports continuity planning, crisis preparedness, recovery exercises and operational resilience initiatives. |
| Corporate Strategy | Evaluates strategic assumptions, competitive threats, emerging opportunities and long-term uncertainties. |
| Administration & Facilities | Manages workplace safety, physical security, infrastructure resilience and vendor-related operational risks. |
| Corporate Communications | Protects organisational reputation by identifying communication risks, misinformation and stakeholder sensitivities. |
| Executive Office / Business Leadership | Embeds risk-informed decision-making into planning, governance, performance reviews and strategic execution. |
Across each of these functions, the Risk Champion performs several common responsibilities. They conduct risk identification to continuously identify emerging risks and opportunities within their operational area, assess their likelihood and potential impact, escalate significant concerns through established governance channels, support the implementation of mitigation actions, monitor early warning indicators, and encourage colleagues to think proactively rather than reactively. They also improve cross-functional collaboration by recognising that risks rarely remain confined to one department. A supplier disruption, for example, quickly affects manufacturing, finance, customer service, legal, sales, and reputation simultaneously.
The growing importance of Risk Champions reflects a broader evolution in enterprise risk management. Leading organisations no longer expect the central risk function to “own” all risks. Instead, ownership resides with the business, while the second line provides guidance, oversight, methodology, and challenge. This philosophy aligns with global governance principles and reinforces that effective risk management begins where decisions are actually made.
From a career perspective, becoming an IRM-certified Risk Champion offers a significant competitive advantage. Employers increasingly seek professionals who combine deep functional expertise with strong analytical thinking, resilience, structured decision-making, stakeholder communication, and the ability to navigate uncertainty. Whether working in banking, manufacturing, consulting, healthcare, technology, energy, infrastructure, retail, pharmaceuticals, education, logistics, government, or start-ups, these competencies are universally applicable.
The IRM Level 1 ERM Exam (“FoRM”) provides a strong foundation in enterprise risk management by introducing globally recognised ERM concepts, governance frameworks, ISO principles, COSO Enterprise Risk Management, IRM’s Risk Culture Framework, and practical risk-based decision-making across hundreds of business scenarios. Professionals learn how to identify interconnected risks, understand uncertainty, and think systematically about organisational objectives rather than viewing risks in isolation.
Those progressing to the Level 2 International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management, earning the IRMCert designation, develop a more comprehensive understanding of enterprise-wide risk management, governance, strategy, culture, reporting, and practical implementation across organisations. This qualification enables professionals to become influential contributors within their business units while also creating pathways towards specialist enterprise risk management roles in the future.
Importantly, neither qualification limits an individual to becoming a dedicated risk manager. Instead, they expand professional capability regardless of functional specialisation. A finance manager becomes a stronger finance leader. An engineer becomes a more resilient engineer. A procurement specialist becomes better equipped to anticipate supply disruptions and procurement risks. A project manager becomes more capable of delivering complex programmes successfully. The qualification strengthens judgement rather than changing one’s profession.
As organisations face increasing complexity driven by artificial intelligence, geopolitical shifts, cyber threats, climate uncertainty, regulatory change, and rapidly evolving stakeholder expectations, the demand for professionals who can think beyond functional silos will only continue to grow. Risk intelligence is no longer an optional competency reserved for governance professionals—it is becoming a core business skill expected across the first line of defense.
The future belongs to organisations where every function understands risk, every decision considers uncertainty, and every employee contributes to organisational resilience. IRM-certified Risk Champions represent this future. Equipped with globally recognised enterprise risk management knowledge through IRM’s Level 1 ERM certification (“FoRM”) and the Level 2 International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management (IRMCert designation), they enable businesses to move beyond compliance towards confident, informed, and resilient decision-making.
In an increasingly uncertain world, risk management is no longer simply a profession—it is a capability. And Risk Champions are the professionals bringing that capability to life across every business function.
The author confirms that this article is original and has not been copied, reproduced, or derived from another author’s work, except for third-party references used for research purposes.
FAQs
1.What is the role of a risk champion?
- As organisations increasingly move towards embedding risk intelligence into everyday decision-making, a new breed of professionals is emerging—individuals who are not part of the dedicated risk function, yet possess the knowledge and mindset to identify, assess, escalate, and manage uncertainty within their own functional areas. These professionals are often referred to as Risk Champions.
- A Risk Champion serves as the bridge between enterprise risk management principles and day-to-day business execution.
- They understand how their department contributes to organisational objectives, recognise emerging threats and opportunities, appreciate interconnected risks across functions, and ensure that potential issues are identified early before they evolve into significant business disruptions.
- Most importantly, they help transform risk management from a compliance exercise into a business capability.
2. How can I build a career in enterprise risk management?
- The IRM’s Global Level 1 ERM Exam (“FoRM”) and the Level 2 International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management (IRMCert designation) are designed not only for aspiring risk managers but also for professionals who wish to strengthen their careers within their own business functions.
- From a career perspective, becoming an IRM-certified Risk Champion offers a significant competitive advantage. Employers increasingly seek professionals who combine deep functional expertise with strong analytical thinking, resilience, structured decision-making, stakeholder communication, and the ability to navigate uncertainty. Whether working in banking, manufacturing, consulting, healthcare, technology, energy, infrastructure, retail, pharmaceuticals, education, logistics, government, or start-ups, these competencies are universally applicable.
- The IRM Level 1 ERM Exam (“FoRM”) provides a strong foundation in enterprise risk management by introducing globally recognised ERM concepts, governance frameworks, ISO principles, COSO Enterprise Risk Management, IRM’s Risk Culture Framework, and practical risk-based decision-making across hundreds of business scenarios.
- Those progressing to the Level 2 International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management, earning the IRMCert designation, develop a more comprehensive understanding of enterprise-wide risk management, governance, strategy, culture, reporting, and practical implementation across organisations.
- Importantly, neither qualification limits an individual to becoming a dedicated risk manager. Instead, they expand professional capability regardless of functional specialisation.
3. What is the difference between a Risk Champion and a Risk Manager?
- Individuals who are not part of the dedicated risk function, yet possess the knowledge and mindset to identify, assess, escalate, and manage uncertainty within their own functional areas are often referred to as Risk Champions.
- Individuals who are part of the dedicated risk function are known as Risk Managers. The Risk Manager may develop the risk assessment methodology, facilitate quarterly risk reviews, consolidate the enterprise risk register, monitor KRIs, and prepare reports for the Risk Committee. The Risk Manager is often responsible for the ERM process, methodology, reporting, and governance. Risk Managers may challenge risk owners, escalate issues, and advise senior management.
- A Risk Champion is best viewed as the link between the central risk function and the business, while the Risk Manager is the professional responsible for running and strengthening the risk management discipline itself.
- Risk Champions usually sit within Operations, Finance, HR, IT, Marketing, Procurement, etc. They continuously identify emerging risks and opportunities within their operational area, assess their likelihood and potential impact, escalate significant concerns through established governance channels, support the implementation of mitigation actions, monitor early warning indicators, and encourage colleagues to think proactively rather than reactively. They also improve cross-functional collaboration by recognising that risks rarely remain confined to one department.
- The growing importance of Risk Champions reflects a broader evolution in enterprise risk management. Leading organisations no longer expect the central risk function to “own” all risks. This philosophy aligns with global governance principles and reinforces that effective risk management begins where decisions are actually made.
- In an increasingly uncertain world, risk management is no longer simply a profession—it is a capability. And Risk Champions are the professionals bringing that capability to life across every business function.
