Careers in Strategic Risk: Where the 2025 Finalists Are Now
Careers in Strategic Risk: Where the 2025 Finalists Are Now
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Key takeaways
- The 2025 IRM Global Risk Awards recognised professionals whose career trajectories illustrate the pathways into strategic risk leadership
- Strategic risk roles are growing across government, infrastructure, financial services and regulated industries as organisations face compounding uncertainty
- The career path into strategic risk typically combines operational experience with formal risk management qualifications and cross functional exposure
- In Australian government, strategic risk capability is increasingly required at executive and board level, driven by ARIC requirements and audit scrutiny
- Professionals who build risk management capability early position themselves for the senior governance roles that every complex organisation needs to fill
Strategic risk management has evolved from a compliance function into a leadership discipline. The professionals who hold the most senior risk positions today did not start in risk. They built careers across operations, finance, project delivery and governance, then applied that breadth of experience to the challenge of managing the risks that threaten organisational viability. The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) Global Risk Awards recognise professionals and organisations that demonstrate excellence in risk management practice. The finalists and winners illustrate what a career in strategic risk looks like and what capabilities it demands.
What do strategic risk careers look like?
Strategic risk professionals typically follow one of three pathways. The first is the specialist pathway: entering risk management early through internal audit, compliance or insurance, then progressing into enterprise risk management and eventually strategic risk leadership. The second is the operational pathway: building deep expertise in a specific domain (infrastructure, finance, health, technology) then moving into risk governance as the domain expertise becomes the foundation for risk assessment capability. The third is the governance pathway: moving from senior operational or executive roles into board and committee positions where strategic risk oversight is a core responsibility.
The NSW Audit Office Local Government 2025 report illustrates the governance pathway directly: ARIC members in NSW local government are required to have experience in audit, financial management, business management or law. These are not risk management qualifications per se, but they are the foundations on which strategic risk governance capability is built.
Where is demand for strategic risk capability growing?
Four sectors are driving demand. Government at all levels is the first, driven by ARIC requirements, audit scrutiny and the increasing complexity of public sector operations. Infrastructure is the second, where long term projects face compounding strategic risks that require dedicated risk governance. Financial services is the third, where regulatory change, cyber risk and climate risk are creating new risk leadership roles. Regulated industries (health, energy, resources) are the fourth, where safety, environmental and compliance risks require strategic oversight that goes beyond operational risk management.
The Statewide Mutual analysis of the NSW risk management framework noted that by 2026, the NSW local government sector was intended to have Australia’s strongest risk management and internal audit framework. That ambition creates demand for professionals who can operate within it.
What capabilities do strategic risk professionals need?
Technical risk management skills are the foundation: the ability to identify risks, assess their likelihood and consequence, design treatments and monitor residual risk. But strategic risk requires additional capabilities. Communication is essential: the ability to explain risk in terms that boards, executives and ministers can act on, not in risk management jargon. Judgement under ambiguity is critical: strategic risks are by definition uncertain. The professional must advise on risks that cannot be precisely quantified. The OLG risk management guidelines set out the governance framework, but the capability to operate within it requires both technical and interpersonal skills.
How can professionals build strategic risk capability?
AcademyGlobal (AG), the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Centre of Excellence for Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, delivers programs that build risk management capability across career stages. AG’s Strategic Risk Management courses address how to identify, assess and govern strategic risks at the organisational level. For professionals at an earlier career stage, AG’s Risk Management Fundamentals provides the structured foundation.
The professionals who build risk management capability early create a compounding advantage. Every promotion, every board appointment and every governance challenge is easier when the discipline of thinking about what could go wrong is already in place.
Frequently asked questions
What is the career path into strategic risk?
Three common pathways: specialist (internal audit/compliance into enterprise risk), operational (deep domain expertise applied to risk governance) and governance (senior operational roles into board and committee oversight positions).
What qualifications support a strategic risk career?
Risk management qualifications such as ISO 31000 certification, IRM qualifications and CIPS qualifications all support risk career development. Operational experience in a specific domain is equally important.
Is demand for risk professionals growing?
Yes, across government (ARIC requirements), infrastructure (long term project risk governance), financial services (regulatory and climate risk) and regulated industries (safety and environmental risk).
Do I need to start in risk to build a risk career?
No. Many senior risk professionals started in operations, finance or project delivery. The cross functional experience is valuable because strategic risk assessment requires understanding how organisations actually work.
Where can I start building risk management capability?
AcademyGlobal’s Risk Management Fundamentals provides the structured foundation for risk identification, assessment and treatment.
References
1. Institute of Risk Management, “IRM Global Risk Awards”
2. NSW Audit Office, “Local Government 2025,” July 2026
3. Statewide Mutual, “New Risk Management Framework for NSW Councils,” November 2019
4. OLG NSW, “Guidelines for Risk Management and Internal Audit”
5. NAG, “NSW Local Government Draft Guidelines for Risk Management and Internal Audit”