The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Senior Risk Strategist (Internal Promotion)
3-5 years as a Senior Risk StrategistSkills to master
- Leading complex risk projects end-to-end, making strong recommendations to leadership, mentoring junior team members, and developing a deep understanding of specific business unit risks.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led 2-3 enterprise-level risk mitigation projects with significant business impact.
- Consistently sought out for advice on complex risk scenarios by peers and senior leaders.
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive consensus on risk issues.
- Has informally mentored junior colleagues, showing leadership potential.
- 2
Risk Consultant (External Hire)
8-10 years in a risk consulting role, with 3-5 years at a senior/manager level.Skills to master
- Designing and implementing ERM frameworks for diverse clients, managing client relationships, leading project teams, and developing expertise in various industry-specific regulations.
You're ready to move on when
- Experience leading large-scale ERM implementation projects for multi-national clients.
- Strong client-facing communication and presentation skills, with a track record of selling and delivering complex risk solutions.
- Expertise in adapting theoretical frameworks to practical business realities.
- Ability to quickly understand new business contexts and identify critical risks.
- 3
Head of Risk & Compliance (Specific Business Unit)
5-8 years leading risk/compliance for a specific business unit or region.Skills to master
- Deep operational understanding of a particular business area, managing all aspects of risk and compliance for that unit, reporting to business leadership, and building strong relationships with operational teams.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully built and managed a comprehensive risk and compliance programme for a business unit.
- Demonstrated ability to balance business objectives with risk management requirements.
- Proven track record of reducing risk incidents and improving compliance within their domain.
- Strong leadership skills with experience managing a small team.