Your title might be Head of Cyber, GRC, or Privacy, but the reality of 2025 is that your real job is now much bigger. In an era of interconnected risk, the most effective leaders are those operating far beyond their official remit.
Take a look at your job title. Does it truly capture what you do every day?
For years, the world of risk management was neatly compartmentalised. The Head of Cybersecurity defended the digital perimeter. The Head of Privacy focused on data protection regulations. The Head of GRC managed policies and controls. Each leader had their domain, their budget, and a clearly defined set of responsibilities.
That world is gone.
Today, you’re being pulled into conversations that stretch far beyond your traditional job description. You’re being asked about the ethical implications of a new AI model, the financial viability of a critical third-party vendor in a volatile region, and the resilience of a supply chain you don’t control. The old departmental lines have become irrelevant, blurred by a new reality where every risk is connected.
The biggest threats your organisation faces no longer live within a single function. They thrive in the gaps between them. A sophisticated cyber-attack isn’t just an IT failure; it’s a catastrophic business, compliance, and reputational event. A poorly governed AI deployment isn’t just a tech issue; it’s a legal, ethical, and customer trust crisis waiting to happen.
The Rise of the Cross-Functional Leader
This new landscape demands a new type of leader. The leaders who will not only survive but thrive in this reality are those who have the courage and curiosity to operate beyond the confines of their job description. They are the cross-functional leaders.
These are the professionals who understand that a decision made in the IT department has a direct impact on the company’s balance sheet. They are the privacy leaders who can speak fluently about AI ethics and the GRC heads who can analyse geopolitical intelligence. They don’t just manage risk within their silo; they see the entire board, connecting the dots and anticipating the cascade effects that others miss.
This is the future of integrated risk. It’s a move away from a fragmented, defensive posture to a holistic, strategic approach. But it requires a new mindset, a new set of skills, and a new kind of forum where these leaders can convene.
#RISK Europe: The Forum for a New Era of Leadership
We have built #RISK Europe for this new reality. Taking place on November 12-13 at ExCeL London, it is the only large-scale event in Europe designed not for job titles, but for the cross-functional challenges that have outgrown them. It is the place we are bringing all of these critical conversations into one room.
Our agenda is not built for a Head of Cyber or a Head of GRC in isolation. It is built for the modern leader who must be both.
On Day 1, we will explore the foundational pillars of power and risk, providing a 360-degree view of the macro forces shaping our world. Sessions like “Quantifying Digital Risk: Frameworks and KPIs for Board-Level Reporting” and “The Board and the GRC Function: Bridging the Gap” are designed specifically to arm you with the language and metrics to have strategic, C-level conversations. We’ll also tackle emerging challenges head-on with panels such as “Beyond GenAI: Understanding the Risks & Opportunities of Agentic AI” and “Shadow AI: The New Insider Threat?”
On Day 2, we apply that knowledge with surgical precision, deep-diving into the real-world pressures of regulated industries. The challenges are not theoretical. Sessions like “Operational Resilience in the Face of Market Shocks” for the financial sector, “Protecting Patient Data in a Target-Rich Environment” for healthcare, and “Operational Tech Meets Cyber Threats: Securing the Grid” for the energy sector will address the specific, high-stakes scenarios you face.
These industry-specific discussions will be blended with universal, cross-sector themes. You will explore practical strategies in sessions like “Human Risk Management: Embedding Behavioural Science into Risk Strategy” and prepare for the future with “The Evolving Regulatory Landscape: Staying Agile Under Pressure.”
This isn’t just another event. It’s where you acquire the language, the strategy, and the network to operate as the leader your organisation truly needs. It’s a recognition that your job is bigger than your title, and it’s time you had an event that is too.
2 Readers' comments