The Global Risk Landscape Rewards a Commitment to Agility

The economy, talent and cyber threats represent the most pressing risk issues organizations face over both the near- and long-term, with artificial intelligence (AI) concerns lurking as well. Yet board members and executives view their organizations as more resilient and better prepared to manage through change. These are among the notable findings in the latest Executive Perspectives on Top Risks Survey from Protiviti and NC State University’s ERM Initiative. In this issue of Board Perspectives, we take a closer look at some of these findings.

This global study measures the most pressing near-term risks looking out over the next two to three years, as well as the 10-year outlook. The chart below illustrates the top 10 near-term risks.

Respondents also provided their views on the long-term risk outlook, selecting the top two risks from each category in the survey (macroeconomic, strategic and operational) that they see as having the greatest impact on their organizations over the next decade.

 
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Top Risks - long term risks
 

Among the highlights from our global survey:

  • While board members and executives believe their organizations are better prepared for managing change, they remain wary of what’s around the corner, underscoring the need for technology-enabled horizon scanning and effective scenario planning.
  • The economy remains the top near-term risk globally, reflecting collective fatigue around economic uncertainty that has been weighing on leaders since COVID.
  • Cyber threats require constant adaptation to an evolving threat landscape.
  • The regulatory environment — changes, heightened scrutiny and aggressive enforcement — remains a prominent concern.
  • AI- and talent-related risks are intertwined, revealing concerns about the availability of labor and skills to leverage emerging technologies. Of note, three AI issues landed in the top 10 list of global near-term risks.

(Board Perspectives — Issue 185)

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