December2025

Mckunsey

&company

Risk&ResiliencePractice

Howchiefriskofficerscanbuildthenextgenerationofleaders

Chiefriskofficershaveanopportunitytoredefinetheriskfunctionasaleadershipfactorywhereleaderscanbecultivated,tested,andelevated.

byFarahDilberandIdaKristensen

withMaxwellYeeandNitikaMummidivarapu

Theriskfunctionisevolvingfasterthanever—andsotoomusttheprofileofitsleaders.

Historically,greatriskleaderswerecharacterizedbydeeptechnicalfluency,businessacumen,andastrongfocusoncompliance.Whilethesetraitsremainessential,today’sdisruptive

environment—withtheaccelerationinAI,shiftingregulatorypriorities,risinggeopolitical

volatility,andgrowingcomplexityandinterdependenceintherisklandscape—demandseven

morefromriskprofessionalsandcreatesanopportunitytoshapetheriskfunctionofthefuture.

Itismoreimportantthaneverthatriskleadersactdecisivelyamiduncertainty,maintainastrongexternalorientation,andharnesstechnologyandanalyticstoaccelerateimpact.

Inmanyways,theriskfunctioniswellpositionedtocultivatethesetraitsinindividuals.Chiefriskofficers(CROs)andtheirteamsoperateacrossbusinessesandfunctions,haveasayinmostofanorganization’scriticaldecisionswhilebalancinggrowthandriskconsiderations,andplaya

keyroleinhigh-priorityinitiatives,suchasregulatoryresponses,crisismanagement,andstrategictransformations.

Asthefunctionevolvestonavigatetheraftofcomplexitiesconfrontinganorganization,its

leadershaveanopportunitytoevolvetheriskfunctionasaleadershipincubator.Indeed,itcanbecomeaplacethatproduceshigh-performingtalent—subjectmatterexpertsaswellas

versatilegeneralists—equippedtostepconfidentlyintoenterprise-wideleadershiproles.

AsGertKruger,CROofFirstRand,toldus,“Equippingpeoplewithbroadskillscreatesavaluepropositionbothforindividualstoworkinrisk—whoseeriskasacareeraccelerator—andfortheenterprise,whichgainswell-roundedleaders.”

OurongoingresearchontheevolvingroleoftheCROhasrevealedthemindsets,skills,and

habitsthatareessentialtodevelopingfuture-readyleaders

.1DrawingonthisresearchaswellasMcKinsey’sworkondeveloping

21st-centuryleaders

,wehaveidentifiedfouractionsCROsandtheirteamsaretakingtopositiontheriskfunctionasaleadershipfactory:

—Developaclear,forward-lookingdefinitionofwhatmakesagreatleaderintoday’sriskenvironment.

—Castawidenetfortalentbyproactivelyidentifyinghigh-potentialleaderswithinandbeyondtheriskfunction.

—Stretch,upskill,andelevateriskleadersbyprovidingresilience-buildingexperiencesthroughrotations,high-ownershipprojects,andtargeteddevelopment.

—Buildsustainedcapabilitybyhardwiringleadershipdevelopmentintosystems,processes,andculture.

1FormoreseeCristinaCatania,IdaKristensen,MarcChiapolino,andTijanaTrkulja,“

Whichchiefriskofficerarchetypeareyou?

,”McKinsey,May6,2025,and“

Acceleratingimpactfromdayone:AguidefornewCROs

,”McKinsey,July2,2025.

Howchiefriskofficerscanbuildthenextgenerationofleaders2

Howchiefriskofficerscanbuildthenextgenerationofleaders3

Definethe21st-centuryriskleader

CROscanworkwithseniorleadersacrossandbeyondtheriskfunctiontodefineaclear,

forward-lookingvisionofgreatleadership—onethatencompassescriticalcapabilities,createssharedstandards,andfocusesonconsistentapproachestotalentdevelopment.Crucially,thisvisionshouldemphasizethatgreatleadersdon’tjustembodythesecapabilities

themselves—theycultivatetheminothers.Indeed,themosteffectiveleadersdeveloptalent

intentionally,createinclusiveenvironments,andempowertheirteamstotakeownershipover

decision-making.CROscancodify,communicate,andregularlyrevisitthisvisiontoensuretheirleadershipdevelopmentapproachremainsfocusedandadaptableasbusinessneedsevolve.

Basedonourresearchandexperience,webelievethe21st-centuryriskleaderembodiesfivecriticaltraits:

—Businessfluencyasacoreskill:Riskleadersareexpectedtoshapebusinessoutcomesandestablishtheorganization’sriskstancebydemonstratingcommercialawarenessand

operationalexcellenceintheirrole.ThisbecomesevenmorecriticalasCROsincreasingly

serveasstrategicpartnerstothebusiness,helpingtobalancegrowthandprudenceinan

environmentofheighteneduncertaintyandrapidchange.Inmanyorganizations,uptohalfofriskofficerswerepreviouslyinseniorbusinessroles.“TheroleoftheCROistoactually

takerisktogrowthebusiness,”saidNigelWilliams,formerCROatCommonwealthBank.“Itisaboutchoosingwhereyouwanttogrowandwhatrisksthatyoutake.”

—Emergingtechnicalanddomainmastery:EmergingriskareassuchasAI,cyber,andcryptoarefundamentallyreshapingtherisklandscape.Riskfunctionsneedleaderswithdeep

fluencyinthesedomains—andtheforesighttoanticipatehowtheywillevolve.AsAI

adoptionaccelerates,forexample,leadersareexpectedtonotonlygraspthetechnicaldimensionsbutalsoconnectthemtobusinessstrategy.

—Influenceandexecutivepresence:Leadersneedtodistillcomplex,technical,and

ambiguousissuesintoclear,actionablerecommendationssothattheycancrediblyinfluencethebusinessagenda.AsMarleneDebel,MetLife’sCROandheadofMetLifeInsurance

Investments,toldus,“Atsomepointinyourcareer,yourtechnicalskillsbecometablestakes...whatgetsyouthenextroleisyourabilitytoalsolead,manage,influence,andnegotiate.”Todothiswell,riskleadersareexpectedtohavetheexecutivepresencetoengagewithtopleadership.AsTrevorAdams,formerCROofNedbank,said,“EQ[emotionalquotient]is

moreimportantthanIQ.Beingtechnicallysmartisnolongerenough.Andbeingcorrectisnotsufficient;itishowyouconveythemessage.”

—Orthogonalthinking:Themosteffectiveleadersareabletoassesstoday’srisksand

opportunities,whilealsoanticipatingwhatmaylieahead—usingorthogonalthinkingto

surfaceemergingthreatsandunconventionalopportunitiesbeforetheybecomevisibleto

Howchiefriskofficerscanbuildthenextgenerationofleaders4

others.Orthogonalthinkerslookaroundcorners,challengeassumptions,andconnectdotsothersmightmiss.Theycombinecuriositywithconstructivedissent,pushingteamstotest

conventionalwisdomandexploresecond-ordereffects.AsMariaMorris,chairoftheBoardRiskCommitteeatWellsFargo,said,“Thebestrisktalentarethosewhoaskwhatifandwhyquestions.”Indoingso,theyhelporganizationsnotonlymanageriskbutredefinethe

boundariesofopportunity.

—Adaptabilityandresilience:Inanenvironmentwhereprioritiescanshiftovernight,the

most

effectiveleaders

havedevelopedbattlescarsbysteppingintoambiguity,driving

transformation,andtakingonchallengeswithoutguaranteedplaybooks.Theyrallyteamsthroughdisruption,abandonapproachesthatnolongerserve,andmodelthe

gritand

steadinessthatinspireconfidence

.

Noindividualwillexcelequallyacrossallfivetraits.ThatiswhyCROsmaybenefitfrom

cultivatingtwodifferentbutequallyvitaltalenttracksinthefunction:deepsubjectmatter

expertswhoanchorthefunctionintechnicalexcellence(inareasliketechnologyormodelrisk,forexample)andriskgeneralistswithintegrativecapabilities,whobringthebreadthof

experienceandjudgmenttoexertinfluenceattheenterpriselevel.Bothtypesoftalentarecritical,butCROsneedtobeexplicitaboutthemixrequiredintheriskfunctionandbe

deliberateaboutthetalentcultivationanddevelopmentneededforeachtrack.

Castawidenetfortalent

Withaclearlydefinedprofileofmodernriskleadership,CROscanfocusonspottingtheindividualswhoembodythesetraits.

Successfulriskleaderstreattalentidentificationasacoreleadershipresponsibility,which

requireslookingbeyondtheusualsuspectsandproactivelyidentifyinghigh-potentialleadersbeforetheydisengageormoveelsewhere.LeadingCROsarenowdeliberatelybroadening

sourcingchannelsbeyondthetraditionalconfinesoftheriskfunctiontoincludeadjacentareassuchasdatascience,operations,finance,andtechnology.Aswe’veexploredin

pastresearch

,thestrongestcandidatesmovingintoriskandcomplianceforthefirsttimeoftenbringasetoftransversalskills(forexample,informationprocessingandinductivereasoning)fromtheirpriorexperience.

“Wewouldnotbeabletoaccomplishwhatweneedwithmonotoneexperiencesandskillsets,”explainedBenRosenthal,CROofNewYorkLife.“Weneedattorneys,auditors,actuaries,

technologists,PhDmathematicians,physicists...younamethebackground.”

Spottingtalentrequiresrigorandconstantengagement.Traditionalapproachessuchas

structuredreviewsandHRprocessescanbesystematicallyleveragedtoidentifyandevaluate

talentthatmeetsthevisionofa21st-centuryriskleader.CROscanalsocreatededicated

forumsandprogramsthatsurfaceemergingleaders.Thesemightincludetalentacceleratorsfor

Howchiefriskofficerscanbuildthenextgenerationofleaders5

CROsmaybenefitfromcultivatingtwodifferentbutequallyvitaltalenttracksinthefunction:deepsubjectmatter

expertswhoanchorthefunctionin

technicalexcellence(inareaslike

technologyormodelrisk,forexample)andriskgeneralistswithintegrative

capabilities,whobringthebreadthofexperienceandjudgmenttoexert

influenceattheenterpriselevel.

early-careerprofessionalsorstructuredopportunitiesforrisingleaderstopresentdirectlyto

theCROatleastonceayear.SomeCROsalsouseinformaltouchpointstospotpromising

talent.SadiaRicke,CROofStandardChartered,toldusthatsheroutinelyhastownhalls,talentlunches,aswellasone-on-onemeetingswithkeypeopletogettoknowtalentacrossthe

organizationandidentifythenextgenerationofleaders.

Stretch,elevate,andupskillyourriskleaders

Identifyingtherighttalentisnotenoughonitsown.Realgrowthhappenswhentalentistestedthroughexperiencesthatbuildenterpriseperspective,sharpenjudgment,andhardwire

resilience.

LeadingCROsdothisbycreatingaportfolioofopportunitiestoacceleratedevelopmentwithoutdisruptingbusinessasusual.Theseopportunitiesaremosteffectivewhentailoredtowhere

individualsareontheirgrowthpath—whetherdeepeningtheexpertiseoftechnicalspecialistsorbroadeningtheperspectiveofenterpriseriskgeneralists.CraigBroderick,formerCROat

GoldmanSachs,toldusthatleaderscan“startelevatingthosethatarethemostimportantand

thosethatyouwouldhavethehighestriskoflosingifyoudon’tgivethemmoreprofileandopportunity.”

HerearethreewaysCROscandothis:

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—Cross-pollinatethroughstructuredrotations:Designstructuredrotationprogramsthatallowriskleaderstodevelopanenterprise-wideperspectivewhilestrengtheningbothtechnical

depthandleadershiprange.

Early-tenureemployeescanbenefitfromtwo-tothree-yearprogramsspanningmultipleareasinsideandoutsiderisk(suchas,operationalrisk,compliance,orbusinessoperations).A

samplepathcouldincludetworisk-domainrotationsandoneoutsideplacementtodevelopcommercialfluencyandcross-functionalcollaborationskills.

Formoretenuredtalent,CROscanembedrotationswithinleadershipacceleratororhybridprograms—pairingtargetedexperienceswithmentoring,training,andprojectwork.These

rotationscanbemoreflexibleinduration(sixto18months)andfocusedonclosing

readinessgapsforfutureenterpriseroles(suchasgainingfirst-lineexposureorleadinga

transformationinitiative).AjaiBambawale,groupheadandCROofTDBankGroup,toldus

thathemakesaveryconsciousefforttomovepeoplebetweenthebusinessandrisk,ideallylookingforatwo-wayflow.Hesaidthathigh-potentialleadersareoftenplacedintorisk

rolesfortwoorthreeyearsbeforetheyreturntothebusiness.

Withtwo-thirdsofhisowncareerspentoutsiderisk,ShaunDooley,NAB’sformergroupCRO,canattesttothevalueofdevelopingcross-functionalexperience.“Peoplewhowantto

moveupintheorganization—beitriskoranyotherfunction—needtomoveacrossbusinessunits:eitherfromfirstlineintothesecondline,orintothethirdlineandallthewayacrosstobuildbroadercontextandunderstandingandexpandtheirskillsets.”

—Championmoonshotprojects:Assigntoptalenttospearheadboldinitiatives.High-visibilityandhigh-ownershipassignmentsdevelopjudgment,confidence,andtheabilitytolead

throughambiguity.JasonSchugel,CROatWebsterBank,describedhowcrisescreate

opportunity:“I’vefoundthatresponsestoregulatoryactionscreatevaluableopportunitiestostretchanddeveloptalent,regardlessoftheirpriorexperiencewiththistypeofwork.”

Someriskrolesmayinvolvehighlytechnicalorspecializedresponsibilitiesthataredifficulttostepawayfromwithoutcausingdisruptiontobusiness-as-usualoperations.CROsandotherleadershipcanconsiderwaystobalancesuchopportunities.Incaseswherefull-time

reassignmentisnotfeasible,theycanadoptcreativemodelssuchascreatingcoleads,

rotationalbackfills,orphasedinvolvement.Thegoalistogrowtalentwithoutcompromisingcontinuity—andtoensurethatdevelopmentopportunitiesareaccessibleevenintightly

resourcedteams.

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—Create“sideofdesk”leadershiproles:Noteverystretchopportunityrequiresfull-time

reassignment.Considercreating“sideofdesk”projectsthatallowhigh-potentialemployeestotakeonadditionalleadershipresponsibilitieswithoutbeingfullypulledfromtheircurrentroles.Thisapproachisparticularlyvaluableinteamswithleanstaffingorwhentestingan

individual’sreadinessforabroadersetofresponsibilities.Overtime,theseexperiencesbuildvisibility,versatility,andleadershipmusclewithoutcreatingunwanteddisruption.

Throughalltheseopportunities,whatmattersmostisintentionality.CROscancarefullycuratedevelopmentpathwaysthatstretchleadersintherightways,balancingtechnicalmasterywithenterpriseexposure,andpairingday-to-daydeliverywithopportunitiesthataccelerate

readinessforbiggerroles.

Buildsustainedleadershipcapabilitythroughsystemsandculture

LeadingCROsembedleadershipdevelopmentintotheirfunction’sDNA,creatingaself-

reinforcingflywheel:identifyingtalent,developingit,showcasingit,andreinvestingthose

leadersbackintothesystemasmentorsandrolemodels.Thiscanrequireathree-prongedapproach:

—Reinforcetheriskfunction’scareervalueproposition:Riskcanbepositionedastheplace

wherethebestoperationaltalentcomesfrom—alaunchpadforcareersacrossthe

enterprise.Themosteffectiveriskfunctionsmakecareerpathsvisible,showcasingleaderswhohavecomethroughriskontheirwaytobroaderroles,reinforcingthemessagethattimeinriskacceleratesleadershippotentialandopensdoorsacrosstheenterprise.They

highlightthatthereisnosinglepathtosuccess:Someleadersbuilddepthassubjectmatterexperts,whileothersbecomeversatilegeneralists—bothequallyvaluedandessentialtothefunction’slong-termstrength.Theyalsosignalrealcommitmenttodevelopmentby

providingmeaningfulapprenticeshipandexposuretotheenterpriseanditsstakeholders.Donewell,thefunctioncanbecomeabrandinitself—knownasbothaprovinggroundandcareeraccelerator,wheretalentgetstested,recognized,andpreparedforthenextstep.

—Bedeliberateaboutmentorshipandapprenticeship:Makementoringandfeedbackpartofthedailyrhythm,notanannualexercise.HighlyeffectiveCROscultivateintentional

apprenticeshipwithintheirorganizationsbypairingestablishedriskleaderswithemerging

risktalent.Thesestructuredpairingsaredesignedtoprovidecoachingandaccelerate

development.Whencombinedwithstretchopportunitiesanddeliberateexposuretohigh-

profileleaders—suchastheboardandbusinessunitheads—apprenticeshipscanhelprisingtalentdeepentheirtechnicalandenterprisecapabilities,learntonavigatecomplexdecision-makingenvironments,andgainvisibilitywiththosewhoshapetheorganiz