Risk is Our Business

Beyond the Security Console: Digital Risk and Resilience on the Bridge with Christopher Hetner

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen is joined by Christopher Hetner, Senior Cyber Risk Advisor serving the boardroom community and former senior cybersecurity advisor to the Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The conversation opens by tackling a deceptively simple question: what do we even call this space anymore? Information security, IT security, cybersecurity, cyber risk, digital risk, digital resilience — are these distinct disciplines with meaningful nuance, or different labels for the same underlying reality? Christopher and Michael unpack how language shapes expectations, accountability, and how risk is understood across the enterprise.
From there, they dive into Michael’s widely discussed essay, “The CISO Is Dead: A Eulogy and a Resurrection,”exploring why the title provoked resistance while the substance resonated. The discussion reframes the modern CISO not as a narrow security operator, but as a steward of digital risk and resilience in a world where every function, product, and decision carries a digital footprint.
They explore the dangers of cybersecurity leaders operating in isolation, the limits of traditional security-centric models, and why cyber risk can no longer live on its own island. The conversation then turns to the boardroom, what directors tend to understand about cyber and digital risk, where gaps remain, and how risk leaders can engage boards more effectively by shifting from technical reporting to strategic navigation.
Rather than treating cyber risk as a technical problem to be delegated, this episode makes the case for digital risk and resilience as a bridge-level responsibility, one that requires shared ownership, clearer language, and leadership capable of steering the enterprise through an increasingly interconnected and uncertain risk universe.

Keeping Time on the Bridge: The Rhythm of Risk with Bradley Jewett

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen opens a subspace channel with Bradley Jewett, Chief Financial Officer at LeadVenture and a seasoned operating executive who helped shape enterprise risk management inside Microsoft and BMC Software.
The discussion begins by contrasting bad risk management (periodic, siloed, and designed to check a box) with good risk management that actively informs how organizations make decisions. From there, Brad introduces the philosophy he championed at Microsoft: the Rhythm of Risk.
Rather than positioning risk as a separate function, Brad describes an approach where risk management keeps pace with the enterprise itself. Strategic planning cycles, annual operating plans, mergers and acquisitions, audit planning, SEC reporting, investor communications, and product roadmaps all become natural moments for risk to surface and influence outcomes. Risk moves in time with the business, strategic and operational, top-down and bottom-up.
Recorded over a live video link, the conversation also explores how this mindset was received by leadership, what it took to set expectations that risk should shape daily decisions, and why aligning risk to the organization’s cadence is far more effective than standalone frameworks or annual exercises.
The episode offers a practical, experience-led perspective on what it means to keep risk on the bridge, not as a warning light, but as a steady navigational rhythm guiding the enterprise through uncertainty at warp speed.

From Hazards to Horizons: Charting Opportunity Risk at Warp with Nordex’s Risk Command Crew

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen beams into a cross-continental conversation with Karsten Findeis, Head of Risk Management at Nordex Group, and Dr. Ayman Nagi, Corporate Risk Manager, for a deep look at how risk maturity evolves inside a global renewable-energy manufacturer.
They discuss how Nordex has transformed its risk mindset over the past decade, shifting from a compliance-driven obligation to a strategic discipline that captures both risks and opportunities. By treating risk as the effect of uncertainty on objectives, the team explains how they’ve moved beyond the old hazard-and-harm framing to a more balanced, value-creating approach that resonates across the business.
Karsten and Ayman share how Nordex built trust with the organization, how the perception of risk has shifted from burden to business partner, and why logging opportunities alongside risks reflects a more advanced, enterprise-wide understanding of uncertainty. They also dig into IDW PS 340, how its requirements have sharpened their processes, and how implementing the right technology elevated data quality, reporting, and decision-making across the fleet.
They also chart where risk management at Nordex is headed in the coming years, from enhanced digital twins to deeper integration with strategic planning and operational execution. For organizations navigating uncertain markets, the Nordex journey offers a blueprint for turning risk into propulsion rather than drag.

Calibrating the Risk Sensors: Charting Operational Risk Frontiers with Marc Leipoldt

In this latest episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen connects via subspace (okay… a Zoom call) with Marc Leipoldt, CEO of Global Risk Advisory Services.
Marc and Michael take a candid look at the state of operational risk management in financial services today. Has it become little more than a Basel-born compliance checkbox? Or can it truly guide strategic decision-making and protect the organization when volatility strikes?
Together, they outline what good operational risk management really requires, starting with deep understanding of how the bank actually works—its processes, systems, and the complex interactions between them. Marc emphasizes that KRIs must be actionable and aligned to accountability, not just dashboards for dashboards’ sake.
They also grapple with the messy truth of technology in risk. GRC tools are accelerators, not saviors, and without a clear strategy, strong governance, and well-defined processes, no platform will deliver the transformation banks are hoping for.
And finally, Marc looks five years ahead. What will operational risk maturity look like across global banks? How will regulatory expectations evolve? And can risk finally break free from compliance-only thinking to become the steward of organizational foresight?

When Logic Isn’t Enough: Engaging the Right Brain of Risk with Mark Heywood

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen welcomes aboard Mark Heywood, writer, presenter, creative director, novelist, screenwriter, and former global crisis-management leader, for a conversation that travels well beyond the neutral zone of traditional risk models. Together, they explore why risk and resilience can’t be governed by left-brain logic alone, and why the future of the discipline requires imagination, narrative, and the kind of storytelling that has steered starships and boardrooms alike.
Mark draws from his dual life in operational resilience and the arts to explain what happens when organizations rely solely on spreadsheets, heat maps, and linear thinking. They discuss how right-brain capabilities (creativity, empathy, narrative framing, and world-building) are essential for helping leaders actually understand risk, not just document it. From micro-simulations and tabletop exercises to gamification and immersive storytelling, Mark outlines how to design experiences that engage decision-makers emotionally as well as analytically.
The episode charts a course into the future where logic and imagination operate in tandem, where resilience teams think like screenwriters, and where storytelling becomes a strategic asset for preparing organizations to face the unexpected at warp speed.

Beyond the Unknown: Charting Digital Trust and the Future CISO with Reshad Alam

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen welcomes aboard Reshad Alam, Vice President of Information Systems Security at Regal Rexnord, for a conversation about navigating risk at enterprise scale, and why the greatest threat is often the one you can’t see coming.
Reshad describes the sheer scope of Regal Rexnord’s global footprint, and with it, the vast digital surface he’s responsible for protecting. What keeps him up at night isn’t any single threat vector, but the unknowns—the blind spots, the emerging risks, the things security leaders can’t yet quantify. From there, the discussion expands into the evolving nature of the CISO role, which Michael sees not as security’s gatekeeper, but as the enterprise’s digital risk and resiliency officer, a creator of digital trust.
Together they explore why a company unwilling to take risks is a company on the path to irrelevance, and why the job of security is not to say “no,” but to help the business take the right risks for the right reasons. They discuss the art of engaging the business on security, shifting away from fear-based messaging and toward shared objectives, shared language, and shared accountability.
The episode also looks ahead at where the CISO role is heading, and of course, no future-focused conversation would be complete without AI. Reshad shares whether it excites him or worries him, and why, despite the threats, he’s far more energized by the potential of AI to strengthen defenses, accelerate detection, and enhance digital trust across the enterprise.
For security and risk leaders charting their own course through uncertainty, this episode is a reminder that the mission isn’t to eliminate the unknown, it’s to navigate it with confidence, clarity, and a willingness to boldly go where the future demands.

Steering the Enterprise: Risk, Audit, and Compliance at Warp Speed with Richard Chambers

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen welcomes Richard Chambers, Senior Advisor at AuditBoard and one of the most influential voices in internal audit and assurance, to discuss how risk, audit, and compliance have evolved in a decade defined by unprecedented velocity and volatility.
Richard reflects on the shifting mindset across GRC—from static frameworks and predictable cycles to a world where risk signals move fast, interdependencies compound, and organizations must adapt with greater speed and clarity than ever before.
The conversation draws a sharp distinction between good and bad audit in this environment. Bad audit is adversarial, a corporate police force focused on fault-finding and paperwork. Good audit is a value protector, a trusted partner helping management navigate uncertainty, make sound decisions, and keep the organization moving toward its objectives. If the business fears internal audit, something fundamental is broken.
They then examine modern risk management, emphasizing that effective programs are grounded in realistic assessments of likelihood and materiality, not abstract heat maps or theatrical risk registers. Risk is not something to be avoided; it is something to be understood so the organization can move with intention.
Compliance enters the discussion as well, particularly the cultural divide between the U.S.’s checkbox-heavy approach and Europe’s more risk-based, integrity-oriented model. Compliance, Richard argues, is ultimately about who the organization chooses to be.
The episode closes by looking ahead five years—where AI, automation, and intelligence-driven assurance will shape the role of audit, risk, and compliance. The mission remains the same, but the tools and tempo of the work are changing at warp speed.

Mission Alignment: From Strategy to Culture with Syniverse

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen beams aboard Ana Valdez Rodgers, VP of Internal Audit, and Melissa Pici, Global Director of Governance, Risk & Compliance, of Syniverse to talk about what really keeps GRC leaders up at night.
They dive into how GRC isn’t about ticking boxes but about aligning governance, risk, and compliance with the organization’s purpose and strategy. Drawing on Syniverse’s experience, Ana and Melissa share how their Risk and Assurance Council helps shape culture, break silos, and make GRC part of everyday decision-making, not just a quarterly ritual.
They also reflect on Syniverse’s GRC Trailblazer Award, what it took to earn it, and why lasting success starts with strategy and process before technology ever enters the room. Because GRC isn’t something you buy, it’s something you do.
As the conversation turns forward-looking, they chart where Syniverse’s GRC program is headed next, envisioning a future where alignment, automation, and purpose drive risk strategy. Because as Captain Kirk once said, risk is our business, and as this episode reminds us, a business that doesn’t take risks is a business out of business.

To Boldly List What No Risk Register Has Listed Before: Evolving Risk with Renee Murphy

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen beams aboard Renee Murphy, independent analyst, storyteller, and founder of The Storyteller’s Circle, to reflect on insights emerging from a recent workshop they led together. One theme rose quickly to the surface: are risk registers keeping pace with reality, or are many organizations still flying with decade-old assumptions?
They explore how today’s emerging risks, from AI misuse and deepfakes to data poisoning and automated misinformation, demand more than recycled top-10 lists and stale heat maps. If the world is shifting at warp speed, risk management must evolve its star charts too.
From there, the conversation jumps to the bridge of the Enterprise (naturally). Renee and Michael unpack the risk postures of Starfleet captains and how every organization needs the right mix of boldness and restraint to navigate uncertainty without flying the ship into a spatial anomaly.
They round out the episode exploring the fear and promise of AI—not as a looming replacement for the crew, but as a co-pilot that enhances perception, speeds analysis, and reveals risks before red alerts sound.
Because great risk management doesn’t just brace for the unknown, it boldly goes toward it with intelligence, imagination, and the right crew at the helm.

Guardians of Uncertainty: Risk Leadership and the New Frontier with Ernest Legrand

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen beams aboard Ernest Legrand, CEO, technologist, and author of Guardians of Uncertainty: The Making of Influential Risk Managers in the Modern World, to explore what it really means to lead through volatility.
Drawing on lessons from his book and decades of experience across insurance, AI, and geospatial technology, Ernest discusses how elite risk managers transform uncertainty into strategy. Together, they chart the evolution of risk leadership,  from compliance and insurance frameworks to dynamic decision-making built on data, foresight, and empathy.
From the human side of decision-making to the architecture of trust, Ernest shares lessons from the world’s top risk leaders, those who turn unpredictability into opportunity, and governance into a living, adaptive system.
For executives, risk professionals, and board leaders alike, this episode offers a reminder that uncertainty isn’t a void to avoid, it’s the terrain of leadership itself.