Closing out another rollercoaster year, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and not exactly brimming with cheer. But risk managers are tougher than that. We continue to prove that this industry is the place for resilience, innovation and e ecting real change. Bring on 2025

This has been a tumultuous year for organisations and their risk managers, and things don’t seem likely to ease up in 2025. It’s easy, when you look at the headlines, to feel a sense of overwhelming fear. 

The global shift towards extremist politics is alarming, and there are plenty of reasons to be worried about Trump’s return (see page 38). The ongoing war between Russia and the Ukraine shows no signs of ending, at least in the near-term.

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Meanwhile, despite the best efforts of international organisations and campaigners, we’re still failing to meaningfully put a stop to climate change and global warming. And on the cyber front, criminals are getting more sophisticated, and attacks are getting harder to prevent.

Another worrying trend, though perhaps one that’s not surprising in the current global landscape, is that people are suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and depression at ever-increasing rates.

Of course, all of this means more risks for businesses. Some are straightforward to understand, such as the impact of wars on supply chains, while others are more complicated, such as how people risks lead to a greater exposure to cyber-attacks.

SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE

The easy thing would be to become weighed down by the negativity. But for everything that’s alarming about our world right now, there are some positives to be found, too.

For me, one thing that stands out is the evolution of risk management. The profession has changed dramatically for the better over the past two decades, and even over the past few years, and the levels of insight, innovation and strategic influence that the modern risk manager wields is cause for celebration and pride.

One of the greatest joys of being the editor of StrategicRISK is that I get to speak to risk professionals who are leading this charge. Whether it’s a CRO who is harnessing AI to make risk modelling better, easier and more accessible to all (see page 10), or an organisation that has used digital twin technology to mitigate power plant risks (see page 32), these risk managers have pushed the barriers of what’s possible and really started a revolution.

And StrategicRISK has transformed with you. We’re now laser-focused on being the voice of the risk manager and sharing your successes. We’ve ramped up case studies, profiles and spotlights, and our motto is to ensure that all our content helps you to do your jobs better.

We’ve got exciting plans for the year ahead too. We’re launching the SR:500 – an ‘off the record’ members-only forum for a carefully selected group of the most senior risk management professionals globally. We’ll also be revealing a new editorial steering committee, helping us to make sure that we’re covering the issues that are most important to you. And we’re kicking off our state of the nation research, which helps us set the agenda for the year ahead.

All of this will help us to make sure that as risk management evolves – we evolve with it.

And as for my new year’s resolution as editor? I want to broaden the pool of risk professionals that we feature and work with. But for that, I need your help. If you have risk successes, innovations or opinions to share – please let me know.

See you all in the new year.

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