Risk & Compliance (GRC) Frameworks: Strategic Foresight

In today’s fast-evolving business environment – where regulatory scrutiny is increasing and reputational stakes are high – organizations must move beyond box-ticking compliance. True resilience comes from integrating compliance and risk management into a proactive, value-driven strategy. High-performing organizations are aligning these functions to enable real-time decision-making, integrated reporting, and agile responses to emerging threats.

This immersive, hands-on workshop is built for progressive professionals ready to elevate their capabilities. Real-world case studies including high-profile prosecutions involving major Australian financial institutions – will bring the learning to life. Presented by an expert witness in these landmark cases, you’ll gain deep insights into the practical consequences of compliance failures and the organizational changes they triggered.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is ideal for professionals in risk, compliance, governance, internal audit, ESG, and executive leadership roles who are looking to build agile, forward-thinking frameworks that go beyond compliance to create strategic advantage.

Session 1: Setting the Stage – GRC Trends, Compliance Events & ESG Outlook

  • Global risk and compliance challenges: What reports and forecasts reveal
  • The rise of AI and its impact on Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)
  • ESG’s current trajectory and its resilience amid political change

Session 2: Introduction to ISO Standards & Integrated GRC Frameworks

  • Overview of ISO 37301:2021 – Compliance Management Systems
  • Integrating legal obligations within a risk-aligned compliance framework
  • Embedding ESG principles to promote agility, innovation, and trust
  • Prioritizing risk with a clear appetite to optimize compliance efforts

Session 3: Elevating Compliance – Creating Business Value

  • Moving beyond legal minimums toward a strategic compliance posture
  • Aligning compliance with business goals and governance expectations
  • Protecting brand reputation through ethical risk management
  • The convergence of GRC and its implications for business strategy

Session 4: Aligning Risk Registers with Compliance Obligations

  • Choosing and tailoring GRC models to your organization
  • Integrating compliance and operational risk data for real-time decisions
  • Building a responsive, business-aligned compliance framework
  • Choosing the right technology: How to evaluate and implement software effectively

Session 5: Monitoring, Breach Management & Assurance

  • Building an effective compliance monitoring system
  • Techniques: control self-assessments, independent reviews, thematic audits
  • Managing third-party risk and limited-resource monitoring
  • Breach triage and incident escalation methods
  • Reporting structures tailored for different leadership levels

Session 1: Culture Over Process – Building a Risk-Driven Compliance Culture

  • Why culture is the true driver of compliance success or failure
  • Influencing critical staff behaviors and addressing negative cultural drivers
  • Embedding positive risk culture across the organization

Case Study: Culture as a competitive advantage

Session 2: Governance That Supports Integrity and Accountability

  • Governance roles across departments and leadership
  • Directors’ responsibilities managing vs. governing
  • Designing board and committee structures that support compliance
  • Creating a compliance ‘business plan’ with clear accountability

Case Study: Effective vs. ineffective compliance governance in action

Session 3: Navigating Major Regulatory Change and Intervention

  • Preparing for and managing regulatory investigations
  • Understanding the regulatory change lifecycle
  • Crisis management strategies for regulatory interventions
  • Balancing stakeholder expectations under pressure

Case Study: When monitoring failures led to regulatory penalties and loss

Session 4: Driving Behavior Change – A Practical Framework

  • The “6 Factors of Influence” and vital behavior model
  • Applying the Influencer method to overcome cultural barriers
  • What differentiates successful compliance cultures
  • Implementing targeted behavior change strategies

Case Study & Application: Real-world demonstration of cultural turnaround

Session 5: Managing Major Compliance Projects

  • Project lifecycle of compliance framework implementation
  • Aligning stakeholder expectations
  • Transitioning from design to embedded practice
  • Success factors for sustainable compliance infrastructure