In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen welcomes Jannie Wentzel and Andrew Gunter, Partner and Principal GRC Consultants at Cential, for a candid conversation about where risk management and GRC go wrong, particularly inside American organizations, and what it takes to set a better course.

Jannie and Andrew take the helm for much of the discussion, beginning with the bad. They explore the habits, structures, and assumptions that leave risk and compliance programs disconnected from the business, including approaches built around satisfying requirements rather than helping organizations understand uncertainty and make better decisions.

The conversation turns to the state of risk management in the United States and some of the recurring weaknesses they encounter in practice. Rather than treating those problems as inevitable features of GRC, they examine what organizations can do differently and why effective risk management begins with understanding the business, its objectives, and the decisions people are actually trying to make.

From there, the discussion moves naturally into what good risk management looks like. Jannie and Andrew draw on years spent working directly with organizations to discuss the importance of alignment, practical processes, clear ownership, and GRC programs designed around business value rather than bureaucracy.

More than a prescribed tour through frameworks and methodologies, this episode is a practitioner-led conversation about the state of the profession and the course corrections that can turn GRC from an obligation into something the business genuinely wants on the bridge.

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen welcomes Rookie Nagtalon, technology executive, strategist, and AI advocate, for a conversation about how governance, risk, and compliance are evolving in one of Asia's fastest-changing digital economies.

The discussion begins with the realities keeping Philippine organizations awake at night. From increasingly complex regulatory requirements to the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, Rookie explains how organizations are balancing innovation with governance while strengthening the people, processes, and technologies that underpin effective risk management.

Michael and Rookie explore what makes the Philippine approach to risk and compliance distinctive, where organizations continue to mature, and why developing AI capabilities, improving workflows, and investing in the right skills have become strategic priorities. They also examine the remarkable diversity of the Asia-Pacific region, arguing that there is no single APAC model for GRC and discussing how the Philippines is helping shape regional thinking around digital transformation and modern governance.

Artificial intelligence remains a central theme throughout the conversation. Rookie shares his perspective on AI governance, AI risk, and why successful AI initiatives depend less on sophisticated models than on trustworthy, well-governed data. The discussion also explores the current state of AI regulation in the Philippines and how organizations can prepare for a regulatory landscape that continues to evolve alongside the technology itself.

The episode concludes by looking toward 2030, considering how governance, risk, and compliance may change over the coming years and what organizations can do today to build the capabilities they'll need for tomorrow. It's a thoughtful discussion about leadership, technology, and why the future of GRC will belong to organizations that combine innovation with disciplined governance.

In this episode of Risk Is Our Business, Captain Michael Rasmussen welcomes Ellen Holder, Managing Director and Sustainability & ESG Lead EMEA at Protiviti, for a conversation that asks a deceptively simple question. Is sustainability really about reporting, or is it something much bigger?

Together they explore how the conversation has evolved from sustainability to ESG, and why many organizations are now shifting back again. Ellen explains that sustainability was never just about the environment. It has always encompassed environmental, social, and governance considerations, but without some of the political baggage the term ESG has accumulated in recent years.

The discussion draws on an unexpected lesson from Ted Lasso, where the idea that "doing the right thing is never the wrong thing" becomes a useful way of thinking about sustainability. Rather than treating it as another compliance requirement, Ellen argues that sustainability should be understood as a long-term strategic capability that helps organizations create value not only for today, but for future generations.

Michael and Ellen also examine the relationship between sustainability and enterprise risk, the role of double materiality assessments, and the practical challenges organizations face when trying to integrate sustainability into existing governance and risk management programs. They discuss where technology, and particularly AI, is beginning to make a meaningful contribution, and how approaches to sustainability differ between Germany, the rest of Europe, and other regions around the world.

At its heart, this episode is about looking beyond quarterly reporting cycles and asking a more fundamental question. How do organizations build resilience and create lasting value by making decisions that remain the right ones tomorrow as well as today?