Zanele Mukhobu, CFIRM, Director, Enterprise Risk Management, Gauteng Department of Human Settlement has recently been awarded the highest grade of membership by the Institute of Risk Management by completing the Senior Executive Route.
She is also Chair of the IRM’s South Africa Regional Group and has dedicated her time to being an ambassador for the risk profession.
She said:
“I was excited to be awarded the Certified Fellow Institute Risk Management (CFIRM) qualification and certification by the Institute of Risk Management in the UK, which has confirmed my eleven years’ worth of knowledge and experience in the implementation of risk management processes and embedding the risk management culture in the public sector.
I am privileged and honoured to be recognised by the highly prestigious IRM, which offers global risk management standards of competence and qualifications that are highly sought – after.
As a risk manager this certification will encouraged me more to be the voice and advocate for risk management profession, and to be recognised in the workplace by our principal in relation to efficient delivering of the public value – as well encouraging my peers in Africa and across the globe to be courageous and advocate for risk management in their own areas of responsibilities.
I am forever humbly and grateful for the support received from my family, colleagues, the Gauteng Department of Human Settlement and the Institute itself.”
We asked her about her experience of going through the Senior Executive Route and here’s what she said:
How did you get your job?
I got the job in 2007 when risk management was newly introduced in the Public Sector in line with section 38 of Public Financial Management Act in Africa.
What’s a typical day like as a Director of Enterprise Risk Management?
The first thing I do is to meet with team and recap on the previous day’s to do list and work on the current days’ work which involve consultation with risk owners on their risks within their areas of responsibilities.
Attend to any emerging risks and unforeseen incidents by identifying, assessing, documenting and reporting them.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Interacting and networking with different individuals in relation to understanding their risk exposures within their areas of responsibility.
Being able to change mind-set of risk owners, seeing them taking risk responsibilities seriously by taking risk ownership, leadership and making calculated risk decision in mitigating their risks
And seeing the positive risk outcomes due to fruitful implementation of risk management processes and risk management culture across the entire organisation.
What are the challenges?
The buy – in is still a challenge in the public sector due to five year political term as leadership changes.
The continuity and risk management culture built over the years get tested. The risk management systems and governance structures built over the years, their functionality and continuity depend on the new leadership’s focus.
Why did you want to go through the Senior Executive Route?
The vast experience that I accumulated over eleven years in embedding risk management processes and risk management culture in the public service has led me to pursue the Senior Executive Route professional qualifications and Certification.
It was about how do I compare in terms of experience and competency gained over the years with the other certified members and certified fellows.
More than anything was to get a qualification and recognition so that I can advocate for risk management profession with conviction and confidence
Top tips on getting into risk management.
You must have passion for risk management and love for the work that you are doing.
Continuous Professional Development is critical as the world around us keep on changing by a minute – you need to stay on par.
Enrol yourself into a reputable risk management Professional Body such as the IRM, which is globally recognised and familiarise yourself with their Professional Risk Management Standards.
