Paul Saunders, CMIRM, founding owner/Managing Director of GDFM Consulting has been appointed as the new Chair of the IRM’s Operational Risk Group, taking over from Tony Chidwick.
Paul is an experienced, senior risk professional with excellent strategic, regulatory, and operational risk management skills. He has over 30 years’ experience in retail, corporate and investment banking.
Paul has implemented global business control frameworks to meet regulatory requirements from within a firm and as a consultant. In past roles Paul has developed operational risk and compliance functions in all aspects and has functioned as a deputy Money Laundering Reporting Officer. He has also been subject to the FSA’s approved persons regime.
The IRM’s Operational Risk Group (which has been brought over from the Institute of Operational Risk) provides a forum for risk managers to exchange views and experiences on operational risk management, methods, and development, to share best practice, and to learn from and network with people interested in operational risk.
Outgoing Chairman Tony Chidwick said:
“It has been my honour to be the Chair of the IOR’s Committee which is now amalgamating into the IRM’s Operational Risk Group. During the past three years, a period dominated by the pandemic, we have worked hard on integrating the IOR into the IRM family.
We are working on the new IRM strategy that will further develop the IOR risk community as part of the IRM, and the promulgation of best practice and sharing thought leadership.
With my taking over as Chair of the IRM Audit and Risk Committee I am very pleased to announce as the new Chair, Paul Saunders, a previous Chair of the Operational Risk Special Interest Group, I am confident that under his leadership it will continue to go from strength-to- strength.
Paul commented:
“I am delighted to be taking up this role at a time where risk management has become ever more important to businesses globally.
We will be using the Group as voice for operational risk managers and to professionalise and raise the profile of the discipline across all sectors.
The profession is changing fast, with greater demands on our skills and insights. Covid brought sharply into focus the need for risk management in all parts of the economy and subsequent impacts such as supply chain challenges, geopolitical tensions and the cost-of-living crisis only add to the need for greater skills in managing the risks we face.
The new strategy being rolled out will enable us all to better benefit from the collective wisdom of our community through thought leadership and greater connectivity across the membership and wider risk management community.”
The IRM has a diverse range of risk management community groups covering all regions/sectors from the Armed Forces to Zimbabwe.
