First 90 Days as Chief Risk Officer: Strategic Leadership and Risk Integration

First 90 Days as Chief Risk Officer: Strategic Leadership and Risk Integration

From RiskMasters | Trailblazing Risk Leadership by Julien Haye | Strategic Risk Leadership Expert | Author of The Risk Within

April 4, 2026 · 6 min · Season 4

About this episode

The episode discusses the critical role of a Chief Risk Officer in their first 90 days, emphasizing strategic leadership and risk integration.

This is The Download, a short extract from my conversation with Jennifer Geary, COO, Chief Risk Officer, and author of The C-Suite Framework. In this segment, we explore the critical role of a Chief Risk Officer and what matters most in the first 90 days. Moving beyond rapid assessment, effective risk leadership depends on implementing a robust risk management framework, understanding organisational context, and building strong relationships to embed enterprise risk into strategic decision-making. What You’ll Hear • Why acting too quickly can reduce impact at the CRO level • How to approach your first 90 days with strategic leadership • The importance of understanding the organizational context and risk dynamics • Why relationships are crucial to embedding risk management in decisions • How to align expectations across the executive and board directors The effectiveness of a CRO is not defined by early activity. It is defined by how well risk becomes integrated into decision-making over time. Leaders who prioritise understanding, alignment, and relationships in their first 90 days create the conditions for sustained influence. Those who act too quickly often reinforce the…

People in this episode

Host: Julien Haye

Guest: Jennifer Geary

Topics covered

  • Chief Risk Officer
  • strategic leadership
  • risk management
  • organizational context
  • executive decision-making
  • relationship building

Keywords

  • Chief Risk Officer
  • risk management framework
  • strategic decision-making
  • organizational context
  • executive leadership
  • risk dynamics
  • relationship building

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The C-Suite Framework, RiskMasters, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, aevitium.com

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