David Wilson: Redefining Risk Management by Reimagining Relationships
In the world of risk management, where most see challenges and concerns, David Wilson, Director of Risk and Compliance at CDP, sees potential—an opportunity to transform uncertainty into strategic relationships that can dictate the success or failure of an organization. Through his unique approach and rich career spanning the Royal Navy to CDP, he is reshaping the very definition of risk.
A Strategist’s Perspective on Risk
Wilson’s philosophy is grounded in action—”the doing,” as he often describes it. Trained in the art of risk during his military tenure, where decision-making often impacted survival, Wilson learned early on that risk is not merely about recognizing problems but paving paths of action. His Navy stint not only taught him how to navigate dangers at sea but also allowed him to formalize these instincts into structured discipline.
From Military Might to Corporate Fights
Transitioning from the Navy to the corporate world with Serco, Wilson confronted risks with fresh eyes—moving from the immediacies of military threats to tackling compliance, data, and GDPR challenges. This striking shift revealed the parallel between military and corporate life to him: strategy must always consider, and be influenced by, the risks it introduces. Transitioning between these seemingly disparate worlds, he discovered that governance, whether of a ship or a corporation, ultimately seeks calculated risks to drive growth.
“You can’t have a strategy without considering the risks that the strategy introduces,” he reflects.
The Dance of Thought and Action
The crux of effective risk management, Wilson argues, lies in creating space for both reacting to immediate issues and planning for future threats. The delicate dance of thought and action requires strategic headspace—a headspace often crowded by the swift wheels of changing realities. As he puts it, “There’s a constant trade-off between addressing today’s issues and planning for tomorrow’s uncertainties.”
This strategic dance requires looking at risk not through the cold AI of numbers but through the lens of human relationships, leads Wilson to suggest an innovative perspective—that perhaps today’s foundations of risk management should focus equally, if not more, on relationships and trust.
Let Trust Be Your Compass
Building on Professor James Davis’ theories of trust, Wilson proposes that risk management could evolve to prioritize the ripple effects of uncertainty on relationships rather than solely on objectives. What if, he ponders, an organization’s endurance through crisis isn’t measured merely by its financial calculations but by its ability to sustain trust amongst its partners, investors, and clientele?
“Acknowledging the risk to relationships,” Wilson argues, “could transform our understanding and approach, potentially reorienting trust as the core of risk management strategies.”
Uncertain Times, Certain Steps
Wilson forces the industry to ask tough questions: How do we embrace uncertainty to uncover better decision-making opportunities? How do we shift from admiring risks to strategically engaging with ‘the doing’? His approach doesn’t just demand answers but inspires courses of action that underpin sustainable success.
Inspiring Through Action
Wilson’s journey, from the high seas and into boardrooms, paints a vivid picture of a leader not just navigating uncertainty but thriving amid it. His ideas challenge traditional risk management paradigms and open doorways to a future where relationships, trust, and strategic alignment are at the core of corporate success.
“The essence,” he insists, “is the relentless pursuit of the doing—action that transforms and trusts in the face of uncertainty, lighting up new paths through the maze of modern challenges.” As stated in Strategic Risk Global, the landscape of risk management may very well see a new dawn led by visionaries like David Wilson.
