Meet Anthony Black, Ansvar Risk’s new Senior Risk Solutions Consultant.

As the newest member of the Ansvar Risk team, Anthony will lead the use of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) practices and frameworks for Ansvar’s specialist customer sectors.

He’ll work with customers to ensure that their risk management adds value through building risk awareness and capability, improving performance and assisting organisations in achieving their objectives.

Anthony spent the last six years as a senior risk adviser in the health, education and community health areas within the Victorian State Government.

Before that, he spent 10 years in health services management. Anthony started his career as a nurse – so he understands the challenges associated with running complex health services from top to toe!

“Risk management has always been fundamental in my career. As a nurse it was part of the everyday, and as leader it was both part of the everyday and longer-term. I understand and appreciate the challenges of providing services, and I want to bring my experiences and knowledge to the table to support organisations with the work they do,” Anthony says.

“In my experience, organisations often do not maximise the effectiveness of risk management, nor link it strongly to achieving strategic objectives. Not from a lack of trying, but often because the risk framework is compliance oriented, cumbersome and focused on incidents and issues.

“Ansvar Risk’s frameworks are focused around social and human considerations, and is purpose and goal focused. Our enterprise risk management practises are an enabler; a framework that, when implemented well, helps organisations make better decisions and be more resilient. It encourages boards and management to consider both their internal and external vulnerabilities, and appropriately assess risk.”

Anthony has identified four events which are game changers for the care sector in assessing risk this year.

They are:

-The new National Standards for Childcare
-The Royal Commission into the Institutional Response to Historical Child Sex Abuse
-The development of the new Age Care Quality and Safety Commission, and
-The National Disability Insurance Scheme

“These represent four enormous contextual changes for our sector,” says Anthony.

“It means that people responsible for making decisions have to give consideration to the uncertainty that arises as a consequence of these four significant developments.

“This is where risk management becomes an essential component of the governance tool kit.

“I’m keen for our customers to know that understanding their risks saves time and resources and directs effort towards what’s important. Knowing your risk helps draw attention to what specific actions need to take place to achieve objectives and challenges the old ‘we have always done it that way’ attitude.

“I think what sets Ansvar Risk apart is that we view ERM as a team effort. I enjoy working in and with teams, so we consult with people from across an organisation to really understand and assess risks. I believe that everyone has something valuable to contribute and diversity of ideas should be embraced.

“Bringing people together encourages new ways of thinking, drives innovation and improvement. This supports our customers to properly scrutinise risks against strategic objectives, make sound decisions, optimise performance and make organisations more resilient.”

For more details on our Enterprise Risk Management offering please click here