This week on Aevitium: Risk Oversight Failures

Featured Article: Risk Oversight Failures: Lessons from Société Générale, Amazon, and the Boardroom

Rethinking what risk oversight really means, and why it still fails when it matters most.

Hello everybody,

Happy Monday. I hope your week has started with fresh energy and new ideas. 

Last week, I returned to the foundational question of risk vs control, challenging the assumption that more controls automatically lead to safer outcomes. The takeaway? Without clarity and purpose, controls can multiply risks rather than mitigate them.

This week, I’m shifting the focus from control frameworks to risk oversight, the boardroom's critical role in enabling, rather than obstructing, bold and effective decisions.

Risk oversight is not about saying no to risk; it’s about knowing when, where, and how to say yes. - Julien Haye

We often associate oversight with caution and compliance. But when it works well, it is what empowers organisations to take calculated risks and adapt to uncertainty.

Drawing on examples from Amazon, Société Générale, and beyond, this article explores:

📍 What strong risk oversight looks like and how it differs from bureaucracy

📍 How governance can foster innovation, not just prevent failure

📍 Red flags that suggest your board may be blind to emerging risks

📍 Practical ways to reset oversight from a strategic first-principles view

In an environment defined by disruption and complexity, smart risk oversight can be the difference between staying stuck and moving forward with confidence.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How is risk oversight evolving in your organisation, and what’s helping it or holding it back?

Wishing you a week of clarity, progress, and purpose.

Best, Julien

Article link: 🔗 https://www.aevitium.com/post/risk-oversight-the-billion-dollar-question

This Week’s Additional Updates & Opportunities:

1️⃣ New insights on the Three Lines Model and Governance: Recent polls confirm a clear pattern: governance breaks down when roles are unclear, communication is siloed, and challenge is missing. These gaps not only weaken oversight—they cost time, trust, and money. This week, we unpack the signals and introduce a new role clarity diagnostic to help reset your governance from first principles.

2️⃣ Book Update: Risk Within is now available! Since launch, The Risk Within has helped frame key challenges raised in our polls, including fear of blame and leadership gaps. A leadership programme is now in development. If you haven’t yet, pick up your copy and join the conversation.

3️⃣ RiskMasters Podcast: Board Oversight, Risk Leadership and the Future of Governance: This week, Brenda Boultwood joins to explore how risk leadership is shifting across industries. From tone at the top to the future of AI, we unpack what’s holding boards back, what’s changing, and how to build strategic, future-ready risk frameworks.

4️⃣ Curated Articles: This week’s reads expand on risk oversight, leadership blind spots, and the governance signals that boards often miss. Explore how to embed accountability, challenge, and long-term thinking into your governance structure.

5️⃣ Upcoming Events & Webinars: At Aevitium, we host live events that tackle the real-world challenges of risk, compliance, and leadership. From expert-led webinars to Risk Within Live Q&A sessions, each event offers practical insights for risk and business leaders. Join us to learn, reflect, and connect with a growing professional community.

📩 Stay ahead of the curve—scroll below to explore these resources and opportunities.

Governance Gaps: Unlocking New Possibilities 

If you can’t define it, you can’t deliver it. Role clarity sits at the heart of effective governance. Yet our latest poll shows that many organisations still see it as an unresolved gap.

📍 75% of respondents said they are interested in exploring a pilot diagnostic to improve role clarity in their Three Lines Model

📍 19% are open to discussing it further

📍 4% are unsure but curious

📍 2% believe they already have full clarity

This builds on earlier polls, where:

• 34% flagged unclear roles as their top governance challenge

• 31% linked weak decision-making directly to role confusion

• 30% pointed to siloed operations as a key blocker

What This Tells Us

These responses confirm what previous polls have hinted at: unclear roles are not just a nuisance; they are a structural risk. Confusion around responsibilities weakens decision-making, increases duplication, and reduces accountability.

Role clarity is about ensuring that capacity, capability, and accountability align with the organisation’s objectives. When people know what they own, where they contribute, and how decisions flow, governance becomes a strength, not a barrier. 

A role clarity diagnostic is now in development, built on Covey’s Three Circles of Influence and tailored to the Three Lines Model. If you're interested in piloting this work or sharing your experience through a short case study, now is the time to get involved. 

Want to explore how role clarity could improve outcomes and reduce duplication?

Let’s connect— book a meeting here.

📊 Ongoing Poll: The Hidden Barriers to Governance Improvement

Many organisations face the same challenge: risk, audit, compliance, and the first line report similar issues, but label them differently. Our latest poll shows that 30% of respondents estimate that over 20% of their remediation budget is spent fixing the same problems multiple times. 

Would your team be interested in taking part? Feel free to share your experience in the comments, join the ongoing poll, or contact me directly to explore this further.

Poll survey link on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7338814846005624832?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACPfFMB6H2gmXmX07V0yupet72E9uvZ5kQ

Our latest poll revealed a striking signal:

66% of respondents said the biggest cultural risks in their organisation are silence in meetings and lack of challenge to the status quo.

These are early warnings of misalignment, poor escalation, and blind spots in governance. And they consistently show up across the 3 Lines. 

The Risk Within addresses these challenges head-on, with a practical, evidence-based look at how internal dynamics quietly shape governance, decision-making, and long-term resilience.

📖 What You’ll Take Away:

• How silence and conformity hide critical risks

• Why psychological safety is essential for accountability and challenge

• What leadership can do to dismantle fear-driven behaviour

• Examples of how organisations uncovered hidden risks—and what they did next

If you’ve ever sensed risk isn’t just about systems, but also about people not speaking up; you’re not alone. This book is for you.

🔹 Where to Get It:

RiskBooks – Use code THERISK25 for a subscriber discount

GARP Members – Access via the GARP Risk . net portal

Amazon – Available in both paperback and Kindle editions

"I don’t think risk management is about compliance anymore. I think it’s about enabling a business and enabling a strategy." – Brenda Boultwood

In this CPD-accredited episode of RiskMasters, host Julien Haye welcomes Brenda Boultwood, a seasoned Chief Risk Officer (CRO), economist, board advisor, and tech executive, to explore the evolving nature of risk leadership across industries and geographies. Brenda brings a unique perspective from her work across finance, energy, academia, the IMF, and Silicon Valley.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to like, follow, and leave a review! Your feedback helps us bring more thought-provoking content and insights from industry leaders.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://www.aevitium.com/post/brenda-boultwood-on-riskmasters

🔔 Subscribe now and stay informed on the future of risk.

🎙 On Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/riskmasters/id1709495792?i=1000710473825

🎙 On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/39kvq1RN8Am7NaPLw1Dbox?si=D6JZEQOhQn6LlBmoU2NXRg

Upcoming Events & Webinars

Join us for upcoming live events that tackle today’s real-world challenges in risk, compliance, and leadership. Highlights include:

🔹 Scenario Analysis and ICAAP Reporting (02–04 Sept)

🔹 Why Your Risk Strategy Starts with Trust (10 Sept)

🔹 ICAAP Lifecycle and Implementation (16–18 Sept)

🔹 Mastering Operational Resilience (06–08 Oct)

Each session is designed to be practical and engaging. View the full schedule and register here: Explore Events

More Articles from our Risk & Leadership Series

🔗 Mastering Risk and Corporate Governance

Explore how governance can be repositioned from a compliance burden to a strategic advantage, with insights on board engagement, role clarity, and long-term risk alignment.

🔗 Leadership Blind Spots in Risk Management: How Silence Undermines Challenge and Culture

Even experienced leaders miss crucial risks when challenge is absent. This article unpacks why psychological safety matters at board level and how to address invisible cultural barriers.

🔗 From Signals to Systems: Embedding Trust and Challenge in Risk Governance

Oversight isn’t just about structure—it’s about what gets surfaced. Learn how trust, challenge, and escalation pathways make the difference between reactive and resilient governance.

🎙️ Podcast: Psychological Safety in Risk Leadership

Dominic Bowen and Julien Haye discuss how psychological safety transforms governance, decision-making, and the role of the CRO in enabling—not obstructing—strategic risk-taking.

Let's discuss how I could help; book a meeting now!

Should you have any questions or if you'd like to discuss how our services can specifically benefit your organisation, don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at julienhaye@aevitium.com or call me at +44 7700 160052. You can also book a meeting directly by clicking on the button below.

Or book a meeting here!