The HR Function and
Risk Management
Navigating Complexity
with Resilience
Online
Online | Thursday 29 January 2026
13.00 – 14.00 GMT
Event
In today’s dynamic corporate landscape, effective risk management extends far beyond financial oversight, encompassing a spectrum of strategic, operational and reputational challenges.
This online event will provide an overview of the role of HR in risk management from horizon scanning and identification through mitigation to recovery. We will focus on how HR can take a proactive role in identifying and assessing various risks, including:
- Reputational risk
- Cybersecurity threats
- Employee Relation and employee activism
- Tech and AI misuse
- Talent shortages
- Cultural misalignment
- Compliance failures
Discover how to build resilient organisational structures and processes, implement robust risk mitigation strategies and empower your workforce to become a critical line of defence.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure business continuity and sustainable growth by leveraging HR’s unique position in risk management.
Learning Objectives
- Explore practical tools and frameworks for HR risk management, including methodologies for creating an HR risk document and crisis management strategies.
- Learn how to incorporate risk awareness into leadership development and succession planning to build long-term organisational resilience.
- Gain insights into creating nimble organisational structures to navigate uncertainty and adapt to emerging challenges.
To register for this event please ensure you are logged in. If you are not a member and interested in attending, please contact us below.
If you would like to amend or cancel your booking please contact events@crforum.co.uk.
Who is this event for?
HR directors, senior HR leaders, senior talent professionals and organisational development practitioners tasked with risk management, talent strategy and safeguarding their organisation’s resilience in a complex and competitive landscape.
Speakers
Prof. Elmar Kutsch
Professor of Risk Management, Cranfield University
Elmar Kutsch is Professor of Risk Management at Cranfield University, where his research and teaching focus on managing risk, uncertainty, and resilience in organisational settings. His career began in Germany’s IT sector, where he led large-scale projects for clients such as Commerzbank and Deutsche Börse, experiences that sparked his enduring interest in navigating the unexpected. Since moving into academia in 2001, Elmar has explored the limitations of traditional probabilistic approaches to risk and advanced plausibility-based thinking as a means of fostering resilience. He has published widely on these themes, including Organisational Resilience: Navigating Paradoxical Tensions (2022) and Mindful Project Management (2020). In addition to his academic work, he collaborates closely with industry, designs executive development programmes, and engages learners through experiential and paradox-based approaches.
John Whelan MBE
Director, CRF
John Whelan is a Director at Corporate Research Forum. Formerly UK HR Director of BAE Systems, the FTSE 100 defence, security, and aerospace company, John’s experience and strengths lie in business and HR Transformation, Organisation Development and Employee Relations. Prior to joining BAE, he held a variety of HR roles in engineering, technology and manufacturing businesses across the telecommunications and semi-conductor industries including Matra-Marconi Space where he was HR Director for the UK and, latterly, Group HRD.
