Operational Resilience: Current Challenges and the Road Ahead

GARP Risk Podcast

Hear from Pedro Morales, the Director and Global Head of AML/Sanctions Compliance at Google, about AI, cyber threats, fraud, third-party risk, regulation and other complex operational resilience obstacles, trends and risks.

The Federal Reserve defines operational resilience as the ability to deliver operations, including critical operations and core business lines, through a disruption from any hazard.

In an interconnected world rife with volatility and uncertainty, there are certainly a plethora of hazards that can disrupt a business, and managing operational resilience is therefore a daunting task. At financial institutions, the operational resilience umbrella covers everything from AI, geopolitical threats and cyber risk to fraud, money laundering, IT outrages, third-party risk and disaster recovery.

Indeed, on any given day, an operational resilience leader could have to contend with, for example, a cyberattack, an AI threat, a money-laundering scheme, or the fallout from a natural disaster or from wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Governance and regulatory obstacles, moreover, also come with the job.

With so many different problems to contend with, there’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach for operational resilience. But a manager must stay on top of trends and be aware of all potential risks, while also following best practices – all as part of an effort to withstand, adapt and recover from disruptive events.

*The views expressed by our guest speaker, Pedro Morales, are his alone and do not necessarily reflect those of his employer.

Relevant Links:

GARP Benchmarking Initiative

Risk Intelligence: Operational Risk

Speaker’s Bio

Pedro Morales is the Director and Global Head of AML/Sanctions Compliance for Google. He previously served as Google’s Global Head of Enterprise Risk Management for Payments, and has also worked in various leadership roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he supervised large banks.