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Governance vs. Agility: Can Risk Leaders Keep Up with the Speed of Tech?
How can risk professionals avoid becoming blockers in the age of rapid tech advancement? Sean Titley explores how to enable innovation without compromising governance, oversight, and board accountability.
May 05, 2025
Ellie Dowsett
Ellie Dowsett, Growth Marketing Manager, CeFPro
Sean Titley
Sean Titley, former Director of Enterprise, Operational and Model Risk, Metro Bank (UK)
Tags: AI and Technology (including Fintech)
The views and opinions expressed in this content are those of the thought leader as an individual and are not attributed to CeFPro or any other organization

In this interview from CeFPro’s Risk Evolve convention, risk expert Sean Titley discusses the governance challenges posed by emerging technologies and the imperative for risk professionals to shift from gatekeepers to enablers. As innovation accelerates—particularly in AI and cybersecurity—governance frameworks must evolve to remain effective without stifling agility. Titley emphasizes that risk teams should be embedded early in the tech lifecycle, not brought in as a post-mortem, enabling them to co-engineer solutions rather than unwind missteps.

He shares that board-level buy-in remains essential, not only through strategic alignment but also through education. Boards must become more tech-literate, supported by regular training and direct access to subject matter experts like CISOs, alongside second-line insights to contextualize risk. This ensures board members understand the implications of technological decisions and remain accountable under regimes such as the UK’s SMCR.

Titley also touches on the importance of cross-functional collaboration to prevent risks from being addressed in silos. With operational resilience as a growing regulatory and strategic priority, integrated risk views are critical. Events like Risk Evolve play a pivotal role in breaking down those barriers, providing a broader risk horizon. Finally, Titley underscores that the expanding risk landscape—from geopolitical shifts to cyber threats—makes continued evolution in governance not just a challenge, but a necessity.

Ellie Dowsett Bio

Biography coming soon

Ellie Dowsett
Sean Titley Bio

Sean has 30 years of experience in Risk Management across disciplines, including Enterprise Risk, Operational Risk, Credit Risk, Strategic Risk and Front Office Supervision. He is a passionate advocate for the furtherance of Operational Risk as a discipline, co-authoring papers and acting as a speaker and panellist at many external events. Sean has held Director level roles at a number of organisations, both on a consultancy and permanent basis. He is currently working as an independent risk consultant, undertaking advisory and audit assignments on topics such as governance and culture, first and second line risk management, risk management frameworks and approaches to enterprise, operational and model risk management. Prior to that, he was Director of Enterprise and Operational Risk at Metro Bank, running a team responsible for the Bank’s overall risk management framework and approach to Operational Risk from a second line perspective, including regular liaison with the PRA and FCA and making ongoing enhancements to the Bank’s approach to risk appetite, governance and embedding a strong risk culture across the three lines of defence. Sean is a member of the Institute of Operational Risk/IRM Operational Risk Special Interest Group and an advisor on operational risk to Risk.net and CefPro.

Sean Titley
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