Where should your D&O risk management focus now? What D&O risks are at the top of global boards’ agendas? And how should directors, officers and risk managers respond?
WTW's tenth annual Global Directors’ and Officers’ Survey, in collaboration with Reed Smith LLP, lets you see how your organisation’s D&O concerns compare with your peers.
The report calls on insight from directors, officers and risk managers around the world to track the D&O risks that matter most today.
Key findings from this year’s survey show that:
- Health & safety remains the top risk for D&Os, underscoring its continued primacy despite increasing competition from emerging and fast-evolving risk categories.
- Cyber-related risks continue to dominate the agenda, with data loss and cyber-attack retaining the #2 and #3 positions respectively, highlighting the persistent and systemic nature of digital exposure.
- Geopolitical risk has entered the global top seven for the first time, signalling heightened macroeconomic and political volatility; however its relevance is uneven, most pronounced in Europe and select sectors (Industrial, transportation and retail), but not yet a top-tier concern for the largest organisations.
- Relatedly, supply chain disruption remains a key regional and sectoral risk, featuring in the top seven across the U.S., Africa and the Middle East, and in industries including industrial, healthcare, transportation and retail, as well as energy & utilities.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) risk is rising sharply (+5%), reflecting accelerating adoption and concern. It is now a top five risk in the U.S. and a top seven risk in the services sector, though not yet consistently ranked across other regions.
- Primary concerns centre on AI-generated errors and misinformation, followed by fraud/social engineering, failure to adopt AI strategically and weak governance or uncontrolled use. Despite growing importance, board-level capability remains limited, with relatively few respondents confident in oversight skills; AI ranks only mid-tier for time investment and lower for perceived materiality, indicating a governance gap.
Learn more:
Read the full survey at the link here.
About WTW:
Willis Towers Watson (WTW) is a global leader in advisory, broking, and risk management solutions. With nearly 200 years of experience and 45,000 employees in over 140 countries, WTW helps businesses turn risks into growth opportunities by providing tailored solutions for intricate risk profiles. WTW’s offerings, including professional liability, D&O insurance, cyber risk, and M&A-related insurances, directly address the risks and challenges faced by today’s NEDs. NEDA are proud to be working in partnership with WTW.