EMBEDDING BUSINESS STEWARDSHIP: FUNCTIONAL SKILL BUILDING FOR STRATEGIC IMPACT
In our rapidly evolving business landscape, trust has become a strategic imperative. As organisations strive to build trust with internal and external stakeholders, the role and mindset of risk and compliance professionals is vital to deliver this. Business stewardship marks the next evolution in business engagement – integrating three key elements of business partner, enterprise connector and thoughtful influencer to drive strategic impact while safeguarding the organisation’s reputation.
As compliance organisations navigate this evolution, how can they meaningfully embed business stewardship across the diverse teams encompassing a modern ethics, risk and compliance (ERC) function? This article explores functional skill building as a key enabler of business stewardship and other strategic imperatives within the function. It shares learnings from implementation including the operating model, governance, and critical success factors for developing those skills.
Introducing the business stewardship bootcamp
As the business stewardship concept took shape, functional skill building emerged as a promising lever to bring it to life within compliance functions. The Business Stewardship Bootcamp was designed to meet this need. The bootcamp is a high-challenge, high-support, in-person immersive workshop that convenes approximately 20 function leaders over two days to build prioritised functional skills.
With participants from across regions, the bootcamp provides a platform to share learnings, break down silos and discuss cross-functional topics critical to the region’s compliance programme. Post-bootcamp, participants cascade priority programmes to the broader function to meet regional needs, thereby scaling impact. This investment in talent supports the retention and development of a sustainable, future-ready function.
Jan-Mar 2026 Issue
Novartis