Intense global competition and rapid growth are forcing Indian firms to examine corporate enterprise risk management (ERM) elsewhere, especially in Europe, Australia and North America, where the process is more mature, concluded a report by The Conference Board.

ERM is a cohesive, enterprise-wide process allowing companies to identify, assess and respond to the social, political and economic risks of doing business. The study, sponsored by KPMG and SAP India, examined the state of risk management integration in companies based in India, and includes case studies of four major India-based multinational firms: Tata Motors Ltd., ICICI Bank, Tata Chemicals Ltd., and Dr. Reddy’s.

“ERM is in the very early stages in India,” said Matteo Tonello, Senior Research Associate at The Conference Board Governance Center, and a co-author of the report. “As Indian firms expand beyond national borders, they become exposed to more strategic and operational risks, including those from different geopolitical and cultural contexts. Tightening capital markets, the internationalization of successful Indian companies and the adoption of global initiatives to promote business integrity are forcing many firms to pay attention to recent developments in risk management around the globe. Assimilating international standards of risk management is becoming a necessity to remain competitive.”

According to Poonam Barua, Regional Director – India, The Conference Board, “As Indian companies begin to grow globally, they will need to increasingly view enterprise risk-management as a board responsibility and put into place a Risk Committee that reports to the Board – to get maximum value from this strategic corporate function. So far, the custodian of ERM practices still remains the Audit Committee in most Indian companies, which limits its focus to primarily financial issues, without addressing areas such as managing high growth, business execution, innovation, talent retention, succession planning, industrial safety and environment change, and related issues which form an important part of a best practice ERM strategy.”

“Recent events have shown that various high performing companies have suddenly gone down under,” according to Richard Rekhy, Chief Operating Officer, KPMG. “This has resulted in various organizations trying to understand how they need to review their companies due to risks emanating from capital market volatility, forex fluctuations, economic policies, changing business models and global slowdown. Further they also need to take a long term view of the benefits derived from ERM and implement a framework which is in line with organizational needs and leading practices. “

ERM for a competitive edge

Since 2004, The Conference Board has documented steady progress to drive ERM into corporate practice and culture. Major progress is detected in early stage efforts, such as creating a risk inventory and adopting a cohesive set of assessment processes. Companies headquartered in Europe or operating in major Asia-Pacific financial markets have advanced significantly in recent years and developed processes at a fast pace, indicating an international consensus on the benefits of risk management integration. There is also evidence of substantial differences in ERM maturity across industries with financial services, energy and utilities showing more developed ERM processes than other industries.

“The four companies examined closely in this report are more of the exception than the rule in India, where ERM is not widely used as a management tool,” said Ellen Hexter, Director, Enterprise Risk Management, The Conference Board, and co-author of the report. “However, experience and research from other parts of the world show that those who are early adopters of ERM are likely to enjoy a competitive advantage.”

For many Indian firms, most risks continue to be managed in silos, whether in business units or functions. Indian companies generally do not take a comprehensive approach that ERM embraces. But that is beginning to change, notes the report. Now that outsourcing has matured, it is no longer limited to single functions within specific business units, but involves entire corporate processes. As a result, risk and governance issues surrounding outsourcing practices means they need to be addressed at the organizational level.