I’m working on a GRC “snapshot” of a global technology company. As I work through the research for this article, I keep coming back to what the company’s top U.S.-based GRC executive emphasized about GRC talent.

I’m curious if his viewpoint, which I’ll get to below, jibes with others’ experiences and preferences. Drop me a note if you agree or disagree on the degree to which experience matters in GRC programs.

This GRC exec clearly was well-suited for his job. I got the sense that he viewed media interviews as a risk. He avoided providing specific metrics related to his program’s benefits and progress. And, most of the time we spoke, he favored generalities rather than delving into great detail (part of the reason his company’s GRC story will be a snapshot as opposed to a full-blown case study).

So, it struck a chord when he emphasized the following point: “You want to make sure you get the right level of experience and the right level of skill set. … You don’t want to have what I’ll say are ‘very junior’ people trying to do this function.”

His point is one I’ve heard before when I ask what GRC executives look for when they staff their programs. The first response is almost always the same: “I need people who are excellent communicators, both verbally and in written form.” One GRC answered my question more succinctly: “I want gray hair.”

They want their GRC staffers to possess deep knowledge of at least one business area or function within the organization. That been-there-done-that understanding comes in handy when trying to convince overburdened colleagues why they need to invest time in changing a process to accommodate GRC considerations.

Effectively communicating with business counterparts and higher-ranking managers and executives who sit on internal risk committees requires knowledge and finesse — two qualities that typically require years to acquire.

If that’s the case, I wonder where the next generation of GRC experts will come from. Does your program hire younger/greener staffers, or is GRC a realm for grizzled veterans only? ###