Fundamentals of Risk Management: Understanding, Evaluating and Implementing Effective Enterprise Risk Management, Kate Boothroyd with Clive Thompson
Kogan Page, 2025

From geopolitical uncertainties and climate change to the rise of artificial intelligence, the global risk landscape is evolving rapidly. Meanwhile, stakeholder expectations have never been higher. In this environment, strong corporate governance, ethical conduct and social responsibility are not optional – they are the foundation of resilience and reputation in the modern enterprise.

In his foreword for this book, chair of the Institute of Risk Management, Steven Sidebottom, writes that while the world of risk is transforming, armed with the right toolkit and understanding, organisations can “turn these challenges into opportunities”. Central to these efforts are the right tools for the job.

Since it was first published in 2010, Kogan Page’s Fundamentals of Risk Management has been comprehensively updated to reflect the latest trends, standards and best practices in the field. The text has built on many of the basic principles developed by the book’s original author, Paul Hopkin, and since reorganised and updated.

The seventh edition of this excellent book is intended for all those looking for a comprehensive introduction to the theory and application of risk management. It is also designed to deliver the syllabus of the IRM’s International Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management.

Presented in nine parts, the first provides an introduction to risk and risk management, while Part Two examines the application of these concepts across the enterprise as a whole. Parts Three and Four look at the implementation of risk management, while Part Five considers the people and decision-making aspects. In Part Six, risk governance and the means to obtain assurance on risk management are explored, while Part Seven examines risk management in the organisational context, including its relationship to strategy, resilience and sustainability – an increasingly valuable chapter for practitioners in businesses of all size and type today.

In Part Eight, the authors take a different approach by considering risk management through a series of sectoral lenses, including insurance, banking, operational projects, health and safety, legal, the supply chain and IT. Finally, Part Nine considers the value and benefit that risk management and the risk practitioner can bring to an organisation, encompassing an examination of the maturity and competency levels within organisations, as well as how they may be continually improved.

Fundamentals of Risk Management has long been a key resource for practitioners navigating today’s complex and evolving business environment, and this seventh edition upholds that legacy.

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