As CFO at Browne Jacobson I have strategic responsibility for both the finance and risk/compliance functions. I manage risk across the firm together with my fellow directors and their respective senior teams. With those responsibilities come the regulatory roles of COFA (Compliance Officer for Finance & Administration) and MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer). The MLRO role has, in recent years, become as much about ensuring the firm's compliance with economic sanctions worldwide as it has been about anti-money laundering regulations... I am lucky to be supported by a number of wise and experienced legal minds in keeping the firm on the straight and narrow.It is important that my role is forward looking - I am responsible for ensuring the financial sustainability of the firm and facilitating the desire to grow, invest and innovate. Neither finance nor the risk function should be seen as a blocker to progress. I was taken with a recent presentation (by an interviewee) which reminded me that seat-belts were installed in cars not to make them go more slowly, but to allow us to travel faster more safely. A great metaphor for my role.And so, I seek to lead teams that are aligned to strategy and respected by colleagues. My teams are trusted and empowered to engage with the day-to-day activity of the organisation. I am passionate about training for my team, as a result they are both talented and committed to on-going development.While my professional focus is currently directed to finance I have broad commercial and operational experience. With a background in corporate insolvency, trading businesses through receivership/administration, I've seen how vital it is that finance links to business operations. Subsequent roles in global telecommunications, software and application development, with the police and in higher education consolidated my skills in areas as diverse as HR, commercial contracting, estates, IT and fleet management. Where better to get a perspective on risk, the true meaning of "cost" and managing through unpredictable situations than the police service in a riot or a university in a global pandemic?