Strengthening board oversight of risk

Directors of UK SMEs are navigating a perfect storm: economic volatility, supply chain disruption, tightening financing conditions and fast-moving regulatory expectations — all while running lean teams and wearing multiple hats. Most boards are awash with data, but far fewer have clear, decision-ready insight that genuinely supports better judgement and long-term resilience.

Designed specifically for SME directors, this webinar translates fresh findings from Diligent’s What Directors Think 2026 research into a practical playbook for smaller and mid-sized businesses. We’ll explore how to sharpen risk oversight when you don’t have a large risk or internal audit function, how to make sense of AI-driven change, and how to turn board packs into forward-looking assurance that informs strategy.

Attendees will leave with concrete, right-sized actions to strengthen risk and internal control oversight without adding unnecessary complexity or cost.

Key discussion themes

• Risk oversight is rising — but confidence is lagging in SMEs
• From information overload to actionable assurance for smaller boards
• Linking risk, assurance and strategy in an SME context
• Practical priorities for UK SME boards

Key takeaways

By the end of the webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Benchmark their board’s current approach to risk oversight against the latest insights from What Directors Think 2026 — and understand what is most relevant for SMEs.
• Redesign board reporting so directors receive clearer, more timely and forward-looking risk insight between meetings, without over-engineering processes.
• Create a simple action plan to move from retrospective risk reporting toward a more integrated, future-focused model of assurance that supports both resilience and growth.