International guest speaker and tech advisor Ross Saunders.
Organisations in SA must be proactive about compliance. This is vital even as they use fast-moving new technologies to innovate and compete in increasingly risky environments.
This was the message from technology experts at the ITWeb GRC 2025 event in Bryanston, Johannesburg this week.
Global trends are affecting how governance, risk and compliance (GRC) is adopted, said Nerushka Brown, founder of the LITT Institute. She pointed to trends like non-profits becoming for-profit entities. She also noted that gaining users and using data often now trumps considerations like responsibility, safety, ethics and governance.
“We’re seeing regions that used to be the golden standard for regulation now looking at simplifying their regimes,” said Brown. “They see tech companies and innovators skipping them when launching products because of over-regulation.”
She emphasised that GRC specialists are needed to help organisations. Many struggle to innovate with new tools while also ensuring they comply with regulations and ethics using the right frameworks.
International guest speaker and tech advisor Ross Saunders echoed this. He said the challenge is ensuring governance in a hyper-accelerated business environment, given the plethora of industry regulations across different geographies.
Saunders outlined a step-by-step programme to help companies master GRC in the age of unstoppable innovation.
The first step is to take a pragmatic approach: companies must identify the countries they operate in and the relevant laws and regulations.
“It is important to identify the countries you operate in, but also where the end-users are. Legislation like GDPR is extra-territorial, so it is important to map out the countries where your business is in, and where your clientele is based,” said Saunders.
He added that companies must research the risk factors. This includes where customers are from, what laws are prominent there, and how these will impact GRC strategy.
Saunders also stressed the need for policies, but said they need not be lengthy or complicated. They should be flexible, clear on rules for using technology like AI and easy to understand.
“The organisation also needs to have someone available to reach out to for more information or clarity,” he added.
Tumi Dlamini, CEO of the Organisation for Global Africa, said governance has become more important as the world order has shifted and geopolitical tensions have risen.
“But in 2024, only 21 countries in Africa have developed frameworks that speak to good governance… there is a strong need for collaboration and co-operation to help countries put together their own frameworks,” said Dlamini.
Experts added that the trend is now shifting from a shared model to a value-based one. This new model must provide for accountability, simplicity, risk management and the ability to leverage networked technology.
Presenters urged businesses to understand the countries they operate in, including the people, cultures and values that drive those communities.
