In 2010, Protiviti conducted a survey of more than 200 directors regarding the current state of board risk oversight. Sponsored by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), this survey provides insight as to how the risk oversight process could be improved.
In assessing the overall results of the survey, we found there are mixed signals about the effectiveness of board risk oversight across organizations. While some directors believe their boards are performing risk oversight responsibilities diligently and achieving a high level of effectiveness, a strong majority indicate that their boards are not formally executing mature and robust risk oversight processes. This issue of Board Perspectives: Risk Oversight summarizes the results of this comprehensive survey.