Episode 319 Deep Dive: Paul O'Rourke | The New Function Of A CRO And What This Actually Means

In this episode, we sit down with Paul O’Rourke, Chief Risk Officer at TabCorp, as he explores the evolving function of the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and what it means for organizations today. Paul highlights the growing necessity for CROs to possess deep technology and cyber risk skills, emphasizing that these competencies are rapidly becoming non-negotiable in tech-reliant industries. He reflects on the historical divide between business and tech risk functions, the importance of alignment and integrated approaches such as fusion centers, and how risk professionals must now balance traditional domains with new challenges like cybercrime, AI, and rapidly emerging threats. Paul O’Rourke commenced as Chief Risk Officer in June 2024. Paul brings a great depth of experience in risk management, including with respect to cybersecurity and technology risk management. Prior to joining Tabcorp, Paul was Managing Director and Partner of Boston Consulting Group where he led their Global Cyber and Digital Risk practice, and was also the Australian Risk Leader. He was previously the Global and Asia Pacific Cybersecurity Leader at PwC, and was Chief Information Security Officer of ANZ Bank Limited. Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) and is a Graduate Member of AICD.