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The Davies Report - black swans

Award-winning thinking and innovation

For over 25 years Todd Davies has helped shape what good looks like in audit, risk and corporate governance in Australia and abroad.

Todd is recognised internationally for his contributions in these fields and has been ranked in as a global top 10 thought leader multiple times including Directors and CRO inaugural exemplar (risk governance), Global top 20 thought leader of 2020 (internal audit), Global top 10 thought leader of the decade (internal audit, risk and assurance).

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The Davies Report is our subscriber-only newsletter that summarises our latest thinking. 

It provides a window into our thinking that is normally only accessible within individual client projects and draws insights across our entire portfolio of work.

We publsh infrequently. Usually quarterly or termly… unless we’re immersed deeply in client projects.

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We aim to provide a unqiue perspective that advances the work of others.

A well respected and highly experienced audit and risk committee and board Chair put it nicely. 

Hi Todd, I’ve taken the time to read your report thoroughly. You write exceedingly well. Content is pertinent, thought-provoking, novel and of inestimable value. I really like the fact that you don’t regurgitate the flavour of the month commentary but put your comments through the lens of an independent-thinking, experienced eye. A really useful newsletter. 

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The Davies Report Archives

The Davies Report - black swans

  • The Davies Report – July – Lock in your talent, and your providers

    In this edition, we focus on talent – specifically risk and assurance talent in whatever form you may buy or hire it. We discuss the market, retention, tips on burnout, focus and simplification.  We also briefly discuss changing risk profiles and provide four questions for you to know if yours is in good shape.  What…


  • Video Summary: How to measure CRO effectiveness

    If you’re running a risk maturity process without getting clarity on intention, you need to stop and read this first. We give a framework on how to think about it.


  • What does your risk team need to be great at?

    Throughout October we’re looking at CRO and risk role clarity. Are you clear on what you need from your risk team? Take our free diagnostic to find out.


  • From compliance to effective control

    At a glance – from compliance to effective control. A framework to help untangle conversations about #compliance, #internalcontrol, #quality systems, #improvement, #riskmanagement #assurance and #culture.


  • The Davies Report – special pandemic edition – March 2020

    Different times call for a different response Welcome to this special edition of The Davies Report. I’m sure you’re being inundated right now with information and offers to help, so we’ve taken care to keep things brief – to help you focus on the most important priorities. Staying oriented and leading effectively During a period of…


  • Risk reporting, Douglas Adams and the number 42.

    Risk reporting leaves a lot to be desired. We did a national study to find out what’s good and how to make it work. Here’s what we found.


  • Australian Government Climate Risk Assessment

    This week the Australian Commonwealth Government released its Climate Risk Assessment. It considers what might the future look like for Australia if (when) we pass 1.5 degrees. The macro view – whole of country, whole of government, whole of economy The first part of the report will be uncomfortably familiar to anyone who’s worked across…


  • What does your risk function need to be great at – the results

    The need Risk means different things to different people. For as long as we can remember we’ve been fielding questions on which functions to put under a single risk role and which ones to keep apart. There has also been a longstanding bias by leaders and sponsors for their risk teams to focus on what…


  • Setting your risk function up for success

    Chief Risk Officer role design and risk function design are highly specialised. Here’s how we think about it and how we can help.


  • Seasons Greetings and 2023 wrap

    A quick note from me after another very full year. The year TDA went global For years I’ve made the case for accessing the best talent in the world, and not just in the city in which people are based. This was a call to arms meant for others, but in 2023 people took me…


  • Thought Leaders vs Influencers

    There are a lot of new thought leaders around. How to you spot a genuine one, and what is the difference betwene the new crowd and the ones that have been at it for the past few decades.


  • What is the difference between coaching and consulting

    We often get asked, what’s the difference between a coaching engagement with us and a consulting engagement? Coaching / mentoring A coaching engagement focuses primarily on the individual’s current and future performance. While much of what we talk about discusses the specifics of the role and the work, the ultimate focus is on you. It…


  • Our Submission to the IIA Standards Board

    IIA ran an unusual process of making all submissions private and not available to the public. A number of thought leaders have made their views public. Here’s ours in full. We’ll be running a ruler over their response in due course. If you’re a more visual person, you can see our LinkedIn Carousel here. Dear…


  • What you need to know about the IIA Exposure Draft

    IIA’s consultation period on the proposed IIA Standards ends shortly. There’s a lot in it and too much for many to get through. Here’s our quick summary of what’s in it, what’s working and what needs to be done to bring it home. Please use and share if you find it useful. And please do…


  • The Davies Report – February 2023 – Flow State February

    Flow state February Welcome to the February edition of the Davies Report, our irregular bulletin for progressive and emerging audit and risk leaders. In this edition: we talk about the deep dive we did into flow state over the summer break let you know what we’ve been working on lately let you know our plans for the…


  • Chat GPT AI meet up

    “AI won’t take your job, but someone using it might.” Chat GPT AI meet up It’s hard to open LinkedIn without someone talking about the implications of ChatGPT.  Long-time collaborator Tom McLeod and I have been putting it through its paces since day 6 of the public beta. We’ve had a chance to explore some…