In conversation, Robert Zhang uses the word “opportunity”often—and for good reason.

As the risk and compliance manager for home-furnishings globalretailer IKEA in China, Zhang understands a thing or two aboutidentifying opportunities where others might not; it's a sixthsense that informs his ability to effectively assess exposures inmore than 30 countries in which the Scandinavian companyoperates.

While based in Shanghai.

A native of Dalian, a city and seaport in China's LiaoningProvince, Zhang spends his days navigating a spate of businessthreats common to many a retail chain in the 21st century,including cyber risk, supply chain exposures, and the standardslips, trips and falls among both personnel and patrons. Hisprimary area of responsibility is in risk management and insurance,as well as compliance and internal audit. All four, he notes, arecritical to a well-rounded corporate risk program.

“Being a risk manager is like being an entrepreneur, in a lot ofways,” he says. To Zhang, that includes being the ambassador forraising companywide awareness of its exposures, from the C-suite tothe trenches.

“If you define 'risk' as something that prevents businesses fromreaching their objectives, then you have risk management in everyaspect of our business,” he explains. “Everyone is a risk managerin their own way, as long as you have that awareness.”

It's a statement indicative of a 10,000-foot view when it comesto risk mitigation, one cultivated via learning when to listen andwhen to act. Much of that sensibility, he says, comes down to twoof the most important things a risk manager can do: show respectand be reasonable to other parties, whether it's with limitedinformation or a lot of it. As Zhang puts it, “I always think thatlife is a journey to understanding a lot of different cultures andpeople.”

HIGH ROAD TO FULL CIRCLE

That journey began for Zhang in 1998, when he was offered theopportunity to enroll in an international exchange program thattook him to MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, and then CassHigh School in Cartersville, Ga.—an experience that culturally, fora teen growing up in China, was “a real eye-opener,” he says. Hewent on to earn his undergraduate and graduate degrees from WestVirginia University in Morgantown, focusing on the strict,analytical curricula of Statistics.

Living on his own, far removed from his home country andtraditional Chinese family, and relying primarily on himself andhis mentors, empowered him to be the key decision-maker in hislife—and in his professional development.

Along the way, Zhang learned invaluable lessons in embracingdiversity and respecting differences in others. “The way I've beentreated in the past has changed the way I approach people in mylife,” he says.

While pursuing his master's degree, Zhang joined global brokerWillis in the U.S. in early 2006. Upon completing his studies thefollowing year, the stars aligned: The Chinese government hadexpressed strong interest in bringing foreign brokerages to itssoil, and Willis completed a joint venture with a Chinese partnerto do just that. The opportunity opened up for him to join thebroker's brand-new Shanghai office.

It wasn't a hard decision, and one made simpler by two keyfactors: Zhang's parents, whom he wanted to make sure were caredfor. The idea of being only a 90-minute flight away was highlyattractive. “I was very passionate about being closer to them andtaking care of them as they retired,” he relates. “They have beenmy idols and my biggest supporters for many years, so it wasimportant for me to then take care of them.” Zhang earned threepromotions in three years, rising from account manager to senioraccount manager to assistant director by 2009.

While at Willis, Zhang operated as a member of an internationalteam providing risk management consulting for businesses investingin China. One of his larger clients was home-improvement retailerB&Q China, which sparked his interest. Given the opportunity,could he leave the brokerage side for corporate riskmanagement?

“I was having a great time at Willis,” he says, gaining a lot ofinternational exposure to various risks and emerging technologies.He recalls asking himself, “Do I want to join the corporate side,where things are more structured?”

Zhang says it was one of the hardest professional decisions he'smade to date, and a path that he's very glad to have chosen. Hemade the leap in January 2011.

Being able to see how risk-mitigation decisions are made at thecorporate level, particularly the varying perspectives that comeinto play and interests that must be balanced, fascinates him. “Youget to carry on a similar role on a different side of the game,”Zhang explains. Comparatively, as a consultant, “you can only do somuch,” he says. “It's one of the best decisions I've made.”

At B&Q China, Zhang operated as its risk manager andcompliance officer. The following year he was given the opportunityto join the China-based risk management division of Yum! Brands(owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell).

It was during his time at Yum! Brands that Zhang first becameinvolved with RIMS and began taking advantage of the riskmanagement society's educational and networking opportunities.Zhang's experience with RIMS at the executive level began Jan. 1 ofthis year, when he joined its board of directors.

“If it wasn't for RIMS, chances are I wouldn't be able to speakthe same language with people in various other industries, in othercountries,” he says. “It wasn't a difficult decision to serve onthe board, because I know the qualities of the people who serve onit and who work behind the scenes.”

BUILDING A CULTURE

Integrity is one of the key themes Zhang mentions whendiscussing his career choices, and helped inform his decision tobecome the China-based risk manager for IKEA in July 2014. “I seemyself as sharing a lot of the common values that IKEA strives foras a company, making everyday life better for our customers,” hesays. “I consider myself part of the journey, those values I'mstanding behind with our colleagues. That's something I'm veryproud of.”

For Zhang, taking ownership of and exemplifying IKEA's values isa key piece of the risk-management puzzle. The company'srisk-management program, he says, is built around four of its keycorporate values: togetherness, cost-consciousness, respect andsimplicity.

Additionally, IKEA has long taken a proactive role inenvironmental issues, particularly in being environmentallyconscious in the design, manufacturing and shipping of itsproducts. That same sense of social responsibility is alsoingrained in the company's risk-management efforts.

“We want to have a positive impact from a sustainability pointof view. It's in our blood,” he says. More than 76% of theretailer's cotton comes from sustainable resources, he notes, andmore than 700,000 solar panels have been installed on IKEAbuildings worldwide, in line with its People Planet Positivestrategy.

Zhang is hardly the company's only risk manager; he oftencollaborates with other key risk professionals within IKEA Chinaand in other IKEA countries. “Working closely with other parts ofthe business is very important to keep the risk management program'alive,'” he says.

As the lead risk professional in China for an internationalretailer, fluctuating between communication in Mandarin and inEnglish is second nature. For unilingual risk managers, doingbusiness in multiple tongues might seem intimidating; Zhang regardsit simply as part of the way he operates, although he concedes thatfor those working in China, it is a key skill.

“Being bilingual is common in Shanghai in an officeenvironment,” he explains. “It's a matter of what we do inday-to-day life.” On a Tuesday, he could be communicating inEnglish for 90% of the work day, and then perhaps only 10% thenext. This, he adds, has become the norm in Shanghai, “especiallyin the last decade.”

Part of Zhang's daily work, he says, lies in educating others inhis homeland of the importance of the risk manager's role. The riskmanagement function is still relatively new in China, as opposed tobeing a fixture in American corporate structures.

“I'm doing what I can to stay with the development of the riskmanagement industry here, and hopefully one day I will be able tobecome one of the best risk management professionals in China,” headds. “That's one of my personal goals. I get to know the businessbetter every day, and you don't find a better job than riskmanagement in the corporate world.”