Member Spotlight: David Robinson, Commercial Credit

Risk Manager, Toyota Finance

We caught up with David recently and asked him to share a little about his role and thoughts on risk management’s current status.

What are the 3 – 4 primary tasks of your role?

1. Responsible for the development, management and maintenance of Commercial Credit policy strategy and governance within the business.

2. Leading a team of Commercial Credit Analysts who perform a second-line underwriting function on large commercial credit transactions.

3. Provide second-line assurance functions, insights and consultancy within the business.

4. Provide wide ranging credit consultancy and insights to the business to help achieve overall strategic objectives.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing risk professionals in our industry?

Data and how to use this constructively within the business. In the Commercial Lending space within our business, we support not only our Wholesale Dealer Network but also a significant Fleet customer portfolio. We are the recipients of plenty of data, but this comes in a myriad of forms and from many sources. Distilling this into an easy to use and relevant format that supports both first- and second-line objectives can be challenging.

If we can meet the demand to be able to provide valid and meaningful insights into the Risk aspects of our business and how this can assist in achieving wider objectives, this will help others see the value of Risk as an enabler to business rather than an inhibiter. I have always believed that Risk and the business need to work together to achieve common outcomes, this is best done when we influence rather than dictate and thus create ownership of Risk issues within the wider organisation.

I believe in the mantra that “Risk is Everyone’s Business” and that we should work as Risk Professionals to ensure that our business colleagues understand the relevance of Risk issues to an organisation’s broader success.

What are the main benefits of being an RMA Australia member?

There are many benefits of being a member of the Risk Management Association, I particularly enjoy the regular presentations as I feel that there is always a good level of take-aways. I have learnt something from every presentation I have attended, even if the topic is not directly related to my specific field. There are so many insights!

While virtual presentations have been great through the pandemic, I am looking forward to getting back to the face-to-face presentations and particularly the networking afterwards!!

What topic (s) would you like to see included in the 2021 RMA Australia webinar/events calendar?

I am open to any topic; I find something of interest in them all. I would encourage all members to attend as many presentations as possible, you never know what you will take away from a session, sometimes the most unusual topics can present the most surprising learnings!

If you or anyone you know is “on the move” or has exciting news to share, please email
marketing@rmaaustralia.org