GRC practitioners rank ‘engagement in strategic planning’ (23.3%) and ‘automation of compliance processes’ (19.6%) as the top two measures for future-proofing GRC over the next five years.
On individual skills, relationship management is the standout: 28.8% rank it the single most important skill or behaviour for future GRC professionals — more than double the next-highest response.
Key Statistics
- 23.3% rank ‘engagement in strategic planning’ as the top future-proofing measure for GRC.
- 19.6% rank ‘automation of compliance processes’ as the top future-proofing measure.
- 28.8% rank relationship management as the single most important skill for future GRC professionals.
- Adaptability is the second most valued skill, with a weighted score of 16.50 (vs. 17.85 for relationship management).
- Technical compliance expertise ranks just 11th out of 22 skills tested.
Source: ICA Global GRC Survey 2025. Survey of 383 practitioners across 87 countries and 30+ sectors.
Measures for future-proofing the GRC function (ranked)
Strategic engagement and automation lead by a clear margin over more traditional measures like succession planning or simply adding headcount, reinforcing the sense that GRC's future value lies in advisory influence rather than manual process execution.
| Future-proofing measure | Rank 1 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance engagement in strategic planning | 23.31% | 6.08 |
| Automation of compliance processes | 19.63% | 5.91 |
| Automation of operational processes | 7.98% | 5.52 |
| Investment in AI for business operations | 3.68% | 5.25 |
| Upskilling governance, risk & compliance team members | 9.82% | 5.21 |
| Demonstrating the commercial and regulatory value of the function | 11.66% | 4.65 |
| Investment in AI for governance, risk & compliance | 11.66% | 4.31 |
| Succession planning for the function | 6.13% | 4.25 |
| Increasing governance, risk & compliance resource | 6.13% | 3.82 |
Key skills and behaviours for future GRC professionals (ranked)
The gap at the top is striking: relationship management scores nearly 1.5x higher than the next skill (adaptability), and technical compliance expertise — traditionally seen as the core of the role — ranks 11th out of 22, well behind communication, ethical judgement and data analysis.
| Skill / behaviour | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relationship management | 28.83% | 13.50% | 11.66% | 17.85 |
| Adaptability | 7.98% | 22.09% | 12.27% | 16.50 |
| Personal resilience | 1.84% | 4.91% | 21.47% | 14.79 |
| Communication skills | 3.07% | 7.36% | 7.36% | 14.69 |
| Expertise in regulatory change | 7.98% | 4.29% | 6.13% | 14.55 |
| Ethical judgement | 8.59% | 5.52% | 3.68% | 14.47 |
| Data analysis | 2.45% | 2.45% | 1.84% | 13.15 |
| AI skills | 3.68% | 4.91% | 1.84% | 12.87 |
| Risk assessment | 3.07% | 5.52% | 6.13% | 12.58 |
| Expertise in technology | 1.23% | 2.45% | 2.45% | 12.55 |
| Technical compliance expertise | 2.45% | 1.23% | 4.91% | 11.65 |
| Risk management | 3.68% | 5.52% | 3.68% | 11.40 |
| Understanding the business | 12.27% | 8.59% | 1.84% | 11.26 |
| Project management capabilities | 0.00% | 1.23% | 2.45% | 10.66 |
| Problem solving | 0.61% | 2.45% | 2.45% | 10.28 |
| Auditing and monitoring skills | 0.61% | 0.61% | 0.61% | 9.98 |
| Influencing | 1.84% | 1.84% | 4.29% | 9.69 |
| Horizon scanning | 1.84% | 1.84% | 0.61% | 9.06 |
| Big picture thinking | 6.13% | 2.45% | 2.45% | 8.20 |
| Regulatory liaison | 0.61% | 0.61% | 1.23% | 6.90 |
| Networking | 0.61% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 5.45 |
| New product / service development | 0.61% | 0.61% | 0.61% | 4.48 |
Additional skills raised by respondents
Beyond the ranked list, respondents proposed further skills seen as increasingly important, though not separately quantified: change management, cybersecurity awareness, cultural and global awareness, an innovation mindset, critical thinking, storytelling with data, cross-functional collaboration, and ESG knowledge.
Summary
Future-proofing GRC, on this data, is less about technology investment for its own sake and more about repositioning the function as a strategic, relationship-driven partner to the business — with automation freeing up time for exactly that shift.