Head of Enterprise Risk in London

Who are we

Founded in 1896, Knight Frank is one of the world's leading independent real estate consultancies. We work responsibly in partnership to enhance people's lives and environments in over 50 markets, 600+ offices, and 20,000+ people. At the heart of all we do are our clients. A relationship built on trust is vital. As trusted partners in property, we act with integrity and care, understanding our clients’ unique needs and consistently thinking about the bigger picture to provide personalised, clear and considered advice across all areas of property.

A true partnership is a balanced one, and our people are passionate about, and committed to, making our business inclusive and diverse. We empower everyone to have autonomy in their role and encourage them to use their voice in how we can make a positive impact as a firm and shape the future of real estate, the built environment and the impact on the communities we serve.

About The Role

Knight Frank is seeking a Head of Enterprise Risk to join our Head Office in Baker Street. We are looking for an experienced, credible, and commercially minded senior leader to establish and lead Knight Frank’s Enterprise Risk function. This newly created role will be responsible for designing, embedding, and owning a global Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework, enabling the firm to identify, assess, and manage risks consistently across all regions, service lines, and legal entities. The role will play a critical part in supporting strategic decision‐making, strengthening governance, and promoting a strong, forward‐looking risk culture across the Partnership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Risk Leadership & Strategy
  • Establish and lead Knight Frank’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) function, building capability, credibility, and influence across the firm.
  • Design, implement, and maintain a global ERM framework, aligned to recognised standards (e.g. COSO), proportionate to the Partnership model.
  • Define and embed a consistent risk taxonomy, risk appetite, and risk rating methodology, approved by the Group Executive Board (GEB).
  • Ensure enterprise risk considerations are embedded into strategy, business planning, investment decisions, and change initiatives.
  • Act as a trusted adviser to the CRO, Executive Leadership, Risk Committee, and GEB on enterprise‐level risk matters.
• Risk Identification, Assessment & Monitoring
  • Lead the identification and assessment of enterprise‐wide risks across all regions and operations, including: strategic and commercial risks, regulatory and compliance risks, operational and outsourcing risks, cyber and technology risks, ESG, sustainability, and climate risks, geopolitical and macro‐economic risks.
  • Develop and maintain an enterprise risk register, supported by clear ownership, controls, and mitigation plans.
  • Produce enterprise‐level risk heat maps and dashboards, identifying trends, interdependencies, and emerging risks.
  • Ensure consistent risk assessment practices across FCC, Compliance, Risk, ESG, IT, HR, and business functions.
• Scenario Analysis & Stress Testing
  • Design and deliver scenario planning and stress testing exercises to assess Knight Frank’s resilience to severe but plausible events.
  • Support leadership in understanding vulnerabilities, control gaps, and potential impacts on strategy, operations, reputation, and financial performance.
  • Use scenario outputs to inform risk appetite, mitigation strategies, and investment priorities.
• Governance, Reporting & Assurance
  • Establish clear enterprise risk governance, including roles, responsibilities, escalation routes, and decision‐making forums.
  • Deliver clear, concise, and forward‐looking risk reporting to: Chief Risk Officer, Senior Leadership, Risk Committee, Group Executive Board.
  • Support Board and Committee discussions with high‐quality insights, analysis, and recommendations.
  • Coordinate with Internal Audit and second‐line functions to ensure appropriate challenge, assurance, and alignment.
• Culture, Capability & Engagement
  • Promote a risk‐aware and accountable culture across the Partnership, where risk ownership is clearly understood and actively managed.
  • Develop and deliver training and awareness programmes on enterprise risk, risk ownership, and controls.
  • Partner closely with regional and service‐line leaders to embed ERM into day‐to‐day decision‐making without hindering commercial activity.
  • Build and lead a small, high‐calibre central Enterprise Risk team, with a focus on quality, influence, and collaboration.
• External & Strategic Perspective
  • Maintain awareness of regulatory, geopolitical, economic, and industry developments impacting the global real estate sector.
  • Benchmark Knight Frank’s ERM practices against peer organisations and best practice.
  • Where appropriate, represent the firm in external risk, governance, or industry forums.

Key Experience Required:

• Extensive senior‐level experience in Enterprise Risk Management within a complex, global organisation (professional services, real estate, financial services, or similarly regulated environment).
• Proven track record of designing and embedding ERM frameworks, rather than operating within mature, pre‐existing models.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise risk governance, risk appetite frameworks, and Board‐level reporting.
• Demonstrated experience managing a broad risk universe, including strategic, operational, regulatory, cyber, ESG, and geopolitical risks.
• Experience implementing ERM/GRC technologies, with exposure to technology transformation initiatives and vendor selection processes would be desirable.

Key Skills Required:

• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at Partner, ExCo, and Board level.
• Strong analytical capability, combined with the ability to communicate complex risk issues clearly and pragmatically.
• Experience operating in a Partnership or matrix environment is highly desirable.
• Confident, credible leader with the presence to challenge constructively and support informed decision‐making.
• Professional risk qualifications (e.g. IRM, CRISC) desirable but not essential.

Competitive salary. Please note: this is a Direct Search led by Knight Frank. Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted nor will fees be paid for unsolicited CVs, even if provided by PSL agencies.