Meet Liong Lim, Director of Risk

Tell us about your role and what it entails?

I’m the Director of Risk for Nine. So my responsibility is to oversee how risk is managed in all the different businesses across the Nine group. That means checking we have the right tools and resources to identify when an issue arises, and then working with my Nine colleagues to respond effectively.

What does an average day in your role look like?

Well Risk is all about supporting our business. So with an organisation like Nine, where every day is different, it also means my day needs to be flexible. I normally try to get an early start. And then my priorities for the day could involve anything from helping our Olympics crew prepare for unforeseen events in Paris, or looking at a risk assessment for a journalist that’s about to travel into the Ukraine, or preparing a paper for the Nine Board of Directors.

What attracted you to a role at Nine?

I actually worked at Nine many years ago. So I’m aware of the important role Nine has played for Australia over the years. I left Nine to travel and work overseas before coming back home. And over the last 15 years I’ve worked in some great companies and been privileged to lead some very good teams. As I walked that journey and had all those experiences it just felt like the right time to come back to Nine. I love the role our business plays in Australian society.

What is one of the craziest or most exciting things you have done at work?

Back in the 2000’s I worked in sport and I had to negotiate a contract for the Brazilian football team to play an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia. That was a lot of fun. The hardest part of the negotiation was actually agreeing on the team menu. Such a good laugh.

What is one of the best pieces of career advice you have received?

For a number of years when I worked at the Commonwealth Bank, I worked for a wonderful, and very supportive senior executive. His advice? Never lose your composure.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I’d say: “No matter what you do with your life, just be yourself, make sure to show up every day and be well-prepared at all times.”

What is an unknown fact/skill about you?

There is an alternate reality where I became a playwright. When I was at college I wrote a number of plays and was actually pretty good. I even got two of them produced. We didn’t make any money of course but we did get them to the stage.

Outside of the office, what are your hobbies and passions?

Outside the office, my greatest loves would be my family and reading. Most weekends are spent driving my crazy kids around, and whenever I have a spare minute I’m reading. I have a little library of books on my desk at work.

What do you aim to achieve with your team within the next 12 months?

There’s so much I’d like to do. I feel the most important priorities for me right now are to raise awareness of risk and assure everyone that Nine is aware of the commitment we’ve made to having the risk systems in place to support our strategic initiatives and also look after our staff. Articles like this are a very important part of that, so thank you.