As we close out the year, we’re shining a light on a role that touches every part of our business, from operational resilience to carbon emissions reporting . Brianna Dobing, GBST’s Risk, Compliance & ESG Manager, returned from parental leave to step into a completely new function and has since shaped the way GBST approaches governance, sustainability, and risk management. In this People Spotlight, Brianna shares her journey, the lessons learned in a steep first year, and why ESG is both a responsibility and an opportunity for GBST.
Hi Bri! Your journey back to GBST is a story in itself. Can you tell us about your career path, from leading digital, taking time away for parental leave, and returning to GBST in a brand-new role?
I’ve always been fortunate at GBST to explore new opportunities. Before going on parental leave, I had an honest conversation with my manager about wanting a new challenge. I loved leading the Digital team and had been in that role for almost five years, but I felt I’d reached a natural point of transition.
At the time I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted next — especially with a baby on the way — but I knew I was ready for something different. About six months into leave, GBST reached out about a newly created Risk, Compliance & ESG Manager role. The position description genuinely excited me and made me nervous in the best possible way. It was something completely new, and I was ready to learn again. After speaking with our CFO to understand the remit, I decided to take the leap. I returned in January and haven’t looked back.
For those who might not be familiar with your remit, how would you describe the scope of your role? What does a typical week look like across risk, compliance, and ESG?
In short: it’s varied! Time management is essential because each part of the role has different demands.
Some weeks are entirely driven by time-sensitive work — internal or external audits for our ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, business continuity testing, or contractual commitments such as responding to client audit questionnaires.
In the quieter periods, I focus on ongoing responsibilities: quarterly risk reviews across all business units, preparing executive and board-level risk summaries, managing our internal audit programme, overseeing our business continuity framework, and maintaining our operational resilience practices.
On the ESG side, my week might involve coordinating our annual greenhouse gas assessment, reviewing supplier due-diligence questionnaires, or preparing our EcoVadis submission. It’s a role with a lot of moving parts, but I love the breadth.
What drew you to leading this role? What excited you about stepping into a remit spanning risk, compliance, and ESG?
The variety was definitely part of the appeal. I enjoy managing my own workload, shifting focuses, and jumping between different types of challenges. But the biggest factor was simply the opportunity to learn. There was so much I didn’t know, and that energised me.
This role offered the chance to step outside my comfort zone again, and that’s something I value. It’s rewarding building new foundations from the ground up.
ESG is a big part of your remit. For people who aren’t familiar with the terminology, how do you explain ESG in simple terms?
I always start with the basics:
E = Environmental — How we impact the planet.
S = Social — How we treat our people, customers, and communities.
G = Governance — How ethically and responsibly we operate as a business.
In practical terms, ESG is about asking: Are we good corporate citizens? Are we reducing risk? Are we building trust? These things aren’t “nice to haves” anymore; stakeholders expect them, and businesses that do them well perform better in the long run.
And looking at ESG through a more detailed lens, what does it mean for GBST specifically — and where do the big opportunities lie?
Environmentally, a major focus this year has been understanding our carbon footprint. For software companies like ours, the biggest emissions aren’t direct — we don’t run factories or fleets — but come from Scope 2 (primarily electricity) and especially Scope 3, which covers our supply chain, including the large cloud providers that host our platforms.
Completing our first independently verified greenhouse gas assessment was a milestone. We’ve commenced the process to set our decarbonisation reduction strategy to identify where we can reduce emissions over time and set clear targets in line with government recommendations.
The social dimension covers how we treat our people and communities — from diversity and inclusion to work health and safety, labour and human rights, and modern slavery.
And governance is all about integrity, transparency, reporting, and ensuring we comply with regulations and best practice.
When we improve areas within ESG, we strengthen trust with clients, partners, investors, and our people. And we reduce operational risk, which ultimately benefits performance.
You’ve delivered a lot in your first year. What meaningful changes or improvements are you most proud of?
Refreshing and globalising our business continuity management programme is a big one. Previously we had location-specific plans. Introducing a single global BCP with structured recovery plans underneath streamlines coordination and establishes consistent recovery practices, improving our ability to respond to disruptions.
Updating our risk management framework to be consistent with guidance given by ISO 31000 was another milestone, along with improving our quarterly risk review process and ensuring all teams across the business are included.
Completing our external ISO 9001 recertification, finalising our first greenhouse gas assessment, updating key policies, and rolling out our first group-wide Anti-Fraud Policy and training were also important steps. It’s been a busy, rewarding year.
You work across multiple regions and functions. What does strong collaboration look like in your world? How do you bring risk, compliance, and ESG to life across the business?
Stakeholder engagement can be hard, especially when most of the work I ask people to do sits on top of their day job. So I focus on listening first: understanding how teams work, what their challenges are, and where I can support rather than interrupt.
Preparation is key. Business continuity testing, for example, brings together many stakeholders and asks for real time investment. I try to make each session as valuable and efficient as possible.
Above all, I try to be kind and flexible. You never know what someone has going on outside work. Collaboration flows more easily when you make the process as human and supportive as possible.
Much of your work happens behind the scenes. What’s something you wish people understood better about risk, compliance, and governance?
That it’s a two-way street. Policies, risk frameworks, and continuity plans aren’t things I hand down from above. They have to make sense for our business, fit our reality, and support — not stifle — innovation.
There will always be non-negotiables driven by contracts or regulation, but there’s plenty of room for feedback and iteration. I really value when people raise ideas or pain points. There’s always a better way.
What’s been your biggest learning curve in moving into such a different role?
Honestly — everything! The terminology, the acronyms, the frameworks, the regulatory expectations… all completely new to me.
I did several courses early on, and I leaned heavily on our external partners. I also joined every climate webinar I could find to understand carbon emissions and supply chain impacts.
The steepest moment was being thrown into an ISO 9001 external audit in my second week back from parental leave, before I even knew what ISO 9001 was! I remember reading the entire 40-page standard on the bus home one night. It was daunting, but now, a year later, I can talk about these concepts with confidence.
And finally — outside of work, how do you switch off and recharge?
Music is a huge part of my life. I love gigs and festivals. I was at a metal festival recently, which most people probably wouldn’t expect! I also love going out for coffee with friends, walking my two pups, spending time with my family, and fitting in yoga, pilates, or a run when I can… though a night of moshing probably counts as cardio for the week.
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