Our Business
Managing risks as threats
and opportunities
Introduction
Managing risks as threats and opportunities
Risk and opportunity management
Guided by heart and governed by vigilance, we convert risks into opportunities, safeguarding donors, patients, colleagues and communities as we advance our life-saving mission.
Managing risks and capitalising on opportunities are paramount to protecting what matters most at SANBS, our donors, patients, colleagues and the countless lives we touch. Our Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework provides a robust foundation for this work, embedding structured processes that deliver sustained value across every strategic initiative.
Under Board-approved risk appetite and tolerance levels, and under the oversight of the Risk, Technology and Information Governance Committee, we rigorously identify and assess each risk and opportunity, determining whether to tolerate, treat, terminate or share the risk, and how best to pursue strategic opportunities to support our purpose of being “Trusted to Save Lives.”
This conservative yet dynamic approach ensures we remain resilient and adaptable in a rapidly changing environment, with stakeholder engagement playing a crucial role in identifying emerging exposures.
Over the past year, we completed and fully stabilised Phase 1 of BECS: most outstanding critical tickets were resolved and the system transitioned into full maintenance mode.
When we embark on BECS Phase 2, and as we integrate advanced AI capabilities and extend our digital platform, we will apply the same robust ERM practices: dedicated risk reviews at each project gate, stakeholder forums to flag integration and data-quality concerns, and strengthened cybersecurity controls to counter rising phishing attempts and protect sensitive information.
As SANBS enters its people-centred, customer-focused ‘Serving with Heart’ era, we have renewed our focus on risk exposures across four strategic pillars: Connecting Patients and Products, Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership, Donor Recruitment and Retention, and Fit-for-Purpose Workplace and Workforce.
We are intensifying efforts to connect patients with the right products more efficiently, digitising lab processes, optimising logistics and streamlining workflows, while also managing evolving donor and stakeholder expectations, ensuring the timely roll-out of mobile collection units, addressing skills gaps in empathy-led service and mitigating change fatigue during major system integrations.
To address these areas, we have activated cross-functional treatment plans:
Connecting patients and products
Enhanced patient-facing lab workflows for faster turnaround and logistics-improvement projects
Stakeholder engagement and partnership
Co-designed donor-engagement programmes informed by first-time donor survey insights and development of a new Donor App for improved communication with donors
Donor recruitment and retention
Deployment of an expanded fleet of mobile donor vehicles and agile donor-experience initiatives drawn from real-time feedback
Fit-for-purpose workplace and workforce
Scaling our “Growing Our Own” internship initiative alongside targeted upskilling, flexible remuneration models and dedicated change-management support
Embedding a people-first risk culture underpins every action. From clinic staff to logistics teams, every employee follows a standardised escalation protocol to raise concerns promptly. Regular feedback mechanisms help us identify small issues before they escalate, and we recognise proactive risk-management behaviours across the company. By embedding purpose and excellence into our ERM Framework, SANBS will continue to anticipate threats and seize opportunities, saving lives together today and into the future.