What started out as a conversation with his chief executive, resulted in a dissertation on the impact of commercialisation on local authorities. Robert Weaver delves into the aspects of non-financial risk and its implications.

An informal conversation can often result in invigoration and trepidation in equal measure. Such was the occasion when I met with my chief executive six months ago and he suggested I should get my MBA completed. If the only thing standing between me and those three letters was the small matter of a 15,000 word dissertation…who was I to argue?