Edge Insider: Meet Cameron Hay, Risk Manager at Edge

The Art of Risks

Cameron Hay on the mindset behind making decisions that matter.

Cameron approaches complexity without noise. He doesn’t rely on buzzwords. His focus is quieter, and more enduring: sound judgment, clear thinking, and the ability to navigate risk with intention.

I help people think about uncertainty, he says simply. Thats what risk management really is.

It’s a neat sentence, but like most neat sentences, it barely hints at the depth of what he actually does.

Three Careers, One Constant: Asking the Right Questions

Cameron didn’t grow up with real estate in mind. He didn’t even grow up with numbers.

I started out as a lawyer in Perth, then a journalist and film maker in Japan and Sydney,. It wasnt until my 40s that I shifted into risk management.

Fifteen years consulting across industries, mining, higher education, philanthropy, energy, even an amusement park in Hong Kong taught him one thing: risk is everywhere.

Every decision carries it, he says. The question is: have you thought it through?

That instinct, question first, decide second, is something he brought with him when he moved from Perth to Amsterdam, and eventually, to Edge.

What he found surprised him.

Kindness as Culture

I think what struck me first was how kind the culture at Edge is, he says. Thats not a sexy word. But its rare.

In an industry often known for high-stakes pressure and cutthroat energy, Edge he notes feels different.

Its not dog-eat-dog. People work together. Theres a real generosity of spirit.

That difference matters when you’re in his role. Risk management, after all, isn’t about slowing things down. It’s about aligning courage with caution, ambition with accountability. It’s about making sure the decisions made reflect what it really stands for, not just what looks good in a spreadsheet.

People have different risk appetites, he explains. Edge is a developer, and we take bold steps. But we take them thoughtfully.

Balancing Innovation and Uncertainty

At Edge, innovation isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected. Buildings are testbeds for new materials, low-carbon technologies, and sustainability solutions with no precedents. And each one brings its own risks.

When you try something new, like low-carbon concrete or novel façade systems, theres always uncertainty. It might not perform the way you hope. Theres no blueprint.

But that’s the point.

The reward has to match the risk. If were going to lead in sustainability, we have to accept a certain amount of exposure, but we do it with our eyes open.

And it’s not just about Edge anymore. As the company expands into asset and investment management, the stakes are growing.

When you manage other peoples capital, they want to know: how do you protect us from taking on more risk than were comfortable with? Thats where risk management becomes integral, not just supportive.

Collaboration at the Core

Cameron won’t pick a favorite Edge project.

Its like choosing a favorite child, he laughs. They all have something that makes them special.

But what excites him more than buildings is how people work together to build them. From the towering ambition of ABN AMRO Foppingadreef to the quiet impact of EDGE Shaftesbury in London, he sees each as a reflection of collective decision-making, shared foresight, and mutual trust.

Real estate is built on judgment, he says. And judgment gets better when more perspectives are considered.

Cameron Hay doesn’t speak in absolutes. He weighs things. What he brings is rarer and arguably more valuable: integrity. And the steady sense that, even in a world of rapid change, some things like asking the right questions never go out of style.