Resilience Alliance launched to enhance industry collaboration

​Four leading professional membership organisations have launched the Resilience Alliance, with the aim of developing and promoting resilience globally.

UK risk management association Airmic; ASIS International, a membership organisation for security management professionals; the BCI, a global professional institute for business continuity and resilience professionals; and the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management have all signed the Memorandum of Understanding.

The Resilience A​​lliance will address the implications of the changes and sudden disruptions such as those faced by organisations already in 2020. The goal is to convert the benefit of the collective specialisms of member organisations through collaboration. It also aims to develop and promote a common mutual understanding of what is meant by the term “resilience”.

Each member organisation of the Resilience Alliance has developed its own lens and approach to the subject of resilience based on its unique purpose, activities and individual member interests.

However, many resilience challenges are faced and shared by all. The Resilience Alliance will undertake joint communication and thought-leadership initiatives and research projects on the good practices organisations can develop and adopt.

Members will be also encouraged to share their professional knowledge, supporting the collaboration of the respective professionals in a complex, connected and high velocity world.

The basis for the collaboration is the belief that organisational resilience is most effectively delivered when operational and professional silos are broken down. There is no single discipline that can claim to cover all aspects of resilience; resilience is delivered by multidisciplinary specialists working together towards a common purpose.

The alliance believes that risk management, workplace and facilities, security and business continuity professionals all play a key role in developing resilience, and collaboration by professionals makes good business sense.

The next steps will be to promote the value of developing resilience, promote the activities of each alliance member, carry out joint research, education and events and foster a collaborative approach.

The Resilience Alliance chair and secretariat will be rotational between the member bodies on a yearly basis from April 1, starting with the BCI. The incumbent secretariat will agree immediate and longer terms plans and priorities.

John Ludlow, CEO of Airmic, explained: “It is important that we work with risk professionals across the spectrum to demonstrate what we believe: that resilience is a team game and that together we are stronger.

“The Resilience Alliance member organisations’ united presence at Airmic Fest demonstrates our intent, embracing the theme: ‘Working together in a time of accelerated change’.

“The Resilience Alliance is a fantastic opportunity to drive change in organisations, making them fitter and ultimately more ‘risk-intelligent’. The events of 2020 have shown us we live in a fast moving, volatile and connected world—one that is constantly changing and where working in silos is no longer an option.

“Airmic is delighted to work with our fellow Resilience Alliance members on the projects and thought-leadership issues, across public platforms, which will demonstrate the power of collaboration.”

Peter O’Neil, CEO of ASIS International, added: “Resilience plays a significant role in the security profession as a whole, particularly as it relates to crisis management and business continuity challenges.

“The ability to prepare for, and adapt to, changing conditions and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions is a major role of security professionals worldwide.

“We are excited to join the Resilience Alliance and look forward to developing future tools and resources for our profession—and others—to strengthen organisations across the globe.”