Sir Digby Jones – CBI Director-General
Business risk as a subject matter is an interesting one for the CBI to grapple with. Given that business continuity solutions are the first and foremost a matter of individual companies, coupled with the fact that they are limited regulatory dimensions to it, then the role for the CBI to play in a classic lobbying sense is limited.

Nonetheless, I do believe that it is important for us to be highlighting the importance of business continuity and risk assessment and for businesses to be aware of best practice – hence my clarion call for companies to setup up their efforts in this respect.

Dermot McCarthy – City of London
Business Continuity has come a long way in a short time. What was once a fringe activity, practiced by a minority of organisations is now an accepted business practice right at the heart of commercial firms.

What's now happening is that organisations outside the commercial sector, such as charities, are engaging in business continuity management. That's because the case for business continuity is now more widely known and understood.

Business Continuity Awareness Week plays an important role in this development and deserves credit for raising awareness in this vital area.

Lyndon Bird – BCI Technical Services Director
Business Continuity Management needs to be viewed in a wider context that has traditionally been the case. The every increasing interdependency of business created by sophisticated supply chain management systems and outsourcing of non core functions has meant that organisations have had to look well beyond their own boundaries. The nature of global threats such as terrorism and pandemics also highlight the need for much closer cooperation between public and private sectors in meshing their business continuity programmes.

The need to share experiences and find joint ways to increase overall business resilience is why Business Continuity Awareness Week is so important.

Mike Osborne, ICM Recovery Services Operations Director
“Business Continuity Week isn’t about pointing the finger at companies without plans, it is about raising awareness and encouraging people to take the first steps in setting up a business continuity plan within their organisation. "Having a continuity plan in place reassures investors that a business can continue to trade; it shows customers that whatever happens you will be able to deliver your services to them; it also makes a statement to staff that the company values their livelihood and is prepared to spend to protect it. It is increasingly seen as a mandatory requirement of doing modern business”.

Alastair McKay - John Lewis Partnership, Deputy Chairman
Since BCAW last year there has been a steady stream of events both natural and manmade that cannot fail to underline the importance of planning to businesses, of almost any size, to minimise and mitigate the disruptive effects of unforeseen disasters and threats. The current threat of human flu pandemic, no matter how remote at present, must surely reinforce the fact that business continuity planning is no longer the sole preserve of the largest enterprises but an essential part of prudent protection and preservation of almost all businesses. It is one of those areas of business endeavour where even the simplest of measures to define, plan and practice can pay real dividends.