Large local business will survive the COVID-19 pandemic. That is the assurance given by Gervais Warner, president and chief executive officer of Massy Holdings.
Speaking on the issue of business continuity on CNC3 last night, Warner said that all companies would have plans to get them through this shutdown period.
“Most of our businesses would have Business Continuity Plans (BCP’s) that they would have been putting in place for eventualities, it could be an earthquake, it could be a hurricane, it could be any form of business interruption.
“There are certain processes that you out in place when something like that would occur,” he said.
Having said that, Warner added that the worldwide impact of the COVID-19 virus was not something that companies could have planned.
“Certainly, no one at all contemplated a global pandemic in so all our BCP plans are being very well stress-tested at this moment in time,” he said
“We have been able to have all our business up and running except for the non-essential activities which are no longer permitted,” he said.
Warner said Massy Holding employed some 12,000 people and were actively trying to keep them all employed throughout the crisis.
Chairman of Prestige Holdings and Agostini Group, Christian Mouttet agreed with Warner about the BCP’s.
“Larger business probably have more formal continuity plans that are probably documented, smaller businesses maybe less so and it depends on the industry that you are in,” he said.
“I don’t know that anyone could have clearly predicted what the crisis would be, but we’ve taken steps to protect employees first and foremost,” he said.
“In Prestige Holdings, across our restaurants, very early we erected plexiglass screens to protect our employees and our customers,” he said.
“In the Agostini Group, at Superpharm, we have done that as well,” he said.
He said it was better to try to prepare than to try to predict when or what type of crisis could befall your business.
