Healix International - Experts & Thought Leaders

Healix, the partner for health, travel and security-related risk management solutions, has joined a five-year partnership with the recently formed Emergency Alliance.  The Emergency Alliance represents the formal coming together of New Zealand’s expert relief agencies, who have agreed to collaborate to share knowledge and resources to create efficiencies in their fundraising activities. Through this collaboration, Emergency Alliance is able to provide more efficient emergency assistance to those who need it most. Launched in March, the platform leverages best practices from similar mechanisms operating in 13 other countries. Thirty years of partnership Healix will be bringing over thirty years of medical and security expertise to the partnership With this announcement, Healix will be bringing over thirty years of medical and security expertise to the partnership. Leveraging its understanding of risk and its range of innovative products, Healix will be able to aid the Emergency Alliance’s efforts to act efficiently and effectively when a crisis occurs. “We are very excited to be working with Healix. Their global network of travel, security and medical experts will provide rich insights and assessments for Emergency Alliance and its members, and are part of our toolbox when we respond to significant global crises,” said Emergency Alliance Executive Director Paul Brown. “Through our Rapid Response Network, we are building a tight family of news media and corporate partners who can amplify our call for help, and we appreciate Healix’s foresight and leadership to commit to this long-term partnership.” he continued. Author's quote Jason McLennan, General Manager for Healix New Zealand notes that “when disaster strikes, it’s essential to work with trusted, recognised and well-established organisations, and the Emergency Alliance offers this. With Healix now on board, the Emergency Alliance will have even further strength to handle the increasingly complex emergencies facing us. He adds, "Climate change, geopolitics, and other issues are bringing a new wave of emergencies that need to be handled efficiently and effectively. We look forward to working with Emergency Alliance in handling these challenges and working together to find and build the solutions that are needed the most.”

World Refugee Day 2022 took on an even greater significance this year as it comes amid the brutal war in Ukraine. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed global displacement figures to record levels. More than five million Ukrainian refugees have been registered across Europe since the conflict began in February. One third of Ukraine’s population has been internally or internationally displaced. Reasons of displacement More than one percent of the current global population has been forced to flee The sombre truth is that more than one percent of the current global population has been forced to flee their homes. Displacement can occur for many reasons, including violence, war, natural disasters and climate change. The number of global refugees has risen by 10.7 million since 2021. This staggering increase can be largely attributed to the war in Ukraine, as well as humanitarian crises in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Internally displaced peoples It is important to note that this total does not include the number of internally displaced peoples (IDP). IDP are those who are forced to flee their homes, but remain within their own country. Internal displacement is often caused by the rising number of extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts, floods, typhoons and hurricanes. To maintain safety World Refugee Day is an important opportunity to acknowledge NGO's effort Effective relief for those who have been displaced is entirely dependent on the safety and wellbeing of the people that deliver it. World Refugee Day is an important opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their employees that work tirelessly to assist refugees and IDPs worldwide. Aid workers Aid workers face significant security risks due to their direct exposure to violence, conflict and unrest. In addition, these workers are commonly targeted as political hostages or bargaining chips. In May of this year, the Russian military unlawfully detained two UK aid workers who were providing humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. These types of arrests represent a direct breach of humanitarian law. A concerning trend can be seen, evident in the increasing number of attacks against aid workers worldwide. Notable incidents Some notable incidents seen in the last 12 months: Three members of the UNHCR were wounded in an attack against a convoy in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in December 2021. Islamic State militants killed an aid worker employed by the Kurdish Red Crescent in the Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria, which underscores the extreme security risks humanitarian and medical organisations face in that area. Two humanitarian workers were killed in separate events in February. Aid convoys, warehouses and medical teams are regularly targeted. In March, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) raised concerns about the rising number of lootings and attacks on aid workers in South Sudan as the country’s hunger and unrest crisis continues to deteriorate. Higher risk tolerance NGOs generally have a higher risk tolerance than multi-national corporations NGOs generally have a higher risk tolerance than multi-national corporations and governments. While securing acceptance in the field is undoubtedly one of the most important forms of protection, there are a number of other risk mitigation and crisis management measures available to help NGOs fulfil their duty of care towards their field staff and volunteers and ensure donor confidence. Healix encourage NGO's Healix encourage the use of explicit NGO security management strategies. The company can assist by providing ground support and protective services, building evacuation plans and travel policies, conducting security audits and coordinating journey management plans. Additional services include the Healix Sentinel Tracker and Healix Sentinel Travel Oracle App, which allow NGOs to boost their preparedness and resilience while simultaneously enhancing their operational capabilities in high-risk security environments.

The hyper-connectivity that social media fortunes to both organisations and consumers has undoubtedly changed the way business is conducted. According to a study published in an article by Forbes in May 2021, over 70% of businesses surveyed now rely on social media for customer engagement, and nearly 90% of business executives interviewed agree that companies that don’t invest in social media will be left behind. Measuring brand engagement By engaging with customers directly and posting relevant content, businesses can build relationships, ‘humanising’ their brand to increase loyalty, advocacy and visibility. Social media can be a helpful tool to measure brand engagement, and manage public perception. However, when used ineffectively, it also poses some inherent risks for companies However, when used ineffectively, it also poses some inherent risks for companies. With the relationship between consumer and businesses more transparent than ever, reputational risks need to be carefully managed. The lack of awareness or failure to mitigate such risks can often lead to significant brand damage, and other cascading impacts on the company like loss of earnings. Disgruntled customers can take to social media to air grievances. Criticism now travels at the speed of 280 characters in the most public manner. Damage controls responses Even well intended content or messages shared on social media can be misconstrued by consumers, resulting in blowback to the company. Moreover, with the prevalence of cancel culture, organisations and even their partners don’t have to be directly involved with incidents to be affected, just by association is enough. According to the World Economic Forum, ‘more than 25% of a company’s market value is directly attributable to its reputation’, which highlights the shareholder value at stake. Although predicating the potential root causes of reputational risk through social media can be difficult, the best way to minimise the associated risks is to build actionable crisis management protocols. Being proactive is the best way to mitigate risks, by engaging prompt damage controls responses in a manner appropriate for the audience. Coordinated media response What can organisations do to minimise reputational risk posed by social media For example, in the event that a disgruntled customer has video evidence of a company engaging in wrongdoing, it is up to the business in question to respond in a way which minimises the potential risks associated. This could involve a rapid apology, acknowledgment of wrongdoing via social media, or even a more coordinated media response. What can organisations do to minimise reputational risk posed by social media? Companies should understand the current perceptions of their business and be honest in evaluations of expectations. Are services being oversold or expectations being overestimated? Managing expectations is one of the key measures to avoid dissatisfied customers. Strategic media intelligence Active monitoring of public perception can also help set expectations using such methods as media analysis, stakeholder surveys and other elements of strategic media intelligence. If any negative or hostile sentiment is discovered, analysis into the root cause can avoid an incident spiralling into a more serious or damaging event. This also allows businesses to spot emerging trends and allows them to amend behaviours. Approaching reputational risk management in the social media landscape requires an integrated approach, one which instead of being the defined responsibility of risk managers, requires the collaboration of internal auditors, marketing and PR, as well as IT. Internal auditors can also assist with guidance on social media policies Often overlooked, internal auditors play a critical advisory role in risk management by providing insight on the effectiveness of social media governance programs implemented by the organisation. Internal auditors can also assist with guidance on social media policies and ensure their compliance with regulatory requirements. Minimising reputational risks Since marketing and PR are closely familiar with customer insights, reputation management and all the communications filtered through the brand, their expertise is essential in helping risk managers develop risk management plans or ‘playbooks’ that outline different risk scenarios from social media and assist during times of crisis management such as providing clarity on brand positioning to mitigate further impact on social media. A company’s reputation is central to its ongoing success, in terms of maintaining loyal customers, retaining higher market values and being an attractive prospect to investors and partners. Resilience to reputational risk, established through actionable, practised and strategic crisis management measures, is essential for any business. With customer expectations at an all-time high, minimising reputational risks adds an extra layer of protection to profits, market position and brand loyalty.

Travel and tourism are a colossus of a global industry. From backpackers to private jets, people from all backgrounds can explore the world in a variety of different ways for several different purposes. Many may associate the mention of travel with leisure – holidays, cruises, or other pastimes. However, a significant proportion of the industry is driven by travel for business-related means. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), business travel expenditure exceeded $1.4 trillion in 2018 – accounting for roughly 21.4% of the global travel and hospitality sector. Effect of COVID-19 on travel and tourism  For companies, travel is vital. Aviation, in particular, has opened up near-unlimited opportunities for firms to establish a presence in countries worldwide, while the ease in which individuals can move across borders has become key in many client-customer relationships. However, travel and tourism have been hit hard by various lockdowns, containment measures, border closures, and travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19. That said, the return of business travel is critical for many organisations. While video conferencing technologies have transformed industries and helped to facilitate remote working opportunities for some, many sectors still rely heavily on trade shows, conferences, events, in-person meetings, and face-to-face conversations as the bedrock of business relations. According to a September 2020 survey from Globetrender, more than 75% of business travellers said that they would choose face-to-face meetings for sales and pitching over remote working, while over 60% of respondents agreed that the majority of deals and decisions cannot be made virtually. Travel centric concerns As vaccination efforts continue to ramp up, travel and tourism are expected to experience something of a revival It is clear, therefore, that an appetite for business travel remains. And as vaccination efforts continue to ramp up around the world, travel and tourism are expected to experience something of a revival. But companies must proceed with caution. When it comes to business travel, organisations have a duty of care, making them responsible for the protection, security, and wellbeing of their employees. Any possible risks that could jeopardise the health and/or safety of their staff must be scrutinised thoroughly, from extreme events to common disruptive risks. Previously, many travel-centric concerns were focused on three key areas – operational risks, security risks, and political risks. Operational, political, and security risks The former relates to the supply of crucial goods and services such as food and raw materials, hard infrastructure like roads and rail networks, and soft infrastructures such as telecommunications and the internet. These things are vital to the day-to-day functioning of countries, and the businesses operating within them. Security risks are related to more direct physical threats – dangers such as kidnapping, crime, external conflict, and general unrest – while political risks refer to political cohesion, public agitation, judicial risks, and the overall stability of the political structures that the country has in place. For companies with assets, operations, or interests in any territory, adverse changes in any one of these key risk areas can create a domino effect with severe consequences. If a new political regime is established and the regulatory environment is changed, this can have a major impact on how a firm has to conduct business, for example. Equally, if the infrastructure is poor and telecommunications and the internet are unreliable with frequent downtime, productivity can be significantly hampered. COVID-19 risks  For security and peace of mind, global risk management can help to protect people and companies alike from both the everyday and extreme risks, allowing employees to travel in safety and with confidence. In today’s environment, however, there is a fourth risk that firms need to consider, not only to avoid disruption but equally to prioritise the health and safety of their employees. This is, of course, COVID-19. More complex security considerations For maximum safety and security of employees, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work First, let’s consider the travel-related implications of the pandemic. Potential restrictions need to be considered – is the entrance into the country permitted at present? And could this change shortly? If the entrance is permitted, what are the medical requirements? Is a negative COVID-19 test needed, or a period of quarantine? And once you get there, are there any curfews that need to be considered? Or locations with different restrictions? Even if the answers to many of these questions pose little by way of potential disruption, this does not paint the full picture. Because of COVID-19, risks are high in parts of the world that have historically been considered the safest for the first time in a generation. With this in mind, companies need to consider the viability of travel on a case-by-case basis. It’s one thing saying that it is safe to go to a specific country, but for maximum safety and security of employees, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Unique circumstances need to be accounted for so that no person is put in a position where their health or safety is placed at unreasonable risk. At the same time, these circumstances must be tied in with more typical security considerations. Balancing risks with concerns Consider Myanmar where there has recently been a military coup, Germany where there has been devastating flash flooding or South Africa where there is significant upheaval and riots. While a country might have low virus cases, that is not to say that there are no other risks. This is where the travel risk environment has changed – organisations now need to balance the evaluation of virus cases with more traditional operational, security, and political risks. Advice on responding quickly and appropriately COVID-19 has shown businesses to have processes and policies in place to be proactive rather than reactive In this sense, the pandemic has added complexity to business travel – yet this is not necessarily a bad thing. Many companies previously treated crisis management as a box-ticking exercise. There was a perception that crisis management was usually a case of preparing for the things that were never going to happen. Yet in the past 18 months, companies found themselves in a situation where they simply weren’t equipped to appropriately deal with the consequences of the pandemic. In this sense, COVID-19 has been instrumental in instigating long-lasting change within the industry. It has shown that businesses need to have processes and policies in place, so that if there is a major, unexpected incident – be it a global terror attack or pandemic – then they are ahead of the curve, and able to be proactive rather than reactive.  Risk management Having a risk management partner can pay dividends. Risk management service providers can help to empower companies with key insights and critical advice, enabling them to react quickly and appropriately to developments in their regions of interest, and keep employees safe and secure. Situations can be assessed in terms of severity, and advice can be provided in terms of the potential implications, or necessary actions to take.  Breaking security situations need to be analysed, to ensure any impacted assets or employees are advised on the appropriate course of action.  Combine this context with planned processes, and companies become well placed to react both quickly and appropriately to global developments.