Q&A with our Judges

Caroline Stockman, Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers

How has your company responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of how you communicate with clients/customers/members?

Communication has always been important for us with our members and sponsors, but COVID has meant we have had to be more innovative than ever! We also had to ‘pivot’ quickly to change planned content of our magazine and other communications, to ensure absolutely relevant to the times.

To what extent has the pandemic brought your sector together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

We are a profession rather than a sector – but would say the profession is supportive of each other, but they have also been working flat out as their role is so critical especially during the pandemic. We hear that the individual teams have grown very close, as we all have, and greater trust is something that comes up time and again.

Why you accepted the invitation to join this judging panel. Why you feel this event is important and how you think entrants will benefit.

It is important to celebrate success at any time, but especially in the face of adversity.

What changes have you made as a result of Covid-19 in the managing of your company which you won’t be changing back when things are back to normality?

We’ll be more flexible in terms of how and where we work, for sure.

What will you be looking for in a winning entry? What will make it stand out for you and differentiate it from the rest?

I’ll be looking to see innovation, courage and determination – as well as a sense of actions being taken for the greater good.

Dr Shaun Davis, Royal Mail Group, Global Director Compliance & Sustainability

How has your company responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of how you communicate with clients/customers/members?

From the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic we Developed CV-19 communications strategy and content, prioritising channels for promotion of key preventative messaging (e.g. good hand hygiene, social distancing measures). We increased signposting for mental health and wellbeing support for all our employees and introduced and managed dedicated intranet page; ‘one stop shop’ for managers with latest guidance. We quickly established dedicated Coronavirus helpdesk for all employees; led by a team of 8 who at the peak were dealing with up to 200 calls per day. From a customer perspective we switched our helplines to email format with no impact on customer service. The internal Communications and Public Affairs team were linked into our dedicated Safety, Health and Environment team to support a timely response to press queries relating to employees and the actions were taking.

We developed and updated daily reactive HR CV-19 FAQs for managers, with legal input, in response to employee queries and held weekly manager conference calls led by CEO to ensure consistent messaging. We utilised all our internal communication channels (Royal Mail TV, Royal Mail Radio and our monthly newsletter, Courier), which were frequently delivered by Compliance and Sustainability Director Shaun Davis. We have worked closely with our unions CWU and Unite CMA to ensure that we delivered a consistent message throughout producing many joint statements to aid understanding of any changes on topics like, Social Distancing, Wearing of a face covering and the use of shared vehicles.

What changes have you made as a result of Covid-19 in the managing of your company which you won’t be changing back when things are back to normality?

I would like to see some of the preventative controls adopted as ‘business as usual’ to help during the winter months to help prevent and minimise the impact of respiratory diseases – I would certainly like to see better hand hygiene maintained. We have introduced a longer cleaning routine in our units with a focus on touchpoints and this will continue for the foreseeable future.

As ‘key workers’ the vast majority of our people have continued to work throughout the pandemic. A small proportion of colleagues in admin/central function roles made the overnight change from working in the office to working from home, which has worked brilliantly, so I see a hybrid model with 2/3 days working from home and then spending the rest of the working week in the office – giving colleagues the flexibility and helping to improve work/life balance.

We have found ways to simplify processes across so many areas, we have found we can be much more efficient without losing any of the governance required. For example ordering cleaning equipment and protective equipment – and for colleagues working from home we have made it easier to order and receive office equipment. These changes have all improved the process and been on a large scale which is a massive achievement.

Andy Hawkes, CEO, Cardinus Risk Management

Why did you want to be a Judge at the Covid Response Awards? Why do you feel this event is important and how you think entrants will benefit.

I am delighted to become a judge of these awards as they will showcase the brilliant efforts so many organisations have had to make in the past year.

The past 18 months has seen every part of the global economy adapt and respond the Covid pandemic. It is vital that public and private entities share the knowledge from the strategies and tactical actions they have implemented to ensure that in future pandemics, as it is evident we will see another one in the not too distant future, lessons have been learnt.

By entering the Covid Response Awards you will be able to share the great work you have done and how you have adapted. We have seen acceleration of disruptive business models with many suggesting we have seen a 10 year technology and structural leap in 1. We have seen the pharmaceutical industry make lightening advances in vaccines. Small, medium and large businesses have done remarkable things to change and people have responded to the challenges.

What will you be looking for in a winning entry? What will make it stand out for you and differentiate it from the rest?

I am looking for creativity and innovation. How did organisations look at options, make decisions and adapt? How did the leadership teams work together? What risk management methodologies were implemented to help with the decision making? New products? New technologies? New processes and procedures? New structures?

How did organisations consult with employees? What marketing communication strategies were implemented? Were new pricing strategies implemented? How were customers/clients looked after?

It will also be good to understand the long term outcomes from the response – does the organisation expect to return to a pre Covid model or is the response a new way for the future?

Sarah McMath, Chief Executive, MOSL

How has your company responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of how you communicate with clients/customers/members?

We listened to the views of wholesalers and retailers at the start of the pandemic and worked closely with Defra and Ofwat to put in measures to ensure that the market could continue to function.

To what extent has the pandemic brought your sector together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

Right from the beginning of the pandemic, the water industry came together to collaborate and ensure that customers got the best service possible in different times. In the business market, this involved a number of changes to processes and rules, which required quick decision making and cross sector working.

What changes have you made as a result of Covid-19 in the managing of your company which you won’t be changing back when things are back to normality?

We have maintained and increased our focus on employee wellbeing – both physical and mental health. This has seen our eNPS score increase steadily in lockdown and we will maintain this focus into the future. We have also increased our channels of communications with colleagues – genuinely listening to their views and incorporating them into our planning.

Trewin Restorick, CEO & Founder, Hubbub

How has your company responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of how you communicate with clients/customers/members?

As soon as COVID-19 struck we ran a series of public polls to assess the mood of the nation and organised virtual events with around 200 companies to assess their response. It became clear that people were suddenly concerned about food waste, the importance of their local area particularly green space intensified and access to the internet became essential. As a result we put more priority on our activities to redistribute food, we partnered with Tesco on a food waste campaign and we teamed up with O2 to redistribute surplus smart phones to people who were digitally isolated.

What changes have you made as a result of Covid-19 in the managing of your company which you won’t be changing back when things are back to normality?

We will continue with flexi-working mixing home-working with being in the office. This will involve re-thinking how our office is used and also placing more emphasis on team-building events through formalised away-days. We will continue to gain insight from households using virtual meetings rather than home visits and I suspect we will have more client meetings on-line reducing the need to travel.

Shaun Hinds, CEO, Manchester Central

How has your company responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of how you communicate with clients/customers/members?

Through the use of technology, most notably a 3d virtual model, we have conducted virtual site visits and orientations on line. As one of the nightingale hospitals we undertook the role of communicating with all out local neighbours and stakeholders, keeping them informed about the venue as well as the public interest information on the role and progress of the hospital.

To what extent has the pandemic brought your sector together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

There have been some great examples both nationally and locally of the events sector coming together to represent the industry. In Manchester we had a local emergency response meeting group with representatives from the business community as well as the hospitality and events sector. At an industry level, the EIA representing the combined venue, organiser and supply service sector undertook fortnightly gatherings and contributed alongside other industry bodies directly into government.

Why you accepted the invitation to join this judging panel. Why you feel this event is important and how you think entrants will benefit.

Given the devastating impact the pandemic has had on so many people and businesses, it’s right to recognise those organisations and people that have gone above and beyond to support either the response directly or the interests of their customers, staff and supply chain through the crisis.

What changes have you made as a result of Covid-19 in the managing of your company which you won’t be changing back when things are back to normality?

We’ll work hard to foster and maintain an agile and flexible working environment, like many venues our business is squarely based in the room, so we’re not a working from home kind of crowd. That said, there are clear benefits to both individuals and the business to facilitate some flexible options and so we will find the right balance of that to maintain going forward. Although we’ll be banning zoom and team calls when we are in the building.

What will you be looking for in a winning entry? What will make it stand out for you and differentiate it from the rest?

I’m excited to see the range of different example and entries that will present themselves, I have no pre-determined view about what makes a winner, although I’m pretty sure, when we see the full range of entries, the choice will be tough as I’m pretty sure there are some remarkable examples out there.

Christopher Williams-Martin, CEO, Fly the Elite, FlyEliteJets™

How has your company responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of how you communicate with clients/customers/members?

The pandemic has caused great anxiety for many people needing to travel. Uncertainty about whether they can travel, be able to enter and return from a country or face compulsory quarantine.
The personal touch for clients has been more important than ever so we embarked upon weekly e-newsletters and social media broadcasts to educate and reassure clients that it is still possible to safely fly to many countries following 2 simple steps which support government advice and safeguard passengers:
1. Covid vaccination certificate
2. Negative result PCR test within 48 hours of departure.

FlyEliteJets has continually innovated and invested in its service to eradicate Covid risk to its passengers including its complimentary “limo to jet steps service.”

- Passengers travel from their home/office to their aircraft in clinically sanitised limousines with covid vaccinated, masked chauffeurs.

This critical pre-flight journey gives clients peace of mind that they are being transported safely direct to their jet. The limos have wifi, refreshments, air conditioning and newspapers enabling clients to sit back and relax.

From the airport clients fly in clinically sanitised jets with Covid vaccinated, PCR pre flight tested crew from small airports away from crowds which reduces anxiety for passengers.

Onboard we provide individual PPE packs for adults with gloves, gel, masks and sanitising spray.

From first hand experience as a dad of 2 boys, I knew that asking young children to wear face masks could prove to be a frightening prospect, even an impossible one for children with challenges such as autism, ADHD etc.
I introduced our onboard Covid cuddly toys which are soft teddy bears, monkeys and dolls wearing masks. I found from personal experience with my 2 boys that that this helped to make facemasks less frightening for children and actively encouraged them to wear masks when necessary.

During the pandemic we were also called upon to supply air ambulances to fly critically unwell passengers back home. Using special measures and equipped crew we were proud to be able to offer this lifesaving service to families and their loved ones getting them to the urgent medical help they needed in their home countries.

Since the start of the pandemic there has been a surge in enquiries from new and existing clients looking to avoid busy airports and safeguard themselves, staff and families. Many major airlines have been forced to ground aircraft and crew as locked down countries prevented all flights from entering and leaving. We were proud to assist several governments, corporations and private families with emergency flights to repatriate passengers back home before borders shut. Passengers included the elderly, infirm, expectant mothers and solo travellers terrified at the prospect of being locked down thousands of miles from home.

To what extent has the pandemic brought your sector together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

Christopher published a piece which highlighted how many companies had put aside “competitive restrictions” and instead work together for the greater good.

The piece resulted in approaches from industry colleagues asking for help and to unite on joint efforts.

FlyEliteJets offered its services for free to the UK and several governments to fly critically needed PPE and medical equipment from factories in Asia direct to South America, EU, USA to supply desperate hospitals, medical centres and care homes.

This was a proud moment which directly helped to safeguard doctors, nurses, care workers and support staff helping to save lives.

Why you accepted the invitation to join this judging panel. Why you feel this event is important and how you think entrants will benefit.

I was very touched to be asked to be a judge for the Covid Response Awards. The awards will help to tell the stories and recognise the huge efforts many companies and individuals have made in helping to tackle the impact of Covid.

Sadly, for many companies the pandemic has resulted in job losses, business closures and financial hardship but there has been huge wave of support and understanding from the business community with offers of help, advice and jobs.

What changes have you made as a result of Covid-19 in the managing of your company which you won’t be changing back when things are back to normality?

We will continue to provide complimentary sanitised limo to jet transfers, clinically sanitised aircraft cabins, PPE available for adults and children and regular testing for crew.

I believe it is the responsibility of all service providers around the world in every industry to do their bit to help curb the spread of new, more dangerous variants which are continuing to take lives, put huge strains on doctors, nurses, hospitals and healthcare providers.

By uniting and all doing our bit we can help to protect those who are more vulnerable and at risk from the virus.
This will go on for many years to come and in my view we shouldn’t relax procedures in place, they are small measures in the grand scheme but can help to save lives, safeguard our passengers, crew and support staff.

What will you be looking for in a winning entry? What will make it stand out for you and differentiate it from the rest?

I will be looking for companies that have gone the extra mile in helping to adapt, protect and serve their customers and staff.

These have been extraordinarily difficult times for everyone and the stars in business and NFP sector must be recognised and congratulated to inspire others to do their bit for the greater good.