Mark Wilson, Sustainability Manager, BDC - WIW BID Meeting - 25/06/2026

[Includes automatically generated captions] KEY NOTE PRESENTATION: BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING It was a pleasure to introduce Mark Wilson, Sustainability Manager and his colleague, Donna Watson, BDC Business Resilience Officer from Braintree District Council to the WIW BID meeting event. Mark provided an insightful presentation, which focused on the value and critical importance businesses should place on setting up 'Business Continuity Plans', from staff sickness to supplier failures to large-scale business disruption from fire, flood and cyber-attacks. Mark highlighted living examples and potential near-miss examples of how things could go so wrong if the plans, thought processes and protocols are not already in place. Making decisions in the middle of an emergency is one of the hardest positions to manage, so if the plans are already in place, there is a reference point and immediate direction at hand. It really helped to bring the importance of continuity planning to the forefront. It was definitely an effective prompt for considering the 'What If ...' question. We were also delighted to note that the attendees who discussed it afterwards, were in total agreement that the presentation had raised a vital topic, and that it needed to be prioritised in their own businesses. Important Links shared: Essex Resilience Forum https://www.essexprepared.co.uk/ National Cyber Security Centre https://www.ncsc.gov.uk Federation of Small Businesses https://www.fsb.org.uk British Insurance Brokers Association https://www.biba.org.uk