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By Martin Hartley, Managing Director

Business resilience in the face of uncertainty

When the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact hit British businesses out of the blue, no amount of crisis planning, risk management, or emergency contingency plans could have forecast what was to come in terms of disruption to markets and to our business and personal lives. How business leaders and firms responded to the crises gave us insight into the true resilience of the sector and how some, large and small, came out the other end as winners or losers.

In 2021, emagine Consulting, previously a consultancy of 1300 staff, had just merged with ProData and was entering an extended period of hypergrowth as the merger multiplied our consultant numbers, extended our reach into new markets, and gave us the opportunity to become a market leader in northern Europe and beyond. In fact, we’re now the number two provider in Poland with consultants across three different locations.

It was at a time when firms were at a crossroads: businesses needed to choose whether to batten down the hatches or pivot, adapt, and press on. We chose the latter path.

Along with others in the banking and financial services sectors, emagine Consulting was optimistic about the beginning of the new ‘Roaring Twenties’, but the rest was history, as they say, as reports out of China of a mystery virus suddenly became very real once it arrived in Europe. 

However, our period of hypergrowth continued against all the odds as we now head into a third consecutive year, probably making us part of a very small minority in the business world. We continued following our ambitious growth strategy, stuck to the business continuity plan and our plans in northern Europe, and put our focus onto our most important asset – our people.

As the Government announced those never-before-seen economic rescue packages such as the furlough scheme, we were busy nurturing our current consultants, building our client portfolio, fuelling our future talent pipeline, and adapting to customer’s changing needs with new service offerings. It was at a time when firms were at a crossroads: businesses needed to choose whether to batten down the hatches or pivot, adapt, and press on. We chose the latter path.

Some are predicting turbulent times ahead. They may be right – but focus on the most important things and the business will look after itself.

Investing in that growth and ambition to ensure continuity, with a core focus on relationship building and trust, helped to set us apart from many competitors, not just with our clients but also with our elite consultants. They knew they could rely on us. We made the decision to strengthen our ranks rather than to put life on hold for the business and those who work in it. As we came out of the pandemic, our resilience through it meant we were ahead of many of our rivals who had chosen a different path.

And out of the same experience, we learnt the valuable lesson of looking inwards as well as outwards to boost morale, support staff, and continue building vital relationships. It’s paramount to look after your most valuable and most indispensable assets.

Economic crises, whether it be a pandemic or a recession, offer lessons in business resilience and crisis management that you would never find in a textbook. It teaches the importance of the human spirt and caring about each other’s wellbeing and livelihoods at an unprecedented time. Some are predicting turbulent times ahead. They may be right – but focus on the most important things and the business will look after itself.

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