Resilient podcast library: How businesses can confront the COVID-19 crisis

The role of business in the equity imperative

2020 spotlighted the harsh reality of systemic racism and injustice in the United States. What might it take to make real progress toward racial equity, and how can businesses help lead the way? In this episode, Deloitte Consulting leaders Andrew Blau , managing director and US Eminence & Insights leader, and Joanne Stephane , principal, US Human Capital leader for HR Strategy & Solutions and chief DEI officer, discuss why businesses need to play a leading role in the advancement of equity. They explore the emerging demographic and economic trends behind the business case for equity, as well as the some of the beliefs and behaviors that business should confront if they are to drive change. Andrew and Joanne share insights from the recent report they helped author, The equity imperative , which asserts equity is an outcome—not an activity. They discuss the bold actions businesses should take to help dismantle systemic racism within organizations, the marketplace, and society at large. To deliver measurable and sustainable outcomes, they explain, businesses need to make equity a core business issue, and all senior leaders, not just HR and DEI executives, should lead through an equity lens and be open to new perspectives.

Consumer sentiment: Executive voices on pandemic recovery

As consumers grappled with the unprecedented disruption of their lives in 2020, many dramatically changed their behaviors to adapt to the realities of a pandemic-driven new normal. Are these shifts temporary, or will continued uncertainty affect consumer behaviors and sentiments into the future? In this episode of Resilient, Anthony Waelter, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory partner and Consumer Industry leader; and Steve Rogers, managing director with the Deloitte Consumer Industry Center, explore the impact of this past year’s events on both consumers and consumer-facing companies. They discuss how industry leaders are using sensing, scenario planning, and modeling to understand and adapt to changing consumer behaviors and spending patterns. They also share insights on the industry outlook for 2021 and the consumer trends that could play a role in shaping long-term economic recovery and industry dynamics. And, Anthony and Steve explore how companies are using data and technology, along with human ingenuity, to innovate and thrive in the face of new challenges.

The social sector and business: Serving communities in crisis

As leaders formulate strategies for steering their organizations through ongoing uncertainty, the social sector will play a crucial role in how our communities not only survive current health, economic and racial justice crises, but persevere and thrive. How can nonprofits and foundations adapt to help bridge the gaps where government, policy, and social safety nets may be constrained? In this episode of Resilient, we bring together leaders from the social sector to explore the evolving dynamics in the nonprofit world and its mutually dependent relationships with government and corporate enterprises. They discuss what the crisis and related economic pressures mean for many of the social issues that businesses and corporate leaders care so much about. As organizations anticipate and prepare for aftershocks cascading from the crises, they share insights on how social sector leaders might adapt to new realities and turn disruption into opportunity. They also look at how social sector organizations might approach their next moves—using their influence and creative thinking to help communities innovate and flourish during these unprecedented times.

Leaders in this episode:

• Phil Buchanan, CEO, Center for Effective Philanthropy
• Shruti Sehra, managing director, New Profit Venture
• Gabriel Kasper, managing director, Monitor Institute by Deloitte

On a mission: Higher education combats COVID-19 challenges

COVID-19’s impact on higher education has been both severe and expansive. In addition to the operational stress and disruption facing academic institutions, their students, and direct constituents, there are continuously evolving downstream consequences on the communities, businesses, and stakeholders in their shared sphere of influence. How can higher education leaders successfully fulfill their institution’s mission while managing the student, faculty, and community demands placed on them by the crisis? This episode explores the pandemic-related challenges shared by academia and business with Jay Hartzell, president, University of Texas, Austin and Betty Fleurimond, Higher Education practice managing director for Deloitte Services LP. They discuss intricate re-opening plans, outbreak response management programs, and the opportunities that widespread virtual environments are presenting higher education institutions. They also share insights on actions leaders might consider to engendered trust, preserve value, and position their organizations to thrive in the next normal.

Resilience in the wake of adversity: Highlights from Confronting the COVID-19 Crisis

Over the past several months, organizations, their leaders, and their stakeholders have grappled with the challenging and often unpredictable course of the COVID-19 pandemic. From senior executives and futurists to frontline workers, the Confronting the COVID-19 Crisis Resilient podcast special series has followed their journeys from initial crisis response through business reboot and cautiously toward thriving in a new normal. In this episode, we revisit past conversations with many of these leaders who’ve shown us adversity is never the end of the story. We reflect on what makes a resilient leader and we curate answers from their stories and experiences facing disruption in the pandemic, building trust with stakeholders, customers, and employees, and inspiring hope for the future.

The impact of COVID-19 on people and how they are coping with crisis

The pandemic has forced so many people to demonstrate tremendous resilience. Frontline leaders and those personally impacted by the coronavirus have had to soldier on through mental and physical adversity. How can adopting well-being practices help individuals and leaders come back from crisis and build the fortitude required to navigate the ongoing challenges we all face? In this episode of Resilient, host Mike Kearney teams up with Jen Fisher, Deloitte’s US chief well-being officer and host of the WorkWell podcast, to explore the connection between well-being and resilience with emergency medical services (EMS) leader, Mike McCabe, Chief of Operations at McCabe Ambulance Service and the host of EMS World Podcasts. Mike McCabe has lived and worked through several crises—from 9/11 to COVID-19 response and dozens of public safety and medical incidents in between. He discusses his experiences dealing with physical and emotional traumas and the creative approaches he’s developed for tackling both everyday and extraordinary challenges. He also shares insights on effective well-being practices for leaders and teams, as well as strategies for coping with uncertainty.

Legal leadership in the time of COVID-19

What are the characteristics of an effective general counsel, particularly in times of crisis? In this episode of the Resilient podcast, Debbie Majoras, chief legal officer (CLO) and secretary at Procter & Gamble, shares insights on her life, career, and leading through the pandemic in a conversation with CLO Program Research & Insights Director Lori Lorenzo. Debbie discusses how her team at Procter & Gamble worked with governments and shared playbooks to help maintain the flow of goods while keeping workers safe. Debbie reflects on her leadership experience during the pandemic and more generally on the lessons she has learned during a career that spans big law, government, and the private sector. She knows it takes a fair amount of grit to rebound when things don’t go according to plan—and that those times show just how resilient you are as an individual and a professional.

Critical infrastructure at risk: Creating a secure and resilient world

Securing and building resilience into the US critical infrastructure is essential to protecting our nation’s security and economy—as well as the health and welfare of our people. COVID-19 has introduced a number of new challenges to our resilience that have both physical and cyber implications—but also opportunities to rethink risk. How can business leaders not only manage the downside of risk at this time, but also leverage a strategic risk evaluation approach to enhance resilience against future crises?  This episode features Robert (Bob) Kolasky, the Assistant Director of the National Risk Management Center (NRMC) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Bob discusses the interdependencies that exist across public and private industries and the NRMC’s role advising businesses, industry, and the government in the protection of critical infrastructure. He shares insights on some of the biggest risk factors that business owners, operators, and other leaders should consider when making decisions that have downstream infrastructure consequences. And, he also explores some of the greatest gaps in managing cyber risks in critical functions and infrastructure—as well as where innovation is at play—as organizations respond to and recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

Health care: Responding and recovering with resilience

Health care is on the front line of the COVID-19 crisis—and the people who care for those impacted by the pandemic are heroes in our ability to recover as a society and as a country. As health care leaders guide their organizations through this incredibly challenging time, how are they adapting to meet their communities’ and health practitioners’ needs while promoting resilience across their teams? In this episode of Resilient, we welcome two resilient leaders of health care institutions—Kevin Sowers, president of Johns Hopkins Health System, and Michael Dowling, president and CEO at Northwell Health—along with Deloitte’s own chief medical officer, Ken Abrams. They discuss their experiences leading through this unprecedented situation; how they have rewired and reinvented traditional practices to a meet a broad range of patient and caregiver needs. They also share inspiring stories of courage, empathy, and innovation in the face of despair, and reflect on the role that individual and organizational resilience plays in responding to and recovering from crisis. As these leaders collectively assess the impact of COVID-19 on the health care industry, they consider how the lessons of the past few months might be applied to drive radical change in health care’s future.

Doing deals in a COVID world

Doing deals won’t stop—even during this pandemic. And as organizations try to reshape their business, raise capital, and drive competitive advantage, deals will remain an important part of the recovery equation. But how are companies approaching deals differently in today’s environment? In this episode, we talk with two Deloitte partners from our M&A Transaction Services practice, Dave Oberst and Jeff Bergner, to better understand how the deal market has shifted in recent months. They explore some of the new complexities organizations are facing today, considerations for deal valuations, and how the current situation could impact traditional M&A timelines. In the face of increased expectations for improving returns and volatile financial performance, Dave and Jeff share insights on how leaders can confidently execute strategic transactions.

The CLO's role in crisis—a perspective from Alex Dimitrief

Traditionally, the chief legal officer’s (CLO) role is to protect their organizations from risk. But in the rapidly changing and dynamic environment of crisis, legal leaders are under tremendous pressure to advise their stakeholders on the myriad of actions necessary to respond and recover. In this episode, host and Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory principal Don Fancher, talks with Alex Dimitrief, partner at legal management consulting firm, Zeughauser Group, and former chief executive officer (CEO) of GE’s Global Growth Organization, about the evolving role of the CLO.

Alex shares his insights on how legal leads are helping their executive teams respond with speed and agility during the COVID-19 pandemic. He reflects on his experiences as a CLO, CEO, board director, educator, consultant, and litigator to discuss how legal leaders can best support and create value for their organizations through the current turmoil. And he spotlights the challenges CLOs face in leading their teams during this intense and stressful time. With technology adoption and innovation growing across in-house and external counsel, Alex explores how the forces are driving greater efficiency in legal operations and impacting the legal profession as a whole.

Leaning into recovery: Architecting the resilience hub

As businesses reopen operations and work toward recovery, many leaders see an opportunity to strengthen their organizational resilience. How can they build on the lessons learned from leading through crisis to drive greater coordination, strengthen stakeholder trust, and enable long-term success in the next normal?  In this episode of Resilient, we talk with two Deloitte leaders from the Asia-Pacific region about how organizations can morph their response-focused command center capabilities into a hub for directing resilience-building activities. From this “resilience hub” businesses can mobilize plans for safe and sustainable reopenings, leverage monitoring and scenario planning tools, and pursue transformational opportunities born from crisis. They explore the processes, systems, and functions that might form the foundation of a resilience hub and the common practices that can enable its effectiveness. From their vantage points in Asia, they reflect on crisis response and recovery efforts there, what business leaders have learned, and how they are approaching resilient recovery.

Leadership in a challenging world: Futurist and strategist collaborate to rechart our course

From the COVID-19 pandemic to racial injustice in the United States, recent crises have laid bare the urgency for change in our thinking, action, and leadership. In the face of pervasive uncertainty, how can business leaders come together to shape a better, more just and sustainable future?

This episode features a conversation with Eamonn Kelly, chief futurist and Office for the Future leader, and Jason Girzadas, managing principal for Businesses, Global, and Strategic Services and member of Deloitte’s US Executive, two Deloitte leaders who recently coauthored Recharting our course: The evolving focus of business leaders in a challenging world​, a thought-provoking new piece that presents an aspirational cry for business leaders to play a proactive role in shaping a better future.

Eamonn and Jason share their perspectives on the evolving priorities of business leaders in four key areas: rebuilding civic and global trust; accelerating digitization and making new markets; creating a human-centric economy; and helping to resolve urgent societal issues. They discuss why executive leadership should embrace the building of a better future as central to their strategy and explore the fundamental shifts required to drive profound and lasting change. And they share insights on the steps leaders can take to future-proof their organizations as they cultivate a more secure, trustworthy, and resilient world.

Cyberattacks and the long-term effects on organizations

As the coronavirus spreads, people and organizations turned to virtual tools and environments en mass. Businesses and their workers moved to remote operations. And, many cybercriminals recognize this has drastically changed the perimeter of organizations and created unprecedented opportunity for cyberattacks. How can organizations understand, respond to, and potentially limit the impact of cyberattacks? This episode—hosted by Deb Golden, Deloitte Cyber & Strategic Risk leader—explores these issues and more with guest Vanessa Pegueros, chief trust and security officer at OneLogin.  An esteemed lecturer, author, and board member, Vanessa shares insights on the dramatic increase in cyber threats during the ongoing pandemic and how organizations might balance security technology with process and people to prevent and contain future cyberattacks. She also explores the long-term effects these events can have on organizations and their frontline cyber professionals. And Vanessa reflects, as a cyber leader and board director, on how the cyber landscape has evolved over the course of her career and where it may be headed in the post-COVID-19 future.

Enterprises and ecosystems: Fueling resilient recovery through innovation and collaboration

Innovation and technological advancement are critical to keeping businesses competitive, and the COVID-19 crisis has pushed the boundaries of both. As organizations adapt and respond, how can technology ecosystems—networks of technology and services companies that extend an enterprise’s capabilities—help them recover? This episode features four Deloitte leaders who have spent much of their careers advising organizations on technology and innovation. They discuss some of the technologies that are shaping how organizations respond to the pandemic and the role that ecosystems play in an organization’s strategy and ability to innovate—particularly now. They share insights on how enterprises are finding agility, speed, and resilience from within, as well as through collaboration across their full spectrum of providers. As both in-office and remote work continues to evolve in the face of COVID-19, they explore how technology can help leaders address workers’ health and well-being, and discuss the importance of taking a human perspective during the design and implementation stages.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Nishita Henry, chief innovation officer, Deloitte Consulting LLP   
• Larry Quinlan, global chief information officer, Deloitte LLP
• John Tweardy, principal, Technology Strategy & Business Transformation, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Mike Rohrig, partner, ecosystems and alliances leader, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory

Combatting fraud, waste, and abuse in the wake of COVID-19

While moments of crisis often bring out the best in people, they can also breed new opportunities for fraud and corruption. As disruption and uncertainty pervade the current business climate, organizations must be particularly vigilant in their efforts to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse—from financial statement fraud and insider trading to product counterfeiting and piracy.  In this episode of the Resilient podcast, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory principal, Don Fancher, examines detection, response, and prevention approaches in the new environment created by COVID-19. He shares examples of the types of fraud that companies are experiencing during the pandemic and discusses how leaders can prioritize investigations when many companies are operating virtually. He also explores how technology and advanced analytics can assist in detecting and thwarting fraud—and play an important role in building organizational resilience against these internal and external threats.

Chief risk and recovery officer: The CRO's changing role

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought risk to the forefront of many leadership agendas. The magnitude of the crisis has revealed both the strengths and areas for improvement in many risk management plans. Chief risk officers (CROs) are playing an essential role in helping their organizations respond to risks and adapt to uncertainty. They are also helping guide their organization in the move toward recovery. Our guests in this episode, Tamika Puckett, chief risk officer for the City of Chicago, and Luke Figora, senior associate vice president and chief risk and compliance officer at Northwestern University, join the Resilient podcast to discuss the frontline role of the CRO and how that role is likely to change as organizations move out of crisis and into the next normal. They share their experiences from the past few months⁠—how they are approaching the challenges of the current environment and what are they doing to advise and guide their organizations to respond, recover, and emerge stronger. They also look ahead to how this crisis might change their organization’s approach to enterprise risk management, appetite for risk, and preparedness planning for the next crisis.

Business leaders in this episode:

• Tamika Puckett, chief risk officer, City of Chicago
• Luke Figora, senior associate vice president, chief risk and compliance officer, Northwestern University

Open for business: Returning to in-office work

Reopening offices and work facilities is top of mind for many organizations. But business leaders are faced with a myriad of different guidelines and regulations across states and geographies. How can they guide a viable return to business operations while making workforce safety and well-being top priorities? In this episode of Resilient, we explore reopening through a human capital lens. Lisa Buckingham, executive vice president and chief people, place, and brand officer at Lincoln Financial Group and Tina Witney, managing director in Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Human Capital practice explore some of the data, capabilities, and methods organizations might use to determine when and how to safely shift from remote to office- or facilities-based work. They discuss how measures taken as part of the reopening process today might help business leaders structure work in new and better ways, advance their organizations’ mission for the long term, and build trust with workers and customers. Lisa also shares insights on how managing through the COVID-19 crisis has enabled Lincoln Financial Group to increase organizational agility and embrace innovation in unexpected ways.

Business leaders in this episode:

• Lisa Buckingham, executive vice president and chief people, place and brand officer, Lincoln Financial Group
• Tina Witney, managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Structuring effective virtual meetings (some assembly required)

Virtual meetings have become a common occurrence during the COVID-19 crisis, filling workers calendars and often challenging their communication comfort zones. Even before the new business normal of video conferencing, in-person meetings were often overused, inefficient, and unproductive. Given the new complexities of managing a remote workforce, how can business leaders facilitate effective meetings with clear objectives going forward? In this episode of Resilient, Kim Christfort, national managing director with The Deloitte Greenhouse^® Experience group, and Michael Juergens, principal with Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory explore strategies that may help leaders isolate the outcome before even scheduling a meeting. They discuss the often-overlooked basics of why, when, and how to hold a meeting, and offer facilitation tips that may help organizations lead more productive working sessions in a virtual environment. They also explore Business Chemistry^®, the science behind working styles, and how it might impact interactions between individuals, teams, and leaders during and after meetings. From engaging introverted team members to handling technology fails with grace, these leaders share insights on how to construct and conduct better human interactions to promote problem-solving, innovative thinking, and strategic action in the rapidly evolving remote work environment.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Kim Christfort, managing director, Deloitte Greenhouse Experience
• Michael Juergens, principal, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory

Reboot: Approaches for leaders to enable resilient recovery

The complex journey from crisis response to business recovery has already begun for many organizations. The path to the next normal is marked by uncertainty; there is no silver bullet. Embracing a reboot mentality—one open to new ways of thinking and working—may help leaders chart a safer and more productive way forward for workers and workplaces. In this episode of the Resilient podcast, we discuss the principles and practicalities of rebooting with three leaders from Deloitte Consulting LLP. They share insights on the signals that leaders might use in their reboot planning, components of an effective reboot strategy, and some tools that are available to address return-to-the-workplace safety risks. They also discuss the role of sensing and monitoring in preparing for and managing an organizational reboot: Access to timely insights may help leaders understand if the reboot plan is working and how it might need to be adapted for greater effectiveness. As businesses advance the reboot process, our leaders explore how pairing technology with a human-centric approach may help organizations maximize virtual work, create efficiencies at scale, and accelerate recovery.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Gopi Billa, principal, Risk Sensing and Scenario Planning Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Asif Dhar, principal and chief health informatics officer, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Jonathan Pearce, principal and national leader, Workforce Strategies, Deloitte Consulting LLP

The chief financial officer perspective on recovering from crisis

Many businesses across the United States are strategizing how to reopen and rebuild in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief financial officers (CFOs) are on the front lines of many of these decisions and their potential consequences. As our latest CFO Signals™ survey reveals, CFOs’ perspectives on the global economy are at all-time lows, as is their near-term optimism for the reopening of business operations. When do they think conditions will improve and how are they planning to address return-to-work, cost reduction, and capital markets challenges in the months ahead? In this episode of Resilient, Sanford A. Cockrell III, global leader of the CFO Program for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, joins the podcast to discuss findings from the Q2 2020 CFO Signals™ survey. Conducted each quarter for the past 10 years, the survey tracks the thinking and actions of leading CFOs from some of North America’s largest and most influential companies. How long do CFOs expect the current downturn to last? What do they think it will it take to achieve near-normal levels of on-site work? What does a post-crisis future look like to? Sandy shares insights from the survey—and from his decades of working with financial leaders—to explore how CFOs are adapting to near-term performance pressures and position their companies to recover and thrive over the coming year and beyond.

Divestiture execution and strategy—where precision matters

The current crisis may serve as an opportune time for organizations to divest assets. A business carve-out can create significant value for the seller during challenging financial circumstances. But the process can be complex and time-consuming at a time when leaders need to make critical decisions in rapid timeframes. In this episode, three Deloitte leaders discuss how divestitures have been historically used during times of crisis and how leaders might approach them during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They share insights on how leaders might go about identifying and evaluating the criteria for a successful “surgical” carve-out. They also discuss key factors that may drive increased value when a company is going through the sales process, and how the process itself may significantly affect the final price. Given the unique aspects of the COVID-19-related divestiture environment, they explore how organizations might manage the divestiture process virtually, balance speed with elegance to potentially minimize transaction risk, and increase resiliency in M&A strategies moving forward.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Tony Blanchard, managing director, Investment Banking, Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory
• Mike Dziczkowski, partner, M&A Transaction Services, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory
• Andy Wilson, partner, M&A Transaction Services, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory

Recovering losses: A business perspective on expediting financial recovery

As the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow, many business leaders may be trying to understand the magnitude of their organizations’ financial losses. But attempting to quantify incurred loss during an ongoing and evolving crisis is nearly impossible—only after it’s over can the full business impact be determined. What steps can companies take now to calculate and recover losses sustained from the COVID-19 crisis? This episode of Resilient features Katie Pavlovsky, principal with Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory, and Vincent Morgan, partner, Insurance Recovery and Advisory at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Together they explore what company executives may be able do to better to understand loss exposure and recovery coverage in the near-term, and how they might tap into potential relief. They also discuss the importance of cross-functional collaboration and data-driven analyses when evaluating the impact. And in a world where little is predictable, they share insights on how business leaders may be able to identify and plan for ongoing risk related to the crisis.

Business leaders in this episode:

• Vincent Morgan, partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
• Katie Pavlovsky, principal, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory

Economic stimulus: Exploring the impact of phase three and beyond

The US government continues to execute on its multi-phased plan for providing economic relief to the many individuals and organizations impacted by COVID-19. Its most recent legislation (phase 3.5), earmarks an additional $484B for the Paycheck Protection Program, hospitals, and COVID-19 testing. In this episode, three Deloitte leaders share insights on the likely collective impact of the government relief packages to date, as well as the business and economic implications of the most recently enacted legislation. They also look ahead to the next wave of stimulus (phase 4.0), exploring how this developing legislation may help spur economic recovery for businesses and consumers. As the US Congress considers potential tax policy changes and funding for infrastructure enhancements to support telehealth, telework, tele-education, rural broadband, and more, we discuss how business leaders might consider the possible opportunities and risks related to these various sources of aid.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Shahira Knight, deputy managing principal, Policy & Government Relations (PGR) group, Deloitte Services LLP
• Kevin Thompson, managing director, Telecommunications Strategy, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Jonathan Traub, managing principal of Tax Policy group, Washington National Tax practice, Deloitte Tax LLP

Economic update: A global perspective

The economy continues to experience the adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic. As business leaders try to monitor the evolving downturn, what economic indicators and historical comparisons can they draw on for insight? And how can they apply that information to help respond to near-term pressure points and plan for the uncertainties in the longer-term outlook? In this episode, Dr. Ira Kalish, chief global economist of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd, shares his perspective on the current global economic environment and how it might evolve as this crisis continues. He explains why typical economic indicators may not work in this situation, but that there are lessons business leaders can learn from history. He also explores the role that technology advancements and government relief measures might play in sustaining the economy while the outbreak is contained.

Scenario planning: Tune in to possible futures, risks, and actions

For years, many companies have used scenario planning as a tool to help understand what the future might bring and a framework for how business leaders could plan and prepare. In the current environment, this type of planning is particularly challenging since the short-term unknowns are in some ways greater than the longer-term uncertainty. In this episode of Resilient, Deloitte Consulting LLP managing director Andrew Blau and Salesforce’s senior vice president of Strategic Planning Peter Schwartz discuss how executives can use scenario planning to ask questions to help anticipate, pivot toward, and create new opportunities. They also share practical advice across four possible scenarios from the Deloitte-Salesforce collaboration, The world remade by COVID-19. Planning scenarios for resilient leaders, to help business leaders tune their radar to see potential longer-term change happening before it creates surprise.

Business leaders in this episode:

• Peter Schwartz, senior vice president, Strategic Planning, Salesforce
• Andrew Blau, managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Financial reporting: Closing books in a virtual world

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how and where we work—impacting executives and those leading finance teams. For many companies, the new virtual work environment creates operational disruptions to financial reporting, including annual reporting and the monthly and quarterly close processes. How are organizations adapting and innovating to address these challenges? In this episode of Resilient, two Deloitte leaders share how finance professionals impacted by an already tumultuous quarter can address the implications of virtual closes. They discuss the technologies companies are using to help decentralized finance teams and reporting functions complete the close process under unprecedented circumstances. And, they explore the new normal that may be facing finance and executive teams as businesses move from crisis response to recovery.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Tom Toppen, managing director, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory LLP
• Julie Velayo, principal, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory LLP

Economic relief: The potential business impact of the CARES Act

Enacted on March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is a relief package designed to alleviate some of the consequences of COVID-19. It earmarks more than $2 trillion in assistance to federal agencies, state and local governments, health care, businesses, and individuals. In this episode of Resilient, three Deloitte leaders explore the details and implications of the largest aid package in US history. They share insights on the CARES Act from a variety of angles, including tax policy provisions, government administration of the program, and small business relief. They also discuss how companies can tap into the aid package now to access some much-needed funding during this uncertain time.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Shahira Knight, deputy managing principal, Policy & Government Relations (PGR) group, Deloitte Services LLP
• Kavitha (KP) Prabhakar, Civil Government sector leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Jonathan Traub, managing principal of Tax Policy group, Washington National Tax practice, Deloitte Tax LLP

Keeping the supply chain flowing

Disruption to the global supply chain and the web of third parties that companies rely on has become a significant business challenge in the COVID-19 crisis. How are organizations getting supplies and achieving the balance of supply and demand in a compromised chain? How well do they know the third, fourth, and even fifth parties their suppliers rely on? And how are they identifying and managing concentrated geographic risks? This episode features a conversation with three Deloitte leaders who’ve spent decades focusing on supply chain dynamics. They discuss how organizations are evaluating their supply chain risk and share pragmatic steps leaders can take now to combat disruption in the near term. They also explore how companies can prepare to move from response to recovery, and position their supply chains and their organizations to emerge from this crisis stronger.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Adam Mussomeli, principal, Supply Chain & Network Operations lead, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Dan Kinsella, partner, Third-Party Risk leader, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory LLP
• Jim Kilpatrick, Global Supply Chain & Network Operations leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Cash flow management in times of crisis

Many businesses are already feeling the impact of COVID-19 on cash flow. Given the significant slowdown of commerce in nearly every industry, what are the risks posed by the resulting cash crunch? And how can organizations access the funds they need to withstand the crisis and emerge stronger? In this episode of Resilient, three Deloitte leaders who specialize in financial risk management, transformation, and corporate restructuring share insights on the instability created by the demand for cash. They discuss how the situation may shape a new business-as-usual normal in the aftermath of the initial crisis. They also explore the levers finance leaders can pull now—including cash forecasting, cash conservation, and scenario planning—to access capital, preserve value, and eventually thrive in the new paradigm.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Kirk Blair, partner and national leader, Turnaround & Restructuring, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory LLP
• Michael Epstein, principal and Global Special Situations leader, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory LLP
• Caroline Leies, managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP

The shift to remote: Workforce transformation in real time

As part of the effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus, companies are temporarily closing office workspaces and asking employees to work from home. This episode explores some of the issues organizations are facing as they newly adopt or rapidly accelerate a remote workforce. Leaders from across Deloitte’s Human Capital, Future of Work, and Cyber practices provide insights on how companies can address a broad set of virtual workforce challenges—from technology oversight and risk management to employee well-being and cultural resilience. They also discuss the long-term implications of this short-term shift and what business as usual might look like for the post-crisis workforce.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Steven Hatfield, principal and Global Future of Work leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Deb Golden, principal and US Cyber Risk leader, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory LLP

Crisis response and recovery

As the impact of the COVID-19 crisis continues to create disruption, many organizations are realizing that existing preparedness plans may not be adequate in the face of this unprecedented global pandemic. How can businesses adapt their response efforts to potentially mitigate the impact of this crisis and work towards recovery? In this episode, we connect with three Deloitte leaders who specialize in risk and crisis management to discuss the acute response challenges presented by this rapidly changing situation: business continuity, financial liquidity, employee communications, security, and more. They share first-hand insights on how companies can identify and manage risk, and even embrace innovation in this intense and unpredictable environment.

Deloitte leaders in this episode:

• Chris Ruggeri, Risk Intelligence National Managing principal, Deloitte Advisory
• Damian Walch, Risk Intelligence and Business Continuity and Resilience managing director, Deloitte Advisory
• Ashish Patwardhan, Risk Intelligence and Crisis Management managing director, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Resilient business response and recovery

In this episode, five Deloitte leaders come together to explore the challenges confronting businesses from multiple angles, sharing lessons learned from various fields including economics, supply chain, and crisis response.

Dr. Danny Bachman: Economic scenarios

Head of US economic forecasting for Deloitte LLP’s Eminence and Strategy functions, Dr. Bachman explores the potential impacts of COVID-19 on businesses from an economic perspective and what it could mean for your business.

Cindy Hook: Lessons from Asia Pacific

CEO for Deloitte Asia-Pacific provides a global perspective on the impact of the pandemic, along with first-hand insights on some of the lessons businesses in Asia have learned so far, and what you can learn from them.

Chris Ruggeri: Crisis response

Deloitte Advisory’s Risk Intelligence leader offers insights from her work with clients on preparedness and response strategies, and discusses how to make decisions in an environment of extraordinary uncertainty.

Robin Jones: Virtual workforce challenges

Deloitte Consulting Human Capital principal taps her deep experience in workforce transformation to address some of the business challenges of moving to and accelerating remote working during this crisis.

Jim Kilpatrick: Global supply chain disruption

Global Supply Chain & Network Operations leader for Deloitte Consulting, Canada, Jim shares his on-the-ground knowledge of how this crisis is affecting the supply chain across different industries. He also discusses pragmatic steps business can take now to mitigate risk across their supply chain and position themselves for a strong rebound.