The forthcoming tenth anniversary of the 7 July bombings in London has attracted much media coverage. Quite rightly, the TV and press have focused on the plight of survivors and the families of those who were killed; however, the focus of this series of articles is on what the lasting legacy has been for business continuity in the UK. I want to start off the series by looking at the immediate effects on the business continuity industry from a personal perspective.
At the time of the bombing, I had just started a new role as a business continuity consultant based in London. Friends assumed that I would be rushed off my feet with a sudden demand for help with planning and exercising: the reality was that we never received any enquiries as a direct result of the bombings, nor was there any discernible increase in demand in the following months. For about a year prior to the bombing, I had actually been delivering a specific course on the impact of terrorism for business on behalf of Survive. Once again, we assumed that demand would spike, but the course never ran again! Based on my own experience I would have to conclude that the event was not a significant driver for business continuity activity.
In tomorrow’s article I will look at the impact of the 7 July bombings on our risk perceptions.