SHARJAH- Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies, EIBFS, hosted a webinar in collaboration with APCO Worldwide, a leading global PR and communications consultancy, on communicating effectively during a crisis. In addition to understanding the industry perception on the subject, the session shared insights and best practices on optimizing crisis communications.

The webinar drew the participation of more than 40 professionals from the banking and finance landscape and examined the golden rules of communication. Participants also joined a live simulation that evaluated the reactions of different departments during a crisis.

In his opening remarks, Jamal Al Jassmi, General Manager of EIBFS highlighted the need for adequate crisis management protocols and higher levels of cross-department collaboration to overcome a crisis.

He said: "We live in a time of growing risks and global reach - making it critical for banks and financial institutions to maintain transparency and put in place a comprehensive and robust crisis communications plan to ensure they are driving the conversation at all times. To highlight the challenges, we partnered with APCO Worldwide to host this session and promote an awareness of best-in-class crisis communications methods in the UAE and to lead the way in implementing enhanced crisis protocols'' ''I firmly believe that through this webinar, we are a step closer to our objective of leveraging top-notch training to elevate the UAE’s position as a leading business hub," he added.

For his part, Mamoon Sbeih, President, APCO, MENA, said: "As a leading global communications and public affairs firm, we have unfortunately witnessed the reputation damage suffered by several companies that did not have clear crisis roadmaps. In this context, the important takeaway is that a crisis always comes unannounced and it is crucial for organisations to understand the potential risks, and to be ready with targeted messaging for internal and external stakeholders as well as for the media'' ''Forewarned is forearmed, and we hope the insights shared during the session will help participants re-evaluate their crisis strategy and address a broad spectrum of issues," added.

 

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2020.