Utilities are navigating the rise in demand for clean energy while trying to streamline operations and reduce overhead. Meanwhile, changing climate norms and increased demand are creating a greater need for operational resiliency. Utilities must integrate these and other functions into business continuity planning.

Business resiliency is the convergence of continuity, IT disaster recovery, and operational response plans with corporate-wide goals and longer-term investment strategies that acknowledge evolving threats, hazards, and risks affecting safety, reliability, and affordability. By taking proactive steps, utilities can avoid major costs and disruption in business continuity.

Register now for Business Resiliency for Utilities to get up-to-date guidance on corporate resilience planning. This course will deliver the tools, knowledge, and understanding to benchmark, assess, and improve your business resiliency program. Attendees will leave with strategies and insight for immediate implementation.

Learning Outcomes

This virtual course will provide attendees an opportunity to:

• Develop an understanding of business resiliency
• Examine the key components of enterprise risk management
• Review risk analysis strategies
• Operationalize vulnerability assessments and business impact analysis
• Identify best practices for business continuity
• Define procedures for effective stakeholder engagement
• Discuss best practices for conducting GAP analysis
• Define actions to utilize established emergency management processes in the corporate setting

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. :: Introductions

9:30 – 10:00 a.m. :: Course Overview

This introductory session provides a course overview and summary of terminal learning objectives for the course.  Emphasis on this course provide techniques in operationalizing business resiliency.

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. :: Business Resiliency: Key Components and Alignment Strategy

This session will describe the critical components of a successful business resilience framework for utilities. These key management practices and strategies must be considered, and the separate processes aligned to advance a comprehensive resilience plan.

• Business Continuity
• Emergency Management
• Enterprise Risk
• Cyber/Physical Security

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. :: Morning Break

11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. :: Establishing Threat and Risk Index

Risk analysis strategies and techniques must be considered for asset management, assessing risks, and potential threats to security. Utility leaders must consider these risks alongside one another and establish business plans that prioritize resources  based on risk.

• Hazard Inventory
• Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
• Vulnerability Assessments

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. :: Lunch Break

1:30– 2:45 p.m. :: Business Continuity

Managing the business continuity requirements of a utility requires planning, practice, and the right framework and tools for tracking, incident management and communication needs. During this session we will cover the following critical steps:

• Establishing Recovery Time Objectives
• Conducting Gap Analysis
• Aligning on Risk Treatment

2:45 – 3:00 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

3:00 – 4:30 p.m. :: Using Established Emergency Management Processes in the Corporate Setting

To be truly effective, utilities must create a culture and framework that builds strategic, everyday resilience. Established emergency management procedures can help electric utility companies achieve operational resilience by providing a proven platform.

• Preparedness
• Situational Awareness
• Response and Recovery operations

4:30 – 5:00 p.m. :: Day 1 Review

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023

9:00 – 9:15 a.m. :: Course Recap

Instructors will welcome attendees and provide a short summary of the day’s learning objectives.  

9:15 – 10:00 a.m. :: Engaging with Internal and External Stakeholders

Utilities have a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders that require regular communication. Stakeholder engagement is critical to resilience postures, recognizing roles and responsibilities, identifying opportunities for improvement, developing effective resilience strategies, and implementing solutions. During this session, we will focus on how to successfully engage with those important stakeholders on resilience risks and opportunities.

• Identifying critical stakeholders
• Defined communication processes
• Strategies to align stakeholders

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. :: Morning Break

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. :: Case Study: Utilities in Puerto Rico During Hurricane Maria

During this session, a former FEMA administrator will provide a case study in business resilience using his experience leading response and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.

Brock Long, Former FEMA Administrator

11:45 – 12:00 p.m. :: Review and Q&A

Brock Long, Former FEMA Administrator

Brock Long is the former Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Confirmed in June 2017 by the US Senate with strong bipartisan support (95-4), Brock served as the Nation’s principal advisor to the President responsible for coordinating the entire array of federal government resources down through 50 states, 573 tribal governments, and 16 island territories to assist them with executing disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Brock is the 10th Administrator and the youngest to hold the office. While serving as Administrator, Brock coordinated the federal government’s response to over 144 Presidentially declared disasters and 112 wildfires, including three of the Nation’s most devastating hurricanes and five of the worst wildfires ever experienced. During this time, nearly $44 billion of disaster activity occurred under the various federal recovery programs.

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Patrick Van Horne, Deputy Director, Hagerty Consulting

Patrick Van Horne is a Senior Managing Associate with Hagerty Consulting’s Preparedness Division, where he supports several projects in the company’s transportation, energy, continuity, and security portfolios. He is a co-author of the book ‘Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Program Can Save Your Life’ and has served in leadership roles in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and active threat events.

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Jonathan Davis, Senior Managing Associate, Hagerty Consulting

Jonathan Davis is a Managing Associate at Hagerty Consulting, where he works on energy, security, and cyber issues. Mr. Davis recently joined Hagerty from the British Government.

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Justin Bukartek, Senior Managing Associate, Hagerty Consulting

Justin is a Senior Managing Associate with Hagerty Consulting, and former Director of Emergency Management for Pacificorp.