Thanks to Monty Python, everybody expects the Spanish Inquisition. It’s just pandemics, disruption, unplanned outages and other incidents that are unexpected, and that can hit the organisation where it hurts. Last year was unexpected. This year has its fair share. Like Brussels sprouts at Christmas, tomorrow’s unexpected risks and emergencies are unpleasant, but avoidable with the right strategies and a determination to embed resilience into every level of the business.

McKinsey positions the need for resiliency as a business imperative, one that can be achieved by digitising operations, transforming business models for cross-functional agility, and refining global assets and supply bases. The company found that organisations don’t just see resilience as something that can be used to overcome the issues that arise today, but as building a ‘culture fortified with technology and digital tools that enable them to see around corners, to be ready for the changes that are yet to come’.