Aon’s Crisis Management Operations Centre goes live

Paul Bassett, MD Speciality and Chairman of the Crisis Risk Management Global Practice Group for Aon Limited in London

A crisis can occur in an instant. Knowing what to do and having reliable support is key and is the basis on which the Aon Crisis Management Operations Centre (AcMoc) has been founded.

With more and more South African companies operating or investing in countries with hostile or politically unstable environments, there is a growing need for this type of executive and employee cover. Speaking at the launch of the AcMoc at Aon South Africa yesterday, Paul Bassett, MD Speciality and Chairman of the Crisis Risk Management Global Practice Group for Aon Limited in London, said organisations are realising more and more the responsibility of duty of care regarding the safety of their personnel and assets and are investigating ways in which to protect their employees in the event of an emergency. “This is the first centre of its kind within Aon and to our knowledge the first inhouse centre to be launched within any insurance broker globally. The initiative has largely been driven out of South Africa, supported by a core crisis team in London and other colleagues around the world,” says Bassett.

The AcMoc offers a solution with its unique ability to track and communicate with specific personnel that operate in high-risk areas. This data base of relevant information, essential in the event of an emergency, is available to the client at a moments notice.

Essentially, the AcMoc is an integrated command, control, communications and information-relay facility which allows operational staff and crisis management personnel to increase risk-management capability, provide control during events on the ground and implement preventative and response measures.

Anton Roux, CEO Aon Africa and South Africa, says Aon’s experience in crisis risk management is what sets it apart and has enabled the organisation to develop a state-of-the-art centre designed to meet this growing need. “Through our proven record of having to innovate and manage a spectrum of incidents in some of the most difficult, remote and high risk areas, we are forced to continuously devise solutions, both technological and procedural in order for us to meet the specific needs of our clients, regardless of the location,” he says.

The core competencies of the AcMoc include emergency communications; warning and informing; safe travel management; live tracking of assets or people and consultancy services – crisis and emergency management and response.

Roux says organisations sending employees into volatile or high-risk areas can be reassured that through the AcMoc, employees can be located and evacuated at the touch of a button.

The AcMoc has been designed to gather, assimilate and effectively distribute information, administer early warning systems and respond immediately in the event of an emergency.

Aon has access to a variety of suppliers. The most appropriate option will be selected during an emergency and the centre will offer a “single point of contact” capability and a variety of alternative communication links and mechanisms.