Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/31/2011 -- From handling a pandemic to recovering from a 9.0 magnitude earthquake – industry leaders and top business continuity practitioners took stage at the recently held 9th Asia Business Continuity Conference to discuss, deliberate and provide framework on how businesses can survive in today's high-risk environment.

The two-day conference which was held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre from October 13 to 14 – was also attended by delegates from various industry sectors and countries such as Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritius, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom, to gather insights and respond to this year's "call to arms" which is Business Continuity Pulse Check: Realign Your Strategies!

Some of the topics discussed were Corporate Governance in Business Continuity Management (BCM), Incident Management Plan for Financial Businesses, Assuring Supply Chain Continuity, Disaster Management in Emerging Countries, and BCM for the Unexpected – which was presented by Shinichi "Nick" Okabe, Chief Consultant of the Tokio Marine and Nichido Risk Consulting Co. Ltd., who shared advice on business continuity planning with relevance to the recent tragedy that hit Japan.

"One of main lessons that we can learn from the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan is that companies should not stop at just having a business continuity plan – they should also be really serious about implementing, testing and continuously improving their strategies," he said during one of the panel discussions.

Another interesting presentation was BCM for the "Expected" which was conducted by Andrew Durieux, Director and Principal Consultant of Coverage Ltd., who highlighted the importance of developing a business continuity plan based on historical and geographical facts.

While sharing his experience and insights on the riots that occurred in Bangkok, Thailand last year, he revealed that "Most companies (at that time) had no plans or processes for how to manage such an event." He then advised to cover insurance, transport, alternate site, staff and safety issues when developing a business continuity plan.

Also considered as an event highlight was the Conference Delegate's Networking Session. During this session, delegates were given the opportunity to participate in any of the six short BCM tutorials conducted and establish contact with other participants as well.

According to Henry Ee, Founder and Managing Director of Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd (BCP Asia), the main purpose of the session

– and the conference as a whole – was to provide business continuity professionals with the latest trends, developments and ideas.

"Since 2001, the ABCC has provided venue for business continuity practitioners and professionals to network, share knowledge, exchange ideas and benefit from real life experiences. And with this year's addition of the Conference Delegate's Networking Session, I believe it has successfully served that purpose yet again," he said.

The 9th Asia Business Continuity Conference was organised by Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd (BCP Asia) and co-organised by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). For information on the 10th Asia Business Continuity Conference,

About Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd
Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd (BCP Asia) was founded in 2000 with the aim of promoting and increasing the business continuity awareness and development in Asia Pacific. Built upon a team of dedicated and experienced trainers and in-house consultants, BCP Asia provides an integrated approach specializing in four main areas: Consultancy, Training, Coaching and Internal Audit; pertaining to business continuity, disaster recovery and crisis management. As a leader in the business continuity management industry and to demonstrate our firm commitment to our stakeholders, customers and partners, BCP Asia took the lead to obtain BCM certification. BCP Asia is the first company worldwide to achieve dual BCM certifications in British Standard BS25999:2007 and Singapore Standard SS540:2008.

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Business Continuity Pulse Check: Realign Your Strategies

Singapore -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/07/2011 -- The 9th Asia Business Continuity Conference (ABCC) organizing committee is pleased to announce the highlights and key presentation topics of the highly anticipated conference, which will be held on 13-14 October 2011 in Singapore.

The conference theme is, "Business Continuity Pulse Check: Realign Your Strategies." The theme aims to highlight that in today's dynamic business world, it is utmost important to ensure that regular and timely pulse checks are conducted to check on an organization's health condition thus ensuring that it is in the pink of health at all times.

Conference Highlights

• Conference Delegates' Networking Session NEW!

• Concurrent events such as BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011, Fire & Disaster Asia 2011, Safety & Security Asia 2011 and Fire & Safety Asia Conference

Key Presentation Topics

• Business Continuity Pulse Check: Corporate Governance in BCM

• Business Continuity Pulse Check: BCM Certification – What Drives an Organization to be BCM Certified?

• Realign Your Strategies: Implementing an Incident Management plan

• Realign Your Strategies: Assuring Supply Chain Continuity for Your Business

• BCM For the Unexpected: 9.0-Magnitude Earthquake Turned Tsunami in Japan

• BCM For the Expected: Human Demonstrations in Asia

To continue to be the industry leader, the ABCC strives to be the distinguished event catering to the needs and wants of conference delegates. Understanding that networking is as important and valuable as learning, one of the conference highlight this year includes an interactive networking session for all conference delegates to benefit from!

In the ninth year running, the conference will expect some 150 business continuity professionals and practitioners from around the region.

The Early Bird registration period ended on 1 Aug. All delegates are encouraged to sign up early to enjoy the Special registration rate at 25% discount off the full conference fee.

This event will also be held in conjunction with the BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011 (ABCA) ceremony in Singapore, on 12 October 2011. In addition, it will be held concurrently with two well-renowned exhibitions – Safety & Security Asia 2011 (SSA) and Fire & Disaster Asia 2011 (FDA).

About the Organizer

About Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd
Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd (BCP Asia) was founded in 2000 with the aim of promoting and increasing the business continuity awareness and development in Asia Pacific.

Built upon a team of dedicated and experienced trainers and in-house consultants, BCP Asia provides an integrated approach specializing in four main areas: Consultancy, Training, Coaching and Internal Audit; pertaining to business continuity, disaster recovery and crisis management. As a leader in the business continuity management industry and to demonstrate our firm commitment to our stakeholders, customers and partners, BCP Asia took the lead to obtain BCM certification. BCP Asia is the first company worldwide to achieve dual BCM certifications in British Standard BS25999:2007 and Singapore Standard SS540:2008.

For the ninth year running, BCP Asia has been committed and successfully held one of the leading BCM Conferences in Asia – the Asia Business Continuity Conference. Through its annual conference, BCP Asia aims to provide the business continuity professionals from around the region with the latest trends, developments and ideas. In 2007, BCP Asia introduced the Asia Business Continuity Award that aims to honour the industry's best. The BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011 will be held in conjunction with the 9th Asia Business Continuity Conference will be held on 13-14 October 2011.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Singapore -- (SBWIRE) --06/07/2011 -- The BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011 nominations will be closing on 30 Jun 2011. This award is co-organised by the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) and Business Continuity Planning Asia (BCP Asia) that aims to propel the growth and advancement in the field of business continuity, as well as to accolade the achievements of individuals and organizations in this growing industry.

The BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011 is introducing more categories this year to recognize the efforts of individuals, teams and at corporate level. The 3 new award categories introduced this year are:

• Business Continuity Specialist of the Year
• Business Continuity Team of the Year
• Group Excellence in Business Continuity Management(for Small Medium Businesses)

The Group Excellence in Business Continuity Management was first introduced in the 1st Asia Business Continuity Awards (2007). This year, the award is divided into two separate categories – one for the mainstream and one for small medium businesses (SMBs) with less than 300 employees. The organizing committee realizes that this refinement is necessary to encourage more SMBs to participate in the award, and in a category that fits them hence boosting their confidence in winning in the award category. The organizing committee is looking forward to receiving more nominations from SMBs this year.

The Business Continuity Product/Service of the Year Award is one of most sought-after awards that receive overwhelming response each year. The Business Continuity Product/Service of the Year Award (2009) was presented to SunGard Availability Services. Hear from Mr. Steve Kokol, Vice President of International Sales, how the award has benefitted SunGard:

"SunGard Availability Services is greatly honoured to have won the Business Continuity Product/Service of the Year Award (2009) in the 3rd Asia Business Continuity Awards held last year. This award has not only made SunGard's year, but has also given our staff (especially the BCM Team) a real boost in ensuring SunGard's products and services will remain innovative and practical for the business continuity industry. We definitely look forward to participate in the BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011 – this award is a prestigious event not to be missed! All the best to the nominees who will be participating this year!"

Mr. Steve Kokol, SunGard Availability Services
Business Continuity Product/Service of the Year Award (2009)

Mr. Abdulrahman Alonaizan of Arab National Bank won the Lifetime Achievement Award (2009) and has been invited to be one of the esteemed panel of international judges in the BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011. Mr. Abdrulrahman also won the BCM Manager of the Year in the 2nd Asia Business Continuity Awards (2008). When asked about his experience participating in the award since 2008, here is what he says:

"I am honoured and delighted to be acknowledged for all my hard work in the field of business continuity, having won the Lifetime Achievement Award (2009) in the 3rd Asia Business Continuity Awards. Winning this special award is a source of motivation for me and has deepened my passion and commitment to this growing industry. Prior to winning this award, I received the Business Continuity Manager of the Year Award (2008) in the 2nd Asia Business Continuity Awards. This year, I am looking forward to play a significant role in the BCI Asia Business Continuity Awards 2011 as one of the esteemed judges. I would like to thank the organizing committee for giving me this brilliant opportunity, and I look forward to judging for this prestigious award!"

Mr. Abdulrahman Alonaizan, Arab National Bank
Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)
Since the announcement of the opening of nominations, the organizers have received many enquiries from different industry sectors and locations. Organisations that are certified or have BCM program in place are encouraged to participate in this award to benchmark their program as well as to recognize the team that put the program together.

Winners of the BCI Asia Business Continuity Award 2011 will be presented with a specially designed plaque at the award ceremony on 12 October 2011 in Singapore. The Lifetime Achievement Award (2011) winner will be offered a speaking opportunity in the 9th Asia Business Continuity Conference, to be held on 13-14 October 2011 at Suntec Singapore.

About the Organizers

About The Business Continuity Institute
The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 to enable members to obtain guidance and support from fellow business continuity practitioners. Through its certification scheme, the Institute provides internationally recognized status to its members as professional membership of the BCI demonstrates the members' competence to carry out BCM to a consistent high standard. The BCI has over 4000 members in more than 85 countries. The wider role of the BCI is to promote the highest standards of professional competence and commercial ethics in the provision and maintenance of business continuity planning and services.

About Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd
Business Continuity Planning Asia Pte Ltd (BCP Asia) was founded in 2000 with the aim of promoting and increasing the business continuity awareness and development in Asia Pacific.

Built upon a team of dedicated and experienced trainers and in-house consultants, BCP Asia provides an integrated approach specializing in four main areas: Consultancy, Training, Coaching and Internal Audit; pertaining to business continuity, disaster recovery and crisis management. As a leader in the business continuity management industry and to demonstrate our firm commitment to our stakeholders, customers and partners, BCP Asia took the lead to obtain BCM certification. BCP Asia is the first company worldwide to achieve dual BCM certifications in British Standard BS25999:2007 and Singapore Standard SS540:2008.

For the tenth year running, BCP Asia has been committed and successfully held one of the leading BCM Conferences in Asia – the Asia Business Continuity Conference. Through its annual conference, BCP Asia aims to provide the business continuity professionals from around the region with the latest trends, developments and ideas. In 2007, BCP Asia introduced the Asia Business Continuity Award that aims to honour the industry's best. The BCI Asia Business Continuity Award will be held in conjunction with the 9th Asia Business Continuity Conference will be held on 12-14 October 2011.

For more information, please contact us at +(65) 63252080 or visit us at http://www.bcpasia.com and http://www.bcmconference.com.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm