Background

Three years ago, on 23 June 2016, the electorate of the UK was asked a seemingly simple question: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”. The response from 51.9% of this electorate was that the country should leave – ushering in what is viewed by many as the most tumultuous period in British politics since 1945.

For businesses and organisations of all types the most pressing question has been, and continues to be, what shape will this departure take? If a managed separation agreement (a ‘deal’) with the EU is agreed then the UK’s most pertinent trading and regulatory agreements should stay in place until the future relationship negotiations are concluded. But if such a deal is not agreed then we are into territory not charted since the country’s entry to the then European Communities (EC) on 1 January 1973 – a very different world.

It is against this backdrop that our next thought leadership event will focus exclusively on the types of disruption that either of these alternatives, and various shades inbetween, could bring for businesses and organisations of all types. We will not attempt to look at or judge the rights and wrongs of any particular political outcome, that is for others. Instead, we will explore the political realities that could lead to deal or no deal. We will explore the preparations that have already been established at a governmental level for either scenario. And, most importantly, we will explore the preparations that should be put in place by your own organisations to mitigate disruption, mild or severe, depending on where the political roulette wheel stops. In short, we will focus on the forward planning that is required to build resilience for any plausible outcome – a prime duty for any organisation looking to thrive during uncertainty.