Hi, I’m Steve Hather, Director of The Recall Institute and I thought I would take a moment to tell you a little about me and my approach and philosophy because it really underpins everything we do at The Recall Institute.

I believe you will never get a better opportunity to demonstrate the integrity and values of your company and your brand than when an incident occurs or a product recall becomes necessary.

Every company will have an incident. Although no-one wants a product recall, they are required sometimes. You can choose to do the minimum required and bury it as deeply as you can on your website, or you can use it as an opportunity to “walk the talk” when it comes to your brand values.

Although I’ve been working in risk, incident management, product recall and crisis management for over 25 years, my real introduction to reputation risk and brand protection came in 2001 when I started working on a program for The Coca-Cola Company that became known as the Incident Management and Crisis Resolution (IMCR) program.

IMCR was created in response to a series of crises, the largest being the Belgium crisis in 1999, but also a series of crises in India, an anti-discrimination law suit in the US and flagging sales in some key markets that had stock market analysts calling Coca-Cola “crisis-prone”.

That program still operates around the world today and although even Coke would not say they're perfect, it is no longer "crisis-prone”. It has a structured process - and people that are passionate about implementing it, that it can apply in any market around the world and to any type of incident.

Although I have changed that program considerably since leaving Coke in 2006 and working with many food and consumer goods companies from large companies through to small businesses, the principles that underpin IMCR can still be found in our programs.

What I really love is watching people build their skills and capabilities in coordinating and facilitating a team in a "bet the company" incident. This was the real driver behind the success of IMCR - IMCR coordinators around the world from many different functional areas - risk, quality, marketing, communications, HR, security and I think we even had a few legal people!, that could lead a team through a process and were passionate about protecting people, the business and its brands.

When senior managers talk about managing incidents and product recalls in the comfort of a meeting room it can seem quite intuitive. Unfortunately when the phones start ringing, regulators and customers are demanding answers you don’t have yet, consumers are talking about the product and brand over social media and the media are calling asking for comment, it is very different.

This is where an easy to follow, structured process that guides a team through the initial stages of the incident or product recall to make sure key issues are addressed and everyone has their focus on the what’s important for the company - protecting people, addressing the concerns of key stakeholders, maintaining the reputation of the business and providing a solid platform to return to business, will prevent a crisis.

Unfortunately I continue to see good companies with good products get themselves into a crisis, not because of a lack of integrity or intelligence, but because they are not prepared.

Until you have been through a potential crisis where your business is on the line, you won’t really appreciate the dynamics of a crisis. This is where process, trained people and practicing your response under realistic simulations can prevent a crisis.

I feel passionate about helping companies respond effectively when an incident occurs or a product recall becomes necessary because I know this saves companies.

I’ve helped quite a few senior managers and companies over the past 25 years but putting what is in my head and the heads of the people I work with and have worked with over many years, into online training and simulations will hopefully help many more.

It’s taken me 12 years to finally get to the point of getting these courses online. I know they know they will help you prevent a crisis but I also know they are not perfect! With constant feedback from you they will continue to improve.

If you would like to chat with me about anything to do with incident management, product recall and crisis prevention, please email me or set up a free 20 minute discussion by clicking the button below.

I'm looking forward to working with you!

Steve

Based in London, UK, RQA Group is a leading global consultancy and training firm, specialising in product recall, crisis management and business continuity. We offer consultancy, training and auditing services, which assist clients to avoid, handle or recover from product related incidents or crises. RQA can help businesses to develop product recall, crisis management and business continuity plans as well as train and test their product recall and crisis management teams. Our consultants can also help businesses comply with retailer, customer, insurance and regulatory requirements, through training and auditing.