Jonathan Hemus, managing director of specialist crisis management consultancy Insignia, has joined Aston University as a visiting lecturer. Jonathan brings over 25 years’ experience of providing crisis management advice and training to world-leading organisations and brands such as Cathay Pacific, DP World, London Luton Airport, NFU Mutual and Stagecoach.
Throughout his career, Jonathan has helped multiple organisations navigate challenges presented by crises and his advice has been particularly sought after during the coronavirus outbreak. Commenting on the support he has received from Jonathan during this period, Subin Somanathan, Schneider Electric’s Regional Security Director for South and Central America said: “The six point crisis management planning process shared by Jonathan was extremely useful and practical for our 100 managers in the region as they built individual plans for their teams and stakeholders. The framework has served us well throughout the pandemic and we continue to use it as a guiding principle as we move forward.”
Jonathan will be joining Aston Business School’s team delivering a new MSc in Crisis and Disaster Management from September. The course will train students in the intricacies of planning and preparing for crises, and how to manage them effectively, protecting the interests of stakeholders including customers, staff, investors and the community. Students can then decide to specialise in the area of either business continuity or humanitarian operations.
Ahead of the start of term in September, Jonathan and colleagues from Insignia delivered a crisis exercise for current postgraduate students. In this virtual exercise, students were presented with a scenario and acted as the leadership team of a fictional company, making decisions on how to respond to the unfolding crisis.
Speaking about his appointment Jonathan said:
“Now, more than ever, crisis management is front of mind for businesses worldwide. I am excited to be joining the team at Aston University and my aim is to equip the students with the skills and capabilities they’ll need to prevent or overcome business-related crises, thereby avoiding harm to lives, jobs, communities and reputation.”
George Feiger, Executive Dean of Aston Business School said:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated why crisis management and business continuity are essential activities for organisations of all shapes and sizes. I am delighted that we are able to welcome such a renowned expert in crisis management to Aston Business School. Jonathan’s experience in working with global clients will help to prepare our students who will go on to help businesses be better prepared for crises.”