1. Thrive! | 12
of the Philippines Business
Continuity Awareness Week
A
s vice-chairman of the board
of DRI International , I had the
great honor of being invited to
be the keynote speaker at the
Central Bank of the Philippines (BSP)
Business Continuity Awareness Week.
This was a wonderful opportunity for DRI
International, as DRI continues to extend
its international outreach and partici-
pate even more closely with government
regulatory bodies.
I can’t say enough about how impressed
I was with both the Central Bank’s hospi-
tality and the maturity of its program.
Antonio Grageda, CBCP, is the director
and head of the bank’s crisis management
office, which is responsible for the BCM
program. He has been working hard over
the past several years to ensure that the
Central Bank has one of the best BCM
programs in Asia. It is clear that he has
had success in integrating BCM into the
everyday activities of the Central Bank,
and his office demonstrates this through
frequent drills and exercises. Once a year,
he and his team, most of whom are
Jerome
P. Ryan
DRI Participates
in the Central Bank

2. Thrive! | 14
also DRI-certified professionals, showcase their achieve-
ments and plans for further maturity during the Business
Continuity Awareness Week (BCAW).
BCM at a Central Bank
We all know how important BCM is; but BCM takes on
a special level of importance when it is applied to a nation’s
central bank. The resiliency of a central bank to continue to
maintain its role as being the banker, financial advisor, and
official depository of the government is critical, especially in
times of disruption. As many of us know, the Philippines has
its share of disruptions from earthquakes, to typhoons, to
flooding, and more. Without a central bank’s financial super-
vision, management of exchange rates, currency issues, and
liquidity management, central banks’ would not be able to
promote and maintain price stability and provide proactive
leadership in bringing about a strong financial system
conducive to balanced and sustainable economic growth.
Simply put, there is far more at stake for BCM planning
at a central bank than at most other companies and organi-
zations. Quite literally, the stability of the country depends
upon the ability of the central bank to continue operations.
We need look no further than the recent events across
Europe and most recently in Cyprus to understand what
can happen when crisis interrupts a country’s ability to
provide strong financial leadership and liquidity.
The Journey Begins
The activities began with a ribbon cutting
ceremony in the main lobby of the Central
Bank. I had the privilege in joining Deputy
Governor by cutting the ceremonial ribbon,
thereby officially beginning the BCAW
activities. Grageda then provided a walking
tour of the exhibit hall to me, the Deputy
Governor and other Bank executives and
dignitaries. The first stop included in the
exhibit showcased a thoughtful message
by Al Berman, DRI International president,
conveying his acknowledgement of the bank’s
program, activities, and commitment to BCM.
In his message to the Central Bank,
Berman explained that, “The Central Bank
of the Philippines has clearly stated that
the overall goal of its business continuity
plan must be to (1) ensure that there will
be minimal disruption of bank operations
(2) to minimize financial losses through lost
business opportunities or asset deterioration, and (3) to
ensure a timely resumption of normal operations.”
Other stops along the exhibit hall included pictorial
representations of the accomplishments in the Central
Bank’s BCM program over the past year.
Beginning this year, the Central Bank will transition its
program to align more closely with the new ISO 22301
standard. This is a large project, but will certainly pay off
in the future.
“We intend to align our BCM practices (now based on
BS25999) in accordance with ISO 22301,” said Gregada. “For
this, we are now reviewing our existing policies, procedures,
guidelines,andprocessestoensurethatweadheretoitsrequire-
ments. We also intend to strengthen our BCM governance
structure by having a more concrete definition of management
responsibilities and oversight functions such as, but not
limited to, sponsorship of regular business impact analysis,
risk assessments, and BCM strategies implementation.”
All in all, Grageda successfully delivered a BCM prepared-
ness message, which we all know can be a bit complex and
at times boring for those not in the industry, to the highest
level of the Central Bank’s management.
DRI Participates in the Central Bank
of the Philippines Business Continuity Awareness Week
Antonio Grageda introduces BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. to
DRI International Vice Chairman Jerome P. Ryan at the BCAW event.

3. Thrive! | 16
Next Stop, Superb Speeches
After the tour of the exhibit hall, we moved on to the
conference room for formal activities. Approximately 70
of the Central Bank’s most senior employees attended
this half day event. Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., governor of
the Central Bank, joined us and delivered a speech about
how important BCM is to the bank and to the Philippines,
confirming his commitment to supporting the program.
He emphasized that all employees should be aware of
BCM principles as well as their practical applications in the
workplace. “Business continuity is at the core of corporate
governance and keeping a BCM mindset among BSPers is a
patriotic duty. We continue to develop the habit of incorpo-
rating BCM in our operations. It should be second nature
for us at the BSP to embed BCMS in our processes.”
“The BSP is mandated to provide price stability to the
economy through monetary and banking policies. Stability
is our mantra, thus, we should do our best to prevent
disruptions in our operations,” Tetangco said. “BSP places
great importance on BCM. For this reason, the BSP has
organized business continuity management teams and key
personnel to work in alternate sites to continue mission-
critical and time-sensitive operations in case of disruptions.
BSP management has adapted BCM concepts and strategies
since 2003 and has approved BCM initiatives through
the years such as the approval of the bank-wide business
continuity plan, and has continuously invested in time
and resources for the implementation of its
BCM program.”
He added that “resiliency is not just
having an alternate site or back-up system,
but more about having concerted effort and
shared responsibilities among all members
of the organization. Business continuity is
everyone’s responsibility.”
Armando L. Suratos, a member of the
Monetary Board of the Central Bank,
also spoke about BCM and affirmed his
commitment to its implementation at the
Central Bank. I had the opportunity to
sit with Tetango and Suratos to exchange
thoughts on BCM and benefits of well-
defined programs. It was certainly exciting to
be sitting with the top level of management
and to truly appreciate their commitment
and participation in the BCM program.
My Turn to Talk!
I was then introduced to deliver the keynote address.
In my speech, I talked about DRI International’s involve-
ment worldwide in standardizing and professionalizing
BCM. I also spoke about lessons I have learned in my
career both running a large international program and as a
consultant to numerous clients across nearly all industries.
At the conclusion of my speech, the floor was opened for
questions. I was expecting there to be very few questions,
but I was proven wrong. This group of senior officials
took the opportunity to ask a variety of questions the
both related to their own program and that of their wider
responsibilities in ensuring access to cash and liquidity to
the entire country. Here’s how some of those questions were
asked and answered:
What are the common challenges you face in imple-
menting BCM in your organization?
Senior management buy-in – when this is accomplished
members of the organization, from the top down, show
more commitment to building and maintaining a robust
BCM program.
How do you secure executive buy-in given that imple-
menting BCM program is a challenge?
Senior management buy-in can be obtained through
showing value in the BCM program by highlighting the
DRI Participates in the Central Bank
of the Philippines Business Continuity Awareness Week
DRI International Vice-Chairman Jerome Ryan delivers the keynote address
and then takes questions from the audience.

4. Thrive! | 18
local and international regulations that either directly or
indirectly effect the organization, illustrating examples of
company failures for not having BCM, describing the BCM
program and maturity, and highlighting if your organization
is ahead or behind the curve. Finally, senior management
will want to see how the organization will be in a stronger
position by having implemented BCM.
How frequent should the BCM program be audited?
The general rule of thumb is once a year, but this is really
a decision that needs to fit the organization. An audit does
not need to take the form a very intensive audit – that can
be completed on about a three-year rotation. But every
year, the BCM program should undergo a self-audit or a
light internal audit. Again, this is supplemented by the
larger full audit that should occur about every three years
at a minimum.
At the End of the Day
As a former head of BCM at a Fortune 40 company, I
understand how hard we professionals work to involve
senior management. To be sure, we often accomplish the
task of having a C-suite level official endorsing our program
or formalize it in a policy statement. But, when was the
last time your company CEO, CFO, etc…
sat down with you and your staff to both
celebrate your program’s accomplishments
and discuss improvements of the future?
This is what I think sets the Central Bank
of the Philippines apart from many other
companies and organizations – true senior
management support.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone
at the Central Bank for their hospitality
and congratulate them on a job well done
in preparing the Central Bank of the
Philippines BCM program.
Jerome P. Ryan, CBCP, is vice-chairman of the
board of DRI International and CEO of GRM
Solutions. Ryan has more than 14 years of
experience as a business continuity profes-
sional in a variety of industries including financial
services, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Prior to joining GRM Solutions, Ryan was the global
head of business continuity management at Pfizer.
He has also worked at Marsh & McLennan in its risk
consulting practice and at PricewaterhouseCoopers
in its global risk management solutions (GRMS)
consulting practice.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree with
concentrations in finance, management infor-
mation systems, and marketing from Syracuse
University. He is currently pursuing his Masters of
Business Administration (MBA) degree at Syracuse
University’s Whitman School of Management.
Jerome is a Certified Business Continuity
Professional (CBCP). In addition to serving on
DRI International’s board, Jerome is a trustee and
budget director for the not-for-profit organization
Friends of Leadership in New York City.
Bio
DRI Participates in the Central Bank
of the Philippines Business Continuity Awareness Week
The BCAW event raised awareness of business continuity and
best practices and gave professionals a chance to exchange ideas
and network.