"In my career, previously at Alcatel-Lucent and now at Sanof, I have fortunately never had any serious security problems. Probably because we were able to anticipate and block travel to countries where we felt a crisis was going to occur. The most difficult situations we face are mainly road accidents and medical problems. In the end, however, it's events that happen without warning, such as the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, that cause us the most problems.
As far as sensitive areas are concerned, we have put in place protocols with International SOS with a classification of countries at risk. At a certain level, the authorisation of regional directors is mandatory, and they can veto all or part of a trip. We have also set up very concise country fact sheets, no longer than one double-sided page, that you can carry in your pocket wherever you go, with the essential numbers.
Where we don't have a strong presence, we rely on security and assistance specialists, but we also have security managers in certain strategic countries. Protecting the supply chain, but also business travellers, is part of their mission. Using tracking tools, they have to check who is coming and when, in which hotel, and provide assistance if necessary. In addition to this, a specific briefing is provided when the traveller is welcomed. We have also set up a Travel Security Committee to ensure that the message relayed internally by travel, insurance, security and HR managers is the same.
Finally, we are very vigilant about preparing for possible crises. It's important to have all the passport numbers in case of evacuation - not forgetting to take a census of young French people employed on local contracts - or to know whether some people need a visa to travel to a particular destination. We shouldn't be asking these questions just a few hours before departure.
