Panel Discussion – Sydney

Peter Dunn, Giles Knapman & Patrick Flanagan

What are the optimum strategies to use during COVID-19

Peter Dunn

Partner, Koda Capital provides counsel and investment advice on asset allocation, investment strategy, and investment selection. Peter is a Chartered Accountant and has 15 years of offshore experience in financial markets with global investment houses advising large institutions.

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Giles Knapman

Property Lawyer, Kernel Property provides occupiers with the opportunity to make significant savings from lease commencement, throughout the lease term, at expiry and equitable in other lease terms. Giles assists clients with individual premises or structuring whole property portfolios and his knowledge has been gained in working with many business sectors and from regional offices through to CBD locations.

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Patrick Flanagan

Partner, RSM Australia the world’s six largest audit, tax and consulting firm with more than 43,000 staff in 810 countries, and revenues of $5.6 billion. Patrick works with Boards, owners, and senior management of businesses nationally, and across a range of businesses in the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors including IT&C, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, services, and mining services.

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Key takeaways

  1. Leadership during crisis: It is important to clearly understand your leadership role within your organisation. Your employees will look to you for guidance and assurance. Moving forward with confidence will facilitate confidence. It is important to plan and execute over the next 3-6 months. Regular and relevant stakeholder communications are critical (including financiers, customers, suppliers, employees & shareholders). Planning should also consider how operations will resume post-pandemic.
  2. Scenario modelling: To generate optimum strategies to manage downside risk, including structural options, it will be necessary to model & closely monitor alternate scenarios.
  3. Working capital and liquidity: Liquidity is key. Review your current cashflow to determine if more capital is required from either existing bank facilities, new facilities or equity contributions.
  4. Identify and access stimulus measures: There is a wide range of Federal and State sponsored measures available. Understand what they mean to your business, how to access them, and the impact of selecting alternate courses of action.