Episode 4: Innovating Through Change
Review and Renew: The Jersey Business Podcast
Wednesday, 3 March 2021 - 18 minutes
Welcome to Review and Renew, a brand-new series of podcasts brought to you by Jersey Business. We’ll discuss how we can do business better, how we can achieve our goals, and make our businesses more resilient. In each episode, we’ll be talking about one aspect of business today, drawing on the knowledge and expertise of local business leaders.
In this episode, we are going to talk about innovating through change. Joining us is David Seymour and Lorie Rault.
David is the Managing Director of one of Jersey’s oldest family-owned businesses, Seymour Hotels. Last year, the company should have been celebrating its centenary. But the pandemic struck. Instead of honouring the milestone, David and his fellow Directors had to act swiftly to ensure the company’s survival and future.
Lorie Rault is the Head of Retail at Jersey Business, providing practical advice, support, and representation to established retail businesses; a sector already under pressure before the pandemic closed down the High Street. Lorie has extensive experience working in the retail industry and is a former Chief Operating Officer of the Jersey Retail Association, which was absorbed into Jersey Business in 2019.
We hope you enjoy this recording and find the series informative and inspiring.
Would you like to refer back to any of the questions? For ease, below are the key questions and time stamps.
1. What can we learn from the crisis? – 01:30
2. Has the COVID-19 pandemic killed or accelerated the reinvention of the retail sector? – 02:00
3. How should a company go about adapting and changing, often under considerable time pressures, when an external force threatens its existence? – 03:00
4. Is it a case of focusing on what you can control? – 04:45
5. How do you take your people with you through change? – 05:35
6. What role can industry organisations play in helping their members review and renew? – 06:10
7. How can the Island’s political and executive leaders pave the way for innovation? – 07:50
8. When you’re forced to think laterally, where do you look for inspiration? – 09:45
9. What’s the advice to companies who are teetering on the edge of making a big change? – 11:05
10. What’s impressive and inspiring about how the retail and hospitality sectors have responded to the crisis and found their way through? – 13:30
11. There are bound to be further challenges ahead, even post-pandemic. How can the retail and hospitality industries review and renew? And what should the priorities be? – 15:15
For further support, advice, and useful resources, visit the Jersey Business website.
Listen to the other podcasts in this series on the Jersey Business website, through Channel 103, Spotify, or on Apple Podcasts.
