The start of 2026 has shown how quickly geopolitical, economic and societal disruptions can impact organisations across the UK and globally. At Resilience First, we believe resilience must become a strategic imperative – the foundation for long-term performance and sustainable growth.
Resilience First brings together organisations from across sectors that share a common interest in building a stronger, more resilient, investable UK. Since the start of 2026, we have focused on delivering programmes that help organisations respond to immediate challenges while preparing for future disruption, supporting collaboration between business, government and communities.
This includes initiatives that promote interorganisational learning on:
- Hybrid Warfare and Operational Sovereignty – helping organisations understand emerging threats and key actions they can take.
- Climate Resilience – supporting businesses with foresight and adaptation strategies. This year’s programme builds on our ‘2025 Corporate Climate Resilience Foresight Series’, convened in partnership with C2ES, with key findings and proposed actions available here.
- Measurement of Resilience for Organisations – through collaboration and knowledge-sharing, members of our Model for Organisational Resilience Working Group have produced and applied case studies and contributed to the creation of a new curriculum for resilience leaders of the future. Developed in partnership with Cranfield University, the curriculum focuses on the knowledge, skills, and behaviours future resilience leaders will need as the strategic responsibilities of the role evolve. We anticipate launching a pilot course for Resilience First members later this year.
A key focus this year has been our new Member-Led Dialogues, which create space for cross-sector collaboration and co-creating solutions to shared resilience challenges.
Resilience First is also actively engaging with government and public sector partners to ensure businesses are part of the UK’s resilience agenda. Recent engagements have included contributions to the House of Lords National Resilience Committee, the UK Resilience Academy and the COBR Directorate.
Alongside this, we deliver the London Business Networks for Resilience initiative supported by the London Resilience Unit, part of the Greater London Authority, helping strengthen relationships between businesses and local authorities to improve preparedness and emergency response.
We are no longer in ‘business as usual’. The trade-offs of the past no longer hold true. The right strategic choices must be made now to reduce fragility, increase operational sovereignty, and strengthen national, organisational and community resilience.
Together we can build a stronger, more resilient UK. If your organisation would like to join the leading companies in the UK who are already members, please email us: contact@resiliencefirst.co.uk
Resilience is everyone’s business.
