Resilience
in the face of adversity The past 18 months has been a rather torrid time for many businesses but with Brexit now ‘done’ and the pandemic increasingly under control, we talk to Fisher German managing partner Andrew Bridge on the plan to move the business forward. How is Fisher German looking towards the future after a tough 18 months? Our own business has held up unexpectedly well but we’re mindful that many of our clients have found the past couple of years extremely challenging. So, our focus is very much targeted on how we can best advise those we work with how to mitigate the impact of the big socio-economic changes we are currently experiencing. What sort of issues are we dealing with? Sustainable food production is going to become increasingly important, and our agribusiness team is heavily involved in helping producers find financially viable, long-term solutions. At the same time, our renewables team is working on practical initiatives to meet a wide range of environmental challenges, such as carbon sequestration. The Green Offset (see p.16) is a great example of a new service we wouldn’t have thought possible, or even necessary, just a few years ago and similarly our new Sustainability for Commercial Property Service (see p.8) shows how we are rapidly responding to new requirements.
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Our development team is helping to create much-needed new housing across the UK, arguably one of the most relevant challenges for society, while our infrastructure specialists are working with major utilities operators to adapt to a green agenda (see p.12).
colleagues across the firm to ask the relevant questions in their own sectors, is to consider what the indirect consequences of Brexit – say a change in travel behaviours – are likely to be. That will enable informed advice and, ultimately, decision making to take place.
Does that mean Brexit is simply no longer relevant for many businesses? I wish that was the case! But sadly, I think that the effects will be with us for some time to come. What we need to do is tackle problem areas and that means being able to effectively identify them first. The pandemic has shielded or hidden some of the challenges that resulted from Brexit and I have come across many cases where the root cause of issues is not immediately apparent. Providing clarity on this will be important over the next six months.
Talking of behaviours, have the past 18 months caused businesses to think differently about how they interact with each other? I should say so. Our experience has been that while many of us adapted very quickly to video conferencing and digital communication in general, we don’t see it as a wholesale replacement for working practices that have been refined over decades. We operate across many sectors, and I can’t think of one where it isn’t important for our clients to be able to converse face to face. And, while it’s possible to do some things virtually, it’s very difficult to emulate the first-hand knowledge (and therefore ability to act efficiently and effectively) that comes from having visited a site, a home, a business premises or an estate in person. But what the pandemic has shown us is that we can certainly think differently about how we operate and we’re still processing some of those learnings.
Will some businesses be affected more significantly than others? Undoubtedly that is the case and we are already seeing it happen. However, much attention has focused on the direct impact of Brexit on individual businesses. What I think needs to happen next, and I’m encouraging my
