Like many companies, the UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Enterprise Resiliency & Response program faced the challenge of how to evaluate critical vendor and supply-chain preparedness. An initial attempt with an email survey didn’t net the information needed to be able to understand our risk. In 2010 we created a “Resiliency Review” vendor assessment process in partnership with our vendor relationship owners and business partners, and in 2012 added the element of joint exercises. We have worked with more than 100 of our critical vendor partners, and many have indicated they started their own joint vendor programs soon after. We’d like to share this innovative approach and what works well, and to encourage more of our colleagues consider adopting these practices.
This session will provide attendees with new ideas they can apply within their organizations to address the common challenge of assessing supply chain resiliency. We will discuss how we set priorities and partnered with other departments to look at vendor risk holistically; share the approach we developed to better understand our vendors’ programs, and describe our lessons learned and benefits to our critical operations.
- How to evaluate critical vendor and supply-chain preparedness
- Partnering to add value to your business.
- Lessons learned in adopting these practices to support your program.
About Valerie Donovan
Valerie Donovan, Vice President of Enterprise Resiliency & Response, joined UnitedHealth Group in 2007, and has led their Enterprise Resiliency & Response program since 2010. The Program helps UnitedHealth Group prevent and/or mitigate the impacts of events that could disrupt business operations and services to our many stakeholders: patients, members, customers and healthcare providers. To drive overall resiliency, she and her staff are accountable for program standards and governance, coaching business leaders in their recovery planning activities, driving cross-organizational projects; and leading the Event Management Team response to all events that disrupt operations, from hurricanes to public health emergencies.
Ms. Donovan has more than 25 years of industry experience that has taken her from IT systems development and consulting, to strategic alliance management, and since 1999, she’s been leading business continuity/crisis management programs.
