These are unprecedented times for our industry and for the world. The decisions we are taking in Carne in relation to the spread of COVID-19 are grounded in our values, particularly our duty of care to our colleagues, our clients and our stakeholders.

We have robust plans in place to ensure that we can continue to serve our clients as the situation continues to evolve, including a situation where it is necessary to shut any or all of our global offices.

As a technology enabled company, Carne has the resilience and adaptability to continue to meet your business needs, especially at challenging times like these. In all cases we are following our business continuity plan, supported by guidance from WHO as well as International and local Government agencies and health authorities.

We intend to keep all of our offices open and are implementing protocols where our staff will be able to work from home effectively.

Some of the measures we have taken include:

•  Remote working – All our staff have remote access to our IT systems and infrastructure. These facilities are robust, secure and have been tested this week as part of our Business Continuity Planning. This will enable us to continue operating in the event that our offices are closed or our people need to work remotely.
• Travel– We have suspended non-essential business travel for our employees and prohibited business travel to any affected areas. Where possible we have requested that meetings take place via digital formats such as conference or video calls.
• Meetings– We have asked our employees to conduct internal meetings via conference or video calls rather than face-to-face.
• Health & hygiene– We have significantly increased the frequency and extent of our office cleaning procedures and have provided specific guidance to our staff on how to avoid the spread of the virus.
• Dynamic planning– Our Senior Management Team is meeting daily to assess and respond to evolving issues.

If you have any questions or queries about the measures we have taken, please contact me or your Carne Relationship Manager.

Thank you for the trust you place in Carne and I hope you and your families keep well over the following weeks.

Yours sincerely,

John Donohoe

Founder & Group CEO