[BCM] [IsDB] [E1] [C6] Composing BCM Team

 

Introduction

For a multilateral development financial institution such as the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a strategic capability that safeguards the Bank’s mandate to foster sustainable socio-economic development in its member countries.

The BCM team must therefore be structured to support resilience across complex operations, diverse geographies, and a wide range of stakeholders, while remaining aligned with ISO 22301 requirements, Islamic finance principles, and the Bank’s governance framework.

This chapter proposes a desired BCM team structure for IsDB that ensures strong leadership oversight, effective coordination across business units, and clear accountability during both preparedness and response phases.

Design Principles for the IsDB BCM Team

The following principles guide the proposed BCM team structure for IsDB:

• Board and senior management oversight to ensure BCM alignment with IsDB’s strategic objectives and risk appetite.
• Clear separation of governance, coordination, and execution roles in line with good practice and ISO 22301.
• Integration across the Group and key functions, including finance, operations, IT, risk, and communications.
• Scalability and flexibility to support regional hubs, country offices, and crisis-specific escalation.
• Consistency with Islamic values, including stewardship (amanah), accountability, and continuity of service to member countries.

Proposed BCM Governance Structure at IsDB

Board of Executive Directors

Role: Strategic oversight and assurance

The Board of Executive Directors provides top-level oversight of BCM by:

• Approving the BCM policy and overall resilience strategy.
• Ensuring BCM objectives align with IsDB’s mandate, risk management framework, and regulatory expectations.
• Receiving periodic reports on BCM maturity, significant incidents, and lessons learned.

The Board does not manage BCM operations but ensures that adequate resources, authority, and governance are in place.

President and Senior Management

Role: Executive sponsorship and accountability

Senior Management, led by the President, is accountable for the effectiveness of the BCM programme. Their responsibilities include:

• Endorsing BCM objectives and priorities.
• Championing a culture of resilience across the organisation.
• Ensuring cross-functional cooperation and timely decision-making during disruptions.
• Activating executive-level crisis leadership when required.

Core BCM Team Structure

Enterprise BCM Steering Committee

Role: Strategic coordination and decision-making

The BCM Steering Committee should be a senior cross-functional body chaired by a designated executive (e.g. Vice President or equivalent). Membership should include heads or senior representatives from:

• Risk Management
• Operations
• Finance and Treasury
• Information Technology / Digital Transformation
• Human Resources
• Legal and Compliance
• Corporate Communications
• Security and Facilities Management

Key responsibilities:

• Setting BCM strategy, objectives, and priorities.
• Approving BCM frameworks, standards, and annual work plans.
• Resolving cross-departmental issues related to continuity and resilience.
• Reviewing results of Business Impact Analysis (BIA), risk assessments, and exercises.

Group Business Continuity Management Office (BCM Office)

Role: Central coordination and programme management

The BCM Office acts as the central custodian of the BCM programme across IsDB. It should be positioned within a function that provides independence and authority, such as Risk Management or Enterprise Resilience.

Typical roles within the BCM Office include:

• Head of BCM / Enterprise Resilience
  • Overall owner of the BCM programme.
  • Primary advisor to senior management on continuity and resilience matters.
  • Responsible for compliance with ISO 22301 and internal policies.

• BCM Managers / Specialists
  • Develop BCM methodologies, tools, and templates.
  • Facilitate BIA and risk assessments across departments.
  • Coordinate plan development, reviews, and updates.
  • Organise training, awareness, and exercises.

Key responsibilities:

• Maintaining the BCM policy, framework, and standards.
• Monitoring BCM performance and maturity.
• Coordinating incident escalation and post-incident reviews.
• Liaising with Group entities and external partners where applicable.

Business and Functional BCM Roles

Business Unit BCM Coordinators

Role: Department-level implementation

Each critical business unit and support function within IsDB should appoint a BCM Coordinator.

Responsibilities include:

• Acting as the focal point for BCM within the department.
• Supporting BIA data collection and validation.
• Developing and maintaining departmental business continuity plans.
• Ensuring staff awareness of continuity procedures.
• Participating in exercises and incident response when activated.

This federated model ensures continuity of ownership at the operational level while maintaining enterprise-wide consistency.

IT Disaster Recovery and Cyber Resilience Team

Role: Technology continuity and recovery

Given IsDB’s reliance on digital platforms and financial systems, a dedicated IT Disaster Recovery (DR) and Cyber Resilience team is essential.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintaining IT DR strategies, recovery objectives, and plans.
• Ensuring alignment between IT DR and business continuity requirements.
• Managing data protection, system recovery, and cyber incident response.
• Conducting regular DR testing and reporting outcomes to the BCM Office.

Facilities, Security, and Health & Safety Representatives

Role: People and premises continuity

These representatives support continuity related to physical locations and staff welfare by:

• Managing building access, safety, and alternative workplace arrangements.
• Supporting evacuation, relocation, and emergency response procedures.
• Coordinating with local authorities and service providers during incidents.

Crisis Management and Communications Structure

Crisis Management Team (CMT)

Role: Strategic incident response

The Crisis Management Team is a standing or on-call team activated during major disruptions. It typically includes:

• Executive leadership (Incident Chair)
• Head of BCM / Enterprise Resilience
• Operations and business representatives
• IT and security leads
• Legal and compliance
• Corporate communications

The CMT focuses on strategic decisions, stakeholder impact, and continuity of critical services.

Crisis Communications Team

Role: Internal and external communications

This team ensures timely, accurate, and consistent communication with:

• Staff and management
• Member countries and partners
• Regulators and oversight bodies
• Media and the public (where appropriate)

Close coordination with the CMT is essential to protect IsDB’s reputation and stakeholder confidence.

Regional and Country Office Representation

Given IsDB’s international footprint, regional hubs and country offices should:

• Designate local BCM and crisis response focal points.
• Align local plans with Group-level BCM standards.
• Participate in enterprise exercises and reporting.

This ensures that global consistency is balanced with local responsiveness.

 

An effective BCM team structure at the Islamic Development Bank must combine strong governance, central coordination, and distributed operational ownership.

By establishing clear roles from the Board level down to business units and regional offices, IsDB can embed resilience into its day-to-day operations and crisis response.

The proposed BCM team composition supports ISO 22301 compliance, reinforces accountability, and enables IsDB to continue fulfilling its development mandate despite significant disruptions.

This structured yet flexible approach positions IsDB to manage crises with confidence while maintaining trust among its member countries and stakeholders.

 

Building Resilience: A Guide to Business Continuity Management at IsDB
eBook 1: Understanding Your Organisation: Islamic Development Bank
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