MARSH RISK CONSULTING LAUNCHES RAPID SOLUTION FOR ASSESSING PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS

NEW YORK, May 21, 2009 — As the current outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) in more than 30 countries around the world tests organizations' preparedness and ability to respond, Marsh Risk Consulting, a unit of Marsh, the world's leading insurance broker and risk advisor, has developed a new service to help businesses, government entities, and other organizations evaluate their capabilities to respond to and recover from a pandemic, identify gaps in their continuity and crisis plans, and develop a roadmap for process improvement.

Marsh's Rapid Pandemic Preparedness Assessment gives clients the ability to examine their plans from a wide perspective, drawing on Marsh’s expertise in such areas business continuity, clinical health, insurance, supply chain risk management, crisis management, and workforce strategies.

"Although the current H1N1 outbreak generally has not had a severe impact on organizations, many now recognize that their existing business continuity and pandemic plans did not account for the potential economic, social, and health impacts on their business or supply chains," said Karen Avery, leader of Marsh's U.S. Business Continuity Risk Management Practice.  "We are working to help clients identify and close these gaps so that if H1N1, some variation of it, or other potential pandemic emerges in the fall, their organizations will be better prepared for the challenge."

The Marsh service includes a pandemic preparedness implementation roadmap to help guide future activities.

In addition to the Rapid Pandemic Preparedness Assessment, Marsh offers a number of resources for businesses related to the pandemic, including:

• One-hour Webcast, "H1N1 Flu and Pandemic Preparedness." A replay may be accessed free of charge by registering here.

• Marsh Pandemic Preparedness Center;
  
• Marsh 34-page report, H1N1 Influenza: Preparing for and Responding to a Pandemic, which is available free of charge;
• Marsh H1N1 influenza and pandemic e-mail alerts, available free to those who register for them.
  

Marsh has more than 23,000 employees and provides advice and transactional capabilities to clients in over 100 countries. Marsh is one of the operating companies of Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC), a global professional services firm with more than 54,000 employees and annual revenue exceeding $11 billion. MMC also is the parent company of Guy Carpenter, the risk and reinsurance specialist; Mercer, the provider of HR and related financial advice and services; Oliver Wyman, the management consultancy; and Kroll, the risk consulting firm. MMC's stock (ticker symbol: MMC) is listed on the New York, Chicago and London stock exchanges. MMC's Web site is www.mmc.com.

Media Contact

Al Modugno
212-345-2448

See All Press Releases

Learn More About Our Pandemic Preparedness Solution