AN INCREASING number of companies across Asia-Pacific, particularly in China, India, Malaysia and Vietnam, are becoming more aware of their legal obligations to look after the safety and security of employees and their families abroad.
According to Philippe Huinck, regional managing director, South & South-east Asia of International SOS, which provides third-party security, medical and healthcare services, this rise can be partly attributed to the rapid expansion of organisations outside their home country.
“As companies globalise, they look for new markets, hence this results in more business travel and expatriations,” he explained. “As new and emerging markets are relatively unfamiliar grounds, the risks to travellers are higher.”
Huinck said demand for International SOS’s services is mainly from the energy, mining, oil & gas and infrastructure sectors, and that his clients prefer an integrated approach to managing risk, with most opting for a combination of medical and security services.
Political and economic upheavals were the other key factors inciting businesses to ensure that staff travelling overseas on business “received access to timely information, advice and assistance based on their immediate requirements”, he added.
Between January 2010 and January 2011, International SOS experienced a 15 per cent increase in the number of clients worldwide. Its year-on-year revenue growth hit 21 per cent over the same period.
