Suzanne Bernier, CEM, CBCP, MBCI
Author, Crisis Management Consultant, Instructor, and Speaker | SB Crisis Consulting
Toronto, Canada Area, ON, CANADA
Former news anchor & one of the world’s leading emergency management authorities, author of the critically-acclaimed book 'Disaster Heroes'.
Biography
Suzanne is a certified, award-winning and internationally-recognized author, crisis management consultant, instructor and speaker, who has helped governments, communities and companies plan for and respond to disasters for nearly twenty years.
She was recently awarded the global 2015 Innovation & Excellence Award – Excellence in Emergency Management (Canada), and named ‘Best Crisis Management Consultant – Ontario’ as part of Corporate Vision’s global 2015 Consultancy Awards. She is also the recipient of the 2014 International Business Excellence Award – Crisis Communications Consultant of the Year (Canada), as well as the 2014 Alumni Achievement Award from her alma mater, Cambrian College.
Throughout her career, Suzanne has been professionally and/or personally involved in responding to crises such as the 1998 “Ice Storm of the Century” in Eastern Canada, the 2003 Northeast Blackout, SARS, Hurricane Katrina, the H1N1 pandemic, Hurricane Sandy, as well as numerous floods, fires, severe storms and reputational crises.
Prior to her career in business continuity and emergency management, Suzanne was a news reporter and anchor, as well as government press secretary/communications advisor and speechwriter.
In 1997, Suzanne became Ontario’s FIRST female uniformed Emergency Management Field Officer for Emergency Management Ontario (EMO), where she helped coordinate the Ontario government’s response to floods, forest fires and severe storms. In recognition of her response work during the 1998 “Ice Storm of the Century” in Canada, she received the Amethyst Award for Outstanding Achievement on behalf of the Government of Ontario.
Suzanne is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), as well as a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) through Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) and a certified Member of the Business Continuity Institute (MBCI).
Suzanne’s critically-acclaimed 2015 book, Disaster Heroes – Invisible Champions of Help, Hope, and Healing, tells the stories of ordinary men, women and children who have done extraordinary things to help respond, recover and rebuild following some of the world’s most significant modern disasters.
Industry Expertise (10)
Writing and Editing
Utilities
Safety
Public Safety
Media - Broadcast
Social Media
Professional Training and Coaching
Public Relations and Communications
Management Consulting
Defense
Areas of Expertise (17)
Emergency Management
Crisis & Emergency Management
Crisis and Issues Management
Disaster Planning and Recovery
Crisis Communications
Disaster Communication
Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
Crisis Communications Planning
Spokesperson training
heroism
Volunteer Leadership and Development
Pandemic Infections
Critical Incident Stress Management
Critical Business Survival Strategies
Crisis Management in Business and Life
Crisis Management
Crisis Management Communications
Links (5)
- August 2015 interview on Canada AM with Suzanne Bernier author of Disaster Heroes
- July 2015 interview on Politics with a Punch New Orleans LA
- November 2015 interview (in French) with Radio-Canada Saskatchewan
- Radio Interview with CBC Radio's The Current June 2015
- Interview on the Crisis Show with Rich Kein March 2014
Languages (2)
- French
- English
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Host/MC
- Author Appearance
Fees
Articles (4)
Shifting the Focus – Infectious Disease Planning vs. Pandemic Planning
Business Continuity Institute, UK2014-11-03
See page 5 for full page article
Planning for Protests – Lessons Learned from the 2010 G20 Summit
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Bulletin2011-10-03
See page 9 for full article
Disaster Heroes: 9/11 terror attacks and the Spirit of Louisiana
Ontario Association of Emergency Managers (OAEM) website2011-10-16
Monthly blog on 'Disaster Heroes', based on the book of the same name, published in 2015 by Suzanne Bernier
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