Crisis Leadership Lessons from the Myanmar Coup | Christoph Vavrik

What does real leadership look like when a military coup begins?

In this episode of Boardroom Talks, CE Interim Managing Partner Bohuslav Lipovský speaks with Christoph Vavrik, Member of the CE Interim Board of Advisors, about his experience leading a major international company in Myanmar during the 2021 military coup.

This is not theory.
This is crisis leadership in real time.

Christoph explains what actually happens inside a company when:

Communication systems collapse
Banking shuts down overnight
Cash becomes the only way to operate
Teams freeze or break under pressure
Key decisions must be made within minutes

From cash-only operations across an entire country to building emergency communication networks, this conversation reveals the decisions, mindset, and resilience required to protect people, assets, and the business when stability disappears instantly.

You’ll learn:

Why leaders fail or rise in extreme crisis
How to make decisions when information is incomplete
What the Myanmar coup teaches about preparedness
The role of interim crisis managers in high-risk environments
How trust, resilience, and ego shape leadership under fire

This episode is a must-watch for CEOs, board members, investors, crisis managers, and executives operating in volatile markets.

If you want to understand how real leaders act when the unexpected hits, this is the conversation to watch.

00:00 - Trailer
00:43 - Boardroom Talks & today’s topic
01:11 - Christoph’s background
02:35 - Managing a crisis in Myanmar (Burma)
03:03 - Military coup, shock and misjudgment
06:25 - About Crisis Preparation
09:23 - Team expertise & External Help
10:54 - Banking collapse
16:36 - Communication in crisis
21:22 - Why mock drills matter
24:44 - What defines a true interim crisis leader
33:26 - Crisis leadership across cultures
36:50 - Hard Decision as a Leader
40:44 - Preparing for the black swan
42:36 - Final message

#CrisisLeadership #MyanmarCoup
#LeadershipUnderPressure #CEInterim
#BoardroomTalks