Who wins in these turbulent times?

Volkmar Völzke of New Pace Consulting gave a positive spin on the financial crisis at Executives International luncheon on October 27, 2009.
Here is the full summary provided by the organizers:

"[...] we were led into a passionate discussion about innovation by Volkmar Voelzke of New Pace Consulting. He gave a more positive spin on the crisis, describing it as an opportunity for businesses to survive, compete and even thrive. He reminded us of some of the companies built during crises and which become great success stories: Procter & Gamble, Google.  Others such as Easyjet and Ryanair actually benefit from an economic downturn, not only due to lower pricing but because they innovate.  The current business climate should encourage us to re-think our business model, which is a relatively low risk and less expensive innovation method but which requires a mindset shift and a lot of risk management – indeed, easier to achieve for the smaller company.  In addition, just investing in a few minor changes in operational processes can bring results with little expense, as long as clear objectives are set regarding the desired outcome, as well as a plan for how to measure these."

Here is the link to the Luncheon by Executives International