2024 Resilience Round Table – Towards a blueprint for Resilience in 2035: Economy, infrastructure, skills and intelligence

Lord Toby Harris was made a Life Peer in June 1998 and has been Chair of the Labour Peers since 2012. He stood down from Parliament’s Joint Committee on National Security at the beginning of 2021, having been a member for most of the last decade. He has also been at various times a member of the House of Lords’ Select Committees on Life Beyond COVID, on Democracy and Digital Technologies, on Personal Internet Security, and on the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy (which he chaired). Outside Parliament, he chairs the National Preparedness Commission (whose mission is to promote better preparedness for a major crisis or incident). He is also President of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management. Since October 2021, he has been Chair of the General Dental Council (which regulates dental professionals). He Chairs the Fundraising Regulator (overseeing charitable fundraising) and was Chair of National Trading Standards (responsible for delivering national and cross-boundary consumer protection enforcement activity) from 2013 to 2021. In addition, he chairs the Independent Advisory Group on Ethics for the National Crime Agency. In 2016 and in 2021, he conducted Independent Reviews for the Mayor of London on London’s Preparedness to Respond to a Terrorist Attack.

James Heath is the Chief Executive of the National Infrastructure Commission. The NIC advises the UK Government on long-term strategy and policy for economic infrastructure, covering digital, transport, energy, water and wastewater, waste and flood risk management. Previously, James was Director, Digital Infrastructure at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), responsible for advising Ministers on broadband, mobile and telecoms security policy, and overseeing the UK’s £200m million 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme. Prior to joining the UK Government, James was Director, Policy at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), responsible for public policy, government relations and regulation.

Margaret Heffernam is an entrepreneur, Chief Executive and author. She writes books and blogs, teaches and mentors senior and chief executives. She was born in Texas, raised in Holland and educated at Cambridge University. She worked in BBC Radio for five years where she wrote, directed, produced and commissioned dozens of documentaries and dramas. For 8 years as a television producer, she made documentary films for Timewatch, Arena, and Newsnight. She designed and executive-produced a thirteen part series on The French Revolution for the BBC and A&E and was the first person to put Simon Schama on television. She also produced music videos with the London Chamber Orchestra to raise money for Unicef's Lebanese fund. Leaving the BBC, she ran the trade association IPPA, which represented the interests of independent film and television producers and was once described by the Financial Times as "the most formidable lobbying organization in England."

In 1994, she returned to the United States where she worked on public affair campaigns in Massachusetts and with software companies trying to break into multimedia. She developed interactive multimedia products with Peter Lynch, Tom Peters, Standard & Poors and The Learning Company. She then joined CMGI where she ran, bought and sold leading Internet businesses, serving as Chief Executive Officer for InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation and iCAST Corporation. She was named one of the Internet's Top 100 by Silicon Alley Reporter in 1999, one of the Top 25 by Streaming Media magazine and one of the Top 100 Media Executives by The Hollywood Reporter. Her "Tear Down the Wall" campaign against AOL won the 2001 Silver SABRE award for public relations.

Margaret has published six books: The Naked Truth: A Working Woman’s Manifesto (Wiley, 2004) is about women’s careers. Women on Top: How Female Entrepreneurs are Changing the Rules for Business Success (Penguin 2007) charts the rise of female entrepreneurs. Her third book Wilful Blindness (Simon & Schuster 2011) was a finalist for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book of the Year Award; the FT later described it as one of the most important books of the decade. All of these works explore why and how companies packed full of talented, motivated and committed executives fail to spot major problems or to capture the full intellectual innovative capacity of their people. A Bigger Prize (Simon & Schuster 2014) looks at what it takes for individuals and organizations to be truly creative and collaborative: where the barriers to achievement lie and how to overcome them. In 2015 TED published Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes which looks at the defining characteristics of sustainably innovative organizations. Margaret’s TED talks have been seen by over 13 million people. 2020 saw the publication of Margaret’s sixth book, Uncharted: How to map the future together, which explores how individuals and organizations can creatively and productively prepare for an unknowable future. It was nominated for best business book of the year by the Financial Times, CMI, Strategy + Leadership, LeadershipNow, and Porchlight. It was also selected as the “Best of the Best” by Medium and was featured by Bloomberg as one of the best books of 2021.

Margaret won the 2008 Prowess Media aware for her programme about female entrepreneurship, Changing the Rules. In 2023, she was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame for her lasting contribution to management thinking. She has written and presented many Analysis programmes for BBC Radio 4 and written six plays for the BBC. Through Merryck & Co., she mentors global businesses leaders. She is a Professor at the School of Management at the University of Bath and has been invited to speak at business schools around the world, including Harvard Business School, the Rotman School, London Business School and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. She is the Faculty Co-Lead for the Forward Institute’s Responsible Leadership Programme. She also lectures widely at organizations as diverse as the Federal Bank of the United States, Disney, Accenture, Intel, Google, GSK, Novartis, Microsoft, Roche, KLA-Tencor, State Street, Khosla Ventures, Standard Chartered Bank, Chrysler, J.P.Morgan Chase and Procter & Gamble. She chairs the board of DACS and has advised the Casey Review into the culture and standards of the Metropolitan Police and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse led by Alexis Jay.

Russell Jones began his professional life in the early 1990s as research assistant to two former UK senior government advisors: Sir Alec Cairncross and Lord Plowden. In 1985, he embarked upon a 35-year career as a financial markets economist, working for several major investment banks, first in London, and then in Tokyo, the Middle East and Sydney, and during which time he applied his expertise to all the major asset classes. In 2013, he returned to the UK to become a partner in the macroeconomic advisory firm, Llewellyn Consulting. He retired from full time work in 2021 to set down his thoughts on the longstanding travails of the UK economy, a project which last May bore fruit in the publication of The Tyranny of Nostalgia. He is currently working on a book on the recent economic history of Japan.

Andrew Kakabadse is Professor of Governance and Leadership at Henley Business School and Emeritus Professor at Cranfield School of Management. He was Visiting Professor at the University of Ulster, Macquarie University, Australia, Centre for Creative Leadership, USA as well as at other European, USA and Chinese universities. Andrew’s research covers boards, top teams and the governance of governments. He has published over 47 books, 90 book chapters, over 240 articles and 18 monographs. He was Advisor to the UK Parliament and is o numerous corporations, NGOs and other governments.
www.kakabadse.com

Paul Killworth was appointed as the UK’s Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security in mid-2021, following a range of leadership and operational roles in GCHQ and other parts of government. In his current role, he is responsible for giving independent scientific advice on national security issues and working with the wider network of scientific advisers to address cross departmental issues. He holds a doctorate in the social anthropology of the military, and writes on themes surrounding technology, privacy and security. Paul was appointed as the National Security Innovation Champion at the end of 2021 by the National Security Adviser, to help the national security community deliver the commitments in the UK’s Integrated Review.

Stephen King is an economist and author. Stephen’s fourth book, We Need to Talk About Inflation, was published by Yale in April 2023 to widespread critical acclaim. The Financial Times described the book as “highly readable and informative…essential reading for economic policymakers everywhere” while the Times said it was “brilliantly clear and concise”. Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of England, described it as “timely, well-researched and very well-written”. His last book, Grave New World: The End of Globalization, the Return of History (Yale, 2017) was long-listed for the FT-McKinsey Business Book of the Year and later picked as a ‘book of the year’ by the Financial Times. It has since been translated into multiple languages. Since 2018, Stephen has been a regular columnist for the London Evening Standard. He has also written for, among others, the Financial Times, the Times, the Independent and the New York Times. Between 2015 and the 2017 General Election, he was a Special Adviser to the House of Commons Treasury Committee. Stephen is an accomplished public speaker and has presented at conferences all over the world. As part of a portfolio of interests and following 17 years as HSBC’s Chief Global Economist, Stephen was appointed HSBC’s Senior Economic Adviser in 2015. Stephen’s career began at H.M.Treasury, where he was an economic adviser within the civil service. Stephen studied at New College, Oxford. In his spare time, he plays the piano.

Tim Lang is Professor Emeritus of Food Policy at City, University of London’s Centre for Food Policy. Hill farming in Lancashire in the 1970s formed his interest in the relationship between food, health, environment and culture on which he’s worked ever since. He’s a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, Vice-President of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and President of Garden Organic. He’s had policy engagement at the UN, EU, UK and London levels. His latest book is Feeding Britain (Pelican pb 2021). He’s currently analysing the state of civil food resilience – how society could prepare for shocks to the food system.

Hugh Morris’s professional career spans over four decades. During that time, he has worked in IT and change consultancy, research and operational delivery roles. Hugh has also launched a number of start-up businesses, including a current role in a company detecting fake news and misinformation. Hugh has worked in a wide range of sectors from government to industrial & defence to financial services and utilities. Hugh holds a number of non-executive roles, notably in the not-for-profit sector. He has been published on a variety of subjects including the effect of the internet on the nation state, digital identity and the international competitiveness of financial centres.

Carole Nakhle is the founder and CEO of Crystol Energy, awarded Best Independent Energy Consultancy – UK 2018 and 2021. An Energy Economist, she is a recognised international authority on global energy issues, particularly in the fields of energy policy, geopolitics, investment and governance. With a career spanning more than two decades in the energy industry, she worked with energy companies at the executive level, with governments and policy makers, and with international organisations. She also lectures, among others, at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, the Universities of Surrey and Dundee. In 2021, she was selected ‘CEO of the Year’ in the UK, by CEO Monthly Magazine. In 2023, she was a member of the Green Hydrogen Award Committee for COP28.

Sir David Omand GCB is a Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and at PSIA Sciences Po in Paris. His government service included UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator in the Cabinet Office, Permanent Secretary of the Home Office, Director of GCHQ, Deputy Under-Secretary of State for Policy in the MOD and Principal Private Secretary of the Secretary of State for Defence. He is a senior adviser to Paladin Capital, investing in growing cyber security companies and has been the Senior Independent Director of Babcock International Group plc. He is the author of Securing the State (Hurst) 2010; (with Professor Mark Phythian) Principled Spying: The Ethics of Secret Intelligence (OUP, 2018); and How Spies Think: 10 Lessons in Intelligence (Penguin Viking 2020). His book ‘How to Survive a Crisis – Lessons in Resilience and Avoiding Disaster’ was published by Penguin Viking on 1st June 2023.

Suzanne Raine is a writer and speaker on terrorism, risk and warning. She is a Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies at KCL and works at the Centre for Geopolitics at Cambridge University. She served for 24 years in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office on foreign policy and national security issues, including postings in Poland, Iraq and Pakistan. She specialised in counter-terrorism, holding a number of senior domestic appointments, including Head of the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre from 2015-2017 and Director of Counter-Terrorism at the Foreign Office from 2017-19. She is Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, and a member of the Board of Trustees at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln.

Rebecca Sheeran is the Executive Director for Value for Money at the UK National Audit Office (NAO), and Executive leader of the NAO's Infrastructure Group. The NAO publishes over 60 impactful reports a year examining the value for money of public spending to support Parliament in holding government to account. The NAO’s work not only covers the main spending areas but also seeks to examine the key long-term challenges facing public services, including government’s response to climate change and the resilience of services and infrastructure. Rebecca is a Fellow Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience of financial and performance audits, with a particular specialism in auditing major infrastructure programmes.

Mr. Gregory L. Smithberger is the Special US Liaison Officer, London (SUSLO). As the senior National Security Agency (NSA) cryptologist representative in the Unite Kingdom, he serves as the connection between NSA and GCHQ, and interacts regularly with key UK intelligence and cyber leadership. Through his support of the U.S Embassy core Country Team, he collaborates with counterpart senior UK-based U.S. agency representatives in the Security and Intelligence arena. Education: Mr. Smithberger graduated from Ohio State University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. In 1988, he attained a Master of Science in Mathematics from Ohio State University. Professional Background: Mr. Smithberger has served in a variety of NSA and Community assignments as a DISES. Most recently, he served as the Director, Capabilities Directorate Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Agency. Before NSA21, he served as the Director, Technology Directorate in addition to his current CIO capacity. Mr. Smithberger’s previous senior executive assignments were as follows: Assistant Deputy Director of the Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID); Deputy Director for the Data Acquisition (Chief S3); Chief of the Tailored Access Operations Group; an ODNI assignment as the Director of the Intelligence Collection Architecture (ICA); National Cryptologic Representative to the US Central Command; an Issue Manager in SID; and the Deputy and Acting Office Chief for the Commercial Technologies Group. Notable Awards: Mr. Smithberger has achieved many awards during his career, most notably the CIA’s Donovan Award in 2011; DNI’s National Intelligence Achievement Medal in 2008; the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award in 2006; Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 2005; and the NSA’s Directorate of Operations Medal in 2001. Personal: Mr. Smithberger was born in Columbus, Ohio, and currently lives in Potomac, Maryland. He is married Kristin Smithberger, and they have two daughters.

Alex is Head of Policy for Infrastructures and Resilience at the Royal Academy of Engineering. In her time at the Academy Alex has been involved in a range of policy areas including leading the external review of the UK Government’s National Security Risk Assessment methodology and the Academy’s COVID-19 response programme. She now oversees broad policy programmes that offer engineering advice on responsible AI, healthcare systems and delivery and maintenance of resilient infrastructure.

Sharon is an experienced senior executive with over 35 years in science-based industry. She has wide-ranging experience including managing global businesses, board positions with international corporations, strategy, M&A and assisting small companies and start-ups to grow. Sharon managed her own consultancy and interim management business for 8 years. The consultancy focussed on supporting start-ups and University spin outs to grow, and helping large corporates develop strategies focussed on creating value from science and innovation. She has also held roles on a number of industry trade association and University boards. As Chief Executive of SCI, Sharon uses her industry experience to advocate for the commercialisation of scientific research and the implementation of robust industrial policy for the UK.

Dr Anna Valero is a Distinguished Policy Fellow and Director of the Growth Programme at the LSE's Centre for Economic Performance, Deputy Director of the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion (POID), and an Associate of the Grantham Research Institute, LSE. Her academic and policy research is focused on the drivers of productivity and innovation in firms and regions. She also works on UK policy more broadly, with a focus on identifying and realising sustainable and inclusive growth opportunities in the transition to Net Zero. Anna was a member of the Steering Group of the Economy 2030 Inquiry – a three-year collaboration between the CEP and Resolution Foundation which produced 70 reports and published its final report “Ending Stagnation: A New Economic Strategy for Britain” in December 2023. She was also a Commissioner for the Royal Society of the Arts - Core Cities UK Urban Futures Commission, and Research Director for the LSE Growth Commission. She has held a number of advisory positions, including currently as a member of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s advisory panel, the government’s Green Jobs Delivery Group, and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Economic Advisory Council, and previously as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. At the LSE, Anna is a member of the Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Strategy Committee. Anna obtained a PhD in Economics at the LSE in 2018. Previously, she worked at Deloitte in Economic Consulting, where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant advised companies in technology, media, telecommunications and utility sectors on economic and regulatory issues.

Peter Watkins was the Director General Strategy & International (2017-18) and Director General Security Policy (2014-17) in the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). In these roles, he was responsible for strategic policy & planning; deterrence policy; defence relations with NATO, the EU and with key bilateral allies and partners; and, latterly, defence industrial policy, including exports. Previous roles included Director General of the Defence Academy (2011-14); Director of Operational Policy, MOD (2008-11); Director Typhoon (2007-08). Among earlier assignments, he was Private Secretary to the Defence Secretary (2001-03) and Counsellor (Defence Supply & Aerospace), British Embassy Bonn/Berlin (1996-2000). He was a Visiting Fellow, Harvard University (2006-07). Peter is now a Non-Executive Member of the Board of the UK Space Agency; a Member of the Council of Cranfield University; a member of the Council of Advisors of RAND Europe; Visiting Professor with King's College London; and an Associate Fellow of Chatham House. He was awarded a CB and a CBE in the 2019 and 2004 Honours Lists respectively.

Ollie’s career in cybersecurity has spanned more than 27 years prior to becoming the NCSC's Chief Technology Officer in late 2023. He has held senior science and technology advisory roles to the UK government for the last decade, including serving as the current Chair for the DSIT Cyber Technology External Advisory Group. Prior to joining the NCSC Ollie had an extensive career within the private sector including his most recent roles as Chief Technical Officer at NCC Group, non-executive Director to PortSwigger and Interrupt Labs and advisor to 1011 Venture Capital. At the NCSC, Ollie is responsible for maintaining the NCSC’s status as the National Technical Authority for cybersecurity and is influential in diversifying the pipeline of expert talent and anticipating the technological capabilities of tomorrow.

Candida Whitmill is the Managing Director of Penultimate Power UK, leading a UK Consortium in an international collaboration. The mission is to build a domestic and export market for the innovative, ultra-safe High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor, creating and sustaining jobs across the UK nuclear fuel cycle and supply chain. Candida has previously been an energy advisor to three Secretaries of State for energy and has had many papers and articles published on various energy sectors including gas, renewables and nuclear. She has lectured at universities across the UK and in Europe and has media experience on both radio and TV. Formerly the Chairman of the UK Tidal Forum, she worked extensively with her team on a £9m feasibility study for the £20bn Severn Barrage. Candida Whitmill is an energy professional with an entrepreneurial business background. Her interests include extracting economic and social benefits from decarbonisation, rather than allowing it to become another financial burden for businesses and consumers. She has been working on Small Modular Reactors and Advanced Modular Reactors since 2011.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams is the Strategic Lead for the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC). His role is integral to enhancing policing nationally, but also across the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. He is the National Mobilisation Coordinator, and is responsible for the Strategic Intelligence and Briefing Unit (SIB). In addition, he Chairs the National Police Chiefs' Council Civil Contingencies Portfolio and works closely with lead government departments and key stakeholders to enhance preparedness for civil emergencies. Mark joined Lothian and Borders Police in 1993 and was Divisional Commander of Edinburgh City upon the inception of Police Scotland in 2013. He was promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable in 2015, initially undertaking responsibility for Local Policing in the West of Scotland before moving to his previous role as Head of Operational Support Division in 2018. ACC Williams was the Police Scotland lead and Strategic Co-ordination Group chair for EU Exit; the strategic partnership lead in respect of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and he was recently the Gold Commander for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. He has extensive experience as a major events commander, Strategic Firearms Commander and Gold Public Order Commander.

Christian Wolmar is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specialising in transport and is the author of a series of books on railway history. He is acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading commentators on transport matters. He has spent nearly all of his working life as a journalist, and his interest in transport began at The Independent when he was appointed transport correspondent in 1992, a job he did until 1997. Although he mainly concentrates on transport matters, he has covered many other social policy issues and has written on a wide range of subjects, from cricket to the Private Finance Initiative. Christian divides his time between journalism, media appearances and writing books and political campaigning. He writes regularly for a wide variety of publications including newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian – he has written for every national newspaper except the Star - and numerous magazines, such as The Oldie and the Spectator. Christian also undertakes consultancy and advisory work for organisations seeking to understand the workings of the rail industry.