ALARM National Conference 2026: Stronger Together

Dr Joachim Adenusi 

CEO and Co-Founder, IRMS/Peerless

Adam Bayliss

Managing Director, Maven Public Sector

Adam has over 22 years of insurance experience, primarily supporting the delivery of a wide range of public sector insurance programmes. Since joining Maven Public Sector in 2018, Adam became Managing Director in January 2025. With his sector experience spanning key areas such as technical underwriting, risk control, and claims management, Adam is well-positioned to oversee the delivery of services to the public sector. Through understanding the unique needs of public sector organisations, Maven has the capability to offer bespoke, flexible, and tailor-made solutions.

Daniel Bennett

Risk and Assurance Manager, Beyond Housing

Steve Bent

Client Director, Gallagher Culture Change Practice, Gallagher

Henry Bermingham

Partner, Weightmans LLP

Henry is a public sector specialist with over 25 years' experience in advising public sector bodies.

He specialises in social care claims, highways, human rights, occupiers' liability, employers' liability, stress, public rights of way and 'power and duty' cases. His work includes recovery of indemnities under outsource contracts and contributions from abusers. With particular experience in CSE (Child sexual exploitation), he is used to dealing with the press and is media trained.

Chambers & Partners describes Henry as "an experienced personal injury solicitor with comprehensive knowledge of litigation concerning public sector bodies", while The Legal 500 notes that he is known for "his expertise in social care work involving historic abuse".

He was President of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) in 2008. He is an active contributor to ALARM, speaks and writes regularly on public sector issues.

Thomas Bodle

Motor Technical Lead, Protector Insurance

Stuart Booth

Interim Head of Financial Planning & Improvement, Bristol City Council

Stuart is an experienced senior finance leader with experience as an Executive Director of Resources and Director of Finance across both a Metropolitan Local Authority and Fire & Rescue Service.

In the last few years, Stuart operated as an interim finance professional in Nottingham and Bristol — diagnosing, developing, and leading major transformation in finance, identifying and realising financial opportunities, and sharpening what works and creating the clarity teams need to deliver better financial management.

In Bristol, he has led the rebuilding of the council’s relationship with its insurer from the ground up — resetting relationships with stakeholders, redesigning processes, and shifting insurance from a back office transaction to a strategic lever for resilience, assurance, and long-term value. It’s been about changing the conversation, not just the paperwork.

Debbie Bowring

Corporate Risk & Assurance Manager, Nottingham City Council

Helen Brown

National Head of Public Sector Claims, Weightmans

Hamish Champion

Principal Consultant - Corporate Insurance and Captives, Aon

Bradley Cohen

Trainee Solicitor, Kennedys

Justin Cuckow

Managing Director, Incident Ready Consulting Ltd

Justin is Managing Director of Incident Ready Consulting Ltd and an active member of the ALARM HE Insurance and Strategic Risk Working Group.

An energetic crisis, risk and business continuity professional with over twenty five years of experience in international humanitarian aid and UK Public Sector responsible for emergency preparedness, resilience, response and recovery. Justin is an accomplished public speaker and winner of higher education industry awards for risk management and incident response. Justin enjoys sharing his passion for business continuity through hands on training, coaching and exercising, drawing on anecdotes and case studies from multiple incident responses.

Gemma Darville

Director of Safety, Risk and Assurance, Gentoo Group

Gemma Darville is the Director of Safety, Risk and Assurance at Gentoo Group, where she leads the organisation’s strategic approach to risk management, compliance, and safety. Over the past 12 months, Gemma has lead a comprehensive refresh of Gentoo’s operational risk management framework, an initiative focused on simplifying complex concepts, strengthening organisational engagement, and embedding a clearer, more proactive risk culture across the business.

Her work has centred on making risk meaningful and accessible, dispelling the perception that risk management is a technical or disconnected discipline. By reconnecting teams to the fundamentals, and reframing how the organisation understands risk appetite and risk, Gemma has driven a shift toward a more confident and informed risk environment within the social housing context. With extensive experience in safety and assurance across the sector, Gemma brings practical insights into the realities of operational risk within social housing and a passion for building cultures where risk is openly discussed, clearly understood, and effectively managed.

Matt Dawson

Development Manager, Maven Public Sector

Matt has been working in the Insurance Industry since 2006 and most of that time in an Underwriting capacity. Gaining experience from working in General Mid-Market Commercial Insurance for 6 years and was also involved in a business development analytics role for a short period. Matt then moved into the Public Sector Insurance Underwriting in 2016 and has built upon his underwriting and market knowledge within this area. Matt has a responsibility for the development of Maven Public Sector services whilst maintaining an underwriting focus in day-to-day tender and policy activity. Matt fulfils a leadership role within the Maven Public Sector team to provide support on all the main cover types. In addition, he retains responsibility for our existing client book and regularly meets with clients and brokers to oversee and maintain service quality.

Carl Dunckley

Risk Practice Lead - Casualty, Risk Management Partners

Ashley Easen

Director of Consulting, Risk Management Partners

Caroline Elson

Legal Director, Kennedys

Neville Fay

Principal Arboricultural Consultant, Treework Environmental Practice

Agnieszka Gajli

Public Sector Procurement Specialist, Zurich Municipal

Nilesh Gandrokia

Risk Manager, Nottingham Trent University

Paul Goodwin

Corporate Risk Manager, Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Paul Goodwin is the Corporate Risk Manager for Kent Fire and Rescue Service. He leads on the development and oversight of the corporate and strategic risk process, helping to ensure effective governance and controls are delivered. His role involves advising on risk policy, and working with senior leadership to support the service’s strategic objectives, and alignment to the Fire Standards. His work supports the Service’s approach to identifying risks that could impact delivery of fire and rescue services across Kent and Medway.

Paul has previously worked for the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Health Service Ombudsman, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Home Office.

Rhian Greaves

Partner, DAC Beachcroft

Rhian specialises in corporate criminal defence, particularly in the fields of health, safety and environmental work. She has over 20 years’ experience advising clients across a range of industry sectors.

Rhian works with clients to better understand their regulatory impacts, to support their compliance programmes and to defend businesses and individuals subject to enforcement action. She is also involved in developing and delivering focussed training programmes – including mock trials.

Rhian is recognised by the independent legal directors as a leading individual; described in Chambers & Partners as "absolutely brilliant, she is a real stand out" and by Legal 500 as a "truly brilliant lawyer". She has written legal content for the NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma and has recently contributed to the National Certificate for Martyn's Law.

Chris Griffin

Director of Organisational Risk and Resilience, University of Southampton

Chris has worked in risk management roles for 18 years, predominantly within the criminal justice system, and the last four years within higher education. 

Chris Griffin is the Director of Organisational Risk and Resilience for the University of Southampton. Concurrently, he is also an Independent Domestic Abuse Related Death Review Chair and Author and a Specialist Forensic Risk Assessor for sexual harm, domestic abuse, and partner vulnerability.

Jackie Handley

Insurance & Risk Manager, Nottingham City Council

Emma Hartley

Head of Planning and Performance, University of Sheffield

Russell Heppleston

Risk Manager, National Audit Office

Perry Hill

Partner, DWF

Henrik Høye

CEO, Protector Insurance

Bethany Hutchison

Barrister, Deka Chambers

Diane Ingham-Cook

Expert Coach, Trainer and Facilitator, Enriched Learning & Development Limited

Diane has worked for over 30 years as an experienced professional, a passionate and enthusiastic Exec Coach, Management Consultant, Facilitator and Skills Trainer, "I still love what I do!". Working across private and public sector organisations, specialising in one to one coachinh, transforming team cultures, developing organisational structures and working with people to challenge and develop their approaches, mindset and behaviours. 

100% of new work comes from personal recommendation and in the last two years alone, Diane has had the priviledge to coach winners of regional, national and UK honours.

Diane is just back from a Coach Camp in Norway, January 2026! Always learning!

Aimee Jackson

Risk and Insurance Manager, Thanet District Council

Aimee is an experienced Risk and Insurance Manager with a 7 year track record in local government and 30 years Insurance experience. Specialising in the development of robust enterprise-wide risk management frameworks, Aimee provides expert guidance to senior leadership and elected members to ensure informed decision-making.

In Aimee's current role at Thanet District Council she oversees a complex insurance portfolio, including property, marine, casualty, and motor risks, while leading a high-performing team in professional claims handling and procurement of Insurance. Committed to the principles of best value and continuous improvement, Aimee focuses on building a proactive, risk-aware culture that safeguards council assets and promotes the long-term resilience of community services.

Elham Farajpour Javazavi

Risk and Control Manager, Places for People

Nichola Johnston

Legal Director, Kennedys

Huw Jones

Risk & Insurance – Finance Business Partner, Bristol City Council

With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Huw has built his career primarily as an insurance broker, working closely with clients to understand their needs and deliver effective risk solutions. Huw joined Marsh in 2015 and, in 2021, moved into the Public Sector team, where he managed a portfolio of local authority clients and developed a strong understanding of the unique risk challenges facing public organisations.

In July 2025, Huw stepped into his current role leading the Risk & Insurance Team at Bristol City Council, where he is responsible for delivering the Council’s insurance strategy, supporting risk management initiatives, and ensuring robust protection for its people, services, and assets.

Aidan Kerr

Head of Public Sector UK&I, Swiss Re

Paul Larder

Head of Risk and Assurance, LNER

Steve Lewis

Head of Resilience, Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Steve Lewis is the Head of Resilience at Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS). He has over 15 years of experience in emergency planning, business continuity, and multi‑agency resilience work within the fire and rescue sector. He represents KFRS within the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), where he contributes to resilience-related working groups. This includes chairing the NFCC Business Continuity and Resilience Group, bringing together UK fire and rescue services to share best practice, develop guidance, and strengthen preparedness for major incidents at a local and national level.

Alongside his professional work, Steve has pursued advanced training in crisis, emergency, and disaster management through Coventry University.

Kelly Lovelock

Insurance Manager, Newcastle University

Iain MacNab

Head of Risk Management Policy, Scottish Government

Gareth Magrath

Senior Associate Director, Brawdia

James Marwick

Barrister, St John's Chambers

David Mayor

Partner, Forbes Solicitors

David is a Partner in the Insurance department at Forbes and deals with all types of high-value Civil disputes, specialising in the construction and sports sectors. He has over 20 years' of experience in all aspects of Personal Injury law and defends private and public bodies in complex and high value damages claims and inquests. He also advises NGB's, Sports Authorities, and private and public listed companies in media, communications and reputation management matters, such as defamation, MPI, breach of confidence and competition law.

Ang McDonald

Associate Director of Risk and Assurance, University of Nottingham

Lucy Meade

Head of Audit Risk and Compliance, TransPennine Express

Alfie Moore

Alfie is an experienced and versatile humorous speaker, BBC Radio 4 presenter and comedy writer with his distinctive niche as a recently retired police officer.

He offers an innovative and unprecedented insight to the world of modern policing, skilfully interwoven with comedy moments from his own twenty years on the beat - where dealing with everyday incidents has generated a host of hilarious stories that you ‘just couldn’t make up’.

Alfie started his working life as an engineering apprentice in the Sheffield steelworks before swapping steel for copper and joining the police. He took up stand-up comedy as a hobby and now a career. He writes and presents his own hit BBC Radio 4 comedy series ‘It’s a Fair Cop’ – with a ninth series airing in 2025. Television appearances include: Show Me the Funny, Bizarre Crime, Confessions of a Copper and guest presenter on Channel 5’s CCTV crime series Caught on Camera.

Claire Moore

Associate, DAC Beachcroft

Harriet Mound

Client Relationship Lead, Protector Insurance

Martin Murphy

Insurance Strategy Associate Director, PwC

Kelly Oliver

Risk Manager, Newcastle University

Ridwaan Omar

Partner/Solicitor-Advocate (Civil)/IOSH Tech | Head of Complex and Regulatory Insurance Claims, Forbes Solicitors

Ridwaan has been partner at Forbes since 2012, having trained with the firm and qualified in 1999. As head of Regulatory and Complex Insurance Claims, he acts on behalf of numerous local authorities, organisations and Plc construction companies in defending Employers' and Public Liability claims. Ridwaan achieved his Higher Rights of Audience Advocacy qualification in May 2013. He has considerable experience of representing organisations and public sector bodies at inquests and during health & safety investigations.

Kitesh Patel

Director of Risk, Places for People

Kitesh Patel MBA is an accomplished risk, audit, and internal controls leader with extensive experience across the public, private, and social housing sectors. Currently serving as Director of Risk at Places for People, he plays a key role in risk, organisational resilience and governance across one of the UK’s largest social enterprises.

With a career spanning senior roles at Volkswagen Group UK Ltd, Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd, and the Welland Internal Audit Consortium, Kitesh has built a reputation for designing and embedding pragmatic, commercially focused risk and audit frameworks that enable organisations to make confident, well‑governed decisions.

He also contributes his expertise as an Independent Committee Member at Acis Group and as a Joint Audit, Risk & Assurance Panel Member for Leicestershire Police, helping public and non-profit bodies strengthen assurance, governance, and accountability.

Kitesh holds an MBA from The Open University and is professionally qualified with the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors; Fellow of CIPFA (FCPFA); Certified Internal Auditor (CIA),and  Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).

Known for his values‑driven leadership, commitment to continuous improvement, and advocacy for diversity and inclusion, Kitesh blends strategic thinking with a practical approach—supporting organisations to manage risk proactively while enabling people and performance to thrive.

Ian Perkins

Barrister (Partner), Browne Jacobson

Lisa Potts

Lisa Potts is an inspirational speaker and George Medal holder, who is best known for her bravery when as a Nursery Teacher was severely injured protecting children at her school, from a machete attack by a man with severe paranoid schizophrenia.

The attack in 1996, left Lisa’s arm almost severed and four children were injured. Lisa, who was 21 years old at the time, also suffered severe cuts to her head, back, and both arms.

In 1997 the Queen presented Lisa with The George Medal for saving the children's lives despite being severely injured herself. Her attacker, Horrett Campbell, was sent to a secure mental hospital indefinitely and remains there more than a decade after the crimes.

Lisa suffered severe scarring, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder and was awarded £68,000 compensation more than four years after the attack.

She subsequently worked as a counselor and in 2001 started a charity, Believe To Achieve, based in schools in Wolverhampton. The charity aims to encourage independence and enhance self-esteem in children.

Lisa's autobiography, Behind the Smile, was published in 1998, with a foreword written by Cherie Blair.

She received an honorary degree from Wolverhampton in 1998 for her services to children.

She has also written books for children including a prayer book called 'Thank you God' and a book called 'Heroes for a day' which is a collection of stories about people who have had amazing stories.

In 2010 Potts trained as an Adult Nurse at Wolverhampton University and then went on to become a specialist Public Health Nurse.

Earlier in 2022 Lisa was made the first Freewoman of the City of Wolverhampton. On 24 July 2022, she participated in the Queen's Baton Relay marking the 2022 Commonwealth Games when it visited Wolverhampton.

Mark Reed

Assistant Director Of Finance (Procurement), University of Kent

Tim Rollett

Intelligence and Policy Manager, Leeds City Council

Tim has over 15 years’ experience working in local authority risk management with Leeds City Council. His responsibilities include maintaining the council’s risk management framework, reporting the corporate risks to senior officers and elected members and delivering risk training and workshops. Tim’s role also covers networking and sharing best practice with other local authority risk managers in West Yorkshire and across the UK Core Cities.

As Deputy Chair of West Yorkshire Prepared (the Local Resilience Forum) - Risk and Capabilities sub-group, Tim works with multi-agency partners to update and manage resilience risks facing the county. 

In 2023, Tim was part of a team that won the Service Delivery category in ALARM’s Annual Risk Awards: for working with health and social care providers to prepare for unplanned power outages.

Sally Rose

Strategic Account Manager, Zurich Municipal

Sally has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. She joined the Zurich Municipal Underwriting team in 2011 and, developed a high level of technical expertise as a Senior Market Underwriter, before joining the Public Services team as a Risk & Insurance Consultant in 2021. In her role, she brings a unique blend of experience that enables her to develop innovative and forward-thinking solutions to the challenges faced by public service customers.

In 2022 Sally qualified as Professional Coach completing a level 5 apprenticeship and is currently studying towards the Chartered Insurance Institute FCII qualification.

Alex Ross

Director - Public Sector & Contract Due Diligence, Gallagher

Alex heads up the Contract Due Diligence practice at Gallagher. The team is dedicated to supporting our clients in the treatment of insurance in contracts and procurements they enter into. Alex has advised on a wide range of procurement projects and possess a thorough understanding of the majority of commercial contracts in circulation including: construction, infrastructure, PPP/PFI, and the outsourcing of service contracts. Alex has circa 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry and joined Gallagher in early 2021.

Nicky Routh

Head of Group Insurance Services, University of Cambridge

Alistair Schuberth

Risk Partner, Marsh

Alistair has over 10 years of experience in risk management, supporting clients across a diverse range of areas, including enterprise risk, business continuity, liability, cyber security, motor, and property risk. He is well-equipped to assist you in reviewing your current risk mitigation and transfer arrangements, ensuring they are as effective as possible while identifying opportunities for future improvement.

Before joining Marsh, Alistair qualified as a solicitor, specialising in the defence of civil litigation and regulatory prosecutions for both organisations and individuals. His extensive experience across various industry sectors provides him with a broad perspective on risk issues that impact organisations both now and in the long term. He frequently publishes articles and thought leadership on topical risk issues and presents at seminars and industry events.

Alistair’s current client work includes supporting clients in identifying horizon risks, enhancing their risk registers and associated processes, and reviewing continuity plans.

Will Scobie

Leadership Consultant, Thanet District Council

Andrew Sewell

UK Technical Lead, Gallagher Bassett

David Sheppard

Head of Innovation, Crawford & Company

Gemma Smith

Director (Business Assurance), Progress Housing Group

Paul Stagg KC

Barrister, Deka Chambers

Emily Stanyon

Senior Risk Management Analyst, National Audit Office

Emily is a Senior Financial and Risk Management Analyst at the National Audit Office, working within the Financial and Risk management insights team. Prior to the NAO, Emily worked as a Technology Risk Consultant within the Risk Advisory service line.

Chris Sullivan

Director - Contract Due Dilligance Practice, Gallagher

Rhydian Thomas

Client Services Executive, Griffiths & Armour (an Aon Company)

Katherine Totty

Partner, Kennedys

Louise Usher

Head of Governance & Assurance, Ongo Homes

Louise has worked in social housing for over 20 years. She has worked at Ongo Homes since stock transfer in 2007 working mainly with strategy, performance, policy, health & safety, internal audit, and risk management.

Louise is currently Head of Governance and Assurance with responsibility for: governance, risk and assurance, health & safety, legal services, and home ownership

Louise holds a Masters degree in Housing Policy and Practice and is a qualified Risk Practitioner with an Internal Diploma in Risk Management for the IRM, Nebosh Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, with certificates in assurance from the IIA and Certified Data Protection Officer.

Cynthia Watts

Partner, Keoghs

Cynthia is Lead Partner of Keoghs Specialist Public Sector Casualty team. Throughout her career Cynthia has worked in bespoke teams defending a wide spectrum of civil claims brought against public bodies, mainly local authorities and the police. Her civil claims experience includes personal injury, Human Rights Act, Equality Act, abuse, claims against social services departments and schools, misfeasance and claims for assault, wrongful arrest or detention and malicious prosecution brought against the police.

Robyn Whitelaw-Grant

Head of Risk Profession, Scottish Government

Gordon Winstanley

Public Sector Lead, McLarens

Gordon started in loss adjusting with Cunningham Hart in 1990. He was a Manager of Channel Islands for Cunningham Lindsey based in Guernsey from 1995 to 2000. He then became a Commercial Manager with Cunningham Lindsey Bristol from 2000 to 2010. Gordon was then the Business Development Manager for Cunningham Lindsey from 2010 to 2019. From 2019 to March 2021, he was the Business Development Director at Crawford and Co before becoming a Public Sector Lead for McLarens in March 2021. Gordon is involved with the Chartered Insurance Institute of Bristol and Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters.

John Wiss

Senior Risk Manager, Places for People

With 30 years in assurance, internal audit, governance and risk management, John has helped shape these functions within both the housing and health sectors. John is a chartered auditor by profession and career highlights include leading internal audit teams and the development and successful implementation of a framework for risk based auditing. John’s current role is Group Senior Manager for Risk Management at Places for People, a leading social enterprise that comprises market leading businesses in homes and communities, regeneration and development, investment management, property management, student accommodation and leisure. He also has fourteen years’ of previous experiences as a Non-executive Director/Board Member with two different Housing Providers (Weaver Vale Housing Trust and South Liverpool Homes) where he contributed to the development of strategy (including treasury, commercial activities and risk management) and effective governance (audit committee member including deputy chair).

John is passionate about the role of social housing, its future and how we need to secure this through consistently delivering great customer service.