Dr Lorna Riddle

Head of National Risk Communications, Cabinet Office

Lorna has been in the Cabinet Office since 2016 and has worked across a range of policy areas including contingency planning, crisis response and major events. In the Resilience Directorate Lorna now leads work on public risk communication, including the National Risk Register. Prior to joining the Cabinet Office Lorna worked as a behavioural scientist at what is now the UK Health Security Agency. Lorna has an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master’s degree in terrorism, security and society and a PhD in organisational and employee responses to extreme events, sponsored by Deloitte.  

Kirsty Johnson

Head of National Risk Assessment, Cabinet Office

Kirsty has headed up the national risk assessment work of the Cabinet Office since September 2023 following several years in the team. In this role, she leads the team that identifies and assesses the most serious risks to the nation, including producing the UK's National Security Risk Assessment. Prior to leading the team, she worked on risk following an MSc in Risk, Disaster and Resilience where she specialised in the interconnected nature of critical national infrastructure. 

Paul Clarke

Operational Resilience Unit Lead, Metropolitan Police Service

From leaving school to join the British Army, working in several NHS Trusts, and now policing, Paul has spent almost 35 years in public service, gaining a breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that has allowed him to understand how large organisations operate and adapt in times of difficulty and pressure. Paul now leads the Operational Resilience Unit (ORU) within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The ORU has a variety of teams with responsibility for Emergency Preparedness, Business Continuity, Testing & Exercising for Major Incidents, Horizon Scanning and Organisational Learning. The ORU provides insight and knowledge to senior leaders within the MPS and on to National Government, warning of impending significant events and risks, developing and writing mitigation plans and then undertaking learning exercises that ensure the MPS can remain prepared and continue to provide the best and most appropriate response.

Kate Matthews

Emergency Planning Advisor, Environment Agency

Kate’s role at the Environment Agency is to ensure that staff are ready and able to respond to environmental incidents in the South London and Kent area. Kate supports and trains tactical commanders to manage the response to floods, pollution, and business continuity incidents. Kate is also part of a team of flood warning officers, providing a 24/7 flood warning service to communities in North London and Hertfordshire.

Stacey McConville

ICT Business Continuity Analyst, NHS

Stacey is the Senior ICT Business Continuity Analyst at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust based in Suffolk. She is responsible for all things Business Continuity and Resilience within the Digital department. For the past 12+ years, she has worked in various Business Continuity, Resilience and Crisis Management positions in a variety of companies including financial services and healthcare as well as a consultant to companies implementing BC software. When talking to Stacey about BC, she is extremely enthusiastic and can talk all day about it. She is currently in the process of applying for her MBCI.

Stephen Sheehan

EPRR Manager at Barnet, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust

Stephen started working in Emergency Planning within the NHS in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has since specialised in Business Continuity. Stephen has completely revamped the BCMS used within the two Trust’s he has worked for and has been integral in the response to numerous incidents including two water tank failures, a total loss of IT, a suspected CBRN incident, evacuation of hospital services, opening of a new hospital and community site and a total loss of power to a ward.

Aaron Gracey

Head of Emergency Management Operational Security and Police Liaison, Network Rail