CNi Expo declares success
Staged at London ExCeL on 2nd and 3rd June, CNi Expo demonstrated its new approach to discussing security and resilience issues was what the public and private sector has been waiting for
The event was buzzing from 0800 on Day 1 when former Home Secretary Dr John Reid, Chairman of the Institute for Security and Resilience Studies, chaired a panel discussion involving Gerald Howarth MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary Defence, and Lord Harris of Haringey, Member of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Policing, the Home Secretary's Representative on the Metropolitan Police Authority.
The debate in front of a full house on what security and resilience can learn from defence and vice versa was lively and few punches were pulled. Panellists and delegates exchanged views, creating precisely the climate of interactivity that organisers Clarion Events were seeking when they planned this ground breaking event.
Another thought-provoking session that triggered robust debate was whether the real risk, resilience and security priorities for the UK are being overshadowed by concerns about terrorism and climate change. Presenting their views and fielding were Charles Farr Director-General Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT); Dr Paul Cornish, Head, International Security Programme, Chatham House and Carrington Professor of International Security; and Angela Robinson, Chairman of the Business Continuity Institute.
The all-important human element was examined in a rigorous session entitled, 'Your Human Resource: Protecting What You Value'. The panelists were Yinka Balogun, Head of Personnel Security Management, Detica and Chris Hurran, Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNi), while Siân Harrington, Editor, Human Resource Magazine, moderated.
Tim Porter, Managing Director, Clarion Defence & Security, said, 'Creating a highly interactive event like this was something of an experiment. However, we are delighted with the response and have an excellent base on which to build for next year'.
