Securing the Critical National Infrastructure

About the event:

The Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) is both the backbone and the lifeblood of the country. It comprises the assets, services and systems that support the economic, political and social life of the UK.  Any disruption, damage or destruction to all or part of the CNI could result in grave consequences for the functioning of government, the economy and society.  The difficulties, progress and future of the CNI’s security and resilience provides the focus for this conference.

This conference represents the flagship event of RUSI’s Homeland Security and Resilience Department’s Critical National Infrastructure programme.  The conference is predicated on the reality of a diverse and fragmented CNI that demands new, agile and flexible initiatives to enhance and integrate national security structures. It emphasised the linked and interdependent nature of the CNI acknowledging the requirement for representation and interaction across the private and public sectors.  Taking the current security and resilience rhetoric and strategy of the government as a point of departure, the conference considered the requirement and implications of a holistic approach to the CNI, which encompasses the private and public sectors, and demands an integrated and coherent security and resilience strategy in response to the existing and expanding threats.

Key Conference Issues:

• Addressing the CNI concept in terms of definition and operation
• Understanding the threat to the CNI, and how risks can be managed across the complex and interdependent range of stakeholders
• Assessing public sector measures designed to assure the integrity, coherency and protection of the key CNI sectors
• Considering the implications for the private sector in operating competitively whilst owning specific national assets and interests
• Reflecting on the role of security and resilience technology
• Analysing the importance of public interaction and perception when securing CNI, and the role of the media.
• Determining the synergies of strategic experience across sectors to establish potential strategic, operational and procurement benefits

Speakers Included:

Rt Hon John Reid, Home Secretary
Bruce Mann, Head of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat
Director, Centre for the Protection of National Security
Adrian Van Kleveren, Deputy Director of News, BBC
William Flynn, Director of Risk Management, Office of Infrastucture Protection, US Dept. of Homeland Security
Magnus Ovilius, Head of Sector, Preparedness and Crisis Management, European Commission
Simon Webb, Director General, TRANSEC
John Milne, Head of Business Continuity Management, Financial Services Authority
Roger Styles, Deputy Director, Central Sponsor for Information Assurance, Cabinet Office
Mark Hughes, Group Security Director, BT
Julian Dennis, Director of Compliance & Sustainability, Wessex Water
Paul White, Former CEO, Barts and The London NHS Trust
Mike Strefford, Head of Policy, Security & Assurance,   Vodafone
Professor Clive Walker, School of Law, University of Leeds
Professor John Adams, University College London
Peter Ryan, Head of Homeland & Critical Infrastructure Security & Resilience, Hyder Consulting
Andrew Wood, Director of Risk, SERCO