Speaker Profiles

********************************************
This conference took place on 24th November 2005. If you would like to order copies of the speaker's slide presentations, you can still do this using the booking page here.
********************************************

Chairs and speakers include: (Click on name to jump to profile)

• Adam Smith
  Manager, Corporate Manslaughter Bill, Home Office
• David Leckie
  Maclay Murray & Spens
• Jonathan Russell
  Enforcement Policy Branch, Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• Graham Feest
  Secretary, The Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers (AIRSO)
• Mick Antoniw
  Partner, Thompsons Solicitors
• Steve Sumner
  National Health and Safety Policy Advisor, Employers Organisation for Local Government
• Bud Hudspith
  Health and Safety Advisor, Amicus
• David Faithful
  Consultant, Lyons Davidson
• James Orr
  Partner, Lane Clark & Peacock LLP
• Richard Blann
  Dispute Resolution Associate, Norton Rose
• Alison Shepherd
  Association of Local Authority Risk Managers (ALARM)
• Bill Pownall
  Fleet Risk Advisor, Norwich Union Risk Services
• Joachim Adenusi
  Director, Institute of Risk Management
• Patricia Peter
  Head of Corporate Governance, Institute of Directors
• Errol Taylor
  Managing Director, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
• Sean Elson
  Lawyer, Kennedys

Profiles:

Errol Taylor, Managing Director, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

RoSPA has long campaigned for higher standards of ownership and accountability amongst top management for the Health & Safety of employees. RoSPA also works to prevent accidents in the home, on the road, in leisure and on the water.

Prior to RoSPA, Errol shaped British Standards' market and product development strategy as Head of Global Marketing. He worked closely with multi-national clients, helping them evaluate the business case for corporate risk management systems.

Return to top

Steve Sumner, National Health and Safety Policy Advisor, Employers Organisation for Local Government

Steve joined the Employers Organisation for Local Government in September 2001 as health and safety policy adviser after a long career as a local authority health and safety enforcement officer.

He trained as an Environmental health Officer with Leicester City Council, obtaining a BSc in Environmental Health from Aston University in Birmingham. After two years with Leicester he returned to University and was awarded an MSc in occupational hygiene by Newcastle upon Tyne University .

In his current role he is responsible for providing strategic guidance to local authorities on their role within the Revitalising Health and Safety agenda and represents the employers' side on a number HSE committees including the Health and Safety Forum

Steve is a visiting fellow at the University of Salford where he has taught part time on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes since 1987. He holds postgraduate diplomas in health and safety enforcement, management studies and occupational hygiene. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental health and Institution of Occupational safety and Health. He is a regular contributor to various Employers Organisation publications and speaks widely on health and safety issues as they affect local authorities.

Return to top

Bill Pownall, Fleet Risk Advisor, Norwich Union Risk Services

Bill served in the Army for 22 years starting his career as a driver mechanic. He moved through the ranks gaining a vast amount of experience in all aspects of driver training, testing, accident investigation and fleet management. Bill managed fleets of up to 600 vehicles of all sizes and complexity, operated by both military and civilian drivers. On his retirement from the Army, Bill continued his career in the fleet management industry.

Before joining the insurance industry in 1990 as a motor fleet surveyor, Bill extended his fleet management experience by managing a depot for a national truck and trailer rental company and also a large waste management fleet. There was also a short spell driving a 38 Tonne articulated vehicle, delivering reproduction antique furniture to France , Germany and Italy .

Since joining the company Bill has been at the forefront of Norwich Union's fleet team and continually utilises his wide-ranging expertise to help clients develop and implement fleet risk management initiatives. In addition, as Motor Fleet Class Specialist, he is also responsible for the technical development of the fleet risk adviser team and provision of technical training to underwriters.

Return to top

Jonathan Russell, Enforcement Policy Branch, Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Jonathan Russell joined HSE as an inspector in 1988. After various postings as an inspector, covering a wide range of sectors he moved into policy work. His first post was in health policy where he was responsible for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. Other policy posts have included work on: Transport of Dangerous Goods, Agriculture, Welfare, Leisure including fair grounds and swimming pools.

In his current post he has policy responsibility for, amongst other topics: the Health and Safety Commission's Enforcement Policy Statement; the Work Related Deaths Protocol; HSE's input on Corporate Manslaughter proposals, alternative penalties, and he is the Programme Manager for the Business Involvement Programme.

He is a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers Homicide Working Group, and he is a Corporate Member of IOSH.

Return to top

Richard Blann, Dispute Resolution Associate, Norton Rose

Richard is a senior associate in the Dispute Resolution Department at Norton Rose. Richard has considerable experience in health and safety law, investigations and prosecutions and civil claims arising from work-related injuries or deaths.

He has acted for clients in relation to public inquiries, the Home Office inquiries into the events at Yarl's Wood Immigration Detention Centre, HSE investigations and subsequent prosecutions involving charges of corporate manslaughter and under the Health & Safety at Work etc Act.

He has acted for defendants on a variety of high-value personal injury matters involving allegations of negligence in respect of breaches of health and safety legislation.

He also advises clients in respect of appearances at Coroners' Inquests and assists clients in a variety of sectors in the development of health and safety policy documentation.

Return to top

Mick Antoniw, Partner, Thompsons Solicitors

Mick Antoniw has been a practicing solicitor with trade union solicitors Thompsons for the past 25 years. He is a partner with the firm and a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

He regularly represents the families of those killed in workplace accidents and public accidents. He has campaigned for many years for the introduction of new legislation on Corporate Manslaughter.

He regularly lectures on safety issues and corporate deaths to trades union and safety organisations and has written numerous articles on the subject as well as appearing on television and radio programmes on occupational safety issues.

Return to top

David Faithful, Consultant, Lyons Davidson

Under his guidance well known fleet and motor industry solicitors Amery-Parkes were the first firm of Solicitors to exhibit at an international motor show (Birmingham 1998) and the Fleet Show (1999, 2000 and 2001)

As a consequence of his prominence in the insurance, fleet and motor industry he regularly lectures for clients and national trade and training bodies on fleet matters, managing occupational road risk, telematics and insurance related themes, he is the author of the bi- monthly 'FleetLegal' column in Fleet News and fleet columnist for Insurance Times, he regularly contributes to fleet, motor industry and insurance publications.

He was the author of the legal section of the Croner publication Managing Occupational Road Risk and regarded as the leading authority on vehicle health and safety and telematics issues. David is a consultant to national law firm Lyons Davidson and Essential Risk Consultancy, the winner of the 2005 Fleet News Award for Best Risk Management Company. David is a member of the advisory board of RoadSafe a nationally recognized advisory body on road safety related matters.

He began his legal career in the 1970's and has acted for both Claimants and Defendants in Insurance related claims. He has lengthy experience in Motor, EL, PL, and Product liability claims. He is a current member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyer s (FOIL) and AIRSO (Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers)

David qualified as an advanced motorcycle instructor serving for 12 years before retiring.

Return to top

Graham Feest, Secretary, The Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers (AIRSO)

Graham Feest is a Road Safety Consultant devoting most of his time as Secretary of AIRSO. He is an experienced Road Safety Practitioner starting this career with Worthing Borough Council in 1974 having left the Health Service upon one its first re-organisations.

When the Highways Agency ended with Worthing in 1984 he transferred to West Sussex County Council where he became Senior Road Safety Officer with specific responsibility for Education Development. He was appointed County Road Safety Officer for Northamptonshire in 1989 a post, which he held until May 2001 before joining the Institute of Advanced Motorists as Head of Road Safety until the end of 2003.

Graham is a Member of the National Road Safety Committee, the Prince Michael Road Safety Awards Advisory Panel and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety including being a Member of their Road User Behaviour Working Group. He is currently involved with the Driving Standards Agency and their consultants looking at a new approach to managing the driving instruction industry and the provision for continuous professional development for the industry.

He is an Honorary Life Member of the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers, an Honorary Member of the Institute of Large Goods Vehicle Driving Instructors and a Fellow of the Institute of Road Safety Officers . He has been Vice Chairman of the Local Authority Road Safety Officers Association and is the immediate past Secretary of the Association of National Driver Improvement Scheme Providers.

He was honoured by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in 2004 with an Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the cause of road safety.

Return to top

Bud Hudspith, Health and Safety Advisor, Amicus

Bud Hudspith is a National Health and Safety Adviser for the trade union Amicus.

Amicus is the UK 's largest manufacturing, technical & skilled persons' union with over 1.2m members in the private & public sectors.

Bud Hudspith has been dealing with trade union health and safety issues for over 25 years. His job is to represent Amicus at various levels and provide information, advice and guidance to Amicus Officials and Safety Representatives.

He is currently a member of the:

• Paper and Board Industry Advisory Committee (PABIAC)
• Printing Industry Advisory Committee (PIAC),
• Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances (ACTS),
• HSC Slips and Trips Programme Board,
• HSC Business Involvement Programme Board,
• HSC/DTI Regulatory Monitoring Group.

He also represents Amicus on European health and safety matters concerning silica dust, and printing and paper machine safety.

In 1999 he received the ROSPA Distinguished Service Award for Health and Safety.

Return to top

David Leckie, Partner, Maclay Murray & Spens

David Leckie is a partner at Maclay Murray and Spens. His area of practice is commercial litigation and advocacy, with particular expertise in health, safety and environmental law. He is ranked in both the Chambers and Legal 500 directories as a leading expert in these fields, with a "practical and informative approach".

He writes and speaks widely in his specialist areas and lectures in the post-graduate Diploma in Health and Safety at Heriot-Watt University. He is a contributor to Tolley's Health and Safety, Green's Employment Law, Butterworth's Corporate Liability and co-authored The 1998 Human Rights Act Explained, published by the Stationery Office

Return to top

James Orr, Partner, Lane Clark & Peacock LLP

James joined LCP as a partner in 2005 in the general insurance department. He graduated from Heriot-Watt University with first class honours in Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics before qualifying as a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries in 1994.

James specialises in risk modelling having previously been manager of Lloyd's Loss Modelling and Capital Modelling teams. He has extensive experience in risk management and the interface between scientific research and the insurance industry.

Outside of work, James enjoys playing the saxophone, swimming, running and cycling, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Return to top

Joachim Adenusi, Director, Institute of Risk Management

Joachim is currently the assistant Risk & Insurance Manager of the Middlesbrough Council. He started his career over 11 years ago as a Research/Products Development Officer within the Insurance and Actuarial Environments. He has worked as a senior Financial/Risk Consultant for Private, Public (voluntary organisation) and Financial Services Sector.

He has a degree and a postgraduate diploma in Actuarial & Statistics from University of Lagos, Nigeria, City University, London and currently completing an M.Sc in Risk Management at the Glasgow Caledonian Business School, Scotland.

Joachim is a Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management and an active member of the Institute's Membership Committee. He is married to Tonye and they have a son Yimika.

Return to top

Adam Smith, Manager, Corporate Manslaughter Bill, Home Office

Adam has been leading work on corporate manslaughter within the Home Office since autumn 2003.

He joined the Home Office in 1993, on the Government's fast-stream development programme, after studying law at King's College London.

Since then he has held a range of posts in the department covering asylum policy, European police co-operation under the EUROPOL project and criminal justice issues.  The latter have included the sentencing arrangements for juvenile murderers, the law on double jeopardy and policy relating to a number of evidential rules.  Between 1997 and 1999, he served as Private Secretary to the Prisons and Probation Minister Joyce Quin MP and subsequently the Home Office's Minister for Organised Crime and Europe Kate Hoey MP.  He has worked on a number of Government Bills, including most recently the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Return to top

Patricia Peter, Head of Corporate Governance, Institute of Directors

Patricia joined the Institute of Directors in September 2002. Since then, as part of the IoD's continuing campaign of improving standards of corporate governance, Patricia has led the IoD's input on company law reform, regulatory and non-regulatory aspects of corporate governance and corporate responsibility. As well as dealings with government and regulators, she has provided evidence at Parliamentary Select Committee meetings, spoken at many events and commented in the media. She is also involved in the development of the IoD's professional courses, and in a number of national and EU level initiatives.

In addition she covers the remit of responsibilities that will be dealt with by the proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

Patricia originally qualified as a barrister. She is also a chartered secretary and has spent the majority of her working life as an in-house legal adviser, often combining this role with that of company secretary. Organisations for which she has worked range from a FTSE 250 company, the international business of an oil company, a public corporation, private companies and a spell at the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Return to top

Alison Shepherd, Association of Local Authority Risk Managers (ALARM)

Alison has been a Partner at Crutes since 1992. Her background includes personal injury litigation and appearing in the Magistrates' Court.

In the past five years Alison has developed
a specialism in the field of Health & Safety Regulations work. She has acted for the Health & Safety Executive and Local Authorities in prosecutions they have brought and has recently represented Local Authorities, companies and individuals who are subject to prosecution.

In 2005 Alison handled two high profile cases. She was part of the Crutes Team for Barrow Borough Council in relation to a charge of Corporate Manslaughter which was heard at Preston Crown Court in February 2005, and in August 2005 Alison represented South Church Home Limited in a three day trial brought by the HSE concerning a fatality in a nursing home.

Alison regularly lectures at Crutes Seminars and to external organisations including the Association of Local Authority Risk Managers (ALARM), Teesside Safety Group, Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and Local Government Management Board. She is a member of the Health & Safety Lawyers Association, Forum of Insurance Lawyers and ALARM.

Return to top

Sean Elson, Lawyer, Kennedys

Experience
Representing and advising clients during interview under caution when suspected of having committed offences
Advocay at court in both trials and in sentencing of cases. Also undertaken advocacy in Coroners Inquests
Conducting cases from original incident to trial at the crown court, advising as to law, drafting, instructing counsel to represent where appropriate and general case handling through all the criminal courts from the magistrates to the High Court.
Significant reported cases: Lonergan v DPP [2002]

Projects
Set up, with others, the Association of Health and Safety Lawyers
Developed a role-playing seminar for clients
Responsible for developing the Health & Safety team's profile and business including its quarterly e-bulletin

Return to top

Click image above to download a pdf version of the brochure