Plenary speakers provide insightful opinions from different areas and explain their understanding of, and approach to, risk management.

ALARM is delighted this year to have the following speakers:

BRYAN DENNIS, MBCS CITP, ASSOC CIPD - principal development consultant, National School of Government

Dennis has been a learning and development consultant at the National School of Government for over 15 years, delivering programmes to help senior managers enhance their skills and knowledge about risk, project and quality management, corporate governance, and audit committee effectiveness.

He helped the Treasury develop the risk management assessment framework, which is used annually by every government department as a supporting document for their statement of internal control, and he also advised the EFQM about the development of their framework for risk management.

During 2005 he led a cross-departmental consortium research project to explore best practices for managing innovation and for effective risk handling. He was recently appointed as a non-executive director to chair the audit committee of a small government agency

PETER ROGERS - chief executive, City of Westminster

Rogers has operated at the highest levels in both the public and private sectors and has been involved with change management for over 20 years.

Although originally an accountant, he also has extensive experience of industrial relations and logistics and has initiated major changes throughout his career in business planning and performance management.

Employed for over 10 years in the City of Westminster, the last six as chief executive, Rogers has been at the forefront of delivering improvement in services. He has seen Westminster re-establish its reputation as a council that delivers good quality services and as one that is rapidly improving them through a combination of cultural change and innovation.

MARK SCOGGINS - partner, Fisher Scoggins LLP solicitors

Scoggins is a solicitor-advocate of the Supreme Court (formerly barrister) based in the City of London since 1983. His principal practice is the defence of organisations and individuals in the construction, chemical, transport, waste and water sectors in regulatory and civil claims, particularly health and safety, environmental and personal injury.

Scoggins appeared for the British Shooting Sports Council in the public inquiry arising out of the Dunblane shootings. Notable cases include defence of Balfour Beatty in the Health and Safety Executive prosecution over the Heathrow Express tunnel collapse of 1994, and representation of Thames Trains at the public inquiry into the October 1999 collision near Ladbroke Grove.