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CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

WE HAVE expert KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

THROUGHOUT THE EVENT

Speakers below have confirmed attendance but details are subject to change dependent on deployment requirements and unforeseen circumstances

 

MORE SPEAKERS WILL BE ADDED IN DUE COURSE. 

DR. lOEL COLLINS, FRGS, FHEA.

Senior Lecturer, Institute of Coaching and Performance, University of Central Lancashire.

Provisional session subject: Decision making (including critical incident decision making in the field, under pressure)..

Bio to follow.

Mrs. shane winser.

Royal Geographical Society, 'Geography Outdoors" team (formerly the Expedition Advisory Centre).

Provisional session subject: Safety standards relating to visits, fieldwork, expeditions, education and more.

Bio to follow

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Carlo fortE

Chief instructor, Plas Y Brenin 

Provisional session subject: Embedding a safety culture within an organisation.

Bio to follow.

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DR. SAMANTHA mcELLIGOTT

Leadership Consultant, outdoor practitioner and expedition leader.

Provisional session subject: Leadership

Bio: Samantha is a leadership consultant and has been an active outdoor practitioner and expedition leader for 18 years. She specialises in research-based leadership and personal development training, particularly in the outdoor context. Her research interests include quantitative examination of the impact of leadership; the application of transformational leadership; and the effects of outdoor learning on outcomes such as self-esteem, leadership and teamwork. Samantha lives in Snowdonia, loves travel and adventures, and talking about leadership.

PETER SIGEE

Barrister At Law, Assistant Coroner.

 

Provisional session subject: When the worst happens, what to expect at a Coroner's inquest.

Bio: Peter Sigee is a Barrister and Assistant Coroner.

 

In his earlier life, Peter was a passionate outdoorsman and keen climber. A highly regarded Advocate who has worked with C:ORE Risk team members over more than a decade, delivering remote area specific legal and risk management, including inquest and mock trial training to a wide range of clients from a legal perspective.

 

Peter has also represented some of the best known names in the outdoor, adventure travel and expeditions sectors at inquests and Trial. He is also an experienced Expert Witness and Courtroom skills trainer.

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joe pearson

Crisis Management, Emergency Planning and Resilience expert (including designing, testing and validating exercises).

 

Provisional session subjects: Writing and testing Emergency Plans.

Bio: With experience of the systems of some of the largest remote area operations organisations, both civilian and military, we are delighted to announce Joe Pearson as a speaker.

 

Joe has delivered training to some of the C:ORE Risk team and his experience and excellence as a trainer was extremely evident.

 

Joe served with the Military and travelled the world on Operations. He is currently responsible for delivering collective resilience/crisis management training throughout the UK.  Since 2004, he has been responsible for developing, implementing and delivering a vast range of disaster focused events to many organisations.  He has also supported many organisations in the preparation and validation of Emergency Plans.

  

His experience has been gained from physically writing, delivering and evaluating exercises and operations in preparation for events such as; the London Olympics, G8 Summits, NATO Summit and Commonwealth Games to name a few. He also provides subject matter expertise in the running of Operations Rooms and this experience was utilised in 2012 when he acted as an independent advisor to the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to observe and identify lessons to be implemented during the transition between the Games and Paralympics.

 

Joe has written exercises that he has delivered throughout the UK and overseas using scenarios that are underpinned by the National Risk Assessment (NRA).  Internationally, he has delivered training and exercises to personnel from a variety of sectors from 5 of the world’s continents where he has gained considerable experience in international risks and hazards and national operating procedures used during crises or disasters. Additionally he designed an Emergency Control Room for a Middle East National company and recently he also worked with a Middle East National Airline carrier for 2 weeks delivering a robust and demanding training and exercising programme.  Closer to home he carried out a training needs analysis for The Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR).

 

Joe prides himself on being a ‘practitioner’ in the field of Emergency Planning and Resilience as he delivers training based on the fact he has ‘hands-on’ experience which is balanced with his qualifications:

MSc in Emergency Planning Management,

Police CBRN Gold Commander Qualified,

Police Incident Officer Trained,

Qualified in Business Continuity,

Qualified Police Multi-Agency Advisor,

D32, Levels 3 and 4 Qualifications in Assessing and Assuring the Quality of Assessment,

Full Member of The Emergency Planning Society,

Security Cleared to SC Level

Louise melville

Toronto based teacher, RGS Off Site safety Management Instructor, Undertaking PHD in Risk Management. Heavily involved in writing Canadian safety standards for visits and fieldwork.

 

Provisional session subject: Risk Management (and input on various panels).  

Bio to follow.

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dR. HANNAH EVANS, FRGS, FAWM, DTM&H .

Provisional session subjects: Incidents on expedition, outdoors, travel and fieldwork: what the statistics say.

 

Pre travel screening and when do you evacuate.

 

Hannah is a Doctor with a background in Emergency Medicine and anaesthesia - and is now a GP in Scotland. Hannah regularly provides medical cover for endurance events and expeditions around the UK and the world.

Hannah is a Faculty Member for Remote Area Risk International where she teaches Advanced Wilderness Life Support (for those medically qualified) and Wilderness First Responder (for non medics) courses.

 

Fellow in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and working towards both a Masters in Global Health and Infectious Disease and a Diploma in Remote and Offshore Medicine.

 

Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.

 

PADI Master Scuba Diver qualification and studying for the PADI Divemaster qualification.

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Gary Laird

Safety and Duty of Care Consultant, Remote Area Risk International.

Provisional session subject: Lessons learned in 15 years as an Outdoor Education Advisor.

Bio: Gary is a safety specialist with particular expertise in the Education sector, Outdoor Safety,  Travel risk, and Duty of Care fields. Gary spent 35 years in the fire service, with experience of operational command at all levels as well as operating as a fire safety officer and fire investigation officer. During his fire service career, he undertook a law degree as a result of the Bradford Fire Disaster. Gary undertook a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and moved to the education sector where he operated for15 years as an Outdoor Education Adviser at a Local Authority, until his recent retirement, with a brief for health and safety, fire safety and all outdoor education for students going on placements or trips overseas. 

 

Certified Educational Visits Co ordinator instructor, Gary is also a certified Duty of Care Practitioner with a particular interest in Duty of Care for organisations deploying staff overseas. He has delivered training in this regard in the UK and overseas.


Gary is a member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers, a registered trainer for IOSH and CIEH and a member of the Institute for Leadership and Management.

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phil keating

Offshore Medic and Offshore/Remote Area Medical Rescue and Rope Rescue team leader with experience in remote, austere, extreme and hostile environments, Remote Area Risk International.

 

Provisional session subjects: Suspension Trauma and crush injury, Penthrox Competent Administrator course.

Bio: Off Shore Medic and Dive Medic, Phil Keating is a highly regarded as a remote area safety operator by everyone who has worked with him or been trained by him.

 

Phil has worked as a hyperbaric medical technician at the Northwest Emergency Recompression Unit treating sick divers and other elective patients. During his time at the unit, Phil also taught on DMT and ALS courses. He has taught and assessed authorised firearms officers in Merseyside and North Wales on a bespoke military version of the PHTLS course. Phil part wrote the IEC course and syllabus, and has delivered the course to over 15 of the countries fire and rescue services, including Manchester, Heathrow, and Gatwick Airport Fire Services.

 

Senior Marine Engineer / Diver Medic on various marine civil engineering projects throughout the UK. Phil has attended many incidents throughout Europe as part of a medical rescue team, including earthquakes in Greece / Macedonia and the Indonesian Tsunami. He has trained earthquake rescue teams in Greece on crush injury and rescue protocols. 

 

Phil then took up the role of Project Manager / Dive Engineer for a commercial diving Company, heading up the offshore emergency response team. He has also worked as team leader of the offshore emergency response team for the largest renewable energy project in Europe off the Welsh coast, responsible for all rope, confined space and swift-water rescues including medical intervention and evacuation.

For over eight years, Phil has responded for the local Ambulance Service to emergencies on a voluntary basis and was awarded a Marine medal for gallantry from the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society for a rescue of a casualty from a submerged car. Other recipients of this rarely awarded prestigious medal are the Captain of the Carpathia, the vessel that went to the aid of the Titanic.

Phil is a qualified rope rescue operator and supervisor and also teaches these courses, along with the full suite of GWO courses required for offshore wind projects, including sea survival, safe work at height and rescue. He is also an approved instructor for delivering City and Guilds confined space courses.

 

Phil is Trauma Lead for the UK Rescue Organisation, delivers medical training for a number of emergency and rescue services and has operated as medical and rope rescue lead for a Search and Rescue team.

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Your test goes here xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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LIZ GRAY

Safety Consultant

Provisional session subject: involvement in multiple panels and workshops.

 

Liz has spent the last 24 years working in the youth development expedition industry, planning and running trips all over the world involving adventure activities, community service projects, leadership development for young people and charity challenge expeditions for adults. 

 

Liz started as expedition artist for four years with Raleigh International in Uganda, Zimbabwe, Belize and Chile, going on to train as an outdoor instructor (she is a qualified Mountain Leader) and wilderness first responder. She has lead a multitude of trips all over the world for UK-based expedition companies (Ghana, Malaysia, Peru, South Africa, Nepal, India, Mongolia, China, Thailand, Namibia), living and working in a variety of environments from mountain to jungle to desert. Liz has worked for many years as an Expedition Manager, involved in developing new trips and responsible for risk management, policy writing, training, leader selection, incident management and selection of overseas providers. Liz has a passion for making travel risk management simple, effective and even enjoyable and particularly enjoys engaging with schools, students, parents and leaders to embed risk management principles in such a way as to make it second nature, and not a burden. Having worked for eight years with the globally based schools of Round Square, Liz is extremely experienced at engaging with a diversity of cultures, adapting her approach to provide an inclusive and reassuring risk management process to all service programmes and expeditions.

 

Liz has developed and runs training workshops for teachers from schools all over the world, with a particular focus on risk and incident management procedures. Liz is a BS8848 compliance auditor, ISO9001 Lead Auditor and a qualified Off-Site Safety Management Trainer. She works as a Risk Management Advisor for an international fieldwork conservation organisation as well as working delivering  safety training for  UK university clients; as an events manager; speaker and workshop presenter at international school conferences on trip safety and providing consultancy to schools and organisations globally. 

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Matthew davies frgs.

Remote Area, Travel Risk Management and Duty of Care Specialist, Consultant  and Legal Counsel. Director at Remote Area Risk International.

Provisional session subject: Protecting your business and yourself - legal, insurance and Duty of Care compliance. 

Involvement in multiple panels and workshops.

Bio: Matthew is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Duty of Care specialist and Legal Counsel specialising in the travel and remote area field. He sits on a number of safety standard drafting panels - including BS:8848 (see below) and ISO 31030 the international standard for Travel Risk Management for work related travel). Matt has worked as a consultant to blue chip/government organisations assisting them to incept or audit their Travel Risk Management systems - providing specialist training to their Travel Risk Managers.

 

Whilst in Private practice as a lawyer (Partner in a £100,000,000 turnover international law firm) he was rated as a 'Leader in the Field' in his chosen area or travel and duty of care law , by the relevant industry guides. He has been involved in safety training for those travelling overseas for over 25 years, including delivering training both in the UK and overseas – as far away as Canada and China. He has trained adventure travellers, exploration geologists, NGO's, Universities, teachers and field workers in subjects including travel safety, personal safety, risk management, travel risk management, remote area first aid, medical and survival related subjects.

Matthew was one of the authors of BS:8848, the British Standard for safety on overseas activities, visits, expeditions and fieldwork and has been involved in the standard from the outset.

 

An instructor for the Royal Geographical Society’s Off-Site Safety Management course since 2005, he holds various instructor qualifications including water safety, first aid, risk management, Safeguarding and Lost Person Behaviour amongst others. He has travelled widely, led expeditions to desert and arctic environments, has attended Travel Health and Expedition Medicine training at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (and has subsequently lectured on the course for many years), has worked as training officer for a Search and Rescue team, has been Swiftwater rescue trained and has trained in and taught wilderness first aid for many years. Search Technician, Search Manager and Search Operations qualified.

A specialist in travel related security and travel risk management and certified Duty of Care Practitioner holding specialist IOSH qualifications, he also holds GCHQ certifications in cyber and mobile device security. Security and Risk Management Consultant trained and certified at the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning Office in York.

Matt is an IOSH  certified Duty of Care Practitioner for organisations sending staff overseas:​

  • Travel safety, health and security for the mobile worker: Travel risks; travel-related risk assessment; and traveller’s briefing.

  • Travel safety, health and security for the mobile worker: Building an organisation’s travel directives, incident management.

 

Matthew has also been trained in desktop exercise design and testing/validation at the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning Office.

 

Matthew spent nearly 20 years as a lawyer in private practice, where he successfully defended remote area operators, adventure travel companies and educators in leading international "Duty of Care" cases. He was the lead Partner at an international law firm heading up the outdoor activity, adventure travel and expedition sectors team, acting for those who suffered disasters in remote areas. Matthew acted for many of the leading remote area operators and expedition companies, as well as advising and consulting for exploration companies internationally. He has significant experience in dealing with disasters, from training clients, responding as part of a crisis response team, dealing with the media in the aftermath of incidents, advising clients and handling cases through high profile remote area related coroners inquests to the litigation that ensues. Matthew was recognised by peers, clients and legal directories as a leader in his field.

 

He has delivered training for many of the Travel sector and outdoor governing bodies from MLTA, BMC, ABTA to name a few. He has also lectured to the mineral exploration sector and had articles published in outdoor, exploration and travel risk management sector publications. Matthew also has many years training clients in legal procedure and courtroom skills.

 

Matthew has completed and is a very long standing instructor for the Royal Geographical Society Off Site Safety Management qualification.

 

Matt established Remote Area Risk International - an organisation dedicated to 'Education, Implementation and Support for Remote Area Safety and Duty of Care Practices Globally.' Their clients include NGO's, higher education establishments, outdoor activity companies, exploration sector,  schools, blue chip companies sending staff around the globe, elements of the military, charities and Search and Rescue organisations.

toni murch

Instructor for Celox Academy 

Provisional session subject: Certificated 2 hour bleeding control courses including the use of tourniquets and haemostatic agents (CELOX). 

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TERRY AULD

Independent, Longstanding Safety Consultant to the travel industry.

 

Provisional session subject: Accommodation safety

 

Terry Auld is an Independent consultant to the travel industry on matters involving Health and Safety.

Following his retirement, as a senior officer with Suffolk Fire Service in 1998 he set up his own Fire and Safety Consultancy.

He became an associate with Ron Wheal Associates and worked in assessing accommodation for UK tour operators and became Operators Director of Ron Wheal Associates in 1999.

Terry worked with the Federation of Tour Operators to draft their Health and Safety Preferred Codes of Practice (now renamed as the ABTA Tourism Accommodation Health and Safety Technical Guide) and is still a member of the Review Panel of the Guide.

In 2003 Terry worked with School Travel Operators in the formation of the School Travel Forum (STF), preparing technical guidance and establishing audit protocols for accommodation used by school groups travelling overseas. Internal audit protocols for STF member companies were also developed by him. He was also part of a team which established the Learning Outside the Classroom process for the forum.

Terry joined Argent Health and Safety as Development Director and continued to work alongside ABTA, FTO, IAGTO BETA and the STF. Terry is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers and attended the EU Committee for experts in fire safety.

Following ‘retirement’ in 2013 he continues to act as a consultant advising on tour operators on H&S issues whilst also doing some training, mentoring and monitoring of auditors.

Terry is currently retained by Preverisk a leading provider of safety related services as an advisor to the board and consultant.

Speaker Announcement: Dr. Nathan Smith

 

One key aspect of Off Site Visits, Expeditions and Fieldwork is the Psychological aspects.

 

We are delighted to announce Dr. Nathan Smith as a C:ORE Risk Speaker.

 

Nathan is a Research Associate in Psychology, Security and Trust at the University of Manchester. In this role he conducts theoretical and applied research on topics related to individual differences and selection, performance and health monitoring, and post-return adjustment and reintegration from extreme settings. He has worked with many different extreme environment populations and collaborated with colleagues at the European Space Agency and NASA, World Extreme Medicine and the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). 

 

He previously worked as a Senior Research Scientist at the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Nathan helped establish the psychological module on the Extreme Medicine MSc programme at the University of Exeter and co-designed the programme for the World Extreme Medicine WEMSKI course in Livigno, Italy. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Associate of the Alpine Club and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Exeter’s Medical School.

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