Speaker Profile: Kathy Settle

Kathy’s career in the UK civil service began as a Chartered Civil Engineer in the Highways Agency and progressed to include Director-level roles in the Cabinet Office, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Department for International Trade. She was the Regional Resilience Director for the North West of England from 2004, chairing the NW Regional Resilience Forum and supporting local and regional partners with the implementation of the Civil Contingencies Act. She also facilitated multi-agency exercising and led the regional response to a number of emergencies. She moved to the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office in 2008, building stronger capabilities and preparedness across 1,200+ local and regional emergency response bodies. She led the first Quinquennial Review of the Act and the development of National Recovery Guidance and the first Community Resilience Framework. As Response Director (or Deputy) in COBR, she responded to a wide range of emergencies including the 2009 swine flu pandemic, flooding, terrorism, animal diseases and severe weather events. After leaving the Civil Service, Kathy has provided support to a Middle Eastern country in the development of its risk and emergency management capabilities.