Resilience for Growth
About this Event
Resilience is a topic that has increasingly come to the fore whether climatic, national, organisations, personal, energy, defence, security etc. It opens up a number of very important discussion topics both at an applied and research level.
This conference will be hosted by the University of Exeter in their Business School. It will be opened by Vice Chancellor, Lisa Roberts, and will feature a keynote from General Sir Patrick Sanders KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen.
Over the coming weeks we will build a very full agenda with the University as we explore those resilience topics.
Conference Details:
Date: Thursday, 3rd September 2026
Time: 09:00 - 14:15 (registration from 08:30)
Venue: University of Exeter Business School, Henderson Lecture Theatre
Logistics: Parking is limited a the University and visitors are encouraged to use public transport wherever possibe. Details of car park locations can be found in the link below:
Agenda:
08:00 - 09:00: Arrivals – Teas and Coffees
09:00 - 09:05: Welcome and housekeeping - Paul Coles, SWBC
09:05- 09:15: Welcome to the University of Exeter,
09:15 -09: 40: Key note speaker:
09:40 - 10:00: Speaker session
10:00 - 10:20: Speaker session
10:20 - 10:40: Speaker session
10:40-1100: Panel session
11:00- 11:20: Tea Break/networking
11:20 - 11:40: Speaker session
11:40 - 12:00: Speaker session
12:00 - 12:20: Speaker session
12:20 - 12:40: Panel session
12:40 -13:05: Panel session
13:05 -13:15: Close
13:15 - 14:15: Networking and Lunch
The final line-up of speakers will be announced shortly.
Refund Policy:
Refunds will be allowable up to 14 days before the event.
Our conference is kindly sponsored by National Grid Energy Distribution
Jacob Wallace, National Grid Energy Distribution, commented:
“We’re delighted to sponsor this conference and work alongside SWBC and other partners across the South West to strengthen regional energy resilience. A resilient and flexible electricity network provides the essential infrastructure needed for the region to thrive, underpinning energy security and enabling long-term economic growth.”
Speaker: Prof Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Exeter
Professor Lisa Roberts has been President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter since 2020 and is responsible for the leadership and management of the University.
Prior to this role, Professor Roberts was Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds, where she led on the development of the University’s Research and Innovation Strategy and led a programme of work to enhance regional business engagement and innovation. Before Leeds, Lisa was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey.
Professor Roberts is a Professor of Virology, having studied for her PhD at the BBSRC Institute for Animal Health (now the Pirbright Institute) and the University of Kent. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Product Development Manager for Procter and Gamble in the UK and Belgium.
In addition to her role as a board member of UUK and Vice-President UUK (England and NI), Professor Roberts is a board member of the Russell Group and chairs the IDP Connect UK Strategic Advisory Board. Regionally, she is an inaugural Commissioner for the South West Social Mobility Commission and a member of the GW4 Council.
Keynote Speaker: General Sir Patrick Sanders, KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen
General Sir Patrick Sanders served as one of the UK's Joint Chiefs from 2019-2024, initially as Commander of UK Strategic Command (2019-2022) and subsequently as Chief of the General Staff (2022-2024). His career began in the Cold War in West Germany, and he has commanded on operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan and was decorated for leadership under fire.
Away from operations, he served in the Pentagon working for the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and in the UK MOD as Director of Operations, advising the Minister of Defence, and the Prime Minister. He retired after a distinguished 40-year career, and is now Chair of Herminius Strategic Intelligence, Strategic Defence Adviser to Banco Santander, a Director of THESIS and Senior Adviser to STARK.
He also co-hosts a weekly geo-political podcast for The Times and The Sunday Times called 'The General & The Journalist', shortlisted as Podcast of the Year in the UK, and is Patron of the UK’s Afghan Veteran’s Charity.
Speaker: Stuart Brocklehurst, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement & Innovation, University of Exeter
Stuart Brocklehurst is Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement and Innovation, leading the University of Exeter’s collaboration with business and drive to deliver innovation through research and education.
Stuart started his career in banking, holding a number of roles with Barclays before serving as Senior Vice President for Digital Commerce at Visa International CEMEA. Following a period as a Partner at consultancy Carbon, Stuart joined Amadeus in support of its IPO and served as Group Communications Director after the flotation. He went on to run his own business, Applegate, up to its sale in 2022.
Stuart is a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, the Royal Society of Arts and the British Computer Society, a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, a Chartered IT Professional, a Chartered Manager, a Freeman of the City of London, and a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon.
Speaker: Nicky Cunningham, Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter Business School
Nicky Cunningham is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter Business School and a specialist in resilience, systems thinking and professional education. She works with organisations including Arup, Lloyds Banking Group and the Ministry of Defence to design and deliver executive education programmes that help leaders navigate complexity, uncertainty and change.
Before joining academia, Nicky spent more than 20 years in the water and environment sector, holding senior roles in environmental planning, regulation and policy. This combination of practical leadership experience and academic expertise enables her to bridge theory and practice, helping organisations translate emerging ideas into meaningful action and meet the challenges posed by an increasingly unpredictable world.
At Exeter, Nicky teaches sustainability, resilience and systems thinking. Her current PhD research explores governance as a pathway to water security, drawing on systems thinking approaches to understand complex social and environmental challenges. She is passionate about equipping leaders with the tools and mindsets needed to build resilient organisations.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 99.00
