New Chair and Vice-Chair at the Scottish Business Resilience Centre

Scottish Business Resilience Centre Press releases

Paddy Tomkins- New Chair of SBRC  by Scottish PR Agency

TWO highly respected leaders from the worlds of business and crime-prevention have been appointed by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) to senior positions.

Following unanimous approval by the SBRC board, Paddy Tomkins, CEO at Droman Limited, will take on the role of Chair, joined by Douglas Barnett – AXA’s Head of Customer Risk Management – who becomes Vice-Chair.

Formerly one of the UK’s most senior police officers, Tomkins was HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland (HMCICS) the senior professional adviser on policing and security to Ministers.

In that role he produced the ‘Independent Review of Policing in Scotland’ that led to one of the most profound reforms of policing in the UK during the last 100 years. Other roles included Chief Constable of Lothian & Borders Police and Commander (Crime) for Central London.

On the SBRC board since 2016, Tomkins is eager to take on the new role – and thanked the outgoing Chair, Alasdair Macfarlane.

Tomkins is now CEO of Droman, a consultancy which provides strategic and project-specific advice on policing, civil contingency and public safety markets in the UK and overseas.

He said: “Alasdair has led the board through very challenging operating conditions, and it is a great tribute to his leadership, wisdom and energy that the SBRC has grown so strongly under his chairmanship.

“I am delighted to be taking on the role at such a critical time for the Scottish business community, where undoubtedly the biggest threat to Scottish businesses, indeed to the services and infrastructure that underpins our lives in Scotland, is cybercrime.

“If we do not put cyber security and cyber resilience at the forefront of our thinking in all we do then we risk disruption, loss of intellectual property, financial harm and the undermining of public confidence that is essential a flourishing economy.

“Mandy and her team at the SBRC have rightly put improving resilience to cybercrime at the top of their agenda in supporting businesses in Scotland, and I look forward to working with them on this vital programme of work.”

Fellow board member and AXA’s Head of Customer Risk Management, Douglas Barnett brings with him more than 30 years experience in the delivery of risk management in the insurance sector, the last 17 years of which he has spent with AXA.

His time with AXA has seen him work on projects across Europe – and he is currently part of the firm’s Global Loss Prevention Committee.

He said: “During my comparatively short time on the SBRC board, the business risk landscape in Scotland has continued to evolve with challenges and opportunities.

“I’ve previously worked with the SBRC as a customer and then recommended its services. Since being on the board I am acutely aware of its strengths and the challenges it faces – and I’m excited to be able to contribute to its next chapter in my new role as Vice-Chair.”

SBRC CEO, Mandy Haeburn-Little, said: “To have two individuals with such incredible experience in these key roles is testament to the good work of the wider team – and the support we’ve received from Scottish SME’s, our members, the Scottish Government and Police Scotland.

“We are working very hard to help Scottish businesses flourish in a secure environment.”

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