Speaker Profiles

Sir Paul Scott-Lee - Chief Constable, West Midlands Police

Sir Paul Scott-Lee was born on 25 July 1953 in Coventry and was educated at Whitley Abbey Comprehensive. On leaving school, he joined Warwickshire and Coventry Constabulary and served in Coventry city. Subsequent amalgamations in 1974 saw the creation of West Midlands Police and within this force he rose to the rank of chief inspector, serving across the West Midlands in a variety of posts. In 1988 he transferred to Northamptonshire Police on promotion to superintendent, where he became an area commander and later moved to headquarters with responsibility for corporate planning. On promotion to chief superintendent he took responsibility for quality assurance.

In August 1992 he transferred to Kent Constabulary, where he was appointed assistant chief constable with responsibility for all personnel and training matters. On 1 September 1994 he became deputy chief constable of Suffolk Constabulary, then Chief Constable on 2 October 1998.

He took up his post as Chief Constable of West Midlands Police in September 2002. Sir Paul Scott-Lee was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the 1997 New Year’s Honours List and was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2007. Sir Paul Scott-Lee is married with no children. His wife Rosemary works for an international communications company. His main leisure interests are golf and fly fishing, but he has a general interest in sport of all kinds.

Back to speakers

Shaykh Faizul Aqtab Siddiqi - Founder of Hijaz Group

Shaykh Faizul Aqtab Siddiqi Naqshbandi Hijazi hails from a family that enjoys a historic position for its services for the cause of Islam and Ahle Sunnah wal jam’ah school of thought. He is the eldest son of the late Shaykh Allama Muhammed Abdul Wahab Siddiqi (ra) and the grandson of the Shaykh Maulana Muhammad Umar Ichhravi (ra). His family lineage as well as his spiritual teachings trace back to the Prophet (pbuh) through Sayyidena Abu Bakr Siddique (ra).

He is the Principal and founding Trustee of Hijaz College Islamic University (HCIU) in Warwickshire and is now permanently resident on campus. HCIU is an institution of Classical Islamic and secular learning designed to produce young intellectuals armed with both secular and religious knowledge under the umbrella of spiritual discipline. Shaykh Faiz ul Aqtab has dedicated his life’s work to HCIU and the mission of Hijaz Community Trust and currently lectures on the Science of Hadith at the College.

As the President General of the International Muslims Organisation (IMO) he is working for the religious and social betterment of Muslims globally and has established offices in 23 countries worldwide. This work includes the setting up of schools, mosques and social centres across the globe to serve the Ummah. An Islamic Centre constructed in Toronto under the auspices of the IMO cost five million dollars to build and is the largest centre of its kind in Canada and North America. Similarly as President of IMO, he commissioned the construction of the largest mosque in Holland, built at a cost of seven million Guilders. All funds being generated from the generous donations of the public free of state funding.

He is head of the Naqshbandi Hijazi Sufi Order, which was led by his father the late Shaykh Mohammed Abdul Wahab Siddiqi (ra) and traces back to the Prophet (pbuh) through Sayyidena Abu Bakr Siddique (ra). The order (silsila) has a following of many thousands and mureeds are trained to discipline their minds, bodies and souls in seeking Allah. The shaykh offers spiritual guidance in this regard to all those that seek instruction form the Blesed Seat sitauted at Hijaz College on a Sunday.

Shaykh Faiz ul Aqtab saheb is currently dedicating his efforts in designing a social rejuvenation model for the muslim youth, known as Hijaz Community Trust, to serve as a means to enpower the muslim identity of the individual and nurture their love and reverance for their prophet pbuh. Also as part of this social rehabilitation programme is the developmen of a strategy of da’wah work to take the true word of Islam to the people.

Shaykh Faiz ul Aqtab saheb is the National Convenor of the Muslim Action Committee (MAC), which was responsible for the articulating a response to the derogatory cartoons of the Holy Prophet pbuh published in 2006. The Committee consisted of over 500 scholars from all backgrounds of religious learning and created a platform for thousands of muslims in the UK to voice their concern at a civilised and peaceful demonstration at Trafalgar Square London. In campaigning for the principle of Global Civility the Muslim Action Committee has since been involved in responding to the provokative remarks made by the Pope in Autumn 2006. Over the years Shaykh Faiz ul Aqtab has earned the respect of the muslim community in the UK and overseas as a loyal and uncompromising voice for Ahlus Sunnah wal Jam’ah and Islam.

By profession Shaykh Faiz ul Aqtab Siddiqi is a Barrister at law in England and Wales and a member of Lincoln’s Inn, currently practicing commercial law and conflicts of law. His practice is limited to 3 days per month which he finds is sufficient to meet his material needs and he devotes the rest of his time to his work for Islam.

Back to speakers

Imran Hakim - CEO, I-Teddy

Imran Hakim is best known as one of the most successful individuals to gain investment from BBC2’s Dragon’s Den after he pitched his innovative iTeddy product idea. After securing investment on the programme, Imran has gone on to work with both Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones to successfully launch the award-winning iTeddy and associated licence platform in over 40 countries worldwide including every major UK toy retailer.

What many people don’t realise is that Imran’s business experience began long before he entered the Dragon’s Den. An optometrist by profession, Imran runs a successful chain of independent practices in and around the Northwest. Having run his own business since he was 16, he has extensive first-hand experience of a wide range of business sectors.

Nowadays, as well as working on the iTeddy business, Imran controls a diverse portfolio which includes a lens laboratory, spectacle frame distribution business, optical retail outlets, as well as both management and recruitment companies.

He has won countless business awards over the years in recognition of his numerous endeavours including North West Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 and Fusion Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 and most recently a Mosaic Award for Science and Technology. His work on the iTeddy brand has earned him awards such as Toy Inventor of the Year 2007 and World Toy Innovation 2008, Start-up Business of the Year 2008 and IOD’s Northwest Young Director of the Year 2007.

Imran’s interests including expanding his business portfolio whilst encouraging entrepreneurship through mentoring and being a positive role model for young entrepreneurs. He is also active on the speaking circuit. Most recently, he has teamed up with fellow reality TV entrepreneur and Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire, Ben Way to incubate and invest in other start-up companies through The Rainmakers.

Back to speakers

Lord Philip Hunt - Member of State for Department of Health

Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath, OBE (born 1949) has been Minister of State at the Department of Health and the newly created Department for Energy and Climate Change since October 2008. Before that he was Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords) at the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health, and was previously a junior Minister at the Department of Heath from 1999 until his resignation in 2003 over the Invasion of Iraq.

Lord Hunt was the first chief executive of the NHS Confederation 1996-97 and director of the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts (NAHAT) from its formation in 1990. Awarded the OBE in June 1993, he was president of the Family Planning Association between 1997 and 1998 and co-chair of the Association for Public Health from 1994-1998.

He was appointed a Life Peer in July 1997 and became a Government Whip and spokesman in the House of Lords on education and employment and health in 1998. He was joint chair of the All Party Primary Care and Public Health Group between 1997 and 1998 and vice-chair of the All Party Group on AIDS from 1997 to 1998.

Lord Hunt replaced Baroness Hayman as Lords Health Minister during Tony Blair's summer reshuffle in July 1999. Married with five children and living in Birmingham, Lord Hunt, who is 53, lists swimming, Birmingham City FC, Warwickshire County Cricket Club and cycling amongst his hobbies.

Back to speakers

Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad - Professor, Cambridge University

Born Timothy J. Winter in 1960, Abdal Hakim studied at the prestigious Westminster School in London, UK and later at the University of Cambridge, where he graduated with first class honours in Arabic in 1983. He then lived in Cairo for three years, studying Islam under traditional teachers at Al-Azhar, one of the oldest universities in the world. He went on to reside for three years in Jeddah, where he administered a commercial translation office and maintained close contact with Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad and other ulama from Hadramaut, Yemen.

In 1989, Sheikh Abdal Hakim returned to England and spent two years at the University of London learning Turkish and Farsi. Since 1992 he has been a doctoral student at Oxford University, specializing in the religious life of the early Ottoman Empire. In 1996, he was appointed University Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge.

Sheikh Abdal Hakim is the translator of a number of works, including two volumes from Imam al-Ghazali Ihya Ulum al-Din. He gives durus and halaqas from time to time and taught the works of Imam al-Ghazali at the Winter 1995 Deen Intensive Program in New Haven, CT. He appears frequently on BBC Radio and writes occasionally for a number of publications including The Independent and Q-News International, Britain's premier Muslim Magazine. He lives with his wife and children in Cambridge, UK.

Back to speakers

Dr Olinga Ta'eed - CEO, Pedagog

Olinga founded the business in 1996 (incorporated in 1998). He has extensive senior management experience in telecommunications and IT companies. Olinga was CEO of Molynx Ltd, which grew under his leadership, becoming one of Europe’s leading CCTV manufacturers. Following this, he was CEO at HyperCAST, a company providing a 24 hour teletext service with information on sports, news and business contributed by in-house journalists to CNN International and Cartoon Network, both subsidiaries of Turner Broadcast. HyperCAST also broadcast live forex rates for Reuters internationally.

He subsequently took the position of CEO at Zyris Plc, a substantial international Internet server software start-up company. Olinga is currently non-executive Chairman of T@lecom Ltd. Olinga has a PhD from Leeds University and has published around 70 papers.

Back to speakers

Mike Langton - Non Executive Director, Muslim Insurance Services

Mike joined JLT in 1994 after 20 years with his previous employer Hogg Robinson where he held roles as Sales Director and Regional Managing Director. He is a member of the UK Board responsible for the Affinity and Non-Advised business.

The current business he controls covers both Commercial and Personal Lines with a premium spend of circa £100 million. His team's enthusiasm has put JLT in an envied position by his peer group.

He was recently appointed Commercial Director of Jardine Lloyd Thompson UK Ltd in Oct 2008

Back to speakers

Shaykh Tauqir Ishaq - Chief Executive, Hijaz College

Shaykh Tauqir Ishaq Hijazi Naqshbandi is the current chief executive of Hijaz College Islamic University and a chartered civil engineer specializing in rivers and coastal engineering by profession. He has worked for some of the leading engineering companies in the UK and has recently taken up the responsibility of Chief Executive of Hijaz College since 2004. He has dedicated his life, resources and intellectual faculties to the expansion and establishment of HCIU.

Shaykh Tauqir received tutelage under the Allama Shaykh Abdul Wahab Siddiqi (ra) and was awarded ‘Ijaza’ (permission to act on behalf of the Shaykh) in spiritual and religious matters. He has lectured on a vast range of subjects in many countries around the world, and has dedicated the rest of his life to HCIU, in order to help advance the vision of the founder. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Suyuti Institute Of Learning and a senior lecturer at HCIU.

Shaykh Tauqir Ishaq has appeared on many television programmes and participated in several discussions on Islamic thought. He has worked very hard in helping the muslim community in South London, which included holding regular meetings with the youth, to strengthen the belief of the existing muslims and to invite non muslims towards Islam.

He is the father of 5 beautiful children and currently lives in Hinckley Warwickshire near to the campus of HCIU where he spends most of his time.

Back to speakers

 

Al Hajj Ahmad Thomson - Barrister and Head of Wynne Chambers

Ahmad Thomson is a British barrister and was born in Northern Rhodesia (now Chipata, Zambia) and was brought up as a Christian. He was educated principally in Zimbabwe and later in England, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree with Honours from the University of Exeter and a Diploma in Law from the City University of London. In 1979 he was called to the Bar by the Society of Gray’s Inn.

He is the author of several books, including the revised edition of Dajjal: the AntiChrist (1997); Making History (1997); the revised editions of Jesus, Prophet of Islam and Blood on the Cross (in two volumes, For Christ's Sake and Islam in Andalus) with Muhammad Ata Ur-Rahim (1996); The Next World Order (1994); The Difficult Journey and The Way Back (1994).He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1979.

He is co-author of The Islamic Will with Hajj Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley (1995).He made both written and oral representations to the House of Lords Select Committee on Religious Offences in 2002, arguing that different religious groups including Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs should have equal rights and equal protection under English law.

Back to speakers

 

Ken Jones - ACPO President

Ken Jones, a native of Wales, originally trained as an engineer before joining the police service in South Yorkshire. Whilst there he served in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster in a variety of roles including community beat work, specialist detective duties and firearms operations. During that period he received three Chief Constable’s Commendations.

He has commanded urban and rural divisions and also two operational support departments. He served abroad in Hong Kong as an anti corruption investigator; in Zimbabwe as an election monitor; and in the USA where he studied the growth of private policing on the West Coast.

In 1997, he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary. In the years that followed he played a central part in the management of the national police response to various crises for which he received the Queen’s Police Medal. In 2000 he was appointed Deputy Chief Constable. In November 2001 he was appointed Chief Constable of Sussex Police.

He has a BA (Honours) in Urban Studies and a Masters in Business Administration (distinction) both from the University of Sheffield. He also has a Diploma in Company Governance from the University of Leeds.

Back to speakers

Yahya Birt - Son of Sir John Birt, Former BBC Director General

Yahya Birt is the national Director of the City Circle, which aims to promote the development of a distinct British Muslim identity; to assist the process of community cohesion and integration by building bilateral strategic alliances between Muslim and non-Muslim communities; and to harness and channel the skills and resources of Muslim professionals into practical projects thereby facilitating and empowering young Muslim women and men to "put back in" to the wider British community.

He is also a writer and researcher and has done academic and policy work, journalism and book reviews, chiefly on British Muslims. He retains a position as a part-time research fellow at the Islamic Foundation in Leicestershire, and is also a member of Islamica magazine's Editorial Board. Yahya Birt is the son of Sir John.

Back to speakers

Shaykh Noor Siddiqi - Solicitor of Supreme Court

Shaykh Noor ul Aqtab Siddiqi Naqshbani Hijazi is the second eldest son of the late Shaykh Abdul Wahhab Siddiqi (ra) and had the privilege of being taught various Islamic disciplines by his illustrious father. As well as a powerful scholar of Islam he is a qualified solicitor of the Supreme Court and a father of three beautiful children.

His devotion to spread Islam has taken him across the globe and enlightened thousands of muslims with his dynamic and inspirational speeches. In September 2005, he was invited as the chief guest at a conference in Sydney Australia where he addressed his audience on the need to develop institutions of Islamic learning that provide both religious and secular knowledge to pave the way to producing the muslim intellectuals of tomorrow.

As a solicitor he worked for many large provincial firms, until 1999 when he established his own legal practice, BLP. He has been involved in various complex cases in which he has had dealings with both the High Court and the Court Of Appeal.

As vice principle and senior lecturer at Hijaz College Islamic University Shaykh Noor ul Aqtab plays an active part in teaching the deen and is involved in fund raising projects to help the cause of Islam and forward the mission of HCIU.

On Sundays he offers guidance at the Jamia Islamia in Coventry, which was the original building in which the Grand Sheikh first established his mission. At this platform the shaykh provides a service for people seeking to practice Islam.

Back to speakers

 

Aaqil Ahmed - Channel 4 Commissioning Editor, Religion and Science

Aaqil joined Channel 4 from the BBC were he was the Deputy Editor of Documentaries at BBC Religion. He was recently named in an AiM/Guardian list as the fourth most powerful Asian in British media.

At the BBC his role included being the head of development for Religion and looking after projects such as Everyman. During his last two years at the BBC he was also the executive producer of the award winning BBC season Islam UK and two series of Trouble up North.

Previously he produced populist BBC One current affairs shows such as The Crime Squad and Hard Cash,as well as on major news events such as the funeral of Princess Diana, the Turkish earthquake and the UK floods.

At Channel 4 he has commissioned primetime and high profile series such as Children Of Abraham, God Is Black, Putting The Fun In Fundamental, and more recently Won't Marry White.

Back to speakers

Sir Paul Stephenson - Deputy Commissioner, Metropolitan Police Service

Sir Paul joined Lancashire Constabulary in 1975 and was appointed to the rank of Superintendent in February 1988. Following a post in research and development he took operational commands in Lancashire and Northern Ireland with the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

He was appointed Assistant Chief Constable Merseyside Police in October 1994, with responsibility for Territorial Policing Operations. Professional Standards, Marketing and Communications. His time on Merseyside saw him leading in areas of significant organisational change and high profile operational challenges, including the reduction of gun crime, anti-corruption and combating terrorist activity. He also negotiated the formal arrangements governing the provision of assistance by the Security Services to the policing of serious and organised crime, following the enactment of the Security Service Act 1996.

On 1 May 1999 he was appointed Deputy Chief Constable Lancashire Constabulary, responsible for the operations and operational support portfolios. He led the constabulary on strategic development including constructing the organisation’s response to Best Value, crime reduction and its development of problem oriented policing, successfully embedding it within the police culture of Lancashire and he remains an affiliate of the Centre for Problem Oriented Policing in the USA.

On 25 July 2002 he was appointed Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, responsible for an organisation of over 5,600 staff and the provision of policing services to one and a half million residents and visitors. During this time he was the Chair of the Lancashire Criminal Justice Board and the Lancashire Strategic Partnership. The force consistently achieved a place in the HMIC top tier of UK police forces and reported record falls in burglary and rising police numbers.

During this period he was also the Association of Chief Police Officers lead on Crime, working nationally with a number of key stakeholders to coordinate professional advice and guidance on crime related issues to the police service and it’s partners.

On 16 March 2005 Sir Paul was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. His role includes the function of Chief Operating Officer and in particular oversight of strategy, organisational performance and diversity.

In March 2007 Sir Paul was appointed to the board of the National Policing Improvement Agency. Sir Paul was awarded the Queen’s Policing Medal for services to policing in May 2000 and he received a knighthood in the Queens Birthday Honours List of June 2008.

Back to speakers

Chauhdry Abdul Rashid JP - Birmingham Lord Mayor

Lord Mayor, Councillor Chauhdry Abdul Rashid was born in a small village called Kund Shergarh (Mandi), Dadyal, District Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, on 7 January 1941 and was the eldest of his brothers and sisters. He attended Ratta Middle School which was four miles from his village, and left school aged thirteen in 1954.

On 7 November 1955 Chauhdry Rashid arrived in the UK and went to live in Workington, Cumbria, in the Lake District for seven and a half years. He started his working life there as a market trader studying part time at the Workington College of Further Education. In May 1962 he returned to Pakistan where he met and married Shafait, his wife for over 45 years.

In August 1963 they came to Birmingham and lived on Victoria Road, Aston where Chauhdry worked for ten years as a Supervisor and two years as a Technical Clerk in the Drawing Office at George H Hughes, a local engineering firm.

In 1975 a shop on Green Lane, Small Heath was purchased but it was to be a bad time for small businesses and Chauhdry gave up trading two years later. He then worked on the shop floor at IMI Witton for two years and later at British Leyland in Tysley for three and a half years until 1982, when he decided to take voluntary redundancy and study full time.

In 1980 he was appointed by Birmingham City Council to serve on the East Birmingham Community Health Council which was followed in 1982 by his appointment to East Birmingham Health Authority where he served until 1985. During this time he also served on the Small Heath Community Law Centre, part of which he served as Chairman.

In 1982 the Lord Mayor completed a Liberal Studies Course at Fircroft College following which he began his studies for a Social Science degree at Wolverhampton Polytechnic (now University). In the same year he was also appointed a Justice of Peace.

In 1984, whilst still studying for his degree, he entered the local government list of candidates seeking selection to fight an election. Finally in May 1987 the Lord Mayor successfully fought an election and won his seat just a month before his BA finals. To this day he does not understand how he managed to complete his degree as he was more focused on fighting the election campaign!

In 1988 he worked for two years in Central Dudley as a Council Community Social Worker/ Liaison Officer. During twelve years service with Dudley Local Authority and four years as a Non–Executive Director for Dudley Family Health Services Authority, he also found time to serve on the Black Country Talking Newspaper, Dudley Council of Faiths and Dudley One World.

In 2000 Chauhdry Rashid took early retirement from Local Government Service due to ill health but since 2002 he has been –

as well as serving on many other school and college governing bodies and in 2003 he was offered a part-time job with Dudley Muslim Association a voluntary organisation.

Despite becoming an OAP in 2006 he still worked as a Senior Community Development Officer for the DMA.

Chauhdry Rashid is a family man and very proud to live in Birmingham. It is an honour for him to serve as Lord Mayor and he intends to do his very best to promote the City wherever he goes. Birmingham is a cosmopolitan city proud of its multi-cultural, multi-faith, multi-racial background and the Lord Mayor will work throughout his year as Lord Mayor to promote peace, unity and harmony.

Back to speakers

Peter Fahy - Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police

Peter Fahy grew up in East London and joined the police in 1981. Prior to taking up his post with Cheshire in December 2002, he worked in Surrey, Hertfordshire and West Midlands. He has had wide experience of policing inner city and rural areas and has held command positions at Coventry, Smethwick and Solihull. Throughout his career he has worked with other agencies, particularly in the fields of drugs, young people and community safety. He has experience of leading murder investigations and major complaint enquiries.

As Chief Constable of Cheshire he has implemented a major change programme to establish neighbourhood policing units across the county and strengthen the intelligence led effort. He holds an Honours degree in French and Spanish from Hull University and a Masters degree in Human Resource Strategy from the University of East Anglia and was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in January 2004.

Nationally he chairs the ACPO Race and Diversity Business Area leading work on meeting the recommendation of the CRE investigation into the Police Service and taking forward work on a number of policy areas including community cohesion, hate crime and fairness in the criminal justice system. He also leads work on the Special Constabulary which has seen a significant increase in numbers of volunteers and is working with other agencies on reform of the coroners’ system.

In 2006 he was appointed Director of the Strategic Command Course at Bramshill and took up the ACPO Leadership Portfolio.

Back to speakers

Adrian Girling - CEO, Jardine Lloyd Thompson UK Ltd

Adrian is a member of the JLT Group Executive responsible for the UK and European Retail operations. He is Chief Executive of JLT UK Limited having been a Director of that Company since 1995 and is also Chairman of JLT Ireland Limited. He is a member of the Group Executive Committee.

Adrian Girling has been with JLT for over 30 years, focusing almost entirely on Corporate insurance and working with mid market and large UK and international companies. He has been CEO of Jardine Lloyd Thompson UK Limited for 12 years, although this only expanded to include responsibility for our European retail business in 2007.

Back to speakers

Gillian Parker - Chief Constable, Bedfordshire Police

Gillian Parker is the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police. Gillian Parker took over as the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire on the 4th July 2005. Before joining the Police Service, Gillian studied at Loughborough University of Technology between 1973 and 1977, where she gained an Honours Degree in chemical engineering and a Diploma in Industrial Studies.

Gillian joined Leicestershire Constabulary in 1980 as a Constable working in the Coalville Sub Division. She served with Leicestershire for 18 years in a variety of roles to the rank of Superintendent. Gillian has been involved with child protection issues as an investigator and also in developing policy. She was also responsible for developing policies in relation to both domestic violence and youth offending. Whilst serving as Staff Officer to the Chief Constable Gillian participated in national work around performance management and quality of service issues.

In 1991 Gillian was part of a team responsible for reviewing policing arrangements in Jamaica. As a Superintendent she worked as a BCU Commander, Head of Community Affairs and Head of Corporate Development. In July 1999 she gained a Master's Degree in Applied Criminology with the University of Cambridge. In November 1998 Gillian transferred to Suffolk Constabulary on promotion to Assistant Chief Constable and in 2000 achieved the rank of Deputy Chief Constable. Whilst with Suffolk she served on the ACPO TAM and Roads Policing Committees and held the Inspection portfolio under the Performance Management Business Area.

Gillian was awarded the Queens Police Medal in 2003. List of Offices Held Bedfordshire Police Roles Force Executive Chair Strategy Board Chair Bsiness Change Sponsoring Group Chair Equality and Diversity Programme Board Chair Consultation Forum Chair Bedfordshire Police Partnership Trust Chair Bedfordshire Police Welfare Committee Chair Local Partnerships Bedfordshire Criminal Justice Board Chair Countywide Partnership Member Central Bedfordshire Implementation Team Member. RegionalNational Roles Chief Constables' Council member See ACPO website National Police Improvement Board ACPO representative.

Back to speakers

Steve Finnigan - Chief Constable, Lancashire Police

Steve has held the post as Acting Chief Constable since March 2005 and prior to that was the Deputy Chief Constable for Lancashire for just over two years. Mr Finnigan began his career with Merseyside Police in 1976 where he held various operational roles before heading up the Press and Publicity Department and then becoming the Area Commander for Crosby. In 1997, he was posted as a Detective Superintendent to the Major Crime Unit before joining Lancashire as an Assistant Chief Constable in 2001.

He acted as the Gold Commander during the Burnley disturbances of that year and, following promotion to Deputy Chief Constable, performed the same role for the Labour Party Conference of 2002. Following the departure of Paul Stephenson to the Metropolitan Police, Mr Finnigan became Acting Chief Constable for the Constabulary and has been instrumental in driving forward the Quality Counts and Diversity programmes across the force.

Back to speakers

Laurent Matras - Managing Director, Groupama Insurances

Laurent joined Groupama in April 2008 from AXA where he was Finance Director for AXA Insurance UK and AXA PPP. Until 1999, Laurent was a financial analyst for AXA's Group Corporate Finance team in Paris before a move to the UK as Head of Actuarial at AXA Insurance UK.

Here he held roles as Head of Personal Lines Underwriting and Finance Director before becoming a member of the Executive Committee and Management Board, responsible for 300 people.

Laurent has operational responsibilities for implementation of the company's strategic direction at Groupama Insurances and Groupama Healthcare and plays a leading role in delivering its ambitious business plans.

He has a degree in economics and business from ESSEC in Paris and is also a qualified actuary.

Back to speakers

Jamie Marchant - Marketing and Communications Director, Groupama Insurances

Previously at Guardian Royal Exchange in a senior claims capacity, Jamie joined Lombard Continental in 1987.

He was appointed Marketing Development Manager in 1989. Jamie joined the Company's General Management team as Marketing Manager, prior to the Company's successful flotation on the London Stock Exchange.

In 1999 and as part of the formation of Groupama Insurances, Jamie was appointed Group Marketing Manager to support the launch of the Groupama brand in the UK.

He was promoted to the position of Marketing and Communications Director in 2002, and now has responsibility for the UK Group's marketing, communications and media relations activities.

With over 30 years experience in the insurance industry, Jamie is a Chartered Insurer and a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Back to speakers

Paul Picknett - Corporate Services Director, Groupama Insurances

Paul began his career with Royal Insurance Group in 1978 as a graduate trainee. He progressed through various claims and underwriting roles both in London and overseas before becoming Technical Support Manager (South America) in 1987, with responsibility for Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. He transferred to the operation in Chile in 1989 for two years as Assistant General Manager.

On his return to the UK, Paul joined the Strategic Development unit of Royal Insurance Group and was involved in the creation of a ‘greenfield’ direct writing operation.

In 1993, Groupama invited him to join their International operation in Paris with responsibility for providing the interface with the operations in Spain and the UK and seeking out further acquisition opportunities.

In September 1998, following the acquisition of Lombard General insurance, then of Gan insurance, Paul relocated to the UK firstly in the role of Operations Director in Lombard, before taking responsibility for the Corporate Office in the combined Group, overseeing the merger and the change of identity to Groupama. He was appointed Corporate Services Director in 2002 with responsibility for Human Resources, Facilities, Marketing and Communication.

Back to speakers