Time: 03:00 pm (GMT)

‘Risk’ is now one of the most important words in the business lexicon, but it has a wide range of different meanings to different stakeholders.
For those who take ethical shortcuts, it can mean the risk of getting caught: for the board it can mean the internal and external factors that might impede success, while for others it can mean downside events that can be insured or hedged against.

For the entrepreneur, risk is not only the thrill on the way to success, but also relates to the failure of not taking a risk. Risk and probability underpin all our thinking about the future and yet we are consistently bad at making forecasts.

This exclusive, live and interactive debate will look at the concept, perception and evaluation of risk as it affects a wide range of corporate issues, from economic to cultural.

Guest panelists include:

Sir Paul Judge, Chairman, RSA Risk Commission

Sir Paul is involved primarily in financial services and in education. He is chairman of Schroder Income Growth Fund plc, a director of Standard Bank Group Ltd of Johannesburg and a member of the Advisory Boards for Barclays Private Bank and for Abraaj Capital of Dubai. He is also a director of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service and of Tempur-Pedic International Inc. of Kentucky.

His educational interests include being chairman of Teachers TV, of the Lord Mayor’s “City of London – City of Learning” project, of the Marketing Standards Board, of the Enterprise Education Trust, of Digital Links International, of St Dunstan’s College and of the Wharton Europe, Middle East and Africa Board, deputy chairman of the American Management Association based in New York and president of the Association of MBAs. He is also a member of the Advisory Boards for HEC in Paris and for the Athens University of Economics and Business.

He is chairman of the British-North American Committee and a member of the Council of the Crown Agents. He has just completed his term as chairman of the Royal Society of Arts, where he remains as deputy chairman, and is a recent president of the Chartered Management Institute and a recent Master of the Worshipful Company of Marketors.

Sir Paul was an Open Scholar at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and a Thouron Fellow at the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, where he gained his MBA. He spent thirteen years with Cadbury Schweppes and then led the £97 million buyout of their food interests to form Premier Brands, which was successfully sold for £310 million in 1989. He has subsequently been chairman of Food from Britain, director general of the Conservative Party and a ministerial adviser at the UK Cabinet Office and he was the key benefactor of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. He is a former director of Grosvenor Development Capital plc, The Boddington Group plc and WPP Group plc. 

Richard Raeburn, Chief Executive,  Association of Corporate Treasurers

Richard Raeburn has been chief executive of The Association of Corporate Treasurers since 2002.  Prior to joining the ACT, he was the lead treasury partner at KPMG for nine years and spent 20 years with international groups such as Rexam, Diageo and Prudential Securities.

A Fellow of the ACT since 1982, prior to taking the chief executive position Richard had also been involved with the ACT as a consultant directing the development of the ACT's respected education programme, where he introduced a major review of qualifications and an innovative e-learning programme.  His review of the ACT’s governance led to substantial changes that now underpin the strong leadership team in place, working effectively together with Council to reinforce the ACT’s role as the world's leading treasury association.

Outside the ACT, Richard launched the Damilola Taylor Trust and is a non executive director and chairman of the audit committee of the Home Group, the UK’s second largest housing association.  He is also a Trustee of St Christopher’s Hospice, which is a world leader in clinical education, research and education in palliative care.

Ken Lever, previously FD, Tomkins plc

Until recently Ken Lever was the finance director of Tomkins plc, a global engineering and manufacturing group listed on the London and New York stock markets.  Previously Ken was finance director of Albright and Wilson plc, the global chemicals manufacturer, Alfred McAlpine PLC, the construction and support service group and managing director of Corton Beach plc where he had been finance director.  Prior to this Ken was at Arthur Andersen where he was a partner from 1985 to 1987.

Ken is a chartered accountant.  He is a non-executive director of Wolsey Group plc and has also served as a non-executive director of iSoft plc, the leading UK provider of software to the health industry, and Vega Group plc, the consulting and support services group.  He is the chairman of the Hundred Group of Finance Directors Financial Reporting Committee and a member of the HMRC Large Business Advisory Board.

Ian Smith, Regional Senior Vice President, UK, Ireland, & Israel, Oracle

Ian Smith is regional senior vice president for the Oracle UK region covering the UK, Ireland, and Israel. He has served in this role since October 1999, and is responsible for ensuring the continued success of Oracle as the enterprise software provider of choice for business and government agencies throughout the region.

Prior to joining Oracle, he worked for BT, originally as director of customer service, then managing director of BT’s consumer division and finally managing director of BT UK Customer Service. During his tenure at BT, Ian was appointed president of The Institute of Customer Service, a role he still holds today. Before his role at BT, Smith was director of business partners at Digital Equipment Company, where he worked for more than 20 years, holding roles both in the UK and the US.

Ian Smith serves on the executive of the Information Age Partnership, the E-Skills Board, the National Employment Panel, chairs the Leadership & Management Panel on behalf of the UK government, and sits on the CBI President’s Council.  He serves as a leader for Business in the Community’s Seeing is Believing programme, chairs the South East Leadership Team on behalf of BiTC, and is a member of the BiTC Board.  As a result of his work in this field, Ian was made HRH the Prince of Wales’ Ambassador for South East England.

Ian Smith is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, a Fellow of the British Computer Society and has been honoured by the Dyslexia Institute for his commitment to raising the profile of early diagnosis of dyslexia.