Pool Re partners with Cranfield University to appoint a Professor of Terrorism Risk Management and Resilience
Pool Re and Cranfield University today announced the appointment of Professor Andrew Silke as the Professor of Terrorism Risk Management and Resilience at Cranfield University. This is a new position which will be co-funded by Pool Re and Cranfield University for an initial five-year period.
Silke has been appointed after a rigorous selection process and will be responsible for the establishment of the Centre for Excellence in Counterterrorism, providing thought leadership in catastrophic and unconventional terrorism loss assessment and mitigation, with the aim of improving the resilience to the UK economy. He will be tasked with fostering a greater understanding of terrorism threat risk mitigation, thereby enhancing national resilience. He will be assuming his appointment on the 31st January 2018.
Professor Andrew Silke (BSc Hons, AFBPsS, CSci, CPsych, PhD) currently holds a Chair in Criminology at the University of East London where he was the Head of Criminology, and the Programme Director for Terrorism Studies. He has a background in forensic psychology and criminology and has worked both in academia and for government. His primary research interests include terrorism, conflict, crime and policing, and he is internationally recognised as a leading expert on terrorism and low intensity conflict. He has over 100 publications, including several books, with his most recent including Prisons, Terrorism & Extremism: Critical Issues in Management, Radicalisation and Reform (2013) and Terrorism: All That Matters (2014). His latest book, The Routledge Handbook on Terrorism and Counterterrorism, will be published in March 2018.
Julian Enoizi, Chief Executive of Pool Re said: “The appointment of Professor Andrew Silke represents the important first step towards building a world-leading resource into the study and analysis of terrorism, risk mitigation and resilience. The horrific events in London and Manchester this year have emphasised the scale and complexity of the threat. Andrew will lead the development of a Centre for Excellence which will serve as a focal point for counter terrorism thought leadership and risk mitigation. Pool Re recognises the importance of engaging business, academia and government in tackling all forms of extremism and this appointment will help leverage the growing relationship between the public and private sectors. Historically, terrorists principally targeted property; Islamist extremists’ primary aim is to cause mass casualties. Pool Re was established to mitigate the former threat. If we and our Members are to be more proactive and remain at the cutting edge of the risk, then we must continually evolve in line with current and emergent threats. Enhancing our knowledge and understanding are key to ensuring we can provide cover which reflects the evolving nature of the risk. The appointment of Professor Silke is a significant step in achieving this aim.”
Sir Peter Gregson, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Cranfield University, said:
“Cranfield University is delighted to be working with Pool Re on this important topic. Cranfield’s strengths in defence and security are widely recognised. This new chair that Pool Re is supporting augments our existing expertise and ensures UK government and industry has enhanced access to world-class expertise.
By jointly establishing a Centre for Excellence in Counterterrorism, Pool Re and Cranfield University will undertake academic research and study, collate and share data and work with government and other institutions to create, disseminate and publicise the nature of, and threat from, terrorism as well as ways in which the threat could be mitigated.”
More information about the Chair of Terrorism Risk Management and Resilience can be found here.
Contact
Haggie Partners LLP
Peter Rigby
peter.rigby@haggie.co.uk
Brian Norris
brian.norris@haggie.co.uk
+44 (0)20 7562 4444
About Pool Re
The Pool Re scheme was set up in 1993 by the insurance industry in cooperation with the UK Government in the wake of the IRA bombing campaign on the UK Mainland with the goal of protecting the economy. Pool Re is a mutual reinsurer whose Members comprise the vast majority of insurers and Lloyd’s Syndicates which offer commercial property insurance in the Great Britain, with membership of the scheme affording them a guarantee which ensures that they can provide cover for losses resulting from acts of terrorism, regardless of the scale of the claims.
The scheme, which is recognised as a leading example of public/private partnership, is owned by its Members but is underpinned by a HM Treasury commitment to support Pool Re if ever it has insufficient funds to pay a legitimate claim. Pool Re pays a fee to Government for this guarantee and would repay the money over time if it ever used this facility.
However, in the event of a loss resulting from an act of terrorism, each Member must first pay losses up to a threshold, which is determined individually for that insurer. When losses exceed that threshold, the insurer can claim upon Pool Re’s reserves, which now stand at approximately £6.2billion. These reserves have been accumulated by the Members of Pool Re since its inception. It is only in the event that these reserves are exhausted that Pool Re would require Government support.
The Pool Re scheme has dealt with some 16 separate terrorism events paying losses amounting to more than £600m.
Pool Re is also a founding member of the International Forum of Terrorism Risk (Re) Insurance Pools (IFTRIP). Established in 2016, IFTRIP is aimed at fostering closer ties and allowing for greater collaboration between the world’s terrorism (re)insurance entities. IFTRIP is comprised of national terrorism reinsurance pools from twelve countries.
About Cranfield University
Cranfield is an exclusively postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management.
About Cranfield Defence and Security
Cranfield University is one of the world’s leading universities for defence and security education, research and consultancy.
Our staff and facilities are at the forefront of their fields, offering a diverse range of capabilities from energetics and forensic sciences to international stabilisation and cyber security.
Cranfield provides specialist knowledge to industry, security and emergency services, military, governments and NGOs, underpinning defence and security sector reform around the world. As the postgraduate academic provider to the UK’s Ministry of Defence, we offer a unique gateway to delivering practical education and solutions that make a real difference to the lives of military, security and civilian personnel.