Centre for Whole of Society Resilience (CWSR)
Joining the dots between research, practice and policy to deliver Whole of Society Resilience.
Welcome to the Centre for Whole of Society Resilience (CWSR)
We are a transdisciplinary network of consultants, business leaders, academics and practitioners who have come together to advance research-informed resilience policy and practice. Our aim is to build long term whole of society resilience, as outlined in the UK government’s resilience framework (UKGRF).
We aim to do this through creating a network of passionate professionals that want to work collaboratively to solve this challenge together. We are funded through delivering innovative projects that address these challenges by harnessing the immense capability of our network and developing teams with the right expertise to contribute to the issue at hand. If you are passionate about resilience and have some skills to offer - please join our network!
Our Founders
Prof. Ruth Crick
Co-Founder CWSR
Ruth is Founder of WILD Learning Sciences CIC and WILD Learning Ltd. She has held leadership roles in research, practice, policy and enterprise with a common focus on the development of competence in self-leadership, learning relationships and complex problem solving for individuals, teams and organisations. Ruth brings extensive thought leadership based on 25 years of research into dispositional learning analytics at the University of Bristol and the Connected Intelligence Centre at UTS in Sydney. This provides the evidence base for Work Integrated Learning Design (WILD) as a digital learning infrastructure which scaffolds, develops and measures personal and team resilience. Her work has spanned business, education and community in projects around the world. The Crick Learning for Resilient Agency profile was published in 2015 and has been translated into several languages.
Prof. Caroline Field, CEng FICE
Co-Founder CWSR
Caroline works in industry leading National Resilience at PA Consulting; helping clients develop and deliver resilience strategies whilst providing a framework for measuring the benefits. Caroline brings expertise in resilient leadership and decision making – catalysing behaviour change in organisations and communities to deliver greater resilience. She is accredited in resilient leadership and has expertise in systems-based decision making to de-silo and prioritise resilience building efforts – understanding interdependencies and linking resilience to measured strategic outcomes. Caroline is a Royal Academy of Engineers Visiting Professor of Structural and Infrastructural Resilience at Loughborough University linking research and practice and helping to shape the future of the profession.
Prof. Adeela Shafi, MBE
Co-Founder CWSR
Adeela is Professor of Education at University of Gloucestershire in Youth Justice with a particular interest in resilience as well as how diversity in thought, research and leadership contributes to the best outcomes for individuals, communities and society as a whole. Adeela is accustomed to leading large multi-national research projects from international funders like the EU and the British Council involving multiple countries. These bring together academics, practitioners, policymakers and industry leaders to inform both policy and impact on practice. Adeela brings the academic network and expertise to CWSR that are needed in order to bring together whole society resilience-building. She was awarded an MBE in 2020 for services to social justice and academia.
Our Team
Dr. Jim Bentley
Chairman
Jim is Acting CEO of WILD Learning. Formerly Operations Director at Thames Water, Chief Water Officer for New South Wales, CEO of Hunter Water and Director, Infrastructure Research at Auckland University, his leadership in public and private sectors has enabled resilience outcomes and exceptional results in the UK and internationally.
Jim is our current Chairman, convening and chairing CWSR events.
Dr Joanne Campbell OBE
Chief of Staff
Joanne is a resilience professional at PA Consulting, following a long military career. She has led teams through real-life events and exercises with local authorities and emergency services. Joanne is skilled in crisis response and developing resilience plans. Her research examines the impact of governmental narratives during terror or fear-inducing events on personal and societal resilience.
Joanne is the CWSR Chief of Staff -helping organise communications. Send Joanne your ideas for events and content for our newsletter.
Zoe Yap
Co-Ordinator
Zoe is an analyst at PA Consulting and is currently assisting in the role of CWSR Co-Ordinator. Zoe has a degree in Economics, and possesses strong analytical, quantitative, and critical thinking skills. She is learning about resilience and enjoying applying her skills in this area.
Zoe can help you with membership and getting your info on the website.
Our Members
Sam Miller
Resilience Consultant
Sam is a resilience professional at PA Consulting, drawing on experience in professional sport, the military and wider public sector. With Whole of Society Resilience in mind, he helps his clients embed resilient leadership and culture, build resilient high-performing teams, and increase organisational performance by addressing individual and team resilience.
Sam is also a resilience coach, where he focuses on individual journeys to build personal resilience as a means to ultimately increase resilience in teams, organisations, communities and wider society.
Dr. Shaofu Huang
Data Scientist
Shaofu is Data Scientist and Platform Developer for WILD Learning. He is a researcher in learning analytics and infrastructure, with a particular interest in a systemic understanding of the complex process through which people develop personal and professional resilience.
He brings experience in agent-journey-based analytics models for supporting infrastructure planning related decisions, and has contributed to the development of a systems dynamic modelling that integrated systems architecting and personal learning journeys to inform more ‘whole of society’ values based leadership decisions.
Grace Rodgers
Resilience Consultant
Grace is a resilience consultant at PA Consulting. Grace developed her expertise in resilience working in the field of emergency preparedness, resilience and response within the NHS, and local government. She has hands-on experience designing and developing community resilience projects, as well as planning for and responding to major incidents, and has specialised skills in post-incident debriefing. Having seen first-hand the benefits gained when communities are engaged with and feel empowered to become actors on their own resilience journey, Grace has developed a passion for building whole society resilience and fostering cross-sector collaboration.
Dr. Steven Barr
Technology Consultant
Steven is MD and Founder of Edge Digital Manufacturing.He is a chartered engineer with over 35 years of experience of user-centric design through collaboration in multi-disciplinary teams. Steven brings expertise in the application of data and digital technologies of all kinds in driving productivity, resilience and emissions reduction. Steven has enabled hundreds of manufacturing business leaders and technologists to resolve strategic challenges and integrate technologies for greatest impact.
Cat Lumb
Learning Specialist & Coach
Cat is a Chartered Member of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development). Cat is experienced in strategic business partnering and coaching, human resources, learning design and leadership development within a large UK corporate.
Cat is a fully qualified coach for personal and professional resilience and designs Work Integrated Learning (WILD) programmes which are aligned to overall business strategy to drive organisational resilience.
Dr. El Parker
Resilience Expert
Dr Eleanor Parker is an Engineering Geologist with a PhD in Climate Change Impacts. Eleanor has two decades of experience in academia designing and delivering courses in emergency and disaster management. Eleanor has a successful consultancy practice, dedicated to fostering transformation through policy, enhanced systems, and capabilities to achieve genuine resilience. Recent work has empowered governments and organisations to collaborate more effectively to address complex societal and environmental risks and dynamic emergencies.
Dr. Carys Lloyd
Physicist
Carys, a Chartered Physicist, is based at PA Consulting’s Global Technology and Innovation Centre. With over 17 years of experience in the consulting world, Carys is renowned for her methodological approach that seamlessly blends theory and practice. She often works with her clients to identify and de-risk emerging technologies which promise to deliver new benefits. In recent years, Carys has been collaborating with clients who are keen to understand potential strategies to counteract the impacts of climate change on national infrastructures.
Francesca Davies
Emergency Planning Manager, South East London Integrated Care Board
Francesca Davies (she/her) is the Emergency Planning Manager for the South-East London Integrated Care Board. She joined the NHS after completing a BA (hons) in Criminology and Sociology.
Having over 10 years of NHS experience predominately in acute hospitals, Francesca is passionate about the ways in which we incorporate and value diversity and inclusion into our emergency plans and incident response.
Tony Bray
Deputy Director – Local Engagement and Response, Resilience & Recovery Directorate, Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Tony Bray is the Deputy Director of the Resilience & Recovery Directorate of the Dept for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.
Tony is responsible for supporting the 38 Local Resilience Forums across England, through a team of Resilience Advisers across the cycle of planning & preparation, testing & exercising, response and recovery. In addition, Tony is responsible for implementing Government’s plans to strengthen LRFs aligned to the UK Government Resilience Framework
Dr. John Martin
University of Plymouth
Kai Boschmann
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, International SOS
Claire Crichton-Allen
Researcher, Strathclyde University
John’s research focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to landscape assessment and monitoring. He uses various techniques including ubiquitous technology tools participatory walking workshops and remote sensing methods.
John has been involved in national projects such as the EU project ‘RURITAGE’ and several projects with Natural England. At a local level, John is the Vice-Chair of the South Devon National Landscape partnership committee.
Ms Kai Britt Boschmann (MBA, MA) is Chief Marketing & Communications officer with a global remit for Marketing and Communications strategy at International SOS, the world’s leading health & security risk management company.
Kai is a member of the Group Leadership Committee, Executive Director of one of its group subsidiaries, and is Chair of the company’s ESG Board. She is a founding member of Women in Resilience and writes about personal and organisational resilience.
Claire is an experienced and versatile school leader renowned for her strong, impactful leadership and management skills.
As an Educational Strategist, Sustainability Advocate, and Researcher, Claire is part of the pioneering team at the University of Strathclyde. She is at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of pedagogical research and embedding practical competencies for environmental stewardship through innovative learning design.
Joanna Mower
Chief Operating Officer, Airbox Systems
Jo joined Airbox in 2021 as COO, sitting on the Board and heading up the Executive team. She has a diverse background in business finance across both private and public sectors, with a focus on the technology industry, helping drive scale and realise ambitions.
Jo brings significant experience in establishing company infrastructure - spanning people, technology, policy and regulatory compliance, and assumes responsibility for ensuring Airbox’s delivery meets customers’ demands, and the strategic goals of the business.
Kelly Miller
Head of Audit, Risk and Assurance, NCFE
As the Head of Audit, Risk, and Assurance at NCFE, an educational charity renowned for its leadership in vocational and technical learning, Kelly oversees the integrity of NCFE's compliance and regulatory efforts within a highly regulated environment. Her role encompasses risk management, assurance, and resilience, as they proactively test and strengthen their strategies to enhance organisational resilience. Kelly is passionate about collaborating with members to share insights, best practices, and lessons learned, with a focus on fostering mutual support and driving continuous improvement.
Simon Lewis
Head of Resilience, National Emergencies Trust
With a background in Crisis Management, Emergency Planning, and Security Coordination, Simon has held key roles at the British Red Cross and the Metropolitan Police Service, and now as Head of Resilience at the National Emergencies Trust. His expertise includes emergency panning for London 2012 Olympic Games, leading responses to major incidents such as the London terrorist attacks, and various crises including the Grenfell Tower Fire and the COVID-19 pandemic. Simon's dedication and leadership have been recognised through being awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Year's Honors and commendations for his professionalism and diligence in critical situations.
Jennifer Newton
Cyber and Resilience Consultant, Beyond Blue
Jennifer is a Cyber and Resilience Consultant with extensive experience in business continuity and risk management, having managed resilience efforts across 13 sites for a national port group. She holds an MBA in Risk and Resilience and a BSc in Disaster Management and Emergency Planning. Jennifer's recent work has deepened her understanding of supply chain resilience and the critical nature of identifying and managing interdependencies.
Alex Jones
Resilience Specialist, CrowdStrike
Alex is a Business Resilience Specialist at CrowdStrike, driving global operational resilience through disaster recovery and business continuity planning. He develops and implements strategies to support business needs, conduct risk assessments, and build a culture of resilience.
Having previously consulted for CNI and now working for a major security vendor, Alex is interested in how vendors can work with customers to better support CNI.
Dr. Helen Tracy
Managing Consultant, Systemic Success Consulting
Helen has a varied background in learning and organisational development ranging from facilitating and coaching to consulting, including co-creating large-scale strategic transformation programs with global clients. She is passionate about the role of leaders and leadership in creating the conditions for people to learn, change and thrive together. Helen’s research interests focus on practical applications of self-knowledge and self-awareness as a catalyst for systemic change.
Alejandro Alonso-Martinez
Principal, Operational Resilience, Ofwat
Alejandro joined Ofwat in 2022 as Principal, Operational Resilience, part of the Policy and Outcomes Cluster (now Sector Performance). He leads on design and development of policy aimed at improving asset management and operational resilience in the water sector, focuses on asset health, resilience, incident management and extreme weather events, as well as contributing to Ofwat's wider policy and regulatory work to support its strategic approach to improving resilience and outcomes for customers.
Bartholomew Hill
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Lincoln
Bart is a post-doctoral research associate in modelling coastal nature-based solutions. His background is in flood risk modelling and management focussing on the impact of using nature-based approaches to tackle flood risk. Bart is currently engaged in researching mangroves in West Africa for equitable climate adaptation, and am also engaged in looking at using geospatial methods to link socioenvironmental factors to various health outcomes.
Jamie Bristow
Researcher, Writer and Policy Advisor
Jamie works to accelerate and deepen the dialectic between ancient wisdom and modern science, and the integration of inner and outer systems change approaches in public policy. The primary question driving his research, writing and speaking relates to practice - what are we practising, individually and collectively, to be more equal to the challenges of our times? He has collaborated on this question with UN and US Government Agencies, politicians in the British Parliament and global corporations. Jamie's work has been covered in The Times, The FT and The Guardian. He is currently supported by the Garrison Institute to scope the psycho-social dimensions of societal resilience.
Lynnda Nelson
President, The International Consortium for Organizational Resilience (ICOR)
Lynnda M. Nelson is a Founder and the President of ICOR. Established in 2005, ICOR provides education to individuals on how to build more resilient organizations and communities. ICOR’s Organizational Resilience Model, Organizational Resilience Capability Assessment, and Framework and Community Resilience Framework have helped to define resilience for both organizations and communities.
Lynnda manages the day to day operations of ICOR’s education and credentialing programs. She is an expert on international standards for business continuity management systems, crisis management and communications, organisational and community resilience.
Dr. Matt Pritchard
Director in Sustainability, Baringa Partners
Matt is a Sustainability Director at B Corp consulting firm Baringa Partners where he advises clients in multiple sectors on sustainability strategy and climate resilience. He also co-leads the nature practice across biodiversity, water and agriculture. He has a Policy Fellowship at the Centre for Science and Policy at Cambridge University, exploring the systems challenges arising when combining Net Zero technologies and biodiversity protection.
Matt previously spent twenty years in the UK Civil Service leading teams across operations, policy and strategy. He advised various Cabinet ministers and increasingly focused on assessing the risks and transformations surrounding climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, with positions on the Government’s Expert Advisory Group on Resilience and the National Adaptation Plan Working Group.
Andy Wade MSyl
Rail Resilience Project Lead, Rail Delivery Group
In his current role, Andy brings together rail industry partners, including 25+ train operators, Network Rail and the British Transport Police. Setting and articulating the solution to improve Emergency Management within the rail industry.
He has worked in strategical, tactical, and operational, delivery focused roles in the Transport, Government, NGO and Gas & Oil sectors which has given me a broad understanding of the issues of a much larger picture. A proven track record of work in demanding UK and international environments within the security and Emergency Management landscape has given me a broad experience within the security and emergency management field.
He is also a Member of the Security Institute.
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William Moore
CEO and Co-founder, Airbox Systems
William is the co-founder and CEO of Airbox Systems, and has 13 years of experience building situational awareness technology. In 2008, he founded Airbox, initially creating navigation solutions for private pilots. Dorset Air Ambulance soon adopted the system for medical response helicopters, marking the company’s expansion into the emergency services sector by 2011.
Airbox has grown into a leading provider of situational awareness solutions, supporting over 75,000 emergency services operations annually across the UK. Its mission is to empower responders by delivering the critical information needed to make informed decisions in complex, high-stakes environments. With a commitment to innovation, safety, and exceptional service, the company ensures that its solutions enhance both safety and effectiveness in the field for those whose primary focus is protecting lives.
Nadine Sulkowski
Senior Lecturer in Systemic Resilience Management, University of Gloucestershire
Nadine Sulkowski is a Senior Lecturer in Systemic Resilience Management at the University of Gloucestershire and a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management. She has extensive experience in international collaborations and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
Nadine has contributed significantly to higher education governance structures, leading notable projects, such as the Erasmus+ capacity building project "BUiLD", which established a systemic disaster resilience framework and Centres of Excellence across Indonesia. As part of the Erasmus+ empowerment4pandemias project, she has designed an organisational pandemic resilience framework for the healthcare sector.
Nadine teaches resilience planning and crisis management, focusing on enhancing systemic resilience and effective crisis communication. Nadine aims to inspire students to become future change agents and innovators.
Nathan Hazlehurst
Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Manager, Worcestershire County Council
Nathan is the Head of Emergency Planning for the Worcestershire County Council. He has previously worked within local government, the NHS and Prevent and Community Cohesion.
Nathan is also the lead for community resilience and acts as the Chair of Worcestershire Prepared.
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As a Member of the Centre for Whole Society Resilience (CWSR) I agree to abide by the CWSR Membership Charter:
I agree to work collaboratively and inclusively with other members to forward the purpose of the Centre in delivering Whole Society Resilience, specifically I will endeavour to:
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participate in dialogue that promotes and enhances the centre on social media and at industry events;
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be willing to host a CWSR meeting if you have appropriate facilities;
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contribute to discussion forums, papers, articles or projects with other members.
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