Helen Braithwaite

Helen Braithwaite OBE, Head of National Cyber Security Programme, Standards,Training and Exercising at the National Cyber Security Programme - Local
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, UK

Previously, Helen was appointed Head of Resilience when the DCLG Resilience and Emergencies Division (RED) was established in March 2011. Helen was responsible for working with nine Local Resilience Forums across the West and East Midlands and East of England. Prior to this Helen was the Director of Regional Resilience in the Government Office for the West Midlands a post she held from May 2003.

Helen has a wide range of experience and has been involved in co-ordinating multiagency planning, response and recovery, linking local responders to Whitehall and briefing Ministers. Events have included the Pope's visit to the UK in 2010, numerous flooding incidents, 7/7, civil disorder, severe weather, transport and industrial accidents.

Prior to this, Helen worked for West Mercia Police where she was responsible for Contingency and Emergency Planning arrangements within Specialist Operations. She was also a member of the Project Team involved in running a National Counter Terrorist Exercise with Staffordshire and Warwickshire Police. In 2001, Helen was seconded from Worcestershire County Council to the Home Office, and then Cabinet Office, to work on the National Review of Emergency Planning, which resulted in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Helen was awarded the OBE in the Queens Birthday Honours List 2011.