Hamish Cormack has joined as the Head of the Emergency Planning College (EPC). Appointed by Serco, who operate the EPC on behalf of the Cabinet Office, the move comes as Deborah Higgins steps into a new role also within Serco where she will remain a key part of the resilience community.
Fiona Gaffney, the Cabinet Office's Deputy Director for Resilience Training and Exercising welcomed Hamish to his new role and thanked Deborah for her stewardship of the College.
Fiona said, "Thank you to Deborah for her leadership of the EPC and her support of the UK Government's training and exercise ambition for the wider resilience community. I wish her luck in her new role in Serco and am pleased that we will all continue to benefit from her expertise and passion for the subject. I look forward to working with Hamish and the EPC to further develop our values and vision for resilience skills and curriculum."
About the appointment, Hamish said, "I am genuinely thrilled to be joining the EPC at such an exciting time and I am looking forward to working closely with my Cabinet Office colleagues, and wider stakeholders, as we continue to develop training and education collectively to make resilience a whole of society endeavour.
"I wish to offer my sincere and personal thanks to Deborah for all she has done to date for the UK’s resilience community. It has been abundantly clear throughout our handover just how much energy and passion she has put into her tenure as Head of the College. This is evidenced not only by the huge progress, but also, notably, in the affection and high esteem in which she is held by her colleagues and the wider resilience community.
"The College has a true family feel for which she should be very proud as the principal architect. These are big shoes to fill, but I am really delighted that we will continue to work alongside each other, and that the resilience community will continue to benefit from her expertise, wisdom and drive to do the right thing, the right way.
"I look forward to engaging with the many challenges and opportunities ahead, and to contributing to the endeavour of making the UK a more resilient nation by working closely with organisations and individuals across the community."
Hamish joins the EPC team following a 36-year career in the Royal Air Force (RAF) where he had extensive exposure to the challenges and rewards of operating in multi-agency operations, both in the UK and overseas. During his tenure as the Senior Military Liaison Officer to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Hamish experienced the passion, skill and expertise of the UK resilience community first-hand during the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout his military career, Hamish held notable positions such as UK Special Forces Air Commander, Station Commander and Puma Force Commander at RAF Benson, and Deputy Air Component Commander in the Middle East.
Speaking of the change, outgoing Head of the College Deborah Higgins said: "It has been a great honour to lead the EPC. I wish to say an enormous thank you to all our customers, Associates, Cabinet Office colleagues and the EPC family.
"As the EPC continues to evolve, we will all benefit from Hamish’s exceptional leadership and wealth of experience – which is just what is needed at this time of great challenge and change.
"I leave the role knowing you are in great hands. Hamish’s integrity and demeanour are a great fit for the team. I am genuinely excited to continue working with Serco and to be working together with Hamish to impact a better future."