16 June 2008

Detica Group plc (DCA.L), the business and technology consultancy, has appointed former US Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security, Joel Bagnal, as Executive Vice-President for its US government operation, based in Washington D.C. Mr Bagnal will give his first UK speech for Detica at the prestigious IA08 Government Information Assurance conference at the Park Plaza Riverbank hotel in London on Wednesday 18 June 2008.

Mr Bagnal will speak at the IA08 Conference on 'A Risk Management Approach to Securing Cyberspace', where he will present new methodologies to manage the growing risks and threats to national and international cybersecurity.

Commenting on the theme for his speech at IA08, Mr Bagnal says: "The growth of cyberspace and the explosion of data volumes, created by present-day Internet and global telecommunications networks, have created a highly complex environment. This presents a significant security challenge for governments because criminals — from minor offenders to international terrorists — can now threaten individual well-being and national security in ways simply not possible in the past. Cyberspace today gives criminals the capability to conduct illegal activities on a vast scale and in a very dynamic way. Our cybersecurity defences are, in many cases, no longer adequate in today's environment, making us potentially vulnerable to sophisticated attacks."

Prior to his appointment by Detica, Mr Bagnal was the Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security, where he chaired the Homeland Security Council Deputies Committee and co-chaired the Counterterrorism Security Group. Along with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Mr Bagnal led the Homeland Security Council staff. Mr Bagnal has also previously held US Government posts including Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Senior Director for Response Policy; Chief of Staff of the Homeland Security Council, Special Assistant to the Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Northern Command, and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Domestic Counterterrorism.

"Winning the war on terrorism will require the skilful application of resources and capabilities from all facets of our global society," Bagnal stated as he joined Detica. "I'm excited to join a multi-national professional services business that focuses on turning complex information into relevant and actionable intelligence."

Mr Bagnal's presentation, 'A Risk Management Approach to Securing Cyberspace', will take place at 11.15am on Wednesday 18 June at the IA08 Conference. The IA08 Conference is being held on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 June 2008 at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London. IA08 will be facilitated this year by the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme presenter, Edward Stourton. For more information, visit http://www.iaevent.org.uk.

Sally Clift or Rachel Ringstead Porter NovelliTel: +44 (0)207 853 2222email: or