Are We Safe? A Conversation on Global Threats to Our Security

From headlines warning of war on home soil to the rise of agentic AI, collapsing trust in institutions and alliances, and the intensifying climate crisis, it appears that the foundations of our security are crumbling. Are these risks as imminent as they seem? Or are we, in fact, more secure than we think?

This panel event will bring together leading experts to unpack the risks dominating today’s headlines and those hiding beneath the surface; from cybersecurity and economic fragility to global conflict, climate change, and the influence of emerging technologies. We'll examine which threats are real, what’s being done to mitigate them, the urgent future actions needed to protect us, and who’s responsible for making these happen.

The aim is to better understand what security means in today’s world and what it might take to restore it.

The Panel

Chair: Sir Laurie Bristow. President, Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge

• Suzanne Raine. Master, Selwyn College, University of Cambridge
• Air Marshal Edward Stringer. Royal Air Force (retired)
• Bronwen Maddox. Director and Chief Executive, Chatham House
• Ian Kilsby. Founding Partner, Hampden Consultancy Group & Director of Security, Saxavord Spaceport
• Dr Charlotte Hammer. Assistant Professor in Global Risk and Resilience, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge
• Gaia Marcus. Director, Ada Lovelace Institute
• Dr Fred Langford. Director of Technology, Online Safety, Ofcom
• Dr Kennedy Mbeva. Research Associate, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk; Governing Body Fellow, Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge

The formal panel session will finish at 7.30 pm, after which you are invited to continue the conversation informally over drinks in the Atrium. We expect the event to finish at 8.00 pm.