The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) will hold its annual conference in Cambridge from September 26 to 27.

The conference theme will be “Great Expectations: how can risk management deliver the promise”.

An IRM spokesman said the theme was a natural progression from the institute's two previous conferences, during which it looked at how to influence risk management's increasing boardroom role and generally raise its profile.

“In 1999, we asked if risk management was too important to be left to the risk manager and, last year, we explored the new language of risk,” he said.

“Our aim this year is to build on the issues raised and examine what we now need to do to deliver against the heightened expectations that have emerged from the ensuing debates.”

The spokesman said the conference was the key educational event in the risk management calendar, as well as a forum for discussion and professional development.

The conference speakers will include Camelot Group's compliance director Sue Slipman, Lord Hunt of Wirral, BP vice president Reg Hinkley and Hermes Investment Management corporate governance director Michelle Edkins.

The event, to be held at Robinson College, is almost entirely sponsored by the insurance industry, including Aon, Crawford & Company, Heath Lambert, JLT, Marsh, Mitsui Marine, Willis and Zurich.