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Patrick Lagadec
Research Director at the École Polytechnique
Patrick Lagadec is Research Director at the École Polytechnique in Paris and an elected member of the French Academy of Engineering. In 2000, he co-founded the European Crisis Management Academy (ECMA), of which he is a member of the Governing Council. A specialist in crisis prevention and management, Mr. Lagadec helped create the concept of Major Technological Risk in 1979. He has now broadened his field of research and expertise to include the governance of organizations and complex systems in the face of global crises and paradigm shifts, in terms of safety, security and sustainability. His research, conducted world-wide, has included in-depth case studies (such as Flixborough, the Canvey Island safety studies, Seveso, Three Mile Island, Mississauga, the Mexico gas explosions in 1984, the Airbus hijacking in 1994 and the Quebec electrical grid destruction in 1998) and interviews ranging from high-level decision makers confronted with major crises, to journalists, scientific experts, company employees, political leaders, academics and victims. In addition to his fundamental and applied research, he has developed direct involvement with key operators within critical infrastructures and vital networks to help organizations assess their key vulnerabilities and sharpen their preparedness for handling crises and global transformations, as well as front-line experience in actual crisis situations – such as public debriefings – to help systems bring the best long-term solutions to the challenges raised by the crisis and to help stakeholders heal their wounds after difficult episodes. Mr. Lagadec’s personal website can be accessed at: www.patricklagadec.net.