Anti-globalisation campaigners will take centre stage at XL Capital's first conference - the XL Capital Congress - in Montreux, Switzerland tomorrow.

They will be joined by insurance and risk managers, politicians and scientists in a bid to give a better overview of the global risk conference's theme, "Thought Leadership for a World at Risk".

"This analytical focus is vital to our ability to understand the dynamics and forces of change and to model their impact on our world," said Brian O'Hara, chief executive officer and president of XL Capital.

"Only in this way will we be able to prepare today to respond to the needs of our customers."

And Mr. O"Hara said as a fellow risk taker he looked forward to welcoming delegates to the conference where "we will attempt to unmask the changing face of global risk".

The conference formerly known as the WinConference, which was organised by Winterthur International before it was acquired by XL Insurance (Bermuda) Ltd in 2001, features a wide range of international speakers and panellists.

The event organisers hope that the list of presenters, which includes anti-globalisation campaigners Jeffery Sachs, director of The Earth Institute and Noreena Hertz, Cambridge professor and anti-globalisation icon, will critically examine major economic, political and social issues with the aim of helping congress attendees to gain a better understanding of the changing face of risk and its evolving impact on the business world.

Mr. O'Hara added: "Our industry tends to adopt a slightly blinkered view of risk.

"What the XL Capital Congress 2003 will do is encourage us to remove the blinkers and look at global risk through a different lens that will bring existing perspectives into sharper focus while offering new insights on issues that directly impact our business strategies.

"I predict that this event will be both challenging and rewarding. It is a not-to-be-missed educational and networking opportunity for corporate executives charged with leading their businesses through an environment in which levels of risk that were once considered unacceptable have become part of everyday life and part of the challenge of risk management."

On day one, the programme focuses on world risk issues and will feature not only Mr. Sachs and Ms Hertz but also Dr. Jan Pronk, President of the Kyoto Conference and from 1998 to 2001 Dutch Minister for the Environment; William S. Cohen, former US Secretary of Defense; Mike Moore, former World Trade Organisation Director General and Prime Minister of New Zealand, Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, Dr. Theo Waigel, former German Minister of Finance, Dr. J. Craig Venter, President of The Center for the Advancement of Genomics and Jonathan Aiken, anchorman for CNN International.

On day two, the programme focuses on global business issues and will feature speakers Dr. Felix von Cube, Professor of Educational Science at the University of Heidelberg, Jerry Linenger, Astronaut, US Air Force Officer and Sir John Vereker, Governor of Bermuda.

An executive panel will also be conducted on day two to discuss transferring global business risks and will feature John T. Sinnott, Director of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Karl Wittmann, Executive Board Member of Munich Re, Martin Albers, Executive Board Member of Swiss Re, moderator Michael A. Butt, Chairman of AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd. and Mr. O'Hara himself.

An official website has been launched containing speaker profiles, location details and other general information at www.xlcapitalcongress.com a global scale."