IIRSM Risk Excellence Awards 2023


Headline Sponsor:
The IIRSM awards celebrated risk excellence and all those who contribute to protecting people, reputations and profits. The awards recognised those organisations, teams and individuals that champion better risk management to drive organisational and employee wellbeing.
By attending the IIRSM Risk Excellence Awards you:
- Recognised outstanding risk excellence of individuals, teams and organisations
- Highlighted the importance of people, communication and working together to achieve integrated risk-decision making
- Enhanced individual, team and organisational profiles within the risk, safety and wider business community
- Raised the importance of risk leadership at all levels within an organisation
Last year's winners and sponsors can be seen here
Thank you to everyone that joined us at the IIRSM Risk Excellence Awards. Huge congratulations to all our finalists and winners this year.
Our winners:
DEI Strategy of the Year:
• healthcare rm
Health and Wellbeing Strategy of the Year:
• Colas Rail UK
International Risk Initiative of the Year:
• CBRE Property Management (HSE) team
Mentor of the Year:
• Jamiu Badmos - QHSES LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
Barry Holt Award – Outstanding Risk Management Practice:
• Nael General Contracting Alwathba Project
Risk Team of the Year:
• QBE European Operations plc
Technology Risk Management Initiative of the Year:
• Proactive
John Bennett Award – Exceptional Young Person of the Year:
• Robbie Canham - Terra Firma
President's Commendation:
• Jonathan Gawthrop - EMCOR UK
We hope to see everyone again at next year's awards. Applications open in October 2023!
This award recognises a team or organisation that has developed a clear strategy to create a workplace culture where everyone thrives and feels that they belong. The strategy should recognise the risks to the organisation that it helps to manage and the opportunities having an effective DEI strategy can bring to the risk management process. It should help set expectations for employee behaviour whilst developing the conditions for a positive and inclusive long-term environment.
Award Finalists:
- healthcare rm
- Risk Evolves
- RoSPA L'Oreal Women in Safety Leading Safely for Women programme
Barry Holt was an advocate of the risk profession, well known for his academic accomplishments and knowledge. He worked with IIRSM from 2010 until his death in 2016. He spent 35 years providing consultancy and training services to many of today’s best recognised global industrial brands. This award acknowledges those that demonstrate excellence in risk management benefiting people, society or business.
Award Finalists:
- Al Dhafrah Region Municipality
- Chirano Gold Mines Limited
- Nael General Contracting Alwathba Project
This award recognises effective risk management across multiple global locations.
Award Finalists:
- CBRE Property Management (HSE) team
- Colas Rail
- Longitude6
This award recognises employers which have a clear health and wellbeing strategy that is both preventative and proactive in approach and is at the centre of the organisation.
Award Finalists:
- Colas Rail UK
- healthcare rm
- WSP in the Middle East
John Bennett was Chairman of IIRSM from 1996 to 1999 and was instrumental in the growth of the Institute having joined the Board of Governors in 1990. He was Honorary Life President until his death in May 2015. Recognising young talent was particularly close to John’s heart and the recipient of this award will be an apprentice or young risk or safety professional.
Award Finalists:
- M P Vigneshwaran - HPCL
- Prince Dufe - Chirano Gold Mines Limited
- Robbie Canham - Terra Firma
This award, sponsored by Baines Simmons, recognises outstanding mentors who have actively participated in the IIRSM or similar mentoring programmes or are just individuals who have just proactively mentored someone else. The award acknowledges the time, dedication, contribution made to the advancement of his or her mentee and creating a successful mentor/ mentee relationship.
We do not usually consider line managers to be mentors to their teams, as part of this award. This is because a key part of the mentoring relationship is the ability to have an open and honest conversation, for example about workplace challenges or future career aspirations.
Mentors are usually those who can offer an impartial viewpoint, so may work for the same company as the mentee but in a different team, or be connected to their mentee through a mentoring scheme offered by a membership body such as IIRSM’s.
Award Finalists:
- Craig Foyle - Foyle Safety and Management Limited
- Jamiu Badmos - QHSES LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
- Malcolm Staves - L'Oreal
Technology is a driving force and essential enabler to successfully manage risk.
Award Finalists:
- healthcare rm
- National Express
- Proactive
This award, sponsored by Barnett Waddingham, recognises risk or safety teams that have demonstrated excellence to meet organisational needs.
Award Finalists:
- Fire Risk Management Team - Ocado
- ICTS UK LTD
- QBE European Operations plc
IIRSM’s President’s commendation recognises a member or leading industry risk professional who has made a major contribution to the advancement of risk management or provided exceptional support to IIRSM and/or its membership, the profession or wider society.
Nominations can be submitted to IIRSM setting out in no more than 1500 words, why somebody should be awarded the IIRSM President’s commendation.
Winner
Jonathan Gawthrop - EMCOR UK
Anyone – if the activity, company, team or individual involved in the submission meets the awards criteria. The awards are free to enter and open to IIRSM members and non-members.
Whether you’re an SME or a large multinational, winning an IIRSM award doesn’t just give you something to boast about – it will be a weapon in your armoury and, most importantly, help justify your role and influence in your organisation and industry.
The judging process for the awards is entirely independent with judges from a wide range of backgrounds and risk disciplines. An adjudication panel meets in a second round of judging for any very close submissions in round one. Judging panels are refreshed each year.
IIRSM will publish a selection of winning entries as case studies to showcase the best of submissions. Please clearly label information that needs to be kept confidential.
Any information that is commercially sensitive will be treated confidentially by judges, who all sign an NDA prior to becoming a judge. Any commercially sensitive information will be removed prior to publication. However, please keep in mind where appropriate, details of ROI and budget should be provided, as the more information you supply, the better the judges will be able to assess your entry.
Making your entry
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You must submit your entry or nomination following the process set out on the awards website page, the online application form and in these terms and conditions.
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We will not accept responsibility for any entries that are lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit, regardless of cause. For the avoidance of doubt, proof of transmission of a lost or delayed entry will not be accepted as a valid or alternative entry.
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Our acceptance of your entry will take place when we accept your entry in writing on the formal application provided.
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When we accept your entry, it will be subject to the awards terms and conditions.
Eligibility to enter and judging
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The awards are open to IIRSM members and non-members that fulfil the entry criteria set out on the awards category website page.
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Any material supplied in support of your entry must be your original work. We will not accept an entry that contains work which does not belong to you (or your nominee), has been plagiarised, includes intellectual property belonging to somebody else (other than the nominee) or has had a complaint of any nature upheld against it.
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Entries will be judged by an independent panel of judges.
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The judges will consider your entry on its merits and solely based on the information you provide. The decision of the judges is final, and we will not enter any discussion with you nor will we accept any appeals about such decision. We reserve the right not to present any award in any given category if submissions are not deemed acceptable.
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Your entry and any supporting documentation will not be considered confidential information unless you have clearly identified it as ‘Confidential’ and you agree that we can use the information (or parts of the information) contained in your entry for publicity purposes or in any other form of media for the purposes of promoting the awards.
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By submitting an entry, you agree for your company logo to be used in publicity materials for the awards.
Data protection
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If you provide personal data as part of your entry and registration to attend the awards ceremony, you agree that you are the Data Controller, and we are the Data Processor of such data. You undertake that:
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You comply with all applicable laws in respect of such personal data.
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You have all permissions, consents and approvals of data subjects to provide their respective personal data to us to allow us to process such personal data in the course of meeting our obligations under the awards terms and conditions.
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You shall not or omit to do anything which causes us to breach any applicable laws or contravene the terms of our conditions or authorisation under Privacy and Data Protection Requirements.
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Any personal data provided shall be up to date, accurate and complete.
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If you breach the data protection clause, this entitles us in writing to immediately reject your submission or attendance at the awards ceremony.
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Attending the awards ceremony
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If you wish to attend the awards ceremony or, as an organisation would like to bring guests/attendees, then you will need to register separately to attend.
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To register to attend the awards ceremony, you will need to complete the online booking process which can be found on the awards website pages. We will process your booking as soon as possible.
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Your registration is not confirmed until you receive an email confirmation setting out joining instructions. If you do not receive our email confirmation within 24 hours of submitting your booking, please contact us at awards@iirsm.org as soon as possible before the ceremony. It is your responsibility to update us of any changes to your contact details to ensure you receive all required communication from us.
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If you require any special requirements due to a disability, food allergies, diet, or for any other reason, please email us at awards@iirsm.org as soon as possible, and no less than 7 working days before the awards ceremony. Where you inform us of a special requirement less than 7 days before the awards ceremony you understand it may not be possible to accommodate it, or it may incur an additional charge.
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The host of any corporate tables is responsible for informing us of any special requirements for any of their guests. Again, the timescales above must be met.
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You must comply with the rules and regulations governing the venue including dress code and rules of entry. If you bring property to the venue, you do so at your own risk. We are not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged property.
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Attendees must be at least 18 years of age on the date of the awards ceremony.
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We are not responsible for any offence caused by any presenters or entertainment at the awards ceremony.
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You are required to make your own arrangements for transport, and of any guests, to the venue. We are not responsible for any non-attendance due to failure of transport. In any such case, no refund of fees paid will be given.
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We reserve the right to refuse admission to any person whom we consider in our discretion to be unsuitable for admission or to remove anyone from the event. In any such case, no refund of fees paid will be given.
Fees and making payment
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We shall raise an invoice for fees payable and payment is due on the date of that invoice. In any event, payment must be made before the awards ceremony otherwise we reserve the right to refuse entry (this will not relieve you from paying the invoice).
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Covering any bank transfer charges are your responsibility.
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All invoices payable by you are subject to any applicable tax, levy or similar governmental charge.
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We reserve the right to cancel (a) your entry, and/or (b) the registration of your attendance or attendees prior to the awards ceremony. If we do not exercise our rights of cancellation prior to the awards ceremony, attendees whose attendance fee has not been paid by the date of the awards ceremony shall be required to pay on-site to gain entry.
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All costs and expenses incurred by us (including legal costs and expenses) in recovering sums due under an unpaid invoice shall be recoverable by you.
Cancellations, withdrawals and changes
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We reserve the right to cancel, postpone or move the awards ceremony to another venue or to change any other aspect of the award’s ceremony at our discretion for any reason whatsoever. However, we will notify you promptly if the change relates to a change of venue or material change in timing. For the avoidance of doubt, such a change shall not entitle you to not adhere to the awards terms and conditions.
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We reserve the right to change the awards ceremony presenter or any other performers and do not guarantee the attendance of any guest.
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Any discounts or offers advertised for the awards ceremony (such as "Early Bird" offers) may be time limited and/or subject to availability.
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Where we cancel an awards ceremony, we will refund any attendance fees paid, and we will use reasonable endeavours to notify you of such cancellation. We are not liable to pay any travel, accommodation or subsistence costs incurred in attending the awards ceremony.
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If you wish to withdraw your entry, you must email us at awards@iirsm.org. Where you withdraw your entry more than 14 days after registration to attend the awards ceremony, or on or after the closing date for awards entry (whichever is earlier) there will be no refund.
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If you wish to cancel your attendance at the awards ceremony you must email us at the address set out on the awards website pages as soon as possible. If you cancel 20 or more days before the awards ceremony, we will refund your attendance fee in full, though we reserve the right to retain an administration fee. Where you cancel less than 20 days before the awards ceremony there will be no refund.
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If you cancel a booking or withdraw your entry and there are outstanding payments you may be liable for payment of the full attendance fee as appropriate, or cover the costs incurred in promoting your entry as short-listed depending on the date and time of the cancellation.
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If you (or if any of the attendees you booked) cannot attend the awards ceremony we may allow a substitute attendee at our discretion, provided the request is made no later than 72 hours prior to the awards ceremony. Any such request must be made by email to the address set out on the awards website pages and should include the name of the attendee who will not be attending and the full name of the substitute, including their job title, organisation and contact email and telephone number. If the substitute delegate has differing requirements (e.g. dietary) from the original, we may not be able to accommodate these if the request is received later than 72 hours or an additional charge may be incurred.
Liability
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Neither you nor we shall exclude or limit our liability for (a) death or personal injury caused by negligence, (b) fraud and/or fraudulent misrepresentation.
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You shall fully and effectively indemnify and hold us harmless against all losses, actions, costs (including legal fees and disbursements on a solicitor/client basis), claims, demands, fines, damages and liabilities, of whatever nature, incurred or suffered by or made against us, whether or not foreseeable, arising directly or indirectly, wholly or in part, out of or in connection with:
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Any breach of these terms and condition by you; and
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Any acts or omissions of yourself, your employees, agents, contractors, visitors, attendees and/or guests at the venue arising out of or in connection with the awards ceremony and/or the venue.
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Under these terms and conditions, our maximum aggregate liability to you (whether arising in contract, tort, negligence, statutory duty or otherwise) shall not exceed the fees paid to attend the awards you paid to us.
General
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We shall not be liable to you for any delay or failure to perform hereunder due to a natural disaster, actions or decrees of governmental bodies, any curtailment to or cancellation of public transport, strikes or walkouts, acts or threats of terrorism or civil unrest, or communications line failure which (a) hinders, delays or prevents us in performing any of our obligations, (b) is beyond our control of without our fault or negligence, and (c) by the exercise of reasonable diligence we are unable to prevent or provide against ("Force Majeure Event"). In such circumstances we reserve the right not to refund your fees and advise that insurance should be taken to cover such eventualities. A Force Majeure Event shall not entitle you to delay payment of any sums under the awards terms and conditions. You are responsible for making your own way to the venue for the event, and you shall remain liable for all payments under these terms and conditions irrespective of any failure of transport or other reason why you are unable to attend.
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You agree that we shall be entitled to refer to you as a client in sales and marketing literature (including websites) and reproduce your prevailing logo or trademark for that sole purpose.
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During the awards ceremony we may shoot video footage and take photographs of the awards ceremony which may include video footage and photographs of you and/or your booked attendees. You agree (and confirm that you have procured agreement of your booked attendees) to yours and/or their inclusion in such video footage and photographs and we have the right to use such video footage and photographs in our marketing, publicity and advertising activities and materials.
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Any disputes under these terms and conditions, or claim arising out of or in connection with them, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty or otherwise shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of England, and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of England and Wales.
Abdullatif is the current Emirates Green Building Council Director.
He is a chemical engineer in background and holds an MSc in Energy Studies and is one of the first qualified energy engineers in Jordan.
He is member in the Energy Institute and serves as the Honorary Vice Chair of the Middle East branch. He is also Specialist Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) and served in many positions in the Institute.
Abdullatif has 22+ years of work experience in the pharmaceuticals, chemical and manufacturing industry in managerial and consultancy positions. He has a hands-on experience in process technology and safety, energy and environment management, quality management & assurance, operations and engineering management and sustainability practices.
Abdullatif is also a judge for number of international awards in energy and risk management.
Cathy is Executive Director Risk, Safety & Resilience at the University of Southampton. She has worked at the University since 2015 as the directorate lead covering Institutional Risk, Organisational Resilience, Personal Resilience, Crisis Management, Insurance and Health & Safety. She previously worked in a similar role at two other universities. Prior to that she has enjoyed a wide and varied career in law enforcement, environmental management and marketing, the experience of which has been extremely beneficial in her current position. As a senior manager she is a member of Gold Command (University Executive Board), the Professional Services Executive and Senior Leaders group in addition to many other committees.
She operates as both the Lead Competent Person (Health & Safety) and the Chief Risk Officer. She has been a Safety4Good ambassador, an expert witness to the Climate Change Commission and was until 2019, an Executive Director and Chair of USHA, (the Universities Safety & Health Association). The role included being a member of the sector Health & Safety Committee and the HESH group which works with the Health & Safety Executive to consult and negotiate with national union groups on Health & Safety within the higher education sector. Cathy has authored guidance and other material on behalf of USHA, many of which have been adopted by several universities both in the UK and overseas e.g., USHA guidance on stress management and COVID-19 risk management.
She is a fellow of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management, the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management and the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health. She is also a Certified Risk Manager and a Certified Business Continuity professional.
In addition to her full-time role Cathy undertakes non-executive director roles linked to risk within the private sector.
Dee is NEBOSH’s Chief Operating Officer. She is a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner of IOSH and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors. Dee moved into occupational health and safety 20 years ago whilst working at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). After becoming a qualified health and safety practitioner; she taught on a wide range of courses and worked with several boards to implement safety governance. Prior to joining NEBOSH; Dee held the roles of Course Developer and Head of Occupational Safety for RoSPA.
As NEBOSH’s Chief Operating Officer Dee has responsibility for providing leadership on all matters relating to qualification development and assessment of NEBOSH qualifications and compliance matters, including learning partner accreditation.
Dee previously studied with Cambridge University for the Certificate of Continuing Education (Principles and Practice of Assessment) and is now undertaking further study with Cambridge University for a Masters in Education.
Edward is Director of ED Consults Limited. He holds two Masters Degrees from two top universities in the United Kingdom. An Oil and Gas Management MBA from Coventry University in England and a Master of Laws Degree LL.M in Business Law and Sustainability from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
He is a Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (FIIRSM - UK); Graduate Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH - UK); a Transitional Safety Practitioner with the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP – USA); and an International Member of the Institute of Directors (MIoD – UK).
Edward specialises in Project Safety and Risk Management, Training and Management systems, providing consultancy support for indigenous and international clients. As an Adjunct Faculty, He delivers Petroleum Economics, Petroleum Property Management, Technical Report Writing and Project Supervision at Radford University in Ghana. He has over 10 years working experience in Oil and Gas, Construction, Facilities Management, Chemicals, FMCG, and Educational Management.
Global recognition received includes:
- 2022 IIRSM Presidents Commendation Award as first Ghanaian and African Winner
- 2021 Afrisafe Torch Bearers Award Winner
- 2021 Afrisafe Viewers’ Choice Award Winner
He is passionate about raising the profile of the OSH profession and continues to engage with business leaders, Risk/OSH professionals and stakeholders to drive the Risk/OSH profession forward. He is an Executive Member of IIRSM Ghana Branch.
His company, ED Consults Limited is an approved PECB training provider and partner in Ghana for ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.
An approved IOSH Trainer, Edward delivers IOSH Leading, Managing and Working Safely Courses Foyle Safety and Management Limited.
ED Consults Limited in partnership with SHEilds delivers Nebosh Certificate and Diploma courses.
Edward has worked in United Kingdom, Switzerland, Nigeria, Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Dubai) Ghana and Uganda.
Glenn is an award-winning International Risk and Performance Management consultant, with over 30 years of experience working with a variety of clients in an array of blue-chip business sectors including aviation, power, petrochemical, oil and gas, renewable energy, manufacturing, waste and recycling, construction local government, hospitality, leisure, and FM. A Fellow of the IIRSM, a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, Glenn holds a MSc in Behaviour Change (Occupational Health and Safety) and an MBA from the University of Cumbria, specialising in Leadership and Sustainability.
A founding Chair for the IIRSM Northeast and Cumbria branch and having previously supported the IIRSM Fellowship recommendation panel, Glenn’s role as the Managing Director of the International Training and Consultancy organisation, Gauged Solutions Ltd, affords him the opportunity to work with clients on a global scale, some of which are Fortune 500 and FTSE 50 organisations. Gauged Solutions were joint inaugural winners of the Barry Holt award for Outstanding Risk management Practice in 2018.
With a passion for risk and performance improvement, both individually and in business, Glenn is highly sought after for both Training and Consultancy provision in addition to keynote speaking slots at major international risk and leadership conferences.
Giving back to a career that continues to provide so many wonderful opportunities and experiences is important to Glenn and his altruistic endeavours, which include personal mentoring, coaching and support to both younger and the more mature professionals in risk and leadership positions, allows him to share with others his experience and knowledge, helping them succeed in their chosen fields. He has personally mentored individuals from the shop floor up to and including C-Suite executives, who have progressed and gone on to achieve great things in their own careers.
Whenever he can, Glenn continues to work closely with IIRSM including Gauged Solutions being corporate partners of IIRSM and he is supporting with the judging of this year’s Risk Excellence awards for the fourth year in succession.
Message from Glenn - Good luck to all the entrants!!
Heather is single mum to 15-year-old Rosie and founder of Healthy Work Company. She is fascinated by what makes people thrive in life and the part work can play in this. An ex Director for a global company, where she ran their health and safety businesses publishing magazines, running conferences and information services, she now runs Healthy Work Company working with businesses such as Mace, Eurostar, ITV, The Telegraph, Battersea Power Station, IOPC, Game and Luton Airport to support wellbeing strategy and training.
A student of Applied Positive Psychology (MSc) and recently qualified in Relational Organisation Gestalt, she was voted in the top ten most influential people in health and safety in the UK for the third year running in 2020, has been featured on TV and in national press looking at mental health. She and her team have worked with businesses such as ITV, Mace, Givaudan, Unite.
As a small business owner, she tries very hard to practice what she preaches, but isn't perfect. www.healthyworkcompany.com
Hilary originally gained a BA Hons in Art & Design and worked as a fashion designer for several years before joining the BBC in the costume department.
Four years later she joined the Royal Opera House where she worked her way up to Deputy Head of Costume. She was asked to take on the Health and Safety role during closure for the refurbishment and eventually moved full time into the role which she discovered she really enjoyed having achieved the NEBOH General Cert.
Two years after reopening, in 2020, Hilary accepted a two year contract with English National Ballet, and when that ended, went to Universal Music Group where she stayed for three years.
During the time she successfully gained the NEBOSH Diploma and subsequently become a Chartered member of IOSH.
Following 18 months at Wembley Stadium and Wembley London she worked for Clear Channel outdoor media for three years before moving to The O2 where she stayed for six years before moving to Southbank Centre in 2015.
Hilary now works for the Royal Household.
Hugh is an internationally experienced Risk and Safety professional. His former roles include acting Head of Health and Safety for Spirax Sarco Steam Specialty Division, Business Director, EMEA, for Global Chubb Risk Advisors, part of Chubb PLC, Global Environmental Leader for ESAB. His career spans over 30 years in global Risk and HSE Management. HSE People named him as one of the Top 10 Health and Safety Influencers in 2021 and 2022.
Over recent years, Maxwell has spent a lot of time in supporting and mentoring several international risk and safety professionals. An IIRSM Fellow since 2007, he continues to believe in supporting our members and making our Institution the international enabler for Risk and HSE professionals. Having worked in over fifty countries on six continents, he appreciates the diversity and different attitudes towards risk management globally.
Maxwell’s background is in high-risk manufacturing and workplaces. Former HSE Director of Vesuvius PLC (a world leader in steel industry consumables) and Global Environmental Leader of ESAB (the world’s leaders in welding and cutting technologies), his roles have enabled him to successfully implement a range of risk reduction initiatives. A key component of this has been through people engagement and development, reducing risks, and saving lives. His primary risk reduction strategy -- Safety Breakthrough, a management change programme, resulted in him receiving the 2018 IIRSM Excellence Award for Best International Risk Initiative.
With a passion for ongoing improvement, he continues to develop others wherever possible. He was part of the IIRSM Mentoring pilot since and continues to support our members where possible. He is also an IIRSM ambassador and currently chairs the IIRSM Fellowship recommendation assessment panel. He was recognised for his Mentoring efforts in 2019 and again in 2022 as the IIRSM Mentor of the Year. He believes in the importance of planning for the future through people, applying innovative technologies and reducing risks wherever feasible and continues to work closely with our IIRSM senior management team whenever he can support the needs of others and the IIRSM.
Jon has over 20 years’ experience of ergonomics, safety, and occupational health. Over that period, he has worked with a wide variety of organisations in the private and public sector providing a full range of risk management solutions including software, e-learning, and consultancy. Jon was instrumental in setting up Cardinus operations in America and across the globe and is currently responsible for the global strategy of Cardinus Risk Management Limited.
Justin is the Owner/Director of Titanium Talks Ltd.
Up until a few years ago, Justin was a highly skilled pipe technician and a team leader within the utilities industry. On the 28th of October 2015, the decision to attend to a burst water main with a colleague proved to be one of life or death.
Whilst repairing a burst water main a miscommunication resulted in the mains water being switched on before the job had been completed, and the pressure of the water forced a torque wrench into Justin’s face at circa 80mph. Justin was knocked unconscious and was at the bottom of a hole which was rapidly filling with water. Fortunately, he was wearing his hi-vis vest which meant he could be seen underwater, especially as a streetlight was directly above the hole. Whilst still unconscious his colleague got into the hole and dragged him out, and by chance a local resident who worked for St. Johns Ambulance was able to stabilise him until help arrived.
After undergoing numerous operations in a specialist hospital Justin lost all vision in his right eye. But more devastating news was to follow when the Surgeon informed him that due to the severity of his head injury, it would be inevitable that he would get an infection and was likely to live for no more than 4 years. Justin chose to undergo an operation that carried a 50% risk of fatality.
During his convalescence, Justin returned to his old depot to give a talk to his former teammates, recounting the accident and talking about his road to recovery. The prospect of not returning to work was a daunting reality and doctor’s orders meant that he could not resume to his previous role. Despite 15 years’ experience on the job, Justin stressed the need to be prepared for an unexpected event and know exactly how to react to protect yourself and those around you. His talk had a huge impact on his colleagues and both Justin and the management team felt that if he could reach a larger audience, Justin could help even more industry colleagues understand the importance of workplace safety, and mental well-being.
And so, in 2019, Justin decided to start up his own public speaking business in the hopes that he could help prevent something like this happening again. Justin has gone on to win two awards for his hard-hitting presentation which were, The Construction Excellence Award and the Chairman’s Award from the Future Water Association. Justin pushes himself out of his comfort zone at every presentation with a view to getting his message out into the industry.
Kelvin is a founder of Safety Differently, and a co-creator of the Due Diligence Index – Safety and the Managing Director of Art of Work.
He is a strategic practitioner with expertise in Human Centred Design, Human Factors and systems thinking. He developed his safety differently approach commencing with his work in the military aviation environment for 10 years for the Royal Australian Air Force. Following this, for 10 years, he led a systems and risk management program across Asia Pacific and Europe with Compass Group Plc, the world’s largest support service company.
More recently, he worked for Sinclair Knight Merz as the Global General Manager for Safety and Wellness, to deliver an international leading program for health safety environment and community (HSEC), in engineering and project management for global mining and construction projects.
Kelvin worked with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to develop, as an architect of the national safety and quality health care standards, the national accreditation system for all health care providers across Australia.
Formerly he was the Director of Clinical Quality and Safety for NSW Health, responsible for leading the development and implementation of the state-wide clinical quality and patient safety framework standards, guidelines, and indicators to improve clinical health care safety and quality for patients of NSW and the public health system. He was responsible for shaping the state and national agendas for clinical health care safety and quality through the provision of expert advice to the NSW Health Management Board and the NSW Minister of Health.
Currently, he holds board positions with the Due Diligence Index Council and the Art of Work.
Krishnen is Global H&S Director at Reckitt.
Krishnen is an energetic, innovative & thought-provoking leader with over 10 years senior level experience in a variety of roles across a range of sectors. Trusting core values of integrity and respect to lead by example, championing talent development, Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, and employee wellbeing as key ingredients for success.
He is a Chartered H&S practitioner that leads and coaches teams to create, own and deliver on business partnering projects, compliance activities, management systems and training, driving a standard of excellence to be the norm. An adaptable communicator at all levels across an organisation to build strong customer relationships, whether internal or external.
He is always keen to help promote positive culture within organisations at all levels using practical, supportive, and forward focused approaches, whether leading functional or project teams.
A Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma methodology that has led numerous continuous improvement projects using Lean Six Sigma tools utilising extensive project management & problem-solving skills.
Leo is a Safety Instructor at the Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Major in Operations Management, a MBA (HSL) specializing in Health and Safety Leadership, a Diplomas in Leadership and Management, Mental Health Studies and Crisis and Management. He is a World Safety Organization, Certified Safety Instructor (Master Level), a Registered Safety Practitioner (UK) and a Fellow of IIRSM.
He has more than 20 years of combined experience in Pre-hospital Emergency Care, Risk and Safety, Leadership and Management as well as a wide range of experience:
For IIRSM:
- Branch Ambassador - International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) Qatar
- Member – Fellowship Assessment Panel International Institute of Risk and Safety
- Management (IIRSM) Qatar Branch
- Former Chairman- International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) Qatar
- Member- Emerging Risk Leaders Network, International Branch Leaders Network
- Expert Content Group, (IIRSM)
Leo is also:
- Member – Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM)
- Former President and Adviser Phil Association of Safety Engineers (PHASE) Qatar
- Safety Instructor – Hamad Medical Corp. (HMC)
- Visiting OHS Lecturer-College of the North Atlantic Qatar (CNAQ)
- Member of Program Advisory Committee, OHS, EHS Programs - College of the North
Atlantic Qatar (CNAQ)
- Member- Corporate Facility Management and Safety (CFMS) Committee-Hamad Medical
Corporation, Doha, Qatar
- Member-Risk Management Committee, Al Khor Hospital (HMC)
- Faculty-Hamad International Training Centre on Disaster Management Programs, Child
Passenger Safety Program, Manual Handling Training Program
- Faculty-Emergency Risk Management Program, Ministry of Public Health and HMC’s
Major Incident Planning Department
- Leadership and Safety Trainer – Building and Woodworkers International
- Instructional, Communication, and Public Speaking Trainer – BEDAR Ras Laffan Industrial
Community Outreach, Doha, Qatar
- Former Chief Emergency Medical Technician, UP-PGH EMSS
Leo is the recipient of the following Awards:
- Concerned Health and Safety Professional Award 2015 - World Safety
- Educational Award 2015 - World Safety Organization
- Philippine Association of Safety Engineers (PHASE) Qatar – Lifetime Achievement Award 2017
- Special Recognition/Citation 2019– College of the North Atlantic Qatar Department of Health Sciences
His Qatar Pandemic Experience includes:
- Resources, and Operations Manager – National Health Incident Command Centre, Qatar
- Technical Resource Person, Medical Waste Management, Medical Affairs, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup, Doha Qatar
Melissa is an award winning, experienced health and safety professional in a senior management role within the construction industry. She is a fellow member of IIRSM and has been committed to the industry by giving back in various volunteer roles over the years.
With a strong growth mindset, Melissa is an advocate for continued professional development and is more than willing to share knowledge and learning outcomes which only serves to strengthen our profession going forward. She has a unique blend of skills and personality that makes her an effective leader. Her planning skills, tenacity in overcoming obstacles, attention to detail, management skills, and her genuine concern for others make her an exceptional leader.
Noreen is responsible for the effective governance of the corporate risks facing a leading health, social care, and housing provider in the North of England. Overseeing programmes of risk, governance, health, safety, and environmental frameworks. Previously, Noreen was directly involved in the spin out of a learning disability community support service from Leeds Local authority, the UKs 2nd largest city and metropolitan district. A career in health and social care spanning more than 30 years, Noreen is a longstanding health, safety and risk management practitioner, a leader, and a Fellow of IIRSM since 2018.
Professional Qualification & Accreditations
- BSc. SHEM (Grad IOSH)
- Fellow of International Institute of Risk and Safety Management
- Chartered Manager, Fellow Chartered Management Institute
- Chartered Governance Institute
- Chartered Institute Professional Development
Pamela is CEO of healthcare rm which she founded 20 years ago to provide an integrated approach to Employee Health Risk Management. This approach considers the occupational and personal risks across: Safety where the risk involves the person e.g., manual handling; Health where all aspects that may affect a person is considered e.g., work, home life, lifestyle, and Wellbeing where the often-forgotten health risks such as musculoskeletal disorders and mental ill health are integral to every programme in a manner not normally considered. This ensures that the individual is placed at the centre of all Safety, Health, and Wellbeing strategies and that any physical or psychological risk whether related to work (e.g., job tasks) or to the person e.g., excess weight and inactivity) is considered, and where appropriate assessed and addressed. The objective is to improve the likelihood that any “control” or “benefit” implemented to eliminate or reduce these risks or offer support when required are more likely to be beneficial to the employee and the business that the traditional approach to Health and Safety or Health and Wellbeing.
Radharamanan is the founder and Managing Director of DGM India. He is an experienced and enterprising professional with expertise in logistics management, training, and management consulting with more than 35 years of experience as a professional and entrepreneur.
He is also Freelance External consultant with RITES, a government of India consultancy firm as well as other private consulting firms and has his own dedicated firm R Value Logistics LLP.
He is a thought leader and speaker at many chemical and logistics industry events and conferences both in India and abroad including IATA conference, on dangerous goods regulation.
He is a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (MBA) from XLRI, Jamshedpur with Specialization in Finance and HR; Bachelor of Science (Special in Physics) from St. Xaviers, Ahmedabad under Gujarat University.
He holds diplomas and certificate in variety of areas:
- Post Graduate Certification programme in Valuation from Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Government of India
- Certified Professional Risk Manager course from Asian Institute of Risk Management, Singapore
- Certificate Programme in Accreditation for Entrepreneurship Educators and Mentors, a Joint certificate programme of EDI, Ahmedabad and AIMA, Delhi
- Advanced Human Capital Management and OD for Working professional from SRIIOM
- Diploma in Finance from ICFAI, Hyderabad
- Diploma in Supply Chain, IIM Kozhikode
- NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
- BSI’s CQI and ICRA Certified ISO45001 Lead auditor course
- Certified Professional Training Manager, from Training Industry, USA
- Certified Trainer from MEPSC, NSDC, Govt of India
He is currently appointed as one of the Task Force members on Dangerous Goods Regulation and Training by Director General of Civil Aviation, Government of India.
Sophie is the Client & Operations Manager, Risk Advisory & Analytics at Barnett Waddingham. Sophie is responsible for the BW Risk Portal, a platform of practical resources aimed at helping risk professionals and other decision-makers improve their risk and resilience practices. She is also responsible for all operations within the Risk Advisory & Analytics practice, including managing an advisory and consulting panel and is also a member of Barnett Waddingham’s Employer Consulting Training and Development Committee. Prior to joining Barnett Waddingham, Sophie had over 20 years’ experience working in risk management and safety professional bodies, where she held director level roles covering product and market development, marketing, corporate partnerships, membership and operations.
Stewart is a former high flying British Army officer, brain injury survivor, and living proof of how to maximise personal potential and minimise stress.
He has taken his wartime experiences and now living with a catastrophic head injury, to show individuals and business leaders how they can combat stress, think more clearly, and become more productive. All by making more efficient use of the brain. He helps people realise their full potential with a few changes to their mindset. He simply argues that if he can achieve all that he has done since being blown up, imagine what an undamaged brain can do.
Stewart was one of the most talented British Army officers of his generation until a bomb exploded into his brain whilst on operations in Afghanistan. He has turned disaster into discovery and continues to go from strength to strength with a brain severely damaged by shrapnel.
Forever defying his neurological prognosis, Stewart has completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, a challenge that would have been impossible a few years ago. This academic subject embodies all the most valuable life- lessons Stewart has learned from his extreme leadership experiences and learning to thrive with a brain disability.
In the past few years, he has helped raise over £1,000, 000 for military charities, create and perform in an award-winning West End play and had poems published in an anthology of war poetry. Stewart has also become an award-winning artist, with his oil portraits displayed in exhibitions around the UK, convincing celebrities like the film actor Ray Winston, the broadcaster and journalist Piers Morgan and the TV presenter Nick Knowles to sit for him, to help raise money for charity.
Stewart's incredible life story has been written about in The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and the Daily Mail, and he has appeared several times on British TV and radio.
Zoe is BBC’s Head of Health & Safety (SSR) and is on the Board of Directors for Welsh Rowing combining her OSH qualifications with her risk management and governance skillset.
Zoe spent several years in the construction industry before moving into the sports, media and entertainment sector and specialising in safety and risk management. As the global OSH lead for the Endeavor group of companies, Zoe’s experience included working across major sporting events in India, Indonesia, and Singapore before joining the BBC to lead their Health and Safety functions.
Zoe previously studied at University College London and now studying for an MBA with Cranfield.

Susan Bookbinder is a highly sought-after MC, media consultant, voiceover artist, TV presenter and conference facilitator.
Susan has worked at the highest levels of national and international media for more than three decades, presenting and reporting historic events for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Reuters and Sky News.
She chairs events around the world, including government summits – for clients including the UK Government, Council for Europe, ISO, BSI and the Prime Minister’s World Girl Summit.
Susan acts as a moderator for FTSE 100 company announcements and acquisitions.
Voiceover clients include Barclays, Colgate and P&O. She can currently be heard worldwide as the voice of Octopus Energy.
Susan established her media consultancy, Zamala International in 2005. It has a diverse client base, ranging from Olympians to the world’s leading medics and business leaders. www.zamala.co.uk
Susan was the first woman to read the national classified football results on British radio and is a life-long women’s rights and anti-racism activist. She has produced and presented videos for the NHS and the Mary Seacole Foundation, a body which campaigns for health equality.
Susan is a Patron of Action Duchenne, a charity campaigning for a cure to a debilitating wasting disease, which kills thousands of boys before they reach their teens.