Forum50 celebrates IIRSM's 50th anniversary

Our 50th birthday celebration, Forum50, brought together members of our community in a series of panel discussions, followed by special thanks to those supporting our work.

Opening the event, IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip Pearson noted how IIRSM has been shaped by society over the years, becoming more diverse and inclusive since its establishment in 1975.

The Institute itself has played a significant role in shaping the risk and safety management profession, focusing on impact, collaboration and inclusion and refining its vision of a future of thriving organisations, within which people feel safe, supported and empowered to identify and manage risks, protecting their environments and lives.

Phillip said he was proud to be “surrounded by people who care” and of being part of a profession focused on “doing the right thing, even when no one is watching”.

IIRSM President Rosie Russell led an inspiring discussion on ‘Privilege in safety and risk’ with Hugh Maxwell of Maxwell Safety Ltd and Katherine Evans, Founder of Bold as Brass.

Rosie said that those who have faced disadvantages may be less likely to advocate for themselves and not feel empowered to speak up. She encouraged delegates to discuss where they felt they sat within the Wheel of Power/Privilege, which suggests that the closer you are to the centre, the more privilege you have, while a spectrum of marginalisation radiates outwards.

The session revealed that people’s experiences of privilege and marginalisation are not shaped purely by individual differences in isolation (sexual orientation, class, race, age, and so on), but also by the effect of overlaps and interactions between these differences.

Katherine said she liked “pointing out problems” so that she could attempt to fix them but felt we live in a society that “likes to blame”. She called for people to create a “listen up as well as a speak-up culture” and said it was vital for organisations to make their workplace culture mentally safe in addition to physically safe.

The panel called for people to “own their privilege and power and use it for good”.

In the second session, IIRSM Trustee Anna Keen put the question, ‘Is sustainability the same as resilience?’ to our guest panellists and audience. Anna said the session was an “opportunity to take a step back and think more holistically” about the topic.

Ed Woolcock and Rich Phillips from Marsh discussed how organisations were increasingly asked to report on their own sustainability and resilience as well as on their impact on the world outside the organisation. They said there was value in different teams coming together to overcome tensions between the two areas.

Intuety’s Peter Thomas added that as safety and risk managers, “it is our professional responsibility to keep up with the pace of change”, which is moving increasingly rapidly.

The panel concluded that there was value in cutting through jargon and ensuring that sustainability and resilience are made relevant to workplaces for real-world impact.

Also during Forum50, IIRSM Chief Executive Phillip Pearson, President Rosie Russell and Trustees Ruth Denyer, John Pares and Anna Keen took pleasure in giving thanks to those who share the Institute’s values and provide valuable insights and collaboration that benefit our communities.

The IIRSM team gave thanks to Greg Davies, Steve Fowler, Tony Hayward, Hugh Maxwell and Melissa Fazackerley for their support in championing IIRSM. Thanks for our international outreach went to Leo Dote, Matthew Cox and Branco Dennenberg.

Our Partner champions included SureTeam, Ashview Consultants and Workplace Options.

Phillip also gave his thanks to Past President Ruth Denyer, former President Peter Hall, former Trustee Anne Mallory and Connect, who publish The Sentinel and support IIRSM’s social media and communications.

Thanks to the headline sponsors of Forum50, Crowd Safety and the Pink Bows Foundation, and supporting sponsors Marsh and Workplace Options.

Read more about the event in the June 2025 issue of The Sentinel.

View more images from the event