Health and Safety Agenda

Richard Bate, President | IOSH

As digital transformation accelerates across industries, this panel looks to critically examine how AI is reshaping safety practices, ethical decision-making, and the culture of risk management on the frontline.

Moderator:

Isaac Ochulor, Senior QHSE Engineer and Digital Transformation Strategist | Suhail Almazroui Transportation (SMGT)

Panel Members:

• Dr. Waddah S. Ghanem Al Hashmi, Chairman | Federal Committee for OSH
• Dr. Islam Adra, Vice president, HSE MENA & SCO | DP World
• Hari Kumar Polavarapu, Director - Group HSE Assurance | Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC)

From large-scale music festivals and cultural gatherings to international expos and sporting events, the UAE has become a global hub for world-class experiences. But what does it take to keep attendees, workers, and performers safe in these high-pressure environments? This session brings together leading event safety professionals to explore the planning, coordination, and risk management strategies required to deliver safe and successful events in the region.

Moderator:
Richard Bate, President | IOSH

Guest Speakers:

• Scott Anderson, Founder | International Event Security
• Gareth Thomas, Founder & Managing Director | Health Safety Emirates

This talk explores the defining characteristics of effective safety leaders, grounded in insights from original PhD research. Drawing on real-world case studies, it highlights how traits such as authentic care and trustworthiness are critical to driving both safety and business performance. Attendees will walk away with practical insights to enhance their leadership impact and cultivate safer, high-performing teams.

Dr. Islam Adra, Vice President, HSE MENA & SCO | DP World

Bader Mubarak Al-Hadhrami, President | American Society of Safety Professionals - Kuwait Chapter & QHSE Manager | National Energy Services Reunited

• Greg Bytheway, Business Development Manager | IOSH

This session explores how safety leadership influences everyday decisions and the development of resilient safety cultures, with practical insights drawn from the nuclear industry. We will highlight the core traits of a healthy nuclear safety culture such as personal accountability, a questioning attitude, respectful communication, and a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities.

Key focus areas include:

• Effective communication and verification
• Procedure use and adherence
• Three-way communication
• Structured pre-job briefings and take two personal risk checks
• Post-job debriefing and continuous learning

By connecting leadership behavior to field execution, the session demonstrates how small daily decisions shape safety performance. Participants will leave with practical methods to strengthen consistency, reinforce expectations, and build a culture where safe and reliable work is the standard across all operations.

Adam Peter Colbrese, Senior Industrial Safety Specialist | Emirates Nuclear Energy Company

This session explores how risk can be eliminated or reduced at the earliest stage of a construction project—through thoughtful, safety-conscious design.

We’ll examine what "designing out risk" really means in practice across the UAE’s fast-paced construction sector, where architectural ambition, tight deadlines, and extreme conditions can amplify workplace hazards.

Moderator:
Valentine Bobby Mmereole, Vice Chair | IOSH Qatar

Panel Members:

• Elizabeth Roldan, Vice President of Health, Safety, Security and Environment | King Salman International Airport
• Martin Dewhurst, Director – Health & Safety | Red Sea Global
• Ian James Welsh, Head of QHSES & Special Projects| Pyxis

Ian James Welsh, Head of QHSES & Special Projects | Pyxis

This session explores how evidence-based lifestyle strategies can significantly enhance employee performance, resilience, and engagement. Drawing on insights from biomedical science and psychology, it highlights the impact of nutrition, physical activity, recovery, and stress management on both individual and organizational outcomes.

Attendees will learn how to implement holistic wellbeing programs that reduce absenteeism, strengthen teamwork, and improve employer branding — turning everyday health habits into a strategic advantage for sustainable business performance.

Christin Weil, Founder | Corpora Health

According to Harvard Business Review, employees who experience genuine mental well-being are 31% more productive, six times more engaged, and dramatically more loyal to their organizations. In today’s high-performance culture, the true measure of success is no longer just results — it’s resilience, empathy, and emotional intelligence. In this powerful keynote, Hanan Alsammak — Well-Being Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Consultant with over a decade of experience in self-development and corporate transformation — unveils a new paradigm of organizational excellence: one where mental health and productivity are inseparable.

Having collaborated with the UAE Ministry of Happiness and worked alongside leading government entities and high-end organizations across the region, Hanan brings a rare blend of science, strategy, and storytelling. Drawing from Harvard, Gallup, and Positive Psychology research, she reveals:

• How empathy-centered leadership cultivates engagement and innovation.
• Why mental well-being is the ultimate driver of sustained performance.
• Practical yet profound ways to create emotionally intelligent workplaces.
• How subtle shifts in awareness can elevate cultures from burnout to brilliance.

This keynote is not just a talk — it’s an invitation to reimagine leadership and redefine excellence. Audiences will leave inspired, informed, and equipped with evidence-based insights proving that well-being is not a perk — it’s the power behind peak performance.

Hanan Al Sammak, Founder | HAC & Wellbeing Expert & Author

Join us for an event hosted by IOSH’s incoming President Richard Bate and members of the IOSH UAE Community. This session will celebrate the achievements of IOSH members, recognize key partnerships in the region, and showcase how IOSH can support individuals, businesses, and the broader occupational safety and health profession. The event will feature short presentations in the keynote theatre, followed by drinks and networking at the IOSH stand. All members and anyone interested in hearing more about IOSH’s global community are welcome to attend.

Richard Bate, President | IOSH

Join Eugene Mayne, CEO of Tri Star Group, in an exclusive conversation with IOSH’s President-Elect, Richard Bate, as they explore the pillars of safety success across one of the region’s most safety-conscious logistics companies. This session will shine a spotlight on Tri Star’s approach to road safety for drivers, the integration of digital tools to safeguard a mobile workforce, and how a culture of competence and accountability underpins every safety milestone.

Moderator:
Richard Bate, President | IOSH

Guest Speaker:
Eugene Mayne, Founder & CEO | Tri Star Group

Crisis plans look good on paper—but in the real world, a weak safety culture can tear them apart. Organisations that treat crisis management as a compliance exercise risk finding their carefully written plans useless when tested by reality. The session will discuss the importance of workforce buy-in, leadership accountability and strategies to strengthen safety culture as the foundation of crisis preparedness.

Moderator:
Suzan Ahmad Al Ghanem, Section Head -Organisational Resilience & Business Continuity Emergency, Safety & Business Continuity Office | Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

Panel Members:

• Waleed Abdelrahman, Regional Security Compliance | NEOM
• Shaimaa Kamal, Regional SHEQ Manager, North Africa & Iraq | Sarens
• Paul Slater, Executive Director – Entertainment Operations QHSES | SEVEN

Hydrogen plays a vital role in the global energy transition, but safety must progress at the same pace as innovation. This session examines how organisations can integrate strong hydrogen safety practices into sustainability and decarbonisation strategies. It will highlight operational risks, regulatory expectations, and practical safeguards that ensure hydrogen projects deliver environmental benefits without increasing safety risk.

Muhammad Aamir, Group Head of QHSE | Gulf Cryo LLC

As industries evolve and workforce expectations shift, occupational safety and health (OSH) training must adapt to remain effective and relevant. This session explores the changing dynamics of workforce training in OSH, examining how organisations are rethinking delivery methods with IOSH and engagement strategies to meet the needs of diverse, multi-generational and multi-cultural teams.

Session objectives

• Explore the shift in the workforce - cultural diversity, generational and demographic shifts,
• Sharing real-world case study – Learn directly from organisations that have successfully implemented modernised OSH training programmes, including challenges faced and outcomes achieved.
• Showcase the benefits of investing in training the workforce
• Challenges faced with previous training methods
• Showcasing innovative training delivery - highlight practical examples of how organisations are rethinking formats, methods and platforms with IOSH

Moderator:
Greg Bytheway, Business Development Manager| IOSH

Panel Members:

• Loganathan Ramachandran, Senior Instructor - Health & Safety - Talent & Performance Management Dept. | DryDocks
• John Dunne, Group Head of Health & Safety | Red Sea Global
• Graeme Primrose, Training Network Lead | IOSH

Explores how organizations can lead safety initiatives across borders while respecting regional legal and cultural nuances. Gain insights into the importance of culturally intelligent leadership and empowering local teams in driving consistent safety outcomes.

Frank Agwe, HSEQ Specialist | Monjasa

Did you know that the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates a staggering 2.78 million lives are lost each year due to work-related accidents and diseases? And out of these, 2.4 million are specifically due to diseases—far exceeding the number of fatal accidents.

Discover how to proactively prevent occupational diseases by identifying and anticipating health hazards in the workplace. From chemical and physical risks to ergonomic and psychosocial challenges, leaders will learn how to put protective measures in place to create safer workplaces for all.

Ehsan Rafeemanesh, Occupational Medicine Specialist | Emirates Global Aluminium

Confined spaces are among the most unforgiving work environments, where a single lapse in perception, focus, or judgment can have life-threatening consequences. This session explores how behavioral science and neuroscience combine to shape decision-making, situational awareness, and resilience in these high-risk environments.

Atiq Moghul, Corporate QHSE Manager | Ras Al Khaimah Oil Services & Energy Co. Ltd.

• Climate change impacts on Oil & Gas operations and frontline working conditions
• Mental health challenges driven by environmental stressors and operational pressures
• The role of oily wastewater treatment in supporting climate adaptation and sustainability

Moderator:
Richard Bate, President | IOSH

Guest Speaker:

• Dr. Hala Elmanakhly, Climate Ambassador, HSE Risk Management Expert
• Atiq Moghul, Corporate QHSE Manager | Ras Al Khaimah Oil Services & Energy Co. Ltd.

From predictive analytics and autonomous vehicles, technology is transforming how organisations manage road risk. Logistics, heavy vehicle use, and diverse workforces make road safety a critical OSH concern where smart technology tools are helping to reduce collisions, save lives, and cut costs. But how do OSH professionals harness these technologies responsibly while balancing privacy, culture, and compliance?

Sanjeet Dangi, HSE Specialist | Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority

Discover how Etihad Rail Holding (ERH) is transforming its Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) framework to align with its corporate strategy and operational goals. This session highlights ERH’s collaboration with WSP Middle East to develop a comprehensive HSE Strategy, featuring insights from benchmarking studies, stakeholder engagements, and site visits. Learn about the strategic initiatives driving operational efficiency, compliance, and stakeholder well-being across ERH’s 1200 KM UAE railway network.

Tahir Jamal Qadir, Associate Director H&S Advisory | WSP

• The future of safety
• Early approaches to safety
• System thinking and organizational culture
• From compliance to resilience
• Digital transformation in safety
• Human factors and psychological safety
• Cross industry insights
• The future of safety

Dr. Mohamed Abdulla, Safety & Risk Management Consultant | Institute of Risk & Safety Management and General Manager, Occupational Safety, Health & Environment Management | Maldives Airports Company Limited

Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a transformative opportunity to enhance process safety in high-risk sectors such as oil and gas. However, AI is not a standalone solution, its success depends on robust business processes, quality data, and a strong safety culture. This session explores practical AI applications across outlines a strategic roadmap for organizations to achieve AI-driven safety performance.

Dr. Aissam Bouadjel, Head of Health, Safety, Environment & Quality | Fujairah Oil Industry Zone

Richard Bate, President | IOSH