Thanks to your nominations and the judges review process, we can reveal the most influential individuals in health & safety of 2022. Congratulations to everyone who has made the list!
Our list celebrates people who are inspiring, engaging and have been driving change in occupational health and safety in the UK over the last 12 months. People who are successfully creating sound health and safety cultures in their organisations, or the profession at large.
Previous winners include, Dr Mavis Nye, for her campaigning around asbestos awareness; John Green, who was Director of HSE at Laing O’Rourke at the time; Louise Taggart, Public Speaker, Campaigner and Founder of ‘Michael’s Story’; Karl Simons, former Chief Health, Safety and Security Director at Thames Water and in 2020, Hilda Palmer; campaigner and facilitator of Families Against Corporate Killers, supplier of International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) resources.
For 2022, the SHP Awards are in collaboration with Shirley Parsons, global HSEQ talent experts.
Tiffany Argent, Customer Engagement Executive, SafetyCulture
SafetyCulture’s Tiffany Argent has worked across a range of sectors from manufacturing to freight movement. Currently, she works for the health and safety tech firm, SafetyCulture helping companies to adopt technology into their processes. She was also voted onto IOSH council this year and has been part of the IOSH’s mentor programme.
Shelly Asquith, Health & Safety Policy Officer at Trades Union Congress
Shelly has been As the TUC’s health and safety policy officer, Shelly both works for and represents 6.56 million trade union members and of those there are thousands of recognised health and safety representatives protected by the Safety Reps and Safety Committees Regulations. and many more who are not recognised but are active on occupational health and safety issues. Shelley and the TUC provide information, free, to all of those people seeking help and to probably millions more via their online publications on all aspects of OHS from asbestos to zoonoses via artificial intelligence, chemicals, death injury and illness at work, lone working , musculoskeletal disorders, stress, surveillance and temperature.
She also works at strategic and policy level ensuring that workers and trade union concerns are fed into all relevant policy forums and spearheading campaigns. She acts as the secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Health including its sub-committee on asbestos. She is responsible for coordinated union responses to government and other relevant organisational and policy consultations, has given evidence at select committees and at government level in Europe and globally.
Mark Cardnell, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management Consultant
Mark Cardnell’s laboratory management safety work covering biological, hazardous allergens and infections is hugely respected and he is often called upon to assist in medical and veterinary academic establishments. His quality and high-standard of work came to the fore during the pandemic enabling companies to continue safely, and he carefully helped those firms emerge safely from the Covid.
His latest work has been in the equine, bovine and caprine arena (horses, cattle, and goats) laboratory safety to assist veterinary establishments. Mark understands the importance that our pets bring to us and has led him a number of projects and he continues to support charities where animals (particularly Dogs) have a major level of importance in our lives.
He has written several articles on safety management, mentoring and mental health and also supports his local food bank.
Scott Carr, Director of Health, Safety and Environment, Harringtons Builders PLC
Scott is a patron of the Veterans in Action charity, an organisation that assists former armed forces personnel suffering from the effects of PTSD. He is also an advocate of mental health. In 2022, following the suicide of a colleague, he took an active role in raising funds for the family towards the funeral costs. He also helped support a colleague whose child had been diagnosed with cancer, and facilitated his firm in setting-up annual financial commitments to the Teenage Cancer Trust Foundation.
Kelly Durham, Inspirational Speaker
In 2008, Kelly Durham was in a car crash that killed her husband and left her with serious injuries and three children without their father. The couple had been hit head-on by a lorry who was overtaking without checking what was coming in the other direction.
She now speaks candidly to audiences about her experience including companies such as the National Grid and Network Rail. It was found that the driver of the lorry had been stressed and tired at the time and under pressure to complete his rounds In her talk, Kelly takes the viewpoint of the driver, in an attempt to understand his mindset at the time and that ultimately he’s a human being with thoughts, feeling and pressures.
The nomination was sent in by Kelly’s son John, who finishes his nomination with the following: “In 2022, in safety, mental health and wellbeing we need more people like my mum. Helping people to understand and love ourselves and each other a little more. I used to grow up wanting to be superman. I now realise how lucky we are to have our own supermum.”
Ian Evans, Tameside Council, Environmental Services Manager (Engineering Projects)
Those submitting a form in this category are asked, ‘What has this person done in 2022 to deserve to be named ‘most influential’? “It would be more relevant to ask, what hasn’t he done?” is the response to Ian Evans’ submission.
It continues: “He supports every employee within the service area with regards to health, safety and wellbeing and promotes compliance alongside my role as an HSE officer, I really cannot thank him enough. Too often managers avoid involvement and delegate such tasks to others, not Ian, he grabs every opportunity to drive through change using his influence. I’ll not find another manager in the industry like him.”
Neil Fisher, Network Rail, Health Safety & Environmental Practitioner at Works Delivery Off-Track (Eastern Region)
Neil has been constant, and constantly positive, influencing the profession in two ways: By sharing his own struggles to help others and through the sharing of his own knowledge to the sector.
Jessy Gomes, Technical Safety Systems Lead, University College London
Jessy is on the Executive Board and is Vice President for Central Africa at the Society of Women in Safety, Health and Environment – Africa (SOWSHE-A) which serves as a member body for females in the OSH profession across Africa and beyond. It advocates occupational safety and health (OSH) issues specific to women in the workplace, whilst stimulating and advancing female frontiers in Safety and Health, for which Jessy has played a key role.
Steve Harris, Group Head of HSES, Vysus Group
“Steve’s influence holds no bounds,” reads one of Steve Harris’ nominations. “I have never met such an professional and passionate individual.” These words came from Steve’s mentee, Alex Munro who goes on to say how Steve helped him achieve double Chartered Status at IOSH and CQI.
Beyond being a mentor, Steve regularly speaks on health and safety at Robert Gordons University in Aberdeen. He has delivered presentations for a swathe of safety groups including IIRSM and is currently working on a book on risk management. “Steve has been an inspiration to everyone that he engages with and is a true health and safety influencer,” finishes the nomination.
Louise Hosking, IOSH Immediate Past President, Director & Founder of Hosking Assoc & OneWISH Coalition
In 2022 Louise continued her passion, drive and commitment for the OSH profession and improving the health and safety of the world of work, through her role as IOSH President.
Louise has been nominated before as a person of influence but this year she really has demonstrated her influence by enhancing the IOSH council structure, her social media presence in promoting the OSH profession and working with groups and associations around the world to raise the profile of health and safety as a right of all workers but also the value of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in making businesses better. 
In addition to her busy year as IOSH President, Louise continued to support organisations at the coal face as Director of Hosking Associates and as leader of OneWiSH which has continued to support women and inclusion by bringing together networks from around the world through a mentoring program and OneWISH’s annual IWD conference and other events. OneWISH provides a global voice to solve problems experienced by women at work across the world through its mission to unite women & inclusion in safety and health networks with the collective wisdom, strength & influence to create a fairer, healthier, safer world of work.
Louise has been visible, available and accessible across social media platforms with the aim of demystifying the OSH professional role and promoting the value OSH professionals bring when people feel that they come first and are cared for.
Tim Lloyd, Managing Director, Mindmaps Wellbeing
Tim is a Registered Mental Health Nurse with 22 years’ experience and and is also a Practice Tutor for the Open University, supporting students on placements. He left the NHS in 2019 to set up Mindmaps Wellbeing to provide workplace training in order to change the culture of workplace mental health and has now created a selection of training options for specific areas of mental health and wellbeing.
Tim’s main aim and passions are to create an environment where people are open about their mental health and wellbeing. Giving people a positive view on the term mental health. To lose the stigma associated with the term and ensure everyone has the tools to support a proactive approach with understanding and confidence to support people struggling.
James Macpherson, Managing Director, Risk Fluent Ltd. and host of the Rebranding Safety Podcast
James MacPherson hosts and produces the Rebranding Safety Podcast. Aimed at SME, managers and business owners its goal is to simplify health and safety while changing people’s perception of the profession.
Mavis Nye, The Mavis Nye Foundation 
Last year’s winner of the Most Influential award was Mavis Nye, and she has once again been nominated this year, again for her work as a campaigner, supporting and raising awareness of the dangers of asbestos exposure. Recently, SHP asked Mavis what winning meant to her, “I was shocked when I received the SHP Most influential person in health and safety and didn’t realise so many people follow my story of a sufferer of Mesothelioma the asbestos disease, I fight so hard to prevent others from not taking their lungs for granted and to protect them in all the work they do. Winning the award gave me the motivation to carry on the awareness that PPE is so important to get right. Keep safe and protect your lungs.” Another worthy nominee.
Paul Pope, GSS Group Business Development Director, Global Fire Equipment
Paul has spent his career in the fire safety industry. He is currently a director with the FIA (Fire Industry Association) and is Group Business Development Director at Global Fire Equipment where he continues to use his in-depth knowledge of fire safety to educate the world. His passion for his profession has seen him this year alone educate delegates in Turkey, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia as well as here in the UK.
Paul has had numerous reports published within market sector publications covering subjects such as the importance of fire system survivability, total cost of ownership and why accreditation is key when specifying fire detection and alarm systems.
Jimmy Quinn, Senior Health and Safety Manager, MULTIPLEX and IOSH Immediate Past President
One nomination we received for Jimmy Quinn describes his tenure as IOSH President as one of “distinction, integrity and passion rarely seen”. Quinn took up the post as Covid was taking hold and guided the Institute through one of the most challenging times for the profession.
His willingness to reach out, engage and support members, alongside strong leadership of IOSH council means he leaves his presidency with a strong legacy and a rightful place on this year’s influential list.
Jimmy is well known for his work in supporting veterans. He was winner of the British Army Veteran Awards, Ex British Forces in Business Advocate of the Year 2021/22 and Project RECCE Ambassador. He has spoken at the WHO, ILO, at nearly every IOSH branch and has spoken at the cabinet offices on mental health in construction.
Malcolm Staves, Global Vice President Health & Safety at L’Oréal
In an interview for SHP back in the Summer, Malcolm Staves was asked to define safety leadership. “The term ‘safety leadership’ is limiting,” he said. I prefer ‘leadership’ because people who are responsible for safety aren’t restricted to health and safety teams; they’re people working across all domains. Therefore, leadership in safety is actually about application of leadership in all parts of the business. Where there’s good leadership, people talk about safety, not just productivity.”
It’s this refreshing approach to leadership, among other achievements, that puts Malcolm on this year’s list.
Teresa Swinton, Founder and Director, Paradigm Human Performance
Teresa started her company Paradigm in 2017 with the intention of raising awareness of the transformational benefits of Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) across the globe.
Her mission was to create “safer, healthier, and more respectful workplaces where individuals were respected for their subject matter expertise (a key tenet of HOP) and valued for their personal contribution to creating safety and building trust and transparency”. Nearly six years on, despite a number of challenges, the brand is now globally recognised utilised in over 78 countries.
Teresa won a Rising Star Award in 2019 and says the accolade motivated her hugely and has had a positive effect on her clients. “I doubled-down on my efforts during and since COVID to provide clients with sustainable programmes, training their own employees to do exactly what we do, how we do it so that they can continue to build their programme and culture long after we have left them”.
Alan Trueman, Head of SHE, CityFibre 
Alan Trueman at CityFibre, flies the flag for the telecoms sector. Alan created the Safety & Health in Fibre Telecoms (SHiFT) which brings together professionals who seek a consistent approach to safety, health and wellbeing in telecoms.
He has forged a working group that collaborates on shared learnings and is confident in presenting failure to ultimately create best practices. His leadership and guidance has created a pool of professionals who thrive in supporting each other’s health and safety journeys.
