Welcome!

Dear Readers,

This past week has been a whirlwind of travel as I made my way from New York, where I’m currently living, back to the UK. It’s been a packed schedule, reconnecting with colleagues, delivering training, and engaging in critical discussions on safety and leadership.

I started in London, visiting the EqualEngineers office before attending the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering ceremony. From there, I travelled up to Manchester to deliver the third session of The SAFE Leader course at Rolls-Royce SMR. Then it was back down to Oxford to present a report for FOSTER at UKAEA alongside my colleague Kat, who is the Education Coordinator at EqualEngineers. Finally, I returned to London for a roundtable discussion with health, safety, and environment leaders from across industry.

With all this travel, it's been energising to connect with so many brilliant minds, reinforcing the importance of leadership, inclusion, and innovation in engineering. It’s weeks like this that remind me why I do what I do, and I’m excited to keep pushing these conversations forward.

Talk soon,
Mark

Rethinking Safety, Leadership, and Workplace Culture

This week’s podcast features a fascinating conversation with Andy Webster, Digital Director at KBR. Andy has had an incredible career in the energy sector, and we dive deep into his work developing a successful safety strategy at Shell. He shares how he has leveraged digital transformation and human-centred leadership to create safer, more effective workplaces. One of the key themes we explore is the role of storytelling and emotional connection in leadership—something that is often overlooked in technical industries but is essential for creating real impact.

Beyond his corporate experience, Andy also opens up about his journey to becoming a Gallup-certified coach and how this has transformed his approach to empowering teams. He provides valuable insights into strength-based leadership, helping professionals maximise their potential by focusing on what they do best. For anyone looking to build more resilient, engaged teams, there’s a lot to take away from this discussion.

We also touch on advice for early-career professionals, particularly the importance of curiosity and open-mindedness when developing as a leader. Andy’s perspective on continuous learning and self-improvement is inspiring, and his experiences provide a great roadmap for anyone looking to elevate their leadership skills. Whether you’re in safety, digital transformation, or leadership, this episode is packed with valuable lessons.

Watch on YouTube here.
Listen on PodBean here.

The SAFE Leader with Rolls-Royce SMR

This week, I was back with Rolls-Royce SMR in Manchester for the third session of The SAFE Leader course, this time focusing on the ‘F’ in SAFE—Feel. This session was all about understanding privilege, allyship, and the role of emotions in leadership. We started by unpacking the different ways privilege manifests in the workplace, moving beyond just the surface-level discussions to explore practical ways to be an effective ally. It was great to see participants engaging so openly with the topic, sharing their own experiences and challenges.

One of the key exercises we did was mapping out enablers, barriers, and actions—helping participants visualise what supports inclusion in their workplace, what gets in the way, and what actions they can take to create meaningful change. It was a powerful session that really encouraged everyone to step into discomfort and think critically about their own role in fostering an inclusive environment. These discussions are crucial in developing leaders who don’t just understand inclusion in theory but can apply it in practice.

The feedback from the session was overwhelmingly positive, with many saying it was an eye-opening experience that challenged their perspectives in a constructive way. As always, the best part of these sessions is seeing the lightbulb moments—the realisations that shift mindsets and lead to action. I’m looking forward to the final session in this programme and seeing how participants implement what they’ve learned.

Nominations Are Live!

Last week, I mentioned that nominations for the Engineering Talent Awards would soon be opening—well, they are officially live! These awards celebrate excellence in engineering, shining a spotlight on individuals and organisations who are making a real difference in driving inclusion, innovation, and leadership across the sector. With 14 different categories, there’s an opportunity to recognise the incredible talent shaping the future of engineering.

Some of the key categories include Graduate of the Year, Innovation of the Year, Society of the Year, and Leader of the Year, among many others. If you know someone who deserves recognition for their contributions, now is the time to put them forward. These awards help amplify the stories of individuals and teams who are creating a better, more inclusive engineering industry.

Nominations are open for the next four weeks, so don’t wait too long to get your submissions in. If you’re unsure about the process or who to nominate, feel free to reach out to the EqualEngineers team. Let’s make sure we’re celebrating those who are making a real impact.

Submit your nominations here.

Let’s connect

Please reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn if we are not already connected.

I love helping organisations where the angle I take with the work I do might help in someway have you make traction in your culture.

Feel free to get in touch here.

Stay SAFE!