Welcome

It has definitely been a long week!

After hosting the Engineering Talent Awards last Friday in Manchester (our first time outside London!), I had a much-needed rest over the weekend, before jumping straight into a brilliant in-person delivery of The SAFE Leader course for Taylor Woodrow on Monday and Tuesday in Central London.

The sessions were deep, reflective, and energising, I’ll share more below.

Since then, I’ve been recording new podcast episodes that will go live later this year, and I’ve been enjoying in-person client meetings again. It’s full steam ahead!

Engineering Talent Awards 2025

The ETAs 2025 were a triumph!

Moving the awards to Manchester proved a great decision, the evening was packed with energy, inspiration, and celebration of the individuals, teams, and organisations shaping the future of engineering.

A huge congratulations to Team Bath Heart from University of Bath who won Overall Excellence in Engineering, a phenomenal student-led initiative tackling inequities in cardiovascular healthcare.

Special shoutout to Alexia Williams of Rolls-Royce, named Engineer of the Year, whose technical impact is matched by her dedication to outreach and inclusion.

And a big win for Waterman Aspen, who took home Large Employer of the Year for their outstanding work in embedding equity and inclusion across their global operations, setting a strong example for the sector.

A heartfelt thank you to all our partners, sponsors, and supporters who make the Engineering Talent Awards possible each year. Your commitment to celebrating inclusion and excellence in engineering helps shine a light on the changemakers driving our sector forward.

The SAFE Leader at Taylor Woodrow

Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of delivering The SAFE Leader training to 21 leaders at Taylor Woodrow.

It was an incredibly engaged and thoughtful cohort, people leaned in, shared candid stories, and explored how the SAFE principles (Share, Act, Feel, Empower) can drive lasting culture change.

A special thank you to Phil Skegg, Managing Director at Taylor Woodrow, for championing this programme and making this cohort possible. Your leadership enables our work to flourish.

The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, not just about the content, but about the emotional depth and human connection built across the two days. We can’t wait to see how these leaders embed what they’ve learned across their teams and projects.

If you’re interested in bringing The SAFE Leader course to your organisation, we’d love to hear from you.

Growing a Safety Orchard

This week, I’m joined by David Garner from Walden Environmental Engineering, whose journey from unsafe childhood environments to leading people-first safety cultures is as humbling as it is powerful.

David pulls no punches as he unpacks the outdated “name, blame, shame, retrain” mentality and offers a better way, one rooted in empathy, systems thinking, and psychological safety.

He reminds us that every action we take can be a seed planted for the leaders who come after us.

Why SAFE Leadership Matters More Than Ever

This week’s article is inspired by World Mental Health Day, and a lighthouse.

Lighthouses don’t decide when to shine, they just do. Storm or calm, they show up. And that, to me, is the essence of leadership.

In the article, I reflect on how leadership isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s the quiet, steady presence that helps others navigate their storms. And I explore why mental health in engineering must move beyond silent suffering and toward a culture where it’s safe to speak up.

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!