London 2025 Recap

Key Takeaways

Confidence Beyond Compliance – Insights from Procurement, Risk & Partnerships

At the Summit, speakers emphasised the shift from traditional compliance to a more proactive, intelligence-driven approach to supply chain risk. The theme of Confidence Beyond Compliance resonated throughout the day, highlighting how AI-powered insights and connected ecosystems are transforming supplier management. Phil Varney from Amazon shared how their team reimagined enforcement by introducing point of purchase controls — ensuring suppliers meet compliance requirements before arriving on site. This approach reduced operational bottlenecks and helped scale safety across Amazon’s vast network. Attendees explored how aligning procurement, HSE, and risk functions — supported by Avetta — enables organisations to anticipate challenges, empower suppliers, and build safer, more resilient operations. Strategic partnerships, including those with SAP, showcased how integrated technologies drive smarter decisions, enhance visibility, and foster long-term trust across the supply chain.

Leading with Empathy and Resilience – A New Blueprint for Risk and Safety

Rosie Russell, President of IIRSM, challenged attendees to rethink traditional compliance models and embrace a more holistic, human-centred approach to risk and safety. Her keynote emphasised that true operational resilience stems from empathetic leadership, psychological safety, and a culture of care. Drawing on military-informed leadership models and the Japanese concept of ikigai, Rosie illustrated how organisations can thrive by aligning purpose, preparedness, and people. She urged leaders to move beyond checklists and foster environments where individuals feel empowered to speak up, innovate, and adapt — especially in the face of evolving risks. Her message was clear: confidence beyond compliance isn’t just a goal — it’s the foundation for sustainable, resilient organisations.

Supplier Collaboration Is a Competitive Advantage

Sessions like Avetta’s Commitment to the Supplier Experience and the Customer Panel reinforced that supplier relationships are more than transactional — they’re strategic. From streamlined onboarding and transparent billing to API integrations and lifecycle support, Avetta’s investments in supplier experience are helping organisations scale compliance and performance across geographies. As Courtney Chambers, CEO at C4 Cleaning, said during our customer panel: “I represent a demographic of suppliers who may not be as experienced. If you really want to get the best out of the platform, then you need to make sure that you’ve got of support mechanisms to help suppliers get through and become compliant.” His comments reflect a broader truth: when suppliers feel empowered and supported, they’re more likely to engage, grow, and deliver value.

Culture, Care and Risk – A Human-Centred Approach to Safety

Tim Marsh delivered a fast-paced, engaging session on how organisations can build safer, more resilient workplaces by focusing on human behaviour, psychological safety, and culture. He emphasised that most incidents stem from organisational design — not individual error — and that empathy, coaching, and curiosity are key to creating a culture of excellence.
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Highlights included:

Mental health matters: Tim stressed that 1 in 5 workers may be struggling on any given day, and that mental health must be addressed proactively—not ignored. His metaphors illustrated how stress and fatigue impact decision-making and risk tolerance.
Language and mindset: Small shifts — like replacing “but” with “and” — can transform safety conversations and reduce risk.
Culture of care: Praise, fairness, and humour foster trust and engagement, while stress and uncertainty fuel accidents and disengagement. His message was clear: safety isn’t just about rules—it’s about people. And when people feel supported, they make better decisions and help others thrive.

His message was clear: safety isn’t just about rules—it’s about people. And when people feel supported, they make better decisions and help others thrive.

Embedding ESG and Safety into Strategy – From Compliance to Competitive Edge

Speakers Mike Ford, Elisa, and Alessandro emphasised that ESG and safety are no longer standalone initiatives — they’re strategic imperatives woven into the fabric of modern business. From geopolitical disruptions to evolving regulations like CSRD and CSDDD, organisations are under increasing pressure to demonstrate transparency, resilience, and ethical sourcing across their supply chains.
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Elisa shared global research showing that:

63% of firms invest in sustainability to improve transparency
60% to meet external pressures from customers and investors
54% to respond to supply chain disruptions

Mike highlighted the challenge of supplier pushback, especially among SMEs, and the importance of scalable, accessible ESG programmes that empower suppliers to take ownership of their data and practices. He stressed that clients must move beyond reporting what they do internally and begin assessing the ethics and sustainability of their entire supply chain.

The session made it clear: integrating ESG and safety into procurement, operations, and compliance isn’t just about meeting standards — it’s about building trust, reducing risk, and creating long-term value.

Customers Are Leading the Way

Customer panellists from Amazon, ABM, Cushman & Wakefield, C4 Cleaning, and Bluefield Partners shared how they’re deepening partnerships with Avetta to drive real change across their organisations. From scaling safety programmes and improving ESG visibility to empowering suppliers with better onboarding support, each speaker offered practical insights into what works (and what doesn’t) when implementing compliance and risk management at scale.
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Key themes included:

Localisation and empathy: Phil Varney from Amazon emphasised tailoring programmes to country-level needs and empowering site teams to take ownership of safety.
Supplier support: C4 Cleaning’s Courtney Chambers highlighted the importance of meeting suppliers “where they’re at” and providing hands-on help to navigate onboarding.
Data-driven decisions: Flynn Armon-Jones from Cushman & Wakefield, and Bluefield Partners’ Max Saber, discussed how API integrations and analytics are helping them track compliance, identify gaps, and improve supplier performance.
Unexpected benefits: Several panellists noted that onboarding questions prompted internal reflection, leading to stronger policies and better operational alignment.

The session showcased how customers are not just adopting Avetta — they’re shaping its evolution to meet the demands of modern supply chains.

London Summit 2025 Recap