April Choy

Industry Analyst
@Verdantix

April is an Industry Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in EHS&Q software and emerging technologies. She helps organizations navigate complex technology decisions, providing insights that optimize technology investments and reduce operational risks. April advises both technology buyers and software vendors on market trends, product innovations and implementation strategies. Combining her expertise in data analysis with health and safety knowledge, she delivers research that addresses the interconnected challenges of regulatory compliance, workplace safety and operational risk management. Prior to joining Verdantix, April completed an MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London.

Bill Ryan

Global Safety Manager
@Schneider Electric

Bill Ryan is Global Safety Manager at Schneider Electric, with 25 years’ experience in health and safety management. He has led safety programmes at factory, country, regional, and global levels.

At Schneider Electric, he has overseen the Safety Function for 10,000 customer-facing employees and contractors across 20 European countries. For the past five years, he has been part of the Global Safety Team, focusing on contractor safety, electrical safety training, and the management of high-risk activities.

John Pares

Co-President
@IIRSM

John is a seasoned Health & Safety and HR leader with 40 years of international experience including governance, operations, and strategic projects. With a career rooted in industry (Unilever, ICI, and Givaudan) he is now living in Switzerland and working internationally as a consultant.

Karen J Hewitt

Director
@Leaderlike

Karen J. Hewitt is Director of Leaderlike, the Leadership and Engagement specialists for Cultures of Care. She is Co-founder of the “Future Fit Safety Leaders programme” and host of the L’Oréal – RoSPA – Nike ‘Women in Safety Leadership’ programme, winner of the Most Innovative Institute-Approved Programme Award at the Institute of Leadership Awards 2025. Karen is author of “People Power – Transform your Business in the Era of Safety and Wellbeing,” and in 2023, she delivered a TEDx talk called “The Two Questions That Could Save Your Life.”  This year, she was recognised for her contribution to the risk profession through the IIRSM President's Commendation Award.

Kevin Hughes

Development Property Safety Manager
@Tesco

Development Property Safety Manager with Tesco, leading safety governance across construction, maintenance, and infrastructure programmes, specialising in contractor management, CDM compliance and the development of practical safety solutions that protect colleagues, customers, and contractors. Driven by continuous improvement, strengthening safety culture, and ensuring compliant environments across a complex national estate.

Mark Braham

Group Quality and Assurance Director
@Mitie

Highly capable Executive Governance, Risk, Continual improvement and Quality Director with over 25 years’ experience and a sustained record of success in the B2C & B2B Consumer and Membership service space. Extensive background in leading complex risk, environment, health, safety, and assurance programmes to achieve challenging strategic objectives within regulatory frameworks. Mark is a pragmatic leader and highly trusted collaborator who creates robust strategies to translate vision into reality.

• Chartered Fellow of the CQI
• MSc Quality Management
• Diploma in Quality Tools and Techniques
• IAF, ISO and BSI Committee member
• Lead auditor in ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001

Mikael Boman

Sustainability Specialist
@Bunzl Continental Europe

Mikael Boman is a Sustainability Specialist at Bunzl Continental Europe, where he leads initiatives focused on supplier sustainability, responsible sourcing, and ESG performance. His work brings together suppliers, customers, and business teams to improve transparency, strengthen sustainability practices, and support progress toward shared climate and sustainability goals across the value chain.

Richard Bate

President
@IOSH

Richard Bate brings over 30 years of global experience in occupational safety and health (OSH). He began his career as a Paramedic in the UK Health Service, where he gained valuable experience in emergency response, helicopter aircrew operations, management, and training. A passionate promoter of diversity, equity, and socially sustainable approaches to safety, Richard is currently the President of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the world’s largest professional body in the field.

Throughout his career, he has contributed significantly to global efforts in harm prevention, safety leadership, and policy development.

Richard Curnow

Head of Partner Performance & Optimisation
@JLL

Procurement & Supply Chain Manager with over 30 years experience in sourcing, creating and developing collaborative supply chains within Chemical, Construction and Facilities Management industries.

Howard Clark

Director of Sales, EMEA
@Avetta

Howard Clark is Director of Sales, EMEA helping global organisations transform supplier risk management. Focused on replacing fragmented, reactive processes with streamlined, proactive strategies powered by SaaS technology.

Specialising in unifying safety, sustainability, and ESG risk management into one clear, global view, while simplifying onboarding and consolidating data for smarter, faster decisions. The goal: reduce complexity, break down silos, and future-proof supply chains. 

Jackie Bakalarski

Principal of Sustainability & ESG
@Avetta

Jackie Bakalarski is Principal of Sustainability & ESG at Avetta, where she helps companies integrate human rights, responsible labor practices, and environmental sustainability into operational and safety programs. With 10+ years of experience in sustainability, responsible procurement, and ESG reporting, Jackie has advised organizations across industries including utilities, manufacturing, telecom, financial services, apparel, and food & beverage. Her expertise spans supply chain risk, human rights due diligence, sustainability reporting, and ESG strategy, helping businesses ensure that safe work is also fair and sustainable work.

Jai Restall

Principal, Health, Safety and Environment
@Avetta

Jai, CMIOSH, MIIRSM, AISEP, IRCA Lead Auditor, currently serves as Principal, Health, Safety and Environment (EMEA) for Avetta. With proven expertise across telecoms, energy, infrastructure and construction, Jai supports Avetta’s clients in building safer, more resilient supply chains.

Jai specialises in safety leadership, governance frameworks, contractor risk management, integrated management systems (IMS), audit and assurance programmes, incident investigation, contractor governance, and supply chain risk management, bringing global expertise and specialising in the UK and EMEA regions to help organisations strengthen compliance and drive operational performance.

Raza Zaidi

Director EMEA Account Management and Client Success
@Avetta

At Avetta, Raza applies his expertise in supplier prequalification and risk management solutions to streamline processes and enhance client outcomes across the client base that work across multiple sectors. With a solid foundation in product, strategy and understanding the clients needs, he is dedicated to leveraging technology for operational excellence, stakeholder satisfaction whilst reducing risk within the clients value chain.

Tuba Haider

Manager, QHSE & Audit Services
@Avetta

Tuba has worked with organisations across multiple sectors globally and has extensive experience across QHSE, compliance, auditing, risk, and sustainability. She is passionate about helping organisations move beyond compliance to drive better performance, resilience, and business value. A key part of her work is translating complex regulatory and compliance requirements into practical, value-adding solutions that support operational excellence. She currently leads EMEA QHSE audit and compliance function, with a particular focus on the intersection of technology, risk, and supply chain assurance.

Her areas of interest include AI-driven QHSE, sustainable supply chains, behavioural safety, LEAN thinking, change management, and the future of technology-enabled compliance. Curious, pragmatic, and people-focused, Tuba enjoys challenging conventional thinking and exploring how QHSE can become smarter, simpler, and more valuable to organisations, not just more compliant.

Tyler Urrea

Director of Supplier Services
@Avetta

Tyler leads global support operations focused on making compliance easier and more intuitive for suppliers. With nearly a decade at Avetta, Tyler brings a deep understanding of both the technical and operational sides of the platform. He’s passionate about simplifying processes, removing friction, and helping teams deliver a support experience that’s not just efficient—but genuinely helpful.

Before stepping into his current role, Tyler built and led the Performance Management department, where he developed training programs, rolled out AI-driven support tools, and helped scale internal enablement.

Ugo Diribe

Account Executive
@Avetta

Ugo Diribe is an Account Executive at Avetta, based in the UK, with 8 years of industry experience supporting customers across the region in strengthening supplier compliance and risk management programmes. Ugo works closely with clients to drive platform adoption, support successful implementations, and help improve operational outcomes across complex supplier and contractor environments.

Yulia Sokolova

Vice President of Global Readiness
@Avetta

Yulia Sokolova is Vice President of Global Readiness at Avetta, where she leads the strategy and operating model that enable the business to scale across more than 120 countries and 39 languages through localization, compliance, country readiness, and cross-functional execution. With more than 15 years of experience, Yulia has built and led international programs spanning market expansion, localization, international business operations, and quality governance.

Before joining Avetta, she held leadership roles at Degreed and Indeed, where she scaled localization capabilities across more than 25 languages and supported business growth in more than 60 countries. Yulia is known for building high-performing teams, creating scalable operating models, and translating multinational complexity into practical, measurable business outcomes.