2022 - What a year!

This time last year I was handing over my QSHE Lead Manager role after seven years with 德铁信可 . I would never in my wildest dreams thought of what I would achieve in the upcoming 12 months.

I was nervous in January starting with SafetyCulture . It's a tech company offering mobile-first solutions and I joined them as a Customer Engagement Executive. I wasn't 100% sure what the role would be and how I would manage at a tech company but after spending time with a very welcoming team in Manchester, I knew I'd made the right decision.

In February I was in Edinburgh presenting to around 100 customers at the Beyond event. I'd stood in front of people before, delivered training and presentations but this was a different level. Meeting Pauline Hailstones and Chelsea Simmers and the production levels they delivered was so exciting! Working with Mike Welch to share our thoughts about sustainability and how the SafetyCulture platform can support our customers was so much fun! Plus I had a microphone, a clicker and walk-on music! Over the year I've continued to put myself 'out there' representing the H&S profession and SafetyCulture . I was a guest on my first podcast with the brilliant James MacPherson , delivered a series of webinars and had an interview with Mark Glover from SHP - Health and Safety News - you can read it here:>

March was the first month I attended a trade show. I've been to trade shows as a guest on numerous occasions before being at SafetyCulture . I found them a great way of networking with fellow H&S professionals and finding out about new products. This time I was on a stand, behind the scenes, helping the team talk to customers about our platform and how it can help them. Seeing the all work our marketing team led by Rebecca Carr was amazing!

April and May I travelled the circumference of the world. The opportunity was to visit SafetyCulture head office in Sydney to meet up with my fellow CEE's Gary Bonnett Kevin Gausch and Dwayne Duncum . As an added bonus I met so many other SC employees feeling even more like part of the company. Then there was Hawaii in May for Ship It and the Hackathon. What an experience - one I will never forget!

During the Summer months, I spent more time with customers - face to-face. The Bootcamp at Brentford FC was the first in-person event we'd had in two years. It was also one of the hottest days in the UK we've had in a few years! I'd been part of the virtual boot camps in the preceding months and it did feel a little hollow. Being in person with the customers and seeing their reactions provided me with a greater understanding of their use cases.

Being able to see the SafetyCulture platform being used in real life with the font line also drove me to want to learn more about varying industries I'd never worked in before. Retail and hospitality specifically with LW Theatres and American Golf , facilities management with Norse Group and then going back to my roots in manufacturing with Safestyle UK to name just a few of the SafetyCulture customers I've visited.

In October, I finally visited our Amsterdam office with our amazing team there. This gave me the drive to learn more about European customers and H&S practices outside of UK & IRE.

As the year drew to a close I decided I wanted to give back to the H&S community so I put myself up for nomination for the IOSH council and I was successfully voted in by my peers. I've really only just started but I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into it next year. It was a bit of a humbling but realised I needed to be better at celebrating my success. In December I was shortlisted on the SHP Most Influential list (congratulations to the well-deserved winner Alan Trueman, MSc, BSc(Hons), CMIOSH !) AND at the Christmas party, the EMEA team at SafetyCulture voted for me to win the Think Customer value award!

So when I look back on 2022 I think it's going to be a pivotal year for me. A nervous and exciting start to the year that has flourished into a career highlight. The best part is...I get to go bigger and better in 2023!!