Hugh Maxwell, Managing Director of Maxwell Safety Limited, is the former Business Development Director, EMEA, for Chubb Global Risk Advisors (CGRA). Now he focuses upon engaging, empowering and sharing all of the international HSE learnings he has been privileged to share over the course of his career.
In his CGRA role, he supported the risk management and consultancy needs of Fortune 500 companies such as Colgate-Palmolive, Honeywell and Goodyear. Scope of work including site assessments against corporate standards and legal requirements for industrial hygiene, machine guarding, ergonomics and legal/ISO compliance. Passionate about sustainable business solutions, he worked for ESAB as Global Environmental Leader (2018 until 2020), part of the COLFAX corporation, focusing on developing a sustainability strategy, GHS, REACh, Energy Management best practices (including ISO 50001 and ESOS).
In 2017, after 30 years’ service in manufacturing based HSE and Risk Management serving Foseco (from 1987) and Vesuvius as Global HSE Director (from 2008), he took time out to focus upon supporting his wife in her battle to beat breast cancer. Very blessed and fortunate, this remains the greatest achievement in his life. This was the real driver for him to focus upon giving back more in terms of developing others internationally outside of his business activities. He had worked globally in HSE/Risk Management senior leadership in over sixty countries supporting manufacturing, steel, foundries, construction, welding and cutting industries. From 1987 until present, he has worked through business management roles into senior global high-risk, high profile HSE related Management roles. Building teams, developing people, modifying behaviours, increasing engagement and ownership, and sharing accountabilities and responsibility for improving Risk and Safety Management along the way.
Hugh is an IRCA approved and experienced lead auditor for QHSE Management Systems, graduate Chemist, Masters in Total Quality Management, former NVQ Assessor and trainer, CIEH approved trainer, NEBOSH ambassador and examiner and a former qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser. He is passionate about developing others and proactively mentors for IOSH and IIRSM, for whom he is honoured to Chair the Fellowship panel. Recently he updated qualifications as a qualified European Occupational Safety and Health Manager, Wellness and Wellbeing Management and Leadership, P402 Asbestos surveying and sampling, PUWER trainer and assessor, NASP Machine Guarding Specialist, DSEAR Assessor, IOSH Behavioural Safety Training for Leadership and Covid-19 assessor and competent person.
A Fellow of Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH since 2008) and of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) since 2007, he chairs of the IIRSM Fellowship committee and recently coordinated IIRSM Covid-19 Recovery Webinars and Vision Zero international events. He is an IIRSM Ambassador and Mentor. He tries to give back supporting the development of other professionals. He is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Maxwell’s background is high-risk manufacturing and risk management for people and processes operated in customer locations. As former HSE Director of Vesuvius PLC (a world leader in steel industry consumables), he has led numerous risk reduction initiatives globally. One such programme, Safety Breakthrough, included a global training programme for over 2500 senior and middle executives. Lost-Time accident performance statistics achieved world-class standards within 5 years. A key part of this has been through developing people, reducing risks and saving lives. Safety Breakthrough, a management change programme, resulted in him receiving the 2018 IIRSM Excellence Award for Best International Risk Initiative. He received a further Award from the IIRSM as Mentor of the Year in 2019. In September 2021, HSE PEOPLE identified him as one of the Top 10 Health and Safety Influencers of 2021 and then in December SHP named him one of the top 15 Health and Safety influencers for 2021. He is highly honoured by these awards but always emphasises the awards are not his – more a reflection on what fantastic people he has received support from in all aspects of his career and life until now and going forwards.
