Hugh Maxwell is the Managing Director of Maxwell Safety Limited and former Business Director, EMEA, for Chubb Global Risk Advisors (CGRA). Now he focuses upon engaging, empowering and sharing all of the international HSE career learnings he has.

He supported the risk management and consultancy needs of Fortune 500 companies such as Colgate-Palmolive, Honeywell and Goodyear.

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). 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 worksglobally in HSE/Risk Management senior leadership in over sixty countries. From 2001 until present, he has worked in 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.

He is an 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 coordinated IIRSM Covid-19 Recovery Webinars and Vision Zero international events. He is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management.

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 and again in 2022. In September 2021 and 2022, 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. Honoured by these awards. he emphasises the awards are not his – more a reflection on the fantastic people who have supported him in his career and life until now and going forwards.