Women Leading Change: Redefining Health & Safety - safetyCast #008

The Disruptor Mindset: How Women are Reshaping Safety Leadership

In this essential safetyCast episode, we explore the evolving role and impact of women in Health & Safety. Featuring three of New Zealand's top female H&S leaders—Kristy Nicholson (Lockton), Deborah Douglas (ASB), and Nicola Knobel (Plunket)—this dynamic panel discussion explores their leadership journeys, the challenges they've faced, and the strategies they use to drive real change.

Through real-world insights and their own lived experiences, this panel challenges the status quo. They discuss why H&S needs "the disruptor mindset" and how leveraging key strengths like empathy, communication, and influence is essential to move from reactive compliance (work as imagined) to proactive, people-first risk management (work as done).

Key themes:

• Owning Your Space: Overcoming challenges and breaking barriers in traditionally male-dominated industries.

• Beyond Policies: Using "soft skills" like empathy and influence to manage real-world risk, not just SOPs.

• Lifting Women Up: The power of mentorship and structural change to support the next generation of H&S leaders.

• The "Disruptor Mindset": Using discomfort as a catalyst for driving positive organisational change.

This episode is a must-listen for all H&S professionals, leaders, HR and diversity champions, and anyone passionate about building a more diverse, equitable, and effective safety industry.

Featuring:

• Kristy Nicholson, National Head of Health & Safety at Lockton

• Deborah Douglas, Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at ASB

• Nicola Knobel, Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Plunket

Available now on all major podcast platforms.