Zoë Gulley is a trusted leader in performance improvement and incident investigation, with over 20 years of experience helping organizations learn, adapt, and advance. She holds a B.Sc. in Geoscience and an M.Sc. in Environment and Management, and has worked in key roles at industry leaders such as Shell and NOVA Chemicals.

At Shell, Zoë spent 12 years working in the field of performance improvement, including leading the Learning from Incidents process for Upstream Americas and facilitating major incidents such as fatalities, production losses and project overruns. She later joined NOVA Chemicals as Corporate Manager of Performance Improvement, where she facilitated high-impact investigations, coached leaders, and uncovered behavioural patterns to drive lasting, systemic change.

In 2022, Zoë moved into consulting to meet the rising demand for causally reasoned investigations, which go beyond identifying what happened and explore why it happened by tracing the underlying systems, behaviours, and conditions that led to the outcome. Zoë continues to support Shell and NOVA Chemicals, while also working with new partners, that span across oil and gas, food distribution, hospitality industry and more.

With a deep commitment to understanding human behaviour, identifying root causes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Zoë doesn’t just investigate, she helps organizations evolve.

Dr. Nippin Anand is the Founder and CEO of Novellus Solutions, a consultancy specializing in human-centered approaches to learning, risk and social decision making. He is a former master mariner with an MSc in Economics and a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Anthropology. Nippin brings a Transdisciplinary lens to the challenges of work and organising spanning: the humanities, social psychology, mythology, First Nations thinking, semiotics, anthropology and philosophy.

After experiencing a near-collision at sea, Nippin developed a lifelong passion for event investigation, focusing on how failure can be turned into opportunities for learning and change. He has a particular focus on: the psychology of goal setting, motivation, perception and unconscious decisions under pressure. 

As a former subject matter expert at DNV, Nippin asks challenging questions about the role of ethics, care, helping, moral meaning, emotions and trauma in the discourse of risk and safety. In so doing, he seeks to help the industry to become more relevant to a person-centric understanding as to why people do as they do.

At Novellus, Nippin and his team apply visual (semiotic) tools to help organizations learn from events, improve decision making and achieve culture change. He is the author of three books ‘Are We Learning from Accidents?’, 51 Stories in Culture and Three Semiotic Walks (forthcoming). Nippin is also the host of the podcast Embracing Differences, and a frequent writer, well known for transforming complex idea into practical insights accessible and actionable for safety-critical industries.

Samantha Peace joined the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 1995 as a Factory Inspector and has since built a career spanning multiple sectors, including manufacturing, construction, and high-hazard industries. She has held senior leadership roles across operational delivery and policy, gaining a Master's in Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Law along the way. Promoted to the Senior Civil Service in 2013, Samantha became Director of Field Operations in 2016 and, in 2023, Director of HSE’s Energy Division, overseeing regulation of oil and gas, pipelines, renewable energy, mines, quarries, and diving. She is also an executive member of the International Association of Labour Inspection with experience in international labour inspection assessments.

Diana Khatun is Principal Manager for Well Operations and Regulatory Engagement at IOGP, with a background in petroleum geology. She holds a BSc in Geology from Royal Holloway and an MSc from Imperial College London. Diana oversees IOGP’s Wells Expert Committee, focusing on well safety, major well control event prevention, and providing governance, assurance, and standardization support for well control and emergency preparedness projects. With extensive experience in technical and managerial roles across oil and gas exploration and production, she brings a global perspective to regulatory collaboration and fluency in multiple languages. Outside of work, Diana is a passionate footballer and avid traveller, having visited over 80 countries.

Nicole Deyell is the Vice President of Industry Impact and Development at Energy Safety Canada, and a recognized industry leader with over 25 years’ experience in exploration, operations, risk management and performance improvement in Canada’s energy sector. As a senior executive at BP and PETRONAS Canada, Nicole successfully led multidisciplinary teams to deliver measurable gains in business performance, and spearheaded initiatives to advance capital efficiency and strengthen corporate HSE governance. An engineering graduate, Nicole is renowned for her ability to foster collaboration and bring diverse teams and organizations together to pursue common goals.

Garud Sridhar is the Head of Product, Intelligent Operations at SLB and brings over 20 years’ experience in the global oil and energy sectors. As project leader, he oversees the development of Edge AI applications designed for seamless integration into oil and gas operations, with a focus on sustainability, productivity, efficiency, safety and cost management.

Torleif Husebø is the Section Head of Process Integrity at Havtil and brings extensive industry experience in the petroleum operations, spanning engineering, construction and operations. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Torleif has held leadership positions at Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) and Norwegian Offshore Industry Authority (Havtil) and has served in advisory capacity with governmental agencies to develop safety management and regulatory guidelines since 1999.

Dr. Steven Mallam is a researcher and educator specializing in human and organizational performance in the maritime domain. He holds a PhD in Human Factors from Chalmers University of Technology and an MSc in work safety and ergonomics from Memorial University. He currently serves as the Academic Director of Maritime Studies at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University. He also holds concurrent positions as Adjunct-Associate Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and Visiting Researcher at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. His primary research interests involve the analysis and optimization of people and their work processes within complex socio-technical systems with a focus on simulation-based training and assessment, safety, digitization, autonomous shipping and Human-Centered Design.

Zdenek Sehnal is the CEO of IWCF, with over 40 years’ experience in the oil and gas sectors, including Equinor (Statoil), Baker Hughes, DNV and Sunderland Polytechnic. His deep expertise spans drilling, completion and well interventions (including snubbing), well control, and well integrity. His international experience includes stints in Azerbaijan, UK, Russia (Siberia), Denmark, Holland, Italy, Nigeria and the United States. His first direct exposure with well control was working closely with Boots & Coots on the Saga Petroleum Well 2/4-14 in1989, then the world’s most expensive blowout. In subsequent years, Zdenek has supported numerous well control incidents in both direct and investigatory roles. In 2011, he was selected to the Norwegian branch of the IWCF board of directors, and in 2016 he was elected as Chair of the IWCF Board, serving a five-year term.

As the Director of the Environment & Asia Pacific at IOGP since 2021, Harvey Johnstone brings 34 years’ experience in both government and private sector roles, including 20 years at BP in Perth and London, where he focused on environmental and decommissioning liabilities. Harvey also spent 14 years at the Western Australian Government’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) where he held roles in air quality monitoring, industry licensing, pollution management and contaminated site regulation. At IOGP, he oversees ocean science research programs, environmental genomics, decommissioning, environmental management, metocean science and leads efforts to identify environmental and metocean challenges and opportunities, sponsor research, and advocates on behalf of the industry with multiple stakeholders.

Beate Hildenbrand is the Head of Americas and Global Good Practice at G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation. Since joining G+ as Manager of Offshore & Onshore Wind in 2018, she has been the leader of the strategic development of the global Offshore Wind Health and Safety (H&S) good practice program and G+ in the Americas region, focusing on health & safety performance in the global offshore wind industry. Beata began her career as scientific project manager in atmospheric research and data modelling. In 2010, she served as Technical Manager for Environment and Health at the Energy Institute, where she managed the environment and health technical programmes and worked conventional and renewable operation issues.

As Senior Advisor Process Integrity at Havtil, Linn Iren Vestly Bergh brings extensive practical expertise in health and safety design, organization, management and risk assessment within the energy sector. After completing her PhD in Occupational Health Psychology and Risk Management from the University of Nottingham, Linn broadened her professional focus to include artificial intelligence. As the project leader of Havtil’s AI team, she oversees AI applications in the energy industry, with a strong emphasis on risk management and responsible, human-centred design. Linn also plays an active role in national and international AI standardization initiatives, representing Havtil in the CEN-CENELEC Joint Technical Committee 21 (JTC 21) and contributing to the development of EU-aligned, harmonized AI standards.

Tina Putt is an Academic Staff Member in Engineering Co-operative Education at Memorial University, with over 25 years of diverse professional experience that spans the oil and gas, transportation, municipal engineering, and academic sectors. She holds a BEng in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Safety and Risk Engineering, both from Memorial University. In her current role, Tina focuses on supporting student development and success, with a particular emphasis on training and mentorship, safety, continuous improvement, self-assessment, goal setting, and lifelong learning. Outside of work, Tina enjoys listening to traditional Newfoundland music, spending time with family and friends, and travelling.

Jim Rocco is the Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs – Global Offshore at the IADC, bringing over 30 years’ experience that spans the public and private sectors. He began his career in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served for over 23 years in maritime and offshore compliance roles, with a special focus on asset acquisition and procurement. In 2015, Jim joined the IADC as Senior Director, Government & Industry Affairs – Offshore. Recently promoted to Vice President, Jim’s remit includes a broad array of offshore drilling industry interests, including the support of global safety, regulatory, and best practice initiatives. Jim holds an BSc in Science from Central Michigan University, an MBA in Finance from Northern Illinois University, and a Master of International Public Policy with a focus on energy resources from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Dr. Irfan Nawaz is a global ambassador for Risk-Based Verification with over 25 years of experience in the offshore and marine industries. Holding a PhD focused on Risk-Based Verification of Offshore Installations in the UKCS, he is a leading practitioner and researcher in verification, decommissioning, and renewables. As Operations Manager of the Field Survey Group at LR, he oversees a large team of surveyors delivering verification services in the UKCS and supports various global in-service and new construction projects. Beginning his career as a marine engineer trainee with Pakistan National Shipping Company, Irfan progressed through roles at Shell Shipping and Shell Exploration before joining LR in 2008. Since then, he has managed numerous offshore installations, onshore terminals, and manufacturing projects, advancing to his current leadership position.

Dr. Faisal Khan is the Mike O’Connor Chair II Professor and Head of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he also directs the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center and the Ocean Energy Safety Institute. A former Canada Research Chair in Offshore Safety and Risk Engineering at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, he founded the Centre for Risk Integrity and Safety and Engineering (C-RISE). His research focuses on process safety, system safety and security, AI safety, and risk engineering. A Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Dr. Khan has published over 700 peer-reviewed articles, supervised more than 190 graduate students, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Process Safety & Environmental Protection (Elsevier) and Safety in Harsh Environments (Springer Nature).

Seb Corby is the Head of Consulting at Safetytech Accelerator, and a digital strategist and innovation principal with deep experience across the transportation, infrastructure, marine, mining, and industrial sectors. As a leading authority on the integration of novel technologies into business operations, he advises corporate clients on strategies designed to drive optimization and industry disruption. Seb successfully led the development of IoT and data-science solutions and designed strategic innovation ecosystems in collaboration with some of the biggest infrastructure owners and transport providers in the United Kingdom. He specialises in promoting the adoption of safety critical technology through open innovation, most recently designing and delivering the world’s first Industrial Safetytech Regulatory Sandbox with the Health and Safety Executive and leading the global Cargo Fires and Loss Innovation Initiative.

Matthew Blackburn is a chartered mechanical engineer with over 30 years’ experience in the chemical, refining, and upstream oil and gas sectors. Beginning his career with ICI, he is now a senior regulator at HSE, leading a unit focused on offshore asset integrity, covering structural and maritime integrity, mechanical engineering, materials and corrosion, and human factors. He has played a key role in regulatory programs on asset integrity and ageing offshore installations and has authored several HSE safety alerts and guidance documents in these areas.

Dawn Patten is Managing Director of Training at Virtual Marine Technology, where she leads the delivery of high-fidelity maritime simulation and training. A mariner with over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas sector and the Canadian Coast Guard, she combines deep operational expertise with innovative training strategies. Under her leadership, Virtual Marine equips personnel for high-risk, mission-critical environments, building the competence, confidence, and leadership needed when failure is not an option.