What's On

What's On

Discover what’s in store at The Safety Expo 2025 - with expert speakers tackling today’s biggest safety challenges. More names will be announced soon.

The programme

The Safety Expo 2025 kicks off with the Business Breakfast featuring Chris Lemons - a ticketed session offering exclusive insights and networking before the main event begins.

The rest of the day will feature a programme of expert speakers in the main Expo hall. See the programme so far below, more speakers will be announced in the run-up to the event, so check back regularly for the latest updates.

The Safety Expo 2025 speakers

A full programme will be announced soon.

Chris Lemons

Commercial diver

Chris Lemons

Commercial diver

Chris has been a commercial diver and Supervisor for over 20 years, and currently specialises in deep sea saturation diving, operating almost exclusively in the oil and gas industry. This highly specialised form of diving involves living in the claustrophobic confines of a decompression chamber for up to 28 days at a time, commuting daily to the sea-bed in a diving bell, and working at depths of up to 900 feet for 6 hours at a time. In September of 2012, a freak failure of the dynamic positioning system of the vessel he was working under, resulted in the umbilical which provides him with breathing gas, light and heat being severed completely. He was left on the seabed, in complete darkness 300 feet below the surface, with only the 5 minutes of breathing gas he carried in the emergency tanks on his back, and no way to protect himself from the freezing temperatures. It took his heroic rescuers over 40 minutes to come back and fetch him, and his miraculous survival story has baffled experts ever since. His extraordinary story was subsequently immortalised in the hit Netflix/BBC documentary 'Last Breath,' a version of which was developed into a Hollywood movie starring Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole and released in 2025. Chris was born in Edinburgh, raised in Cambridge, and now lives in the South of France with his partner and two daughters.

07:30

The Safety Expo Business Breakfast with special guest speaker Chris Lemons

This year's headline speaker is Chris Lemons. A commercial diver and supervisor for more than 18 years, Chris specialises in deep sea diving. In 2012, an accident left him 300ft below the surface with only 5 minutes of breathing gas in his emergency tank. Featured in Netflix documentary, Last Breath, a movie adaptation has also been released in 2025.

Phil Balden

Ansell

Phil Balden

Ansell

Phil is the UK+Eire Sales Manager at Ansell – a leading global manufacturer in hand and body protection. He has worked in the PPE industry for over 25 years and has spent his entire working career in the industrial market, delivering value added, sustainable solutions to end users and distributors alike. He leads on the CSR Sustainability topic for Ansell in the UK+Eire and works extensively with the Ansell Guardian programme, which delivers a bespoke blend of productivity, safety, CSR and cost benefits, uniquely shaped for each customer.

11:00 - 11:20

How Sustainability Impacts Safety and how they can work ‘Hand in Hand’

Today’s session will focus on why you don’t need to make a choice between or compromise on Safety and Sustainability with PPE. We will show different footprints of hand and body protection and the multiple ways you can reduce your footprint without necessarily increasing your total PPE spend. The session will deliver a blend of real-world examples and practical insights you can take away and implement without delay.

David Jamieson

Salus Technical

David Jamieson

Salus Technical

David Jamieson is the founder of Salus Technical, established in 2019 to make process safety more accessible through software, engineering, and training. He previously worked as a Formula 1 engineer and as Process Safety Technical Authority for a UK oil major. Today, Salus Suite software is used by more than 50 organisations worldwide to strengthen barrier management and risk assurance. Since launching Salus, David has delivered process safety and bowtie training to over 2,000 professionals across oil and gas, petrochemical, and other sectors. He is passionate about turning complex safety concepts into practical tools that organisations can apply to prevent major accidents.

11:30 - 11:50

Cutting through the hype: real AI applications for major accident risk

AI is everywhere, but most of the conversation is hype. In this 20-minute session, David Jamieson, Founder of Salus Technical, will cut through the noise and show how AI is already being used in process safety today. Using live examples from Salus projects and customer work, he will demonstrate how AI can strengthen inspection readiness, improve the quality of risk assessments, and turn incident reports into structured learning. This is not about theory or distant promises. Attendees will walk away with practical insights and clear takeaways they can apply in their own organisations to reduce the risk of major accidents.

Arrash Nekonam

Chief Technology Officer, COMET

Arrash Nekonam

Chief Technology Officer, COMET

Arrash Nekonam is the Chief Technology Officer at COMET, a cutting-edge SaaS platform transforming risk and incident management through AI-driven analytics. With over 20 years of experience in software architecture, cloud-native applications, and enterprise integrations, Arrash leads product innovation and technical strategy. A passionate technologist and founder, he bridges commercial vision with deep engineering expertise. Under his leadership, COMET delivers scalable, secure, and intelligent solutions that empower global clients to improve safety, compliance, and operational performance.

13:20 - 13:40

AI-driven data analytics – answering the ‘so what?’ question

In this thought-provoking session, Arrash will cover why traditional safety data is just the start and how AI-driven HSEQ insights can reshape an organisation's approach to managing risk. In high-risk industries, managing health, safety, environment, and quality (HSEQ) is about more than just tracking incidents and responding to immediate issues. Senior HSE leaders are increasingly tasked with understanding the bigger picture, identifying patterns that contribute to long-term safety and operational resilience. The goal goes beyond meeting regulations or reducing incident numbers. It's about creating a proactive safety culture that prevents issues before they escalate. Traditional safety systems tend to focus on data collection without digging into it to uncover deeper insights. Tracking incidents, audits, and near misses is useful, but it doesn’t tell the full story. What’s missing is the context, understanding the root causes, human factors, and recurring patterns that impact safety outcomes. Arrash’s session will show how HSEQ leaders can use new tools and technologies to add that context to their data. By moving beyond just counting incidents, organisations can uncover valuable insights that help them make better decisions, improve safety practices, and build stronger resilience.

Karin Ovari

KOL & Associates

Karin Ovari

KOL & Associates

Karin Ovari is a leadership coach and facilitator with a passion for making safety conversations easier, sharper, and more effective. With a background in high-risk industries and ocean yacht racing, she knows firsthand how personality influences the way people see danger, make decisions, and work together under pressure. Karin now works with organisations worldwide to strengthen safety culture through leadership, communication, and personality diversity.

13:40 - 14:00

Risky Business: Why Personality Matters

Do different personality styles see and manage risk differently? In this fun and interactive 20-minute session, Karin Ovari explores how our unique personality styles shape the way we perceive and respond to risk. Using the E-Colours framework, she shows how Reds, Yellows, Blues and Greens each bring strengths and blind spots to safety decisions. Expect a live poll, relatable stories, and practical insights you can take back to your team. Because when you understand how people see risk differently, you can work smarter, safer, and stronger together.

Shauni Addison

Key Account Manager, Wenaas Workwear UK

Shauni Addison

Key Account Manager, Wenaas Workwear UK

Shauni Addison is a Key Account Managers based in Aberdeen at Wenaas Workwear UK, a leading provider of class-leading protective workwear and PPE solutions. With over 11 years of experience in the PPE and workwear industry, Shauni plays a pivotal role in supporting clients within the marine sector, delivering tailored safety and workwear solutions that meet stringent industry standards.

14:00 - 14:20

"Let’s Talk Fit” PPC and PPE solutions for women in energy

We look at the challenges women face in accessing properly fitting PPC and PPE in the energy sector. From offshore platforms to workshop environments, many women still struggle to find PPC and PPE that offers the right fit, comfort and protection. In this talk we’ll explore, the barriers to accessing suitable PPE. Share real experiences from across industries and highlight what’s solutions are available now. At Wenaas, we believe PPE should be fit for purpose, designed to protect and built to keep workers confident and comfortable throughout the working day. This session is all about listening, learning, and driving change—because every voice matters. Let’s raise awareness, share insights, and work together to improve safety and inclusivity in the workplace.

The programme

The Safety Expo 2025 speakers

Chris Lemons

The Safety Expo Business Breakfast with special guest speaker Chris Lemons

Phil Balden

How Sustainability Impacts Safety and how they can work ‘Hand in Hand’

David Jamieson

Cutting through the hype: real AI applications for major accident risk

Arrash Nekonam

AI-driven data analytics – answering the ‘so what?’ question

Karin Ovari

Risky Business: Why Personality Matters

Shauni Addison

"Let’s Talk Fit” PPC and PPE solutions for women in energy

The Safety Expo 2025 exhibitors

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