From leadership and decision-making to human behaviour and organisational culture, Rethink: Curiosity, Rethink HSEQ’s latest leadership event, brought professionals together to explore why curiosity is one of the profession’s most valuable skills.
What role does curiosity play in effective HSEQ leadership?
That was the question at the heart of Rethink: Curiosity, where HSEQ professionals from across a wide range of industries gathered at Guildhall, London for the first event since the relaunch of the Rethink HSEQ.
The day encouraged attendees to step away from the demands of everyday work to reflect, challenge assumptions and explore how curiosity can strengthen leadership, improve decision-making and influence organisational culture.
Through expert-led sessions and practical discussions, attendees left with fresh perspectives, practical ideas and plenty to take back to their own organisations.
Curiosity in practice.
The programme featured engaging sessions from Susie Edwards, Leadership Coach and Director of WonderIf, Nick Skinner, Behaviour Change Consultant, and Clare Inkster, Human Curiosity & Insight Consultant.
Together, they explored curiosity through the lens of leadership, human behaviour and decision-making, sharing practical techniques and real-world experiences that challenged attendees to think differently about the way they lead, communicate and influence others.
Hosted by Oliver Sanandres, the event also featured his reflections on how curiosity has shaped his organisation’s health and safety transformation, reinforcing its value as a practical leadership tool.
“It was nice to be able to create some space for reflection on this key enabler topic which is ‘front & centre’ of our H&S Transformation”.
Beyond the presentations, the day also created space for open discussion, networking and the exchange of ideas.
Why it resonated.
One message emerged consistently throughout the day: curiosity isn’t simply a personal trait – it’s a leadership capability. Reflecting on the event, Ronnie David, Health and Safety Advisor at the Francis Crick Institute, shared:
"My key takeaway was that curiosity is a skill that helps us ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and create space for innovation and learning. In health and safety, it's easy to focus on compliance and process, but real progress often starts with curiosity: understanding why things happen, listening to others, and being open to change."
Those reflections were echoed by Rashad Issa, Chair of the CQI, who captured one of the day’s central themes perfectly:
"Curiosity in HSEQ isn't a soft skill. It's a decision-making one."
Together, these reflections reinforce an important message: while technical expertise remains fundamental, creating environments where people feel able to ask questions, challenge assumptions and learn from different perspectives is equally important in building stronger teams and better organisations.
Building a community beyond curiosity.
Rethink: Curiosity marked an important milestone for Rethink HSEQ.
The day demonstrated the value of bringing HSEQ professionals together to explore the leadership, behavioural and communication skills that complement technical expertise and help shape the future of the profession.
Shona Paterson, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Rethink HSEQ, said:
"Rethink: Curiosity was exactly what we hoped it would be – a day where HSEQ professionals could come together to challenge thinking, share experiences and learn from one another. I'd like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions, helping make the event such a success. Thank you also to our fantastic speakers. The response to our first event since relaunching Rethink HSEQ has been incredibly encouraging, and we're already looking ahead to what's next. Invitations for our next event, Rethink: Impact, will be released in mid-July, and we look forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces as our community continues to grow."
Continue the conversation: Rethink Membership.
Rethink: Curiosity demonstrated the value of bringing HSEQ professionals together to challenge thinking, share experiences and learn from each other.
Rethink HSEQ Membership has been created to continue those conversations, giving members access to exclusive events, expert-led learning, practical resources and a growing community of HSEQ professionals committed to developing the skills that drive real impact.
Membership benefits:
- Early access and 30% discount on future Rethink HSEQ events
- An annual MAPP Assessment
- Expert-led learning sprints and quarterly member sessions
- Practical tools, templates and resources
- A growing network of HSEQ professionals committed to learning and continuous improvement
