Gerald Gardiner

Executive HSE Leader with 18+ years' progressive experience across high-hazard construction, infrastructure, and petrochemical sectors in the UK and UAE. Currently leading programme-wide HSE governance, assurance, and risk management for Majid Al Futtaim's AED 15.5 billion Ghaf Woods development, driving consistency across a complex multi-package, multi-contractor delivery model. Proven track record of delivering organisational transformation through the development of enterprise-wide governance frameworks, assurance systems, performance analytics, and behaviour-led culture change programmes that measurably reduce risk exposure and improve operational performance.

A trusted advisor to executive leadership teams, recognised for influencing strategic decision-making, strengthening corporate governance, and aligning health, safety, commercial, and operational objectives with wider business priorities. Extensive experience in business resilience, crisis preparedness, organisational risk management, and the implementation of sustainable operating frameworks that enhance compliance, workforce capability, and long-term organisational performance. Combines strong technical expertise, including an MSc in Safety, Health & Environmental Management and ISO 45001/9001 Lead Auditor qualifications, with the leadership capability to drive enterprise-wide safety excellence, governance maturity, and continuous improvement across complex organisations.

Executive HSE Leader | Board Advisor | Governance & Enterprise Risk (Mace Secondee) - Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) - Ghaf Woods, Dubai, UAE

(2025-06)

Scope: Dhs 15.5Bn programme value | 16 consultant/ contractor packages | 64 direct/matrix reports

• Unified HSE controls, procedures, and assurance activity across the programme against MAF Minimum HSE Standards, Dubai Municipality Code of Construction Safety Practice, and international best practice, standardising risk assessment, permit-to-work, and emergency-readiness processes across 16 consultant/ contractor packages.
• Built incident classification models, live analytics dashboards, and structured reporting frameworks that gave leadership real-time visibility of leading indicators and cut investigation/escalation turnaround time by 50%.
• Designed a weighted HSE tender-evaluation and contractor-benchmarking methodology that raised the prequalification bar and lifted contractor compliance scores by 70% across all tiers of the supply chain.
• Led leadership-engagement and behavioural-safety coaching programmes, including senior-level walkdowns, that reduced high-potential incidents / improved observation submissions by 45%.
• Directed emergency-preparedness, crisis-response, and media-protocol readiness, running 4 drills/exercises annually with a fully compliant, coordinated response capability.

Senior HSE Manager - Mace MEA - Establishment Team, Dubai, UAE

(2024-01 - 2025-07)

Scope: 8 major workstreams | 3 projects mobilised in UAE and KSA

• Authored policies, procedures, governance structures, and RACI matrices across 8 major workstreams, giving MENA and KSA project teams within Mace one standardised HSE operating framework.
• Designed and delivered onboarding and capability-building training that lifted HSE competence across all future MENA and KSA project teams ahead of mobilisation.
• Chaired project decision-making forums and embedded stage-gate, risk-based review checkpoints that shortened approval cycle time by 20% / prevented 3 non-compliant starts.
• Led mobilisation-readiness assurance reviews, validating contractor preparedness and statutory compliance across MENA / KSA new project starts.

Senior HSE Manager (Mace Secondee) - Palm Beach Towers (Nakheel) - Dubai, UAE

(2024-01 - 2024-06)

6-month contract. Scope: 3 packages of works required HSE maturity assessment

• Ran a full HSE maturity assessment — systems, capability, leadership behaviour, and culture — across 3 packages, producing a gap-prioritised roadmap adopted by site leadership.
• Overhauled incident classification and leading-indicator tracking, reducing under-reporting by 35% / lifting near-miss submissions by 50%.
• Built a digital near-miss and observation tool that moved reporting from paper to real-time capture across.
• Delivered technical workshops on lifting operations, logistics, and temporary works oversight to 32 engineers/supervisors, reducing high-risk exposure.

Senior HSE Manager (Mace Secondee) - Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) - Tower 2, Dubai, UAE

(2023-01 - 2024-12)

Scope: 6 business units | 22 contractors

• Standardised incident reporting, investigation, and classification across all business units, reducing time-to-closure by 20% / improving reportable accuracy.
• Built a tiered HSE training matrix spanning operators to senior leadership, closing competency gaps ahead of schedule.
• Delivered integrated Power BI dashboards and a corporate reporting calendar, cutting KPI-consolidation time by 75% and giving MAF senior management real-time indicator visibility.
• Advised MAF executive leadership on safety governance, feeding directly into MAF committee and board-level oversight mechanism / corporate risk framework.

Head / Senior HSE Manager (Mace Secondee) - National Grid - London Power Tunnels, London, UK

(2020-01 - 2023-12)

Scope: £1Bn | 12 contractors | Major landmarks in London

• Directed the development and execution of HSE strategy across complex, multi-contractor operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and the achievement of organisational safety objectives.
• Championed a positive safety culture through the leadership of behavioural safety initiatives, executive SHEQ governance forums, and workforce engagement programmes that drove measurable improvements in performance and accountability.
• Provided strategic assurance through the oversight of audits, enterprise risk assessments, and independent compliance reviews, strengthening governance frameworks and supporting informed executive decision-making.

Head of Health and Safety - Trant Engineering - UK

(2014-01 - 2020-12)

Scope: £600m+ | 6 business units | UK's major oil/ gas/ power and pharmaceutical industries

• Led a multi-disciplinary SHEQ function providing strategic leadership, governance and assurance across six business units, supporting operational delivery, business growth and workforce safety performance throughout the organisation.
• Served as principal advisor to the Board and Executive Leadership Team on enterprise risk, regulatory compliance, corporate governance and organisational resilience, presenting performance, emerging risks and strategic improvement initiatives.
• Developed and implemented the company's long-term SHEQ strategy, transforming assurance, reporting and leadership engagement processes to create a more proactive and risk-focused operating model across all business units.
• Directed a team of regional HSE professionals, advisors, auditors and trainers, establishing competency frameworks, succession planning arrangements and leadership development programmes to strengthen organisational capability.
• Managed annual SHEQ operational budgets, training programmes, external assurance activities and improvement initiatives, ensuring effective allocation of resources whilst delivering measurable business value and regulatory compliance.
• Led corporate certification and assurance programmes, maintaining ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 standards whilst successfully managing Achilles, ISNetworld assessments, strengthening client confidence and market competitiveness.
• Partnered with commercial and bid teams during major tender submissions and framework renewals, providing strategic SHEQ input that supported business development, client confidence and successful contract awards across multiple sectors.
• Established enterprise-level governance frameworks, performance scorecards and executive reporting systems, improving visibility of organisational risk and enabling data-driven decision making at Board level.
• Directed investigations into significant incidents and high-potential events, ensuring effective root cause analysis, organisational learning and implementation of sustainable corrective actions across the business.
• Led crisis management, business continuity and emergency preparedness programmes, enhancing organisational resilience and ensuring readiness across multiple operational locations and high-risk environments.
• Championed behavioural safety and safety culture transformation initiatives, increasing workforce engagement, strengthening leadership visibility and embedding accountability for safety performance at all organisational levels.

HSE Advisor → Manager → Regional Manager - JOP Ltd - UK (Petrochemical Industry)

(2006-01 - 2014-12)

Scope: £100m+ | responsible for producing approximately 20% of the UK's transportation fuels

• Led Health, Safety and Process Safety performance at the Valero Pembroke Refinery, providing strategic oversight within one of Europe's major high-hazard energy operations and ensuring the safe execution of complex refinery activities.
• Developed extensive expertise in high-risk industrial risk management, process safety, contractor control, emergency preparedness, and regulatory compliance within refinery and petrochemical environments.
• Directed engagement with senior operational leaders, contractors, regulators, and specialist engineering teams, ensuring effective coordination of safety-critical activities and the delivery of operational excellence across complex petrochemical operations.

MSc - Safety, Health & Environmental Management - University of South Wales (2018-01)