International SOS Foundation to host ‘2024 Duty of Care Awards & Summit’ to highlight best practices in ensuring employee well-being and safety

 The International SOS Foundation has launched its 2024 Duty of Care Awards & Summit, which will take place on 31 October 2024 in Sydney, Australia.

The event gathers leading experts to discuss, debate, and share best practices while honouring organisations and individuals around the world for their dedication to protecting the health, safety, security, and wellbeing of their global workforce. As the acceleration of a changing risk environment continues to impact the ability of organisations to manage the resilience of their people and operations, the Awards’ theme remains – Leading Change for a Re-Imagined Future.

This year’s Duty of Care Summit will feature industry-leading experts to discuss topics such as AI, Climate Resilience, Geopolitical Instability, Workplace Violence, Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Travel & Mobility Trends and more.

With employees being the cornerstone of any successful business, their well-being and safety is the top priority for organisations across the world. For instance, the Middle East, which is emerging as a leading hub for global businesses and fostering innovation, has attributed higher significance to upholding the Duty of Care responsibilities. As a crucial element of operational success and resilience, businesses in the UAE and the larger Middle East are progressively implementing measures to guarantee the health, safety, and well-being of their workforce.

Since 2016, the Awards have recognised outstanding organisations and individuals ranging from large technology conglomerates, and non-profit organisations, to airlines, financial services, and manufacturing companies.

There are six award categories: Duty of Care Ambassador (individual contributor), Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG), Inclusion & Diversity, Innovation and two brand new categories, Crisis Agility & Response and Workplace Wellbeing. The Awards will be evaluated by a panel of sector-leading expert judges* and a host of internationally recognised organisations. Our shortlist will be announced by July 2024 with winners announced live at the Awards on 31 October in Sydney.

Kai Boschmann, Executive Director of the International SOS Foundation said, “As a continuously rising risk environment puts pressure on organisations and executives to uphold their Duty of Care responsibilities, the purpose of the Summit & Awards could not be more pertinent. This year’s Duty of Care events look to reimagine the future of organisational resilience to bring positive change. We are pleased to have, again this year, received a high calibre of award entries spanning the globe. This will be our first ever International SOS Foundation Duty of Care Awards & Summit in Australia, a region with strong emphasis on health, safety, and security.”

The 2024 Global Duty of Care Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• Crisis Agility & Response *NEW*
• Duty of Care Ambassador (individual contributor)
• Environmental, Social, Corporate Governance (ESG)
• Inclusion & Diversity
• Innovation
• Workplace Wellbeing *NEW*
  

  Jennifer Syed Deputy Head of Region, Asia-Pacific Adam Smith International	Dr Jennifer Sisson Dean, Faculty of Travel Medicine, Australian College of Tropical Medicine Chair, International Society of Travel Medicine’s Travel for Work		Amy Elleway Special Counsel, Lexbridge Lawyers Project Manager & Legal Counsel, National Hydrogen Regulatory Review, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Australian Government
  Kevin Zuccato Member, Forum of Australasian Security Executives (FASE) General Manager Group Security, Australian Post	Peter Koh Chair Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) APAC		Er. Ho Siong Hin President International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI)
  Franck Baron President International Federation of Risk & Insurance Management Associations (IFRIMA)	Annacel Natividad Chairperson Pan-Asia Risk and Insurance Management Association (PARIMA)		Deborah de Cerff Founder The Employee Mobility Institute (TEMI)
  Dr Rob McDonald Adjunct Professor, Monash University’s Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Advisory Council, Turner Institute for Brain & Mental Health		Neil Solomon VP, Asia-Pacific & Latin America UKG

  Duty of Care Summit:

  To preview our Summit agenda and speakers and to purchase early-bird tickets to attend, visit the event website. 

  ISO 31030 Training:

  A day before the event, on 30 October, the International SOS Foundation will be hosting its CPD-accredited ISO 31030 training course designed to provide individuals responsible for, or part of their organisations travel risk management team with the competencies necessary to enhance their travel risk management (TRM) programme. The course led by our health and security experts equip stakeholders with the practical tools necessary to develop or update their travel risk management policies to address the most pertinent risks impacting their workforce.