For years, the Workplace Health & Safety Show has been a place where people come together to learn, challenge thinking and improve how work is done across Australia. But the conversations that matter most do not start and end on the show floor. They happen every day in workplaces, leadership meetings, site offices and quiet one-on-one moments.
That is why we are proud to introduce the WHS Show Safety Ambassadors.
This program brings together respected professionals who are already shaping safer, healthier and more human workplaces. People who do not just talk about safety, but live it, challenge it and improve it through real-world experience.
Our ambassadors are the human connection between the WHS Show and the wider industry. They extend the reach of the event into communities, organisations and conversations that paid campaigns never could.
Why now?
Workplace health and safety is changing. Psychosocial risk, mental health, leadership accountability and culture are now front and centre. These issues cannot be solved with checklists alone. They require trust, credibility and lived understanding.
The WHS Show Ambassador Program exists to support that shift. Ambassadors help amplify important conversations, share practical insight and encourage meaningful participation in the show. They also help shape what the WHS Show becomes in the years ahead.
Meet our safety ambassadors
Each ambassador brings a different lens, shaped by their career, their lived experience and the people they work with every day.
Amanda Anderson is a mental health ambassador and trauma-informed practitioner who believes change does not come from fixing people, but from changing how they experience the lives they already have. With more than 20 years of experience across mental health, NLP and workplace wellbeing, Amanda brings empathy, honesty and depth to conversations many workplaces still struggle to have.
Mike Hagan brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across public and private sectors, including high-risk and complex industries. As an HR and WHS consultant and mental health advocate, Mike is focused on prevention. His work centres on helping organisations build the internal capability, behaviours and processes that reduce psychosocial risk before harm occurs.
Rae Bonney OAM works at the intersection of workplace psychosocial safety and men’s and boys’ health. Her work spans counselling, crisis response, organisational strategy and policy influence, particularly in male-dominated and high-risk industries. In 2025, Rae was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to mental health. She sees this recognition as a platform to push for better outcomes, not just recognition of past work. Rae is known for asking a simple but powerful question, “What does it feel like, being you, today?”
Tarek Farhat is an award-winning HSEQ consultant specialising in ISO-aligned safety, quality and environmental management systems. With extensive experience across construction and trade sectors, Tarek is known for delivering practical, tailored solutions that work in the real world. His focus is on helping organisations build strong systems that support both compliance and performance.
Scott Reardon
Scott Reardon is a Paralympic gold medallist, entrepreneur and keynote speaker specialising in workplace safety and resilience. After losing his right leg in a farming accident at age 12, Scott went on to win four national championships and Paralympic medals. Today, he shares powerful, practical insights on safety, leadership and overcoming adversity, shaped by lived experience.
Alanna Ball
Alanna Ball is a recognised leader in health and safety, known for her people-first approach and commitment to equality and change. With experience spanning corporate HR to high-risk, remote environments, Alanna empowers professionals to bring their best selves to work. She is also the founder of a growing community of health and safety professionals across Australia and New Zealand.
Kurt Warren
Kurt Warren is a safety executive with 25 years’ experience across high-risk industries including construction, engineering, aviation, defence and rail. Currently Head of HSEQ&S at Hansen Yuncken, Kurt brings a strong business focus to safety leadership, supported by advisory and governance roles across industry and education.
Patrizia Cassanti
International award-winning workplace safety advocate and founder of the Touched by Christopher Foundation and Let’s Talk About Safety. Patrizia is dedicated to driving accountability in worker safety, empowering people to speak up, and creating lasting change through advocacy, lived experience and leadership.
Scott Barber
Purpose-driven strategic leader with over 20 years’ experience driving cultural change, advocacy and brand transformation across high-risk and regulated sectors. Scott brings clarity, strategy and strong storytelling to connect vision with action and people with purpose.
Dr. Georgi Toma
Psychosocial risk and workplace wellbeing specialist, and founder of HeartBrain Works. Dr. Toma helps organisations build mentally healthy workplaces through evidence-based psychosocial risk management, leadership capability and practical culture interventions.
Building a year-round community
The Workplace Health & Safety Show runs across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, but its impact is year-round. The Ambassador Program is a key part of that ongoing connection. It keeps conversations alive between events and strengthens the sense that the WHS Show is not just an exhibition, but a community.
We are proud to be working alongside this first group of ambassadors and look forward to growing the program over time. Because safer, healthier workplaces are built by people. And real change starts with trusted voices leading the way.
