SME News Managing Director of the Year 2025 / 22 Health & Safety Training MD of the Year 2025: Carla Crocombe Health and safety is often viewed as just compliance; Necessary, essential, yet rarely exciting. Safety Rocks is challenging that narrative with a bold, Truly Tailored® approach that inspires genuine meaningful engagement across high-risk industries. This mission is led by Carla Crocombe, an inspirational Managing Director with a reputation for reshaping how organisations approach safety, wellbeing, and performance. We heard more from Carla below, following her recent recognition in the Managing Director of the Year Awards 2025. Rocking safety since 2015, Safety Rocks is a company on a mission to revolutionise the world of health and safety training. Rather than telling individuals what they can and cannot do, Safety Rocks champions the ethos of influencing through informing, striving to nurture a positive culture and a happier workforce. The company has done away with the tick-box approach to health and safety training, instead opting to re-energise its clients’ businesses from the ground up, reshaping the culture with engaged employees who are focused on accelerating performance whilst keeping themselves and others safe and healthy. “Back in 2012, I went for a job interview, and I vividly remember the CEO asking me why somebody like me wanted to be in health and safety, because I had ‘too much energy and life’. Why would I want such a ‘boring’ job?” said Founder and Managing Director Carla Crocombe. “And this is the huge issue: health and safety is often perceived as being tedious – a necessary evil. It’s one of my core values to change that attitude. I built Safety Rocks by concentrating on the key principles of making health and safety training memorable, relevant, engaging, and – most importantly – tailored to the specific needs of the client and its market sector.” Carla’s career began with a fascination for forensic pathology, but her journey took a dynamic turn through sales, marketing, and engineering – eventually leading to technical roles in petrochemical and oil and gas industries. Her love of science and knack for communication has made her a natural fit for health and safety, where she has thrived for years. Carla has led teams, earned multiple qualifications, and has even worked across sectors and borders. Throughout her journey, healthcare has remained close to her heart, even once observing a knee-replacement surgery and leaving captivated by the precision and teamwork she witnessed. With her vast experience serving as one of her greatest assets, Carla continues to bring curiosity, depth, and drive to every challenge she faces. Today, Carla is responsible for the day-to-day running of Safety Rocks, alongside planning and setting the overall direction the company takes as it grows. She leads the company with the aim of creating a future that understands the needs of the people at its heart, putting Safety Rocks’ values at front and centre of daily culture and behaviour. Carla believes that great systems support people and has invested heavily in bespoke systems that simplify operations and increase accuracy. With this belief, Safety Rocks is ever evolving, embracing technology to ensure its solutions remain relative and responsive to the changing needs of its clientele. “The biggest piece of wisdom I could give to anyone starting out as a Managing Director would be to accept that change is just part of day-to-day life in business and if you push against it rather than go with the flow, you’ll soon be left behind,” Carla told us. “I approach each day as an opportunity to learn; my ethos is ‘every day is a school day’.” This ethos has shaped Safety Rocks’ operations since its establishment and will continue to influence its plans going forward. The company thrives on delivering agile, learner-centric programmes and works with top-tier experts to continually evolve its approach. Through 2025 and beyond, Safety Rocks will refine its operational systems and structure while expanding its influence through a multi-year partnership with Motorsport UK. This initiative focuses on educating 11-18-year-olds about risk and increasing female participation in motorsport, aiming to leave a lasting legacy and elevate risk management standards across the sector. Recently named Health and Safety Training MD of the Year 2025, Carla Crocombe continues to lead Safety Rocks with vision, energy, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. “Change and innovation is inbuilt into our organisational culture,” she concluded. “We will be working alongside some of the very best experts in the field over the coming years. We will also be looking to give our clients and partners more insight into the day-to-day of Safety Rocks’ world, to show how we achieve alignment with some of the largest organisations in the world. So, watch this space!” Contact: Carla Crocombe Company: Safety Rocks Limited Web Address: www.safetyrocks.co.uk Jul25133
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