Colleague Spotlight
Maria Leonard, Regional Health & Safety Manager
Maria's background
Hi, I’m Maria. I joined WorkNest (formerly Ellis Whittam) in 2019 as a Health & Safety Consultant and have since progressed into a Regional Health & Safety Manager, looking after a team of consultants in the South East region.
I have 30 years’ experience in health and safety field (I’m not an anorak, honestly!). Prior to my role at WorkNest, I worked in the education and construction sectors, both of which are specialist areas of mine.
As a Regional Health & Safety Manager, I’m part of the Health & Safety Senior Management Team, and no two days are the same. I love that each day is a new challenge.
As well as supporting my team, I have my own portfolio of clients that I look after, many of whom are within the education and manufacturing sectors, and I thoroughly enjoy providing practical solutions to issues they may face in relation to health and safety.
When I’m not working, I enjoy gardening and cooking (having previously trained as a chef) and spend a huge amount of time ferrying about my teenage daughter!
Maria’s qualifications and industry memberships
Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH)
Member of The Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM)
Competent Fire Risk Assessors Register (CFRAR)
Who you’ll be working with
Client stories
“
Our relationship with WorkNest is more like a supportive partnership. They treat us like peers, and yet provide extraordinary support whenever we need it. Whether it is about the challenges of working through a pandemic or building a new HR strategy, the people at WorkNest have been kind, holding our hand when that was needed (and it was!) and skilled
experts, providing guidance as we required it. We would not have managed through this last period without them, and I look forward to more of this cooperation ahead.”
