In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Dr Frank L. Douglas shares his remarkable journey from growing up in Guyana to breaking barriers in the global pharmaceutical industry. A distinguished physician, scientist and author, Dr Douglas opens up about the discrimination he faced early in his career and how those experiences shaped his philosophy of reframing challenges into opportunities. He takes us behind the scenes of his time at Xerox and the boardrooms of top pharmaceutical companies, offering a deeply personal perspective on resilience, leadership and systemic change.

Dr Douglas introduces his reframing methodology and the Equity Inclusion and Individual Engagement principle that underpins his work today. With reflections on history civil rights and the current climate for DEI, he offers urgent insights into why the pendulum of progress feels like it is swinging backwards and what leaders can do to shift it forward again. This is a conversation about identity courage and the power of contribution over control one that will leave you questioning how you lead and what legacy you want to create.

In this episode, Mark McBride-Wright sits down with Iain McKechnie to explore the human side of engineering, where values like safety, care, and inclusion take centre stage. Drawing on years of experience across academia and industry, Iain shares stories of mentorship, bold career shifts, and the importance of designing systems not just for efficiency, but for the people who use them. From assembling diverse teams to embedding reliability into service-based models, the conversation invites listeners to reimagine what leadership in engineering can and should look like.

Together, Mark and Iain unpack how curiosity, empathy, and a commitment to impact can reshape the way we approach engineering challenges. Whether it's rethinking physical assets as services or ensuring that no one gets left behind in the design process, this episode offers practical insight for professionals, educators, and future engineers alike. Tune in for a powerful reflection on building better systems, and a better profession, from the inside out.

In this episode, I sit down with Karen Aitchison, Global Head of Wellbeing and Partner at ERM, who brings heart, humour and honesty to the centre of the workplace conversation. From tackling imposter syndrome to rethinking how curiosity can drive stronger connections, Karen shares deeply personal insights and practical tools for creating cultures where people feel safe to show up as themselves. We explore how understanding the brain and human behaviour can shift leadership from reactive to reflective, and why wellbeing is no longer a nice-to-have but a vital governance issue.

Whether you're navigating fear-based decision making or striving to lead with authenticity, this episode will leave you inspired to act with greater intention. Tune in to hear how engineers can apply the same curiosity they have for problems to the people around them, and why being remembered as an authentic soul who helped others grow is the ultimate legacy.