The Hummingbird Effect: Driving Global Safety Culture at L’Oréal with Malcolm Staves

Episode Overview

In this episode of The HSE Edge, we sit down with Malcolm Stave, Global VP of Health & Safety at L’Oréal, to explore the philosophy behind one of the world’s most iconic safety cultures. Malcolm shares the powerful story of the “Hummingbird approach” that unites L’Oréal teams across 147 countries, the challenges of maintaining safety consistency across diverse geographies, and the practical steps that turn symbolic leadership into real-world action. From visible felt leadership to employee-led safety improvements, Malcolm gives us a masterclass in embedding safety into corporate DNA—without forgetting the human behind the policy.