Craig Taylor serves as the director of global safety compliance at The Estée Lauder Cos. (ELC), one of the world’s largest manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products. One of Taylor’s favorite—and most important—parts of his role is developing relationships with people.
Headquartered in New York City, ELC had approximately 62,000 employees worldwide as of June 30. The company’s products are sold in about 150 countries and territories under various brand names. Taylor joined ELC in March 2023 and works remotely out of the U.K. He is in charge of providing safety compliance guidance and support to ELC colleagues within the supply chain, R&D, and commercial sides of the business.
Overall, Taylor has been a safety professional for more than 20 years, and he has proudly earned CMIOSH and PIEMA designations. To learn more about Taylor and his take on industry issues, please read the Faces of EHS interview below:
Q: How did you get your start in the field?
Back in the early 2000s, I was working as a youth worker for a local youth club for teenagers. During this time, the youth club manager needed someone to pick up the routine checks of the fire extinguishers and fire alarm call points, etc. I said, “I will have a go at that,” and it all started from there. The following year I did my National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) certificate, and the rest is history. It has been one of the best career decisions I made.
Q: Who has been your biggest influence in the EHS industry, and why?
A senior EHS leader I worked for many years ago gave me some good coaching and mentoring. He gave me my first experience with global travel/auditing, and I am forever thankful. He also gave me some great advice that I still use today:
- Don’t take things too personally.
- If you want to get on, keep your head down and do your job—it worked, and was great advice.
Q: What are some of the biggest EHS issues at your organization?
One of the common challenges is managing our global workforce effectively. We focus on optimizing processes and leveraging our team’s strengths to address EHS issues efficiently.
Q: What’s your favorite and least favorite part about working in the industry? Would you change anything?
Favorite: Having the opportunity to travel to different parts of the world and meet EHS people who see things differently and being able to share this new knowledge with other sites that I visit.
Least favorite: Dealing with and reading accident information and knowing this is happening to people.
Q: What are your thoughts on safety culture? How can company leaders make safety a value within their organization?
Safety culture programs seem to be very popular at the moment and, when done correctly, can have a huge impact on both the organization’s safety performance and engagement in safety. However, leadership is the key. If you don’t have the commitment and support at the very top of the organization, it will gain no momentum and have little impact. I have also seen great results with safety culture when a company adopts a “just culture,” where recognition and accountability have an equal place.
Q: What safety concerns or issues do you think need more prioritization in EHS programs?
I have found over time that there is great benefit in ensuring that any safety program has the right level of support, leadership, and resources from the outset. Too many safety programs fail or struggle to make change without having these in place. Also, I have seen great value to an organization in having a solid audit and governance program. Having the right internal checks and balances is essential if, as an organization, you want to know what is really happening out there and where you should place your focus.
Q: Do you have any advice for people entering the EHS profession?
Appreciate that developing relationships with people is just as important as the technical side. I’ve found this to be key in being a successful EHS professional. Find your style and use it.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
I volunteer as a panel member for the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) interviewing candidates going for their chartered H&S status. I’ve been doing this for a few years, and I have found it to be a great learning experience. I have the opportunity to talk with safety professionals all over the world, from advisors through to managers and directors.
Are you or a colleague an EHS professional interested in being profiled for the Faces of EHS series? Please contact Joe Bebon at JBebon@BLR.com.