Sarah Thomas (Nee Bond)

Background

Sarah Bond is an experienced HSE and Human Resources professional. She has helped develop nationwide health and safety systems; made hiring decisions for national level roles and successfully helped people at all stages of their working life achieve their career goals. Sarah gained a BA/LLB at the University of Canterbury and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (HSE) from Massey University. She has worked as a safety coordinator, safety specialist and National HSE/Human Resources Manager. She has experience in a range of industries including transport, oil, manufacturing and the Department of Conservation.

She launched her consulting career in 2011 after identifying the need for professional HR/HSE coaching packages for small enterprise owners around Otago. As a surf lifeguard, professional ski patroller, outdoor instructor and volunteer St John ambulance officer, Sarah has lived and breathed safety from a young age. Her six years with the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserves also gave her advanced command and communication training. Sarah has been able to develop and deliver successful training packages because she can empathise with her clients on a personal level.

As an HSE professional, she has developed in-house hazard registers, passed external audits and managed a team of technical specialists. She has also had to recruit staff, conduct performance reviews and manage redundancy processes. Everything she designs and delivers comes from the position of someone who has been on both sides of the table. In terms of her personality profile, Sarah is outgoing and has an inclusive style of communication developed after years of regularly attending Toastmasters meetings. Her clients describe her as facilitative; however, she can be direct and hold people accountable when necessary. Along with a sense of humour, she has an innate ability to find the root cause of a problem, and guide her clients to develop a solution that is written in their own language and meets their operational needs. 

Formal Qualifications

BA - Political Science, LLB majoring in family and employment law completed in 1999 Graduated 2002

Grad Dip Bus Admin (HSE) majoring in operational health and safety 2005

NZQA Accredited Assessor Workplace Health and Safety Level 2

2014 Dip Career Guidance (Distinction) March 2014