Mark Flanagan, CEO of Shield Safety Group, as many leaders have testified, is “a world class environmental health leader,” who “has single-handedly driven huge change,” and “clearly stands out, both as an innovator and entrepreneur.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark “made a difference on a UK-wide scale at a time of global uncertainty, panic and nervousness”, with his Safe to Trade® initiative – bringing protection and confidence to food business operators, employees and customers alike. Safe to Trade®was developed at great speed, then brought stability to a wounded hospitality sector – at a time of mass uncertainty, during which society’s hygiene and safety fears were at an all-time high. Mark’s sector leading expertise is primed to further impact, and protect, millions of people across the United Kingdom as he works with the regulator to get it accredited, so it can formally be part of office food controls. Safe to Trade® is a clear, comprehensive, assured standard. It’s the first voluntary, third-party assurance programme for the hospitality sector, designed to protect and care for the public. A standard that leads the sector, devised in collaboration with leading food business operators and regulators, implemented by independent Environmental Health Practitioners.