A Walk on the Safe Side

A sitting CEO's guide to making safety a strategic leadership advantage

In A Walk on the Safe Side: Leading with Science in an Uncertain World, Jennifer F. Scanlon, President and CEO of UL Solutions, a leading global safety science organization, states that "innovation without safety is failure." That's what makes safety a critical leadership responsibility-protecting a company's brands, reputation and financial strength. Scanlon shows how leaders can evaluate and address risks amid increasing complexity and fast-paced developments, across AI, cybersecurity, data privacy, supply chains, industrial and consumer products and more.

A Walk on the Safe Side offers an insider's perspective from the helm of UL Solutions, the iconic organization descended from Underwriters Laboratories whose century-long legacy of testing and certification has provided assurance and certification for billions of products in the marketplace. Scanlon addresses how potential risks grow more numerous as leaders drive continuous improvement at a scale and pace that determines competitive advantage, providing a framework for safety-first decision-making.

Readers will also discover:

• How to elevate safety from an operational concern to a C-suite strategic imperative that builds trust and competitive advantage
• Practical approaches for leading through uncertainty by grounding organizational decisions in safety science, transparency, and rigorous standards
• Strategies for managing emerging risks in AI, cybersecurity, data privacy, and environmental protection
• Personal and professional insights drawn from Scanlon's two-time tenure as a CEO, leading both USG Corporation's international expansion and UL Solutions' successful 2024 IPO on the NYSE
• A leadership philosophy that treats safety as the currency of assurance, reflecting the highest responsibility organizations owe their stakeholders

A Walk on the Safe Side is written for business leaders, executives, and professionals, providing a roadmap for navigating risk, building trust, and driving growth while maintaining the highest standards of responsibility and transparency.