Martin B. Stern, MPH, CIH
Lifetime Achievement Award NomineeNominated for: Lifetime Achievement Award
Title: Vice President, Global EHS
Company: Colgate-Palmolive Co.
Years in Profession: 38
Nominator: Natasha Porter, Chief Customer Officer & Co-Founder Benchmark, Gensuite® - Professional collaborator and partner
Title: Vice President, Global EHS
Company: Colgate-Palmolive Co.
Years in Profession: 38
Nominator: Natasha Porter, Chief Customer Officer & Co-Founder Benchmark, Gensuite® - Professional collaborator and partner
Provide an overview of the Nominee's 20-plus years of professional experience, including previous management positions held, current role, and key accomplishments. (500 word max.)*
Marty Stern is a highly strategic and results-driven EHS executive with over 35 years of experience in the field. He began his career in 1988 as an Associate Scientist before moving to AT&T, where he served as an EHS Manager and helped establish compliance assurance strategies. In 1999, Marty joined the Colgate-Palmolive Company, progressively advancing through multiple management & leadership positions including Corporate Occupational Health & Safety Manager, North America Division EHS Manager, Associate Director of EHS Americas, and Director of Health & Safety. Uniquely, he also served as an Operations Manager for a 250-employee manufacturing plant, giving him direct operational leadership experience.
Currently, Marty serves as Vice President, Global EHS at Colgate-Palmolive, a role he has held since October 2023. In this capacity, he leads global EHS and Supply Chain Sustainability strategies and data programs. His key accomplishments include leading a global safety strategy transition that resulted in a 75% reduction in serious incidents. He also pioneered the company's EHS digital transformation, successfully directing the transition to a new software platform, leveraging AI tools to simplify work streams, and served as a leader for the Company's Crisis Management Team during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring global business continuity and employee safety.
Currently, Marty serves as Vice President, Global EHS at Colgate-Palmolive, a role he has held since October 2023. In this capacity, he leads global EHS and Supply Chain Sustainability strategies and data programs. His key accomplishments include leading a global safety strategy transition that resulted in a 75% reduction in serious incidents. He also pioneered the company's EHS digital transformation, successfully directing the transition to a new software platform, leveraging AI tools to simplify work streams, and served as a leader for the Company's Crisis Management Team during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring global business continuity and employee safety.
Please list a minimum of two examples that demonstrate the Nominee's distinguished service and leadership within the fields of environment, health, safety, and/or sustainability at the corporate management level. Examples may include: Company or industry-related recognition and awards, board appointments, publications, public-speaking engagements, and relevant service or volunteer positions. (500 word max.)*
1. Integrating Human & Organizational Performance (HOP): At the corporate leadership level, Marty successfully drove a cultural paradigm shift across the global organization by implementing HOP principles. He led the organization away from traditional safety mindsets, shifting the narrative from asking ""WHO failed"" to asking ""WHAT failed"". By establishing global critical risk standards, he mandated that sites prioritize fail-safe, higher-level controls—such as elimination and engineering—rather than relying on perfect human behavior.
2. Defining the Colgate Serious Incident and Fatality (SIF) Prevention Strategy: Marty fundamentally reshaped Colgate’s approach to prioritize the prevention of fatal and serious incidents. He executed a global initiative to transition from traditional lagging indicators to a focus on SIF exposure reduction, specifically tracking the percentage of potential SIFs (pSIFs) that are effectively controlled versus those that remain uncontrolled. By utilizing data-driven insights to identify these high-risk areas, he ensured that organizational resources were directed toward mitigating the most critical risks, resulting in a significant reduction in serious incidents across the enterprise.
2. Defining the Colgate Serious Incident and Fatality (SIF) Prevention Strategy: Marty fundamentally reshaped Colgate’s approach to prioritize the prevention of fatal and serious incidents. He executed a global initiative to transition from traditional lagging indicators to a focus on SIF exposure reduction, specifically tracking the percentage of potential SIFs (pSIFs) that are effectively controlled versus those that remain uncontrolled. By utilizing data-driven insights to identify these high-risk areas, he ensured that organizational resources were directed toward mitigating the most critical risks, resulting in a significant reduction in serious incidents across the enterprise.
Identify and define the Nominee's impact on company performance. Outline pertinent EHS&S initiatives and/or programs. Provide measurement of impact through metrics or KPIs. (500 word max.)*
Marty’s leadership fundamentally transformed the safety approach, and ultimately performance, at Colgate-Palmolive. His most significant impact was a 75% reduction in serious incidents globally, achieved while simultaneously maintaining performance on traditional incident metrics - ‘the fundamentals.’
Under his guidance, the organization transitioned away from relying solely on lagging indicators (like TRR), instead embedding new KPIs including ASTM Level 1 & 2 rates, Serious Incident and Fatality (SIF) incidents, and the percentage of potential SIFs (pSIFs) controlled. Relevant programmatic impacts include:
Under his guidance, the organization transitioned away from relying solely on lagging indicators (like TRR), instead embedding new KPIs including ASTM Level 1 & 2 rates, Serious Incident and Fatality (SIF) incidents, and the percentage of potential SIFs (pSIFs) controlled. Relevant programmatic impacts include:
- Mobile Equipment Risk Reduction: Initiated a program to install active collision-avoidance systems on forklifts, with a KPI target of having 100% of forklift trucks equipped with collision avoidance by year-end 2027.
- Working at Heights: Executed a multi-year initiative to definitively eliminate fixed and portable ladders, replacing them with fail-safe alternatives like crossovers and engineered ground-level access systems for tankers. To date over 500 ladders have been removed or replaced.
Describe the Nominee's leadership style and provide examples of their commitment to expanding the influence of EHS&S professionals. (500 word max.)*
Marty’s leadership style is characterized by systemic resilience, psychological safety, and cross-functional integration. He believes that workers are masters at adaptive problem-solving and actively drives engagement between leadership and the shop floor. To bridge the ""Black Line-Blue Line"" gap between how work is designed versus performed, he championed ""Learning Teams"" to foster psychological safety. This leadership style engages workers using targeted questioning to collaboratively brainstorm systemic solutions rather than assigning blame.
Marty is deeply committed to expanding the influence of EHS professionals by proving that safety is a driver for overall business excellence. He successfully integrated HOP principles directly into the company’s broader Operational Excellence (OPEX), Quality, and Factory Performance & Reliability (FP&R) systems, elevating EHS from an isolated function to an inextricably linked pillar of operational efficiency. Furthermore, when he developed a virtual EHS auditing strategy during his tenure as Worldwide Director, he actively expanded EHS influence by sharing these strategic learnings and methodologies with other functional teams across the enterprise.
Marty is deeply committed to expanding the influence of EHS professionals by proving that safety is a driver for overall business excellence. He successfully integrated HOP principles directly into the company’s broader Operational Excellence (OPEX), Quality, and Factory Performance & Reliability (FP&R) systems, elevating EHS from an isolated function to an inextricably linked pillar of operational efficiency. Furthermore, when he developed a virtual EHS auditing strategy during his tenure as Worldwide Director, he actively expanded EHS influence by sharing these strategic learnings and methodologies with other functional teams across the enterprise.
Provide two examples of Nominee's commitment to industry advancements or lifelong learning. Examples may include: Continuing education, corporate or university teaching, patents, strategic initiatives, breakthrough program development, and other definable actions. (500 word max.)*
1. Industry Leadership and Advisory Roles: Mr. Stern demonstrates a profound commitment to advancing the EHS profession on a global scale through extensive board and advisory work. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Conference Board's Chief EHS Officer’s Forum (June 2021 - present). Additionally, he is a Steering Committee Member for the NSC-ORCHSE Executive Business Issues Forum, an advisory panelist for HSE North America, and serves on advisory boards for Chubb Global Risk Advisors and Benchmark-Gensuite.
2. Lifelong Academic and Professional Dedication: Mr. Stern has maintained rigorous professional credentials throughout his career. He holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Occupational and Environmental Health from UMDNJ-Rutgers and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Hygiene/Environmental Toxicology from Clarkson University. He actively maintains his status as a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and is a dedicated professional member of the AIHA, ASSP, and IAPC, showcasing a lifelong commitment to the highest technical standards of the profession.
2. Lifelong Academic and Professional Dedication: Mr. Stern has maintained rigorous professional credentials throughout his career. He holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Occupational and Environmental Health from UMDNJ-Rutgers and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Hygiene/Environmental Toxicology from Clarkson University. He actively maintains his status as a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and is a dedicated professional member of the AIHA, ASSP, and IAPC, showcasing a lifelong commitment to the highest technical standards of the profession.