Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council announced the appointment of Mark Baker as vice president, workplace, for the nonprofit safety organization. Baker will join NSC on Sept. 8 from Hyatt, where he serves as global director of workplace safety and vice president of global risk. He will work from NSC headquarters in suburban Chicago.
“Mark has more than 30 years’ experience leading and developing successful global, safety-related business organizations,” said Lorraine M. Martin, NSC president and CEO. “He has a rich depth of experience with a successful track record in workplace safety and risk management, as well as captive insurance business leadership. He is a significant addition to our team to help extend our workplace safety offerings – including enhancements to products, training services and thought leadership – to drive more opportunities to fulfill our mission of eliminating preventable deaths and injuries.”
In his role as vice president, workplace, Baker will be responsible for leading membership, thought leadership and workplace product offerings at NSC. For members, he will focus on increasing value and engagement for the Council’s more than 15,000 member organizations. Baker will oversee the Campbell Institute and Work to Zero programs, along with workplace research, to drive workplace safety thought leadership. He also will be responsible for NSC workplace products and services, including the COVID-19-related SAFER (Safe Actions for Employee Returns) initiative, as well as drive enhancements to workplace safety products and training services. Additionally, he will be responsible for the launch of NSC Marketplace, a new customer portal for safety products and services.
At Hyatt, Baker focused on strategically managing workplace safety and risk management impacting Hyatt’s portfolio of hotels and colleagues globally. He also developed and ran Hyatt’s captive insurance business. Baker’s accomplishments to improve workplace safety included using data-driven analytics and effective program management. He also helped establish new workplace recommendations for COVID-19 that included support to stabilize, recreate and prepare for a new normal in the workplace.
Previously, Baker held risk management leadership positions in the automobile industry for eight years, serving roles at TRW Automotive Inc. and Delphi Inc., both in Michigan. Prior to that, he held positions in legal, accounting and audit roles at Kohl Secrest, Chas. Levy Company and Sears Roebuck and Co.
Baker earned his J.D. at University of Detroit School of Law and B.A. in business administration and history from Alma College. He is a member of the state bar of Michigan. He also earned Associate in Risk Management designation from the Insurance Institute of America and OSHA 30-hour Safety Certification, and he is an adjunct professor at DePaul University Driehaus College of Business. He has broad involvement with many risk management associations, including Spencer Foundation Risk Manager in Residence, Risk and Insurance Management Society (Detroit Chapter past president) and M200 Association.
“I’m thrilled to join NSC, where I can merge my passion for safety and risk management with my strategic business background to help build NSC to be the authority in workplace safety,” Baker said. “Throughout my career, I have demonstrated my passion for keeping workers safe, and I will bring that commitment to NSC as we work to eliminate preventable injuries and deaths in the workplace.”
NSC partnered with Koya Leadership Partners, the executive recruiting firm that specializes in mission-driven searches, on the comprehensive national search that resulted in Baker’s recruitment.
About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.
