Nada Wentzel
CEO
Jonah Group
Nada is passionate about understanding human behaviour and driving cultural change for high performance and reduced harm. With 25 years of global experience in oil, gas, mining, and power, she began as an offshore engineer with ExxonMobil before leading HSE teams and advising executives on strategic safety leadership. Holding a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in NeuroLeadership, she partners with organisations to design impactful safety strategies. Nada has worked with CitiPower, Energex, Orica, BHP, and more.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Leadership
ESG and Governance
Forum 28 | Digital Poster Plaza 5
29
April
11:30
13:30
UTC+3
In high-risk industries such as energy, where precision, regulation, and human reliability are paramount, incidents are often attributed to human error. Common post-incident reflections—like “What were they thinking?”—assume that workers were consciously and logically making decisions at the time. Neuroscience tells a different story.
This session introduces the concept of Limbic Risk—the risk that emerges when the brain’s emotional and unconscious systems override logical thinking. Our brains are evolutionarily wired to conserve energy and respond to threat. As such, much of our daily behavior is driven not by deliberate reasoning, but by the automatic processes of the Limbic System, especially under stress, fatigue, or routine conditions. This default to “autopilot” behavior is a major, yet often invisible, contributor to safety incidents.
As energy operations become more technically advanced and organizational systems more robust, the remaining margin of risk increasingly lies in the human factor. This presentation explores:
Why inattention and unconscious behavior are not anomalies, but normal functions of the brain.
How experienced workers become particularly vulnerable to Limbic Risk due to overfamiliarity with tasks.
The neuroscience behind complacency and normalization of deviation.
How emotional states—such as pressure, distraction, and irritation—suppress logical brain function and increase risk.
Grounded in the latest cognitive science, this session offers practical solutions for leaders and safety professionals in the energy sector. These include design strategies for work systems that account for human cognitive limitations, training methods that reinforce conscious risk scanning, and leadership practices that create environments where the brain is more likely to engage the rational Prefrontal Cortex.
As the energy sector faces evolving challenges—from automation to mental health, from aging workforces to increasingly complex risk landscapes—this presentation equips industry leaders with a neuroscience-informed framework to proactively manage human error. Understanding Limbic Risk is not just about reacting to incidents; it’s about designing safer systems, improving situational awareness, and shaping a culture that truly aligns with how the human brain functions under pressure.
This session introduces the concept of Limbic Risk—the risk that emerges when the brain’s emotional and unconscious systems override logical thinking. Our brains are evolutionarily wired to conserve energy and respond to threat. As such, much of our daily behavior is driven not by deliberate reasoning, but by the automatic processes of the Limbic System, especially under stress, fatigue, or routine conditions. This default to “autopilot” behavior is a major, yet often invisible, contributor to safety incidents.
As energy operations become more technically advanced and organizational systems more robust, the remaining margin of risk increasingly lies in the human factor. This presentation explores:
Why inattention and unconscious behavior are not anomalies, but normal functions of the brain.
How experienced workers become particularly vulnerable to Limbic Risk due to overfamiliarity with tasks.
The neuroscience behind complacency and normalization of deviation.
How emotional states—such as pressure, distraction, and irritation—suppress logical brain function and increase risk.
Grounded in the latest cognitive science, this session offers practical solutions for leaders and safety professionals in the energy sector. These include design strategies for work systems that account for human cognitive limitations, training methods that reinforce conscious risk scanning, and leadership practices that create environments where the brain is more likely to engage the rational Prefrontal Cortex.
As the energy sector faces evolving challenges—from automation to mental health, from aging workforces to increasingly complex risk landscapes—this presentation equips industry leaders with a neuroscience-informed framework to proactively manage human error. Understanding Limbic Risk is not just about reacting to incidents; it’s about designing safer systems, improving situational awareness, and shaping a culture that truly aligns with how the human brain functions under pressure.
As organisations strive to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance principles into corporate frameworks, human reliability emerges as a critical yet often overlooked factor. Is it the key to sustainable business success, or just another industry trend?
Ask a room of CEOs and executives to define human reliability, and the responses vary—ranging from human factors, efficiency, competence, and procedures to culture and governance. The lack of a common definition or proven methodology leads to fragmented approaches, often borrowing from other industries with mixed success.
The Jonah Group convened a forum of executives from high-hazard industries to explore human reliability. This presentation shares key insights, challenges, and best practices uncovered in that discussion. It argues for a human-centric, multidimensional approach—acknowledging that humans are inherently fallible, and that effective governance must account for human error.
By embedding human reliability into ESG frameworks, organisations can enhance safety, transparency, and accountability, ultimately strengthening corporate reputation and performance. This session will provide practical strategies to bridge the gap between ESG commitments and real-world execution.
Ask a room of CEOs and executives to define human reliability, and the responses vary—ranging from human factors, efficiency, competence, and procedures to culture and governance. The lack of a common definition or proven methodology leads to fragmented approaches, often borrowing from other industries with mixed success.
The Jonah Group convened a forum of executives from high-hazard industries to explore human reliability. This presentation shares key insights, challenges, and best practices uncovered in that discussion. It argues for a human-centric, multidimensional approach—acknowledging that humans are inherently fallible, and that effective governance must account for human error.
By embedding human reliability into ESG frameworks, organisations can enhance safety, transparency, and accountability, ultimately strengthening corporate reputation and performance. This session will provide practical strategies to bridge the gap between ESG commitments and real-world execution.
