Blackline Safety Corp. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Blackline Safety Corp., a global pioneer in connected safety technology, is pleased to announce the appointment of Robin Kooyman, CFA, MBA, as the company's new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective September 9, 2024. Kooyman brings 15 years of global experience in finance, capital markets, and strategic leadership, having held prominent positions with Brookfield Corporation, TD Securities, and RBC Capital Markets in Canada, the U.S., and the UK. Robin Kooyman She joins Blackline Safety from Charger Ready Properties, an energy transition business, where she served as CFO establishing the accounting, finance, IT, and legal functions. Previously, she served as CFO at Certarus, a rapidly growing North American distributor of low-carbon energy solutions. During her term, the company saw its adjusted EBITDA double and was acquired by Superior Plus for over $1 billion in 2023. Work experience Kooyman brings extensive experience in the capital markets having held positions as Head of Global Clients During her tenure as a Senior Vice President of Investor Relations at Brookfield Renewable in London, England, she played a pivotal role in boosting stock market visibility and supporting over C$1.0 billion in equity issuance. Kooyman also brings extensive experience in the capital markets having held positions as Head of Global Clients - Europe, Global Equity Sales for RBC Capital Markets, and Director of Institutional Equities at TD Securities. "I am thrilled to join Blackline Safety at this attractive inflection point in its growth story, building on its strong foundations," said Kooyman. Energy, drive, and global experience "Blackline Safety is defined by helping workers come home safely every night, and it is clear that the market opportunity is immense," added Kooyman. "I am delighted to welcome Robin to Blackline Safety as Chief Financial Officer. Robin brings the skills and experience required as we enter our next phase of expansion," said Cody Slater, CEO and Chair of Blackline, adding "Her energy, drive, and global experience will undoubtedly contribute to our financial strategy and support our mission to transform the industrial workforce." Seamless transition Mr. Slater continued, "On behalf of the Board, I would also like to acknowledge and thank Elisa Khuong for acting as Interim CFO and supporting a seamless transition." He adds, "We will continue to benefit from her extensive expertise as she resumes her role as Vice President, Accounting & Corporate Controller effective upon Robin's appointment." Kooyman's education As a CFA Charterholder and with an MBA from the London School of Business, Kooyman also brings leadership in developing sustainability strategies and establishing strong ESG credentials. In addition, she volunteers on the Board of Wood’s Homes Foundation, serves on the Limited Partner Advisory Committee (LPAC) for The 51 (Fund II), and regularly mentors women through Women in Capital Markets (VersaFi).

Blackline Safety Corp., a global pioneer in connected safety technology, has announced the launch of an international safety awards programme to recognise individuals and organisations who go above and beyond to keep their employees, communities, and the environment safe. Worker safety “Blackline’s No. 1 priority is ensuring that every worker returns home at the end of the day in the same form they arrived and that communities and the environment are protected from life-threatening situations,” said Christine Gillies, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of Blackline Safety, whose suite of safety devices are used by hundreds of fire and hazmat, oil and gas, petrochemical, food production, biotech, transportation, utilities, and water and wastewater organisations across North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. “Our goal is to recognise Blackline technology users who are aligned with our mission and have helped save lives by avoiding serious incidents or causalities in their pursuit of safety,” Gillies explained. Blackline Safety Impact Awards The Community Hero Award recognises an individual or group that has made a profound impact on their community Called the Blackline Safety Impact Awards, the first award was presented to two U.S. utility workers who saved a child’s life. The Blackline Safety Community Hero Award was awarded to Matt Overcasher and Steve Manypenny, field technicians with Columbia Gas of Ohio, at a July 29 ceremony at the utility’s training center in Gahanna, Ohio. The Community Hero Award recognises an individual or group that has made a profound impact on their community by going above and beyond to help save lives or protect the community from safety incidents. Two-way communication safety device Overcasher and Manypenny were on their way home from work in 2023 summer when they heard frantic screaming from a mother of an 18-month-old struggling to breathe. Using quick thinking, they pulled the emergency SOS latch on their Blackline two-way communication safety device and were able to get medical help dispatched within seconds. Communicating with an agent from Blackline’s 24/7 live Safety Operations Center throughout the incident, the duo was guided on what to do until EMS arrived on-site and revived the unconscious child. $10,000 donation For their heroic efforts, Overcasher and Manypenny each received a prestigious award, which also included a $10,000 donation to Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio – the winners’ charity of choice. When a child is in the hospital, as the child was in this case following the rescue, the family needs to be close. Open 365 days a year, the Ronald McDonald House helps facilitate family-centered care that fosters health and well-being for the whole family. Incident response While working in the utility industry involves risks workers are fully safety trained to react to incidents Columbia Gas of Ohio is a brand of NiSource Inc., one of the largest fully-regulated utility companies in the U.S., serving approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across six states. While working in the utility industry involves risks – from electrocution and falls to chemical exposure, fires and explosions – workers are fully safety trained to react to incidents. Layers of protection Both award winners say they have experienced emergencies before, but never one quite like this situation that involved a child. Blackline’s award-winning G6 wearable single-gas detector,  G7 personal gas detectors, and G7 EXO area gas monitors are built for extremes and the toughest conditions, with GPS-enabled location tracking providing layers of protection to ensure a critical lifeline during an emergency. Cloud-connected monitoring platform Supported by Blackline Live, the company’s powerful, cloud-connected monitoring and analytics platform, the technology enables organisations to view in real-time all their workers’ locations and gas readings in the field and configure their devices, from any Internet-connected smartphone, tablet, or computer, no matter how remote the location. Blackline Safety Impact Awards will be presented annually in a variety of award categories, including customer, channel partner, and environmental heroes, in addition to community heroes. 

Blackline Safety Corp., a global pioneer in connected safety technology, has announced that it has released the new AlertLink feature for its award-winning EXO and G7 devices. AlertLink proximity-based warning alerts increase employee safety via advance warning of potentially dangerous conditions, expediting evacuations and incident response. The company developed the feature after receiving feedback through their customer advisory panel that proximity-based warnings will enhance industrial safety. Benefits of the new feature Blackline Safety Channel partners are already seeing the benefits of the new feature. “We were excited to implement the AlertLink upgrade into our gas detection suite from Blackline, and it has impressed us. AlertLink has significantly improved the notification process for on-site personnel during high gas events, resulting in faster response times,” said Shawn Todd, American Safety Services General Manager. AlertLink enables a Blackline device to share real-time alerts with nearby workers AlertLink enables a Blackline device to share real-time alerts with nearby workers. When a device detects an event, such as high gas, gas sensor overlimit, a fall, no motion, or emergency SOS, it will immediately send a message to all devices within the defined radius—up to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) from the source device. The alert is also received by monitoring personnel, allowing companies to remotely trigger evacuations and provide exact location and situation details to emergency responders so they know what they are walking into. Blackline’s cloud-based system A major U.S. energy company headquartered in the Permian Basin provided feedback early in the development of AlertLink. “We have a number of wellsites monitored by EXO devices, and having any incidents immediately communicated to nearby workers means we can address issues such as falls and gas exposures faster, while also keeping our people safer than ever before,” said a company representative. “We know this tool will be incredibly valuable for our teams, and we’re pleased Blackline invited our feedback.” AlertLink is available for any Blackline G7 and EXO devices on monitored and self-monitored plans AlertLink is available for any Blackline G7 and EXO devices on monitored and self-monitored plans. Unlike competitor products, Blackline’s cloud-based system means G7 and EXO devices will automatically receive the AlertLink firmware update with no action required from the device user. Customers will simply need to log in to Blackline Live, the company’s cloud-based software platform, and set up their AlertLink profile to start using the new feature. Blackline’s monitoring software Designed with quick, drop-and-go deployment and built-in cellular and satellite connectivity, the EXO area monitor provides real-time data and sounds alarms both on the device itself and in Blackline’s monitoring software when it detects gas—protecting both people and the environment from hazardous situations.  The wearable G7—with features such as multi-gas detection, SOS latch, fall and no motion detection, two-way voice, and real-time connectivity—provides a critical lifeline in case of emergency.