Adam Miklos
Vice President, Health, Safety, and Environment
International Paper
Embracing the Exceptional: Creating Breakthrough Cultural Inflection Points
Co-presented with David Musgrave
Most organizations can point to “good” safety performance. Some can even claim “great.” But making the leap to exceptional—the kind that sustainably hold up under pressure, survive change, where teams live company guiding principles that protect them—this requires more than another initiative. It requires precision: in leadership attention, in the metrics that guide decisions, and in the actions that create real traction where the work safely happens.
In this action-planning breakout, Adam Miklos, VP HSE International Paper, a global leader in packaging solutions, will be joined by David Musgrave, Global Head of Thought Leadership & Innovation in DEKRA North America’s Consulting & Training practice, a global leader in safety and organizational transformation. Together they will share a candid, practical playbook for creating inflection points—moments where safety and culture improvements don’t just emerge but rather are catalyzed purposefully and proactively.
Together they’ll explore with the group how to move beyond broad commitments and rather into the specific decisions, actions, and rigor that builds durable culture and its performance output—especially when organizational inertia, “status quo” thinking and shifting market headwinds, add friction to progress.
Key takeaways
A clear definition of what “exceptional” looks like in leadership action as defined by
1. How to strengthen board and executive depth of engagement so it drives sustained performance—not episodic attention
2. A practical view of precision metrics: what to measure, why it matters, and how it changes decisions
3. An “actions by level” framework: what the board, C-suite, site leaders, and supervisors must do differently to create momentum
Adam Miklos brings over 20 years of experience at International Paper, where he has built a strong and diverse career across operations, engineering, sustainability, and health and safety. He currently serves as Vice President of Health, Safety and Environment, leading efforts to protect people and the planet while driving operational excellence across the company.
Throughout his two-decade tenure, Adam has held a range of leadership roles, including Director of Low Carbon Solutions, Director of Manufacturing Technology, and Mill Manager at the New Bern Cellulose Fibers facility. His background also includes key positions as Operations Manager and EHS Business Manager within the company’s North American Papers, Pulp, and Coated Paperboard businesses, as well as an early technical role as a REACH Engineer in Loveland, Ohio.
Adam holds a degree in Engineering Management from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His career reflects a deep commitment to innovation, safety, and sustainability in manufacturing.