Fusion Safety improves workplace safety across India

Victoria-based Fusion Safety is expanding quickly across India. The Australian company’s safety culture and leadership programs are being delivered by India’s largest industry training company. The result: a transformation in workplace safety for major organisations across India.

Austrade advisers helped Fusion Safety find its training-delivery partner in India. Austrade also provided official support when Fusion Safety launched in Mumbai in May 2025.

‘The Australian Deputy Consul-General, Christian Jack, came to our launch event in Mumbai in May 2025,’ says Nabil Zainol, Associate Director for Corporate Operations, Fusion Safety. ‘A distinguished guest gives us legitimacy in the market.’

Top-grade Australian skills training

Founded in 2007, Fusion Safety is an Australian health and safety consulting company. Its goal: to help companies operating in high-risk work environments improve their safety standards.

The company’s flagship product is called Accelerated Cultural Transformation (Safety), also known as ACT(S). It was developed in Australia and is implemented on client sites across Australia and Southeast Asia.

‘What makes us different is that we are specialists in leadership and culture,’ says Zainol. ‘We diagnose a company’s safety culture and help the leadership team drive change.

‘Our objective is to help clients unlock their full workplace safety potential.’

India: a fast-growing market for industry training

Fusion Safety has multiple clients with manufacturing plants in Asia. During the early 2020s, many of these clients began to move factories to India.

‘India became a natural market for expansion as our clients grew their operations’ says Zainol. ‘This created an opportunity to take our world-class programs to one of the world’s fastest growing economies.’

Austrade delegations showcase opportunities

Fusion Safety’s journey to India began in April 2024. The company joined an Austrade delegation to India that targeted skills-training opportunities. It showcased commercial opportunities to 33 Australian companies.

According to Fusion Safety Founder and CEO, Craig Docherty, the delegation proved pivotal to his company’s prospects in India.

‘The Austrade delegation helped us understand how to do business in India,’ he says. ‘Working with the advisers in Austrade gave us greater clarity on market potential and possible partners.’

Fusion Safety and its Indian partner NIST are committed to improving workplace health and safety in India. L-R: Robert Chettiar, Craig Docherty, Lawrence Andoni and Nabil Zainol.

Business matching identifies potential partners

Docherty met with one of India’s premier skills providers – NIST – during a stop in Chennai. NIST specialises in occupational health and safety.

‘We met our future Indian partner thanks – in part – to Austrade’s business matching expertise,’ says Docherty. ‘NIST had the scale and desire to take on the challenge of delivering our ACT(S) course and a leadership program called HeroCODE.’

During 2025, NIST and Fusion Safety began joint marketing. The partnership involved NIST building the capabilities needed to deliver the actual program. Fusion Safety provided content and delivery mentorship.

Australian expertise in Indian markets

According to Zainol, the partnership shows how Australian training companies can export their intellectual property (IP) to India.

‘Local partners give us global reach,’ he says. ‘We leverage their in-market expertise. In turn, the partner can access world-class safety, leadership and culture programs – and Australia is a world leader in workplace safety and health capability development.’

Zainol points to the cultural and social impacts his programs have in India.

‘Our programs help businesses unlock their full safety potential by developing the psychological aspects of safety culture,’ he says.

‘These programs help bring CSR [corporate and social responsibility] into the Indian workplace. We are part of national efforts to make health and safety a practical priority in India.’

Austrade provides solid support

Austrade continues to facilitate Fusion Safety’s expansion in India by providing regular, ongoing support.

‘During 2025, I was in weekly contact with Austrade’s education team in India,’ says Zainol. ‘Austrade took on a facilitator role. They provided updates on contacts and generated leads on potential partners. This helped us build confidence that we had found the right partner.’

‘Today, we maintain a very close relationship with Austrade in India. Their advisers identify opportunities, monitor our progress and help us build confidence. We know Austrade is there to back us when we need it.’

Fusion Safety has this advice for Australian skills providers interested in diversifying to India.

• Patience: Take it slow, don’t rush when entering the market.
• Partner: Choosing the right partner in India is key.
• Persistence: There will be many blockers along the way, so you will need persistence.