Dr. Joe MacInnes, a medical doctor, undersea explorer, author and leadership expert, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the gala dinner at the 12th-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit.

The Tuesday, April 5, dinner at the Westin Bayshore hotel is expected to attract up to 600 people – most of whom will also be attending what is recognized as the world’s premier safety conference for rotary-wing aviation.

Dr. MacInnes’ medical research is focused on human factors in the use of complex technologies in the deep sea. Between 1964 and 1994 Dr. MacInnes led 30 research expeditions, logging 5,000 hours, in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, Pacific and Artic Oceans. He built the world’s first undersea polar station, was among the first to dive the Titanic and was journalist-physician on the James Cameron National-Geographic project that made the first-ever 11 kilometre solo dive into the Mariana Trench. 

Since 1994, Dr. MacInnes has studied leadership in lethal environments, looking to improve the relationship between humans and the natural world. 

Throughout his career Dr. MacInnes has worked on projects with the U.S. Navy, the government of Canada and the Russian Academy of Sciences. With his extensive experience in, and researching, extreme situations, Dr. MacInnes has developed a unique approach to leadership that is expected create insightful discussion at the April event. 

Past speakers at the CHC Safety & Quality Summit’s gala dinner have included astronaut and physician Dr. Dave Williams, commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield, leadership author Simon Sinek, commercial airline Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, U.S. Navy Commander Fred Baldwin, safety experts Dr. Scott Shappell and Dr. Jerry Cockrell, and aviation leader Sergei Sikorsky.

Details about the dinner, including how to purchase tickets, are available at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com