Master Mariner. Thinker. Listener.
Dr. Nippin Anand is the Founder and CEO of Novellus Solutions, a consultancy specializing in human-centered approaches to learning, risk and social decision making. He is a former master mariner with an MSc in Economics and a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Anthropology. Nippin brings a Transdisciplinary lens to the challenges of work and organising spanning: the humanities, social psychology, mythology, semiotics, anthropology and philosophy.
After experiencing a near‑collision at sea, Nippin developed a lifelong passion for event investigation, focusing on how failure can be turned into opportunities for learning and change. He has a particular focus on: the psychology of goal setting, motivation, perception and unconscious decisions under pressure.
As a former subject matter expert at DNV, Nippin asks challenging questions about the role of ethics, care, helping, moral meaning, emotions and trauma in the discourse of risk and safety. In so doing, he seeks to help the industry to become more person-centric and ethical when it comes to risk management.
Dr Anand is the author of four books ‘Are We Learning from Accidents?’, 51 Stories in Culture; Three Semiotic Walks and SEEK Investigations. He is also the host of the podcast Embracing Differences, and a frequent writer, well known for transforming complex idea into practical insights accessible and actionable for safety‑critical industries. At Novellus, Nippin and his team apply visual (semiotic) tools to help organizations learn from events, improve decision making and achieve culture change.
Watch Nippin speak
There is no learning without dissonance.
Nippin makes people think by pushing them to the limits of their discomfort. That is where all unlearning and learning begins.
Embracing Differences: A podcast that makes you think
Nippin is the host of the podcast Embracing Differences – one of the most established and earliest podcasts focusing on risk, culture, and learning with the central aim to understand how human beings make decisions under pressure. The podcast draws from across disciplines (scientific and practice-oriented) and it is followed by thousands across the world.
The podcasts features renowned experts, researchers, scientists, activists, entrepreneurs and leaders in their field of enquiry to understand their views on social decision making, sensemaking and human behaviour in general. We do not have to agree with everyone but we must listen to them to question our own assumptions and worldviews and wider our perspectives.
That’s Embracing Differences.
Dr Nippin Anand's keynotes and engagements
- International Maritime Organisation (IMO), London
- National Safety Council, United States
- American Society of Safety Professionals
- Energy Safety Canada
- Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board
- Cardiff University UK
- Cranfield University UK
- Manufacturing Safety Alliance Canada
- Oil Companies International Marine Forum, UK
- EUROCONTROL, Brussels
- Swiss Air Navigation Services, Switzerland
- Estonian Air Navigation Services, Tallinn
- STASCO, London
- Exxon Mobil, London
- Chevron, United States
- Marine Safety Forum, Aberdeen
- Office of Nuclear Regulation, UK
- Manufacturers Safety Alliance Canada, Vancouver
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna Austria
- Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum, New Zealand
- Australian Institute of Health and Safety
- New Zealand Institute of Health and Safety, New Zealand-wide
- GARD Norway, Singapore 2022
- The Nautical Institute, London UK 2021
- UK Chamber of Shipping, Liverpool UK
- Dansk Offshore, Esberg Denmark 2021
- National Health Services UK, Scotland 2024
- Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers UAE 2025
- National Safety Council, United States (Chennai) 2025
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras 2025
- Gujarat Maritime University India 2025
- Dublin Port Safety Culture workshop 2025
- International Regulator’s Forum Offshore Safety 2025 Keynote, St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada
- European Railways Safety Day, Krakow Poland, 2025
- Danish Maritime Authority Regulatory Forum, 2025
- Memorial University, St. John’s Newfoundland, 2025
- International Maritime Human Factors Symposium, Strathclyde University Glasgow 2025
- Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) 2026
- National Safety Council, US (NSC) Amsterdam 2026
- Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India 2026
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