HSE chair made a Dame in New Year’s Honours List
Judith Hackitt recognized for services to health and safety, and for being a role model in engineering
JUDITH Hackitt CBE, the chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), has been made a Dame in the New Year’s Honours List for 2016, in recognition of her services to health and safety, and for being a role model in engineering, especially for young women.
Ms Hackitt (pictured) said: ‘It has come as a big surprise, but I feel very privileged to receive the honour of being made a Dame.
‘I am grateful for the recognition for my work as an ambassador for health and safety and engineering, but I could not have done that without having such a brilliant, world-class organization to talk about.
‘It has been an honour and a privilege for me to chair the HSE for the last eight years. I am immensely proud of this organization and what it does.
‘We’ve made a real difference to how people perceive health and safety and will continue to drive improvements to keep people safe at work and help Britain to work well.’
A chemical engineer, Ms Hackitt worked in the chemicals manufacturing industry for 23 years before joining the Chemical Industries Association in 1998, becoming its director general in 2002. She then worked in Brussels for the European Chemical Industry Association.
Ms Hackitt is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2010. She was awarded her CBE for services to health and safety in 2006.
