Martin Temple appointed as new chair of HSE

Department for Work & Pensions appoints successor to outgoing chair Dame Judith Hackitt

THE Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) has appointed Martin Temple as chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). He succeeds outgoing chair Dame Judith Hackitt following her eight-year tenure.

Mr Temple has more than 30 years’ experience in private and public sector roles, including senior positions at the Sheffield Hospital Trust, EEF – The Manufacturers’ Organisation, and the 600 Group.

The Minister for Disabled People, Justin Tomlinson, said: ‘I am delighted with Martin’s appointment. He brings a wealth of experience to the role and joins at a time when the work of the HSE in promoting health and safety amongst employers is as important as ever.

‘I also want to take this opportunity to thank Judith Hackitt as the outgoing chair. Under her leadership the organization has gone from strength to strength.’

Looking forward to the challenges and the opportunities ahead, Mr Temple said: ‘I am delighted to be appointed as HSE chair. I hold a long-standing interest in health and safety and look forward to working with the HSE and the board to build on its success as a world-leading workplace health and safety regulator.’

Mr Temple, who is currently chairman of the Design Council, a non-executive director of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, on the Council of the University of Warwick, and chairman of the Advisory Board of Warwick Business School, has previously worked with the HSE, having led an independent triennial review of the Health and Safety Executive in 2014.

He will take up his new appointment from 1 May 2016, following Dame Judith Hackitt’s departure.