Dr Cathie Mackay

Professor Christopher Johnson and Dr Cathie Mackay replaced non-executive directors Susan Johnson and John McDermid on 1 October and will be in their roles for the next five years.

Chair of HSE, Sarah Newton, has welcomed the appointments.

She said: “I am delighted that Christopher and Cathie will be joining the HSE board. I am confident that they will both make a significant contribution. They are joining an effective and committed team of non-executive directors who are focussed on enabling the delivery of HSE’s vitally important mission of protecting people and places.”

Christopher was the first chief scientific advisor to the UK Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, whereas Cathie has held health and safety leadership roles at FTSE 100 companies.

A registered safety practitioner, Cathie has led international graduate deployment programmes for environment, health and safety professionals, holds a PhD in environmental management and auditing and is also a non-executive director at the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

After setting up and leading cyber security labs for UK civil nuclear licence holders, Christopher later became head of computing at the University of Glasgow, before serving as pro vice chancellor for engineering and physical sciences at Queen’s University Belfast.