Board of Trustees

Peter Bonfield is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Westminster. It’s a role which includes responsibility for ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of around 24,500 students and colleagues on the university’s London campuses. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, this has also included its virtual campus.

He is also Deputy-Chair of London Higher, the organisation representing London’s universities. He founded and chairs its London Health and Wellbeing Network, which supports students and colleagues facing challenges, particularly around mental health and wellbeing.

Peter brings a wealth of executive and non-executive experience to this role, including at senior Government level. He has chaired four independent reviews for the Government and has worked as a Non-Executive Director at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as well as for the Talent Advisory Group.

Simon Hatson is QHSE & Sustainability Director at Aquaterra Energy. He has been a health and safety professional for 20 years, working mostly in the energy and manufacturing sectors.

In his current role, Simon is responsible for the design of Aquaterra Energy’s QHSE & ESG strategy. His work frequently takes him overseas to visit and work with international suppliers and clients in the delivery of multi-million-pound fabrication projects for offshore installations.

His cross-industry experience means he is regularly invited to speak at conferences around the world.

Simon is a Chartered Fellow of IOSH. He was appointed a Member Trustee in March 2019.

Neil Edmunds is a health and safety consultant with over 30 years' experience in the UK and internationally. He has worked in several high-risk sectors, including coal mining, oil and gas, rail transportation and construction.

He led health and safety for the Wates Group, United Living and the manufacturing business in Laing O'Rourke. Neil also spent five years working in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offshore safety division as part of a team developing and training operational safety inspectors. He was active in industry associations and as a volunteer, including mentoring and coaching other health and safety professionals.

Now semi-retired, Neil's consultancy supports organisations to understand how they can improve health and safety performance, build and develop improvement strategies and coach health and safety professionals and business leaders.

Neil is a Chartered Member of IOSH. He was appointed a Member Trustee in November 2022.

Lesley Kavanagh works for Nike, where she leads the global Partner Responsibility team within their Responsible Sourcing and Manufacturing function. Lesley’s team is tasked with driving sustainability performance with contract manufacturing suppliers across impact areas such as health and safety, human resource management, waste, water, carbon and chemistry.

For more than 30 years, Lesley has worked in health and safety, risk management and sustainability roles across a range of industries and in multiple countries. Early in her career, she realised the importance of a strong health and safety culture and team.

Lesley is a champion of equality, diversity and inclusion and uses her international experience to bring cultural awareness to the teams she leads. She has dedicated her career to driving positive impact on the planet and lives of people employed within global supply chains. 

A Chartered Member of IOSH, Lesley was appointed as a Member Trustee in July 2021.

Paul Lindsay has over 40 years' experience in the construction industry in the UK and overseas. He works for Jacobs and is the the health, safety and welfare (HSW) Director on the Palace of Westminster restoration and renewal programme.

Paul has worked in different sectors, including nuclear, rail, waste, electricity generation and major civil and infrastructure projects. He has spent time in Mexico (Cota Azul breakwater), Qatar (Doha metro), Saudi Arabia (King Abdullah financial district), as well as working on UK projects such as the 2012 Olympics, Gerrards Cross, Greater Manchester waste and Trans-Pennine rail upgrade.

Paul started out as an apprentice and worked as a pipe fitter before returning to full-time education. After gaining a HNC in engineering services, he worked as a junior and site engineer in the steel industry before joining British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) at Sellafield as civil clerk of works on major programmes. Paul later transferred to the safety team at BNFL and continued his education with the NEBOSH diploma and an MSc in Safety and Risk Management from Heriot Watt University.

Paul is a Chartered Member of IOSH and sits on the London Metropolitan Branch Construction Section committee. He was appointed as a Member Trustee in November 2022.

John Green is currently Senior Vice President HSE at SNC Lavalin. He has worked in safety for over 40 years holding senior positions with Motorola, British Airways and Severn Trent, and Board level positions with McAlpine, Laing O'Rourke, Battersea Power Station Development Company and AECON.

John is recognised and respected for doing safety differently and has been a major force for change in terms of how industrial safety is delivered. He has lived and worked overseas and gained experience on complex, global projects including London 2012, Terminals 5 and 2, Crossrail, HS2 and Tideway.

John is a Chartered Member of IOSH. He was appointed a Member Trustee in April 2019.

Anthony Blackman is founder and Managing Director of Insight Optical Training and MyHealthCPD, companies that offer professional development and training for people working in optics and wider healthcare industries.

He has over 8 years' experience as a non-executive director, board member and trustee, including chairing committees. Anthony completed the Certificate in Charity Law and Governance with the Chartered Governance Institute and has a deep interest in education. This includes qualification design and accreditation, training delivery, assessment strategy and evaluating performance.

Anthony was appointed an Independent Trustee of IOSH in November 2022.

Bobby Chakravarthy is Equity Partner and Head of Architecture for Arcus Consulting LLP. He specialises in business strategy and strategic management, and has global experience in campaigns, funding, capital investment and business development.

Bobby has held senior, high-profile roles in both the public and private sectors. He is particularly interested in affordable housing and has made significant contributions to the regeneration of a number of UK cities through design and construction.

During his time as President of the Association for Project Safety (APS), Bobby was instrumental in a review of the Association’s governance and membership structure and in ensuring it embraced digital technology to be fit for the future.

Bobby was appointed an Independent Trustee of IOSH in November 2020. 

David Blower is a Chartered Certified Accountant and holds an MBA from Warwick Business School. David is a senior finance professional with over 20 years’ executive experience in the UK social housing industry. He brings a wealth of experience in finance, risk management, governance, cultural development and change management. He has a successful track record of leading strategic development and performance delivery in changing operational environments.

David was appointed an Independent Trustee of IOSH in March 2022.

Emma Dawkins was formerly Director of Academic Delivery for NCUK, the trading subsidiary of Northern Consortium. This is a charity formed by a collective of UK universities to recruit and place international students.

She is the owner and Managing Director of Stone Academic Services Ltd, providing consultancy to the UK and internationally awarding body sector.

Emma is a senior executive with 27 years’ experience in regulated education settings and awarding organisations. She has board experience as Director and Trustee at English Speaking Board International.

Emma began her career in retail management before becoming a teacher of vocational business courses in further education. More recently, she has pursued a consultancy career, including working with awarding organisations on vocational qualifications. Emma is studying the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Leadership.

Emma was appointed an Independent Trustee of IOSH in November 2022.

Neal Walker has 30 years’ experience working in the private sector, in the automotive, construction and energy industries. His specialisms include strategic and critical thinking, operational and financial management, leadership and team development, and business turnaround. Occupational safety and health has always been an integral part of his responsibilities.

Neal’s career has seen him work effectively in matrix and functional structures, growing businesses and implementing change. He has a track record of building strong relationships across organisations and has gained governance, finance and HR experience from his many management roles.

Neal was appointed an Independent Trustee of IOSH in March 2018.