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Leadership and governance structure

We became a registered charity in 1962 and incorporated by Royal Charter 2003. Our Council, Presidential team and Board of Trustees make up the central governance structure of the organisation.

Board of Trustees

Like all UK charities we are governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board sets our strategic direction and is legally responsible for all our activities, assets and results, compliance with our charity’s objects as well as our governing documents and all relevant legislation and regulation.

There are 11 trustees on the Board made up of the Chair (independent and not a member of IOSH), five corporate members of IOSH and five independent trustees, who are not members of IOSH. Trustees are appointed to the Board by our Council.

Find out more about our Board of Trustees.

IOSH’s day-to-day operation and performance is led by our Chief Executive and the Senior Leadership Team. 

  • Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher

    Job role
    Chief Executive

    Vanessa become our Chief Executive in August 2021. She has worked as part of IOSH’s Senior Leadership Team since 2017, leading the Professional Services Directorate before becoming Chief Executive. Vanessa is responsible for the implementation of our Activate 2028 strategy, having supported its development with the Board of Trustees. Vanessa held senior roles in education and chartered professional bodies before joining IOSH. She holds an MBA from Loughborough University.

  • Sanjeet Bains

    Job role
    Director of Corporate Planning and Projects

    Sanjeet joined IOSH in 2023 and has a wealth of experience in strategic and operational leadership in both public and private sectors.

  • Ruth Lake

    Job role
    Director of Strategic and Commercial Development

    Ruth joined IOSH in 2021 and has more than 20 years of experience working with professional bodies.

  • James Murphy

    Job role
    Director of Marketing, Communications and Policy

    James joined IOSH in 2023 with extensive experience in marketing, communications, digital and publishing in the membership sector.

  • Clare Tilbury

    Job role
    Director of People and Organisational Development

    Clare joined IOSH in 2022 and has experience supporting organisational change in charities and in senior leadership roles across a number of different sectors.

  • Nicole Rinaldi

    Job role
    Director of Professional Services

    Nicole joined IOSH in 2021 and has worked in senior roles at membership bodies for more than a decade.

  • Val Lee

    Job role
    Director of Finance and Governance

We're reviewing some areas of our governance to make sure we are meeting the needs of our growing and diverse membership. By doing this, we can support an evolving occupational safety and health profession.

Meet our ambassadors for IOSH. They are all members, who volunteer their time for the benefit of fellow members, the occupational safety and health (OSH) profession and society.

They enable members to deliver our strategy, Activate 2028, and our vision of a safe and healthy world of work.

The Presidential team is nominated by Council and approved by our members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Together, they are known as the ‘Officers of the Institution’.

View our Presidential team videos on YouTube.

  • Stuart Hughes CMIOSH

    Job role
    President

    Stuart is a Chartered Member with 19 years' experience as an occupational safety and health professional. He has worked across enforcement, consultancy and industry. Stuart's guiding principle is that a healthy and safe work environment is a fundamental human right. He is a proud to champion our Activate 2028 strategy as part of building a profession that is fit for the future.

  • Kelly Nicoll CFIOSH

    Job role
    President-Elect

    Kelly is a Chartered Fellow with over 15 years’ experience in safety, health and environment, mental health and wellbeing, and impactful training. She has served a wide range of organisations and industry sectors, working nationally and internationally throughout her career.  Her key driver is the belief that everyone should get to go home at the end of every day of work, no matter where they are in the world.

  • Lawrence Webb CFIOSH

    Job role
    Immediate Past President

    Lawrence is a Chartered Fellow with over 30 years experience in safety, health and environment (SHE) management and interactive training. He has worked across a wide range of industries in both operational and strategic roles, specialising in construction. His day job is Chief Safety Officer at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

  • Richard Bate CFIOSH

    Job role
    Vice-President

    Richard is a Chartered Fellow who thrives in the high-pressure work environment of sports, live music and entertainment. He advocates occupational safety and health as a first career, supporting our future leaders community and mentoring scheme. Richard is a member of the North Wales Branch committee and the Sports Grounds and Events Group. His key incentives are a grassroots, sustainability-driven approach to occupational safety and health. diversity, equity and elimination of harm, and the value of volunteering.

  • Dr David Ekow Arku CFIOSH

    Job role
    Vice-President

    David is a Chartered Fellow with over eight years’ experience in occupational safety and health. He focuses on safety and environmental sustainability in the mining, oil, gas and healthcare sectors. David is the chair of the Ghana District in our West Africa Branch. He is also an occupational medicine and internal medicine specialist with over 10 years' medical practice experience across Ghana.

  • Michelle Stonley CMIOSH

    Job role
    Vice-President

    Michelle is a Chartered Member with over 16 years' experience in the construction and social housing sectors. She is excited to help drive forward our Activate 2028 strategy as part of the Presidential Team. Michelle's motivation is to support the profession in delivering our vision of a safe and healthy world of work.

Board committees

The Board of Trustees is supported by committees for:

  • finance and investment
  • performance and development
  • audit and risk
  • policy and standards
  • people and remuneration.

There are also three disciplinary committees:

  • complaints review committee
  • disciplinary committee, and
  • appeal committee.

Chartered Members make up the complaints review committee. The disciplinary committee and appeal committee include both IOSH members and independent members. All decisions are made by a simple majority.

Disciplinary committee hearings are open to the public. We publish a registration link seven days before a hearing takes place. You must register to attend. Registration closes 24 hours before the hearing. See a list of upcoming disciplinary hearings.

Following the conclusion of a disciplinary hearing, the committee makes a written recommendation on where the outcome is published and for how long.

Awarding Organisation committee

The IOSH Awarding Organisation has a committee with oversight of its strategic direction and accountability for its performance.

Meeting quarterly, the committee ensures the IOSH Awarding Organisation meets the objectives set and operates with compliance to Ofqual’s Conditions of Recognition. It creates and maintains separation between the different interests of the institution, while maintaining clear reporting lines back to the Board of Trustees.

The committee has the equivalent status of a board of directors within the organisational structure of the IOSH Awarding Organisation. The committee chair is also a member of the Board of Trustees.

Council

Council meets at least twice a year and is chaired by our President. Its role is to represent the views of our members to the Board of Trustees. There are 36 members elected to Council. All members of the Presidential team also sit on Council. It provides advice and guidance to the Board on:

  • IOSH strategy and policy
  • issues relevant to members and the occupational safety and health profession. 

And is also responsible for:

  • appointing our Chairman and trustees
  • nominating the President Elect and Vice Presidents for approval from the membership at our Annual General Meeting.