Making a difference

Dapo Omolade, recipient of a President’s Distinguished Service Award, is chair of IOSH’s West Africa Division and former vice-chair of our Nigeria Network Group. He played a key role in organising our first West Africa Conference and has led various IOSH initiatives. He was also principal consultant in establishing the Lagos State Safety Commission in Nigeria, as well as providing free first aid and emergency management training to over 100 public primary school teachers. 

Oluwakemi Arumosoye, recipient of a President’s Commendation Award, is vice-chair of our West Africa Division. She has contributed significantly to OSH’s development in Nigeria and West Africa, spoken at numerous events (including our Future Leaders conference) and was part of the planning committee for our West Africa conference in Ghana. 

Terry Jewell MBE, an IOSH Champion, is the longest-serving member of the UK International Search and Rescue team. He has been deployed to crisis zones all over the world, from New Zealand to Nepal. Having retired from Essex Fire and Rescue Service after a 30-year career as a firefighter, Terry has returned to the service part time as a special operations support officer in international search and rescue. 

Dylan Skelhorn, an IOSH Champion, has turned personal tragedy into a force for good. The former firefighter was working as a solid fuel heating engineer when, while servicing a chimney, it collapsed, causing a fall that left him with life-changing injuries. He now works as a motivational speaker, highlighting the importance of workplace safety. He also supports the No Falls Foundation charity and has designed an award-winning piece of safety equipment to stabilise ladders. 

Dr Chris Peace has been an IOSH member for 35 years, Chartered Fellow and winner of the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. As an OSH professional for 50 years, he has worked in the UK, USA, Europe and New Zealand. A risk management consultant, researcher and writer, he is also a university lecturer nurturing the next generation of OSH practitioners. 

Joko Suprayetno, an IOSH Champion, is a former nurse turned OSH professional from Sumatra. He has progressed rapidly in his career, securing a key health, safety and environmental services role with McDermott, a global provider of engineering and construction projects for the energy industry. Having gained a bachelor's degree in OSH and a master’s in health and safety management, he is set to become the first member from Indonesia to achieve Chartered status. 

Megan Burley, an IOSH Champion, started her career at the age of 17 as a health and safety apprentice. Within two years she became the youngest person in the UK to achieve a NEBOSH Diploma. Having gained numerous further qualifications, she has worked in OSH roles across manufacturing, construction and telecoms industries. She is currently safety, health, environment and quality adviser at broadband network provider CityFibre.

Nathanael Challacombe, a President’s Distinguished Service Award recipient, is chair of our Bristol and West branch and former chair of the Construction group. His other voluntary work includes involvement in the Construction Industry Advisory Committee and the National Association of Shopfitters Standards Committee.  

Michelle Pitkin, a President’s Distinguished Service Award recipient, is chair of the Fire Risk Management group and a former Council member. She was key in developing the group’s ‘back to basics’ webinar series, as well as supporting creation of the Big Red Book of Fire and other fire safety publications.  

Lawrence Webb, our Immediate Past President, is a construction specialist who has worked across a range of industries, including defence, utilities and infrastructure, transport and logistics, research and academia. A member for almost 30 years and a Chartered Fellow, he volunteers extensively to promote IOSH’s vision. He is a former Council chair, an IOSH mentor and a member of the Construction group. Lawrence is also a champion of diversity and nurtures future OSH leaders as a part-time tutor. 

Victoria Bassett, an IOSH Champion, has played a leading role in creating a positive OSH culture at Arcus Facilities Management, where she has worked for 14 years. She was instrumental in developing and delivering a health and safety management strategy that has focused on engaging with every level across the workforce, resulting in a huge drop in workplace accidents and reportable incidents. 

Neil Vincer, an IOSH member for nearly 30 years, is former chair of our Fire Risk Management group. He received a President’s Distinguished Service Award for his leadership, commitment and passion, particularly in supporting the group through the Covid-19 pandemic. He has worked in various voluntary roles, mentored fellow OSH professionals and helped develop training materials for the group’s ‘back to basics’ approach to fire safety.  

Chris Stops, a President’s Commendation Award recipient, has been a member of the Thames Valley branch for almost 20 years in various roles, including chair and vice-chair. He also worked with the National Film and Television School for over a decade to keep OSH centre stage for future generations in the entertainment industry. This includes acting as chief judge for the school’s annual IOSH Health and Safety Management in Film Production Award.