Two new non-executive directors to HSE Board

The Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed two non-executive director Board appointments to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The two new additions to HSE’s Board bring with them a wealth of public service experience that will be welcomed into the existing team.

Debbie Gillatt CBE is currently a magistrate, Trustee at Penny Parks Charitable Trust and holds NED roles with Companies House and Insolvency Service. Previously she was the Director of Business Frameworks at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Within BEIS, she led the teams responsible for the UK’s company law, accounting standards and corporate governance rules, and those which lead on corporate transparency and anti-corruption initiatives. She also led on corporate responsibility and boardroom diversity initiatives.

Before BEIS, Debbie managed a £3.2bn Government grant fund for business and led the cross-Whitehall team which supported Lord Heseltine in producing his report on the UK’s competitiveness. She has recently worked in the Cabinet Secretariat and managed Vince Cable’s ministerial support team.

Her previous experience includes managing government’s relationship with a range of business sectors from production machinery to telecoms, and ground-breaking work in both economic regulation and inward investment.

Professor Gina Radford is currently the Chair of Public Health England’s COVID Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions Ethics Group and also a Member of National Police Chiefs’ Councils Independent COVID Ethics Committee from 2020. She also serves as Vicar at Dart and Avon Mission Community, Devon.

Previously she was Deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England from 2015 to 2019. Before this she worked in the Department of Health where she oversaw the work to establish NICE before becoming Regional Director of Public Health for the East of England where she led on the Department’s response to the Shipman Enquiry and represented CMO on the WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Committee.

On leaving the Department of Health in 2007, Professor Radford has held a number of roles including; Director of Public Health in Fife; Director of Public Health for East of England and also Centre Director for Anglia and Essex for Public Health England.

Chair of HSE, Sarah Newton welcomed both appointments to the Board. She said: “I am delighted that Gina and Debbie will be joining us on the HSE Board. They both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and I’m sure they will be a great asset to us.  I look forward to working with them.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
  2. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
  3. HSE is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).