HSE chair Judith Hackitt becomes IChemE president 21 May 2013

HSE (Health and Safety Executive) chair Judith Hackitt CBE is the 73rd president of the IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers).

Hackitt, who took over the presidency at the IChemE's AGM on 20 May 2013, takes over from Russell Scott and is the second woman president of the IChemE after Professor Dame Julia Higgins DBE in 2002.

Hackitt has been chair of the HSE since 2008 and is also a senior non-executive director of the Energy Saving Trust. She trained as a chemical engineer at Imperial College London in the 1970s and has held senior positions at the Chemical Industries Association (CIA), European Chemical Industries Council (CEFIC), Elementis and Exxon Chemicals.

She was awarded her CBE for services to health and safety in 2006. She is a Fellow of IChemE and also a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering.

"It gives me great pleasure to take on the role of IChemE president," she said at the AGM.

"I recognise the need for IChemE to adapt and change in today's fast paced environment," she continued.

"We must use all of the knowledge that has accumulated since our foundation in 1922 and nurture and preserve the vital lessons that have been learned through success and failure in the process industries."

Also at the AGM, Geoff Maitland, professor of energy engineering at Imperial College London, was appointed deputy president of IChemE, and Steve Harrow, manager, process engineering at Foster Wheeler, became a member of IChemE's Council.

Andrew Jamieson OBE, formerly a senior executive at Shell, has become honorary treasurer.

Brian Tinham

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