The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has confirmed a new non-executive director appointment to the Board of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Rebecca Emmett replaces Martin Esom, who left the HSE Board in March 2026, and brings with her a wealth of experience from the local government and public sectors that will help HSE continue to deliver on its 10-year strategy.
Rebecca is the Deputy Chief Executive at Basingstoke and Deane Council, having been appointed in 2022. She has a degree in environmental science and geology from Portsmouth University, and started her career as a consultant working for WSP undertaking geotechnical and contamination ground investigations.
A subsequent career change into Local Government led Rebecca to work for over 10 years in and around London leading a range of frontline services. This included roles at the London Boroughs of Croydon, Hackney and Southwark, as well as Three Rivers District Council. During her time at the London Borough of Hackney, Rebecca was responsible for leading the Council’s regulatory teams to support the delivery of the Olympic Park and 2012 Olympic Games.
During this latest round of recruitment to the Board, the Secretary of State also reappointed Debbie Gillatt as non-executive director (NED) for a further 5 years to the HSE Board.
Find out more about all our Board members on our website.
Further information
- Recruitment for new NEDs is an ongoing process as members come to the end of their terms.
- It is managed by the Public Appointments team in the Department for Work and Pensions, our sponsor department, with involvement from our Board Chair, Sarah Newton.