Dame Judith Hackitt

Dame Judith Hackitt
Name	Dame Judith Hackitt
Birth date	1954
Birth place	England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Chemical engineer; regulator; industry executive

Dame Judith Hackitt

Dame Judith Hackitt is a British chemical engineer and former regulator notable for leading industrial safety initiatives and regulatory reform. She has held senior positions across manufacturing, utilities, and regulatory bodies, and chaired high-profile safety reviews following major incidents. Her work intersects with industrial stakeholders, parliamentary committees, academic institutions, and international standard-setting organizations.

Early life and education

Hackitt was born in England and read chemical engineering at Imperial College London, where she studied alongside contemporaries from University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and London School of Economics. Her early training connected her to industrial research at British Gas and postgraduate collaborations linked to Engineering Council frameworks and Royal Academy of Engineering networks. She later engaged with continuing professional development initiatives associated with Institution of Chemical Engineers, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, and Royal Society events.

Engineering and industry career

Hackitt's engineering career spanned roles in process and manufacturing firms including senior management at BP, executive roles linked to Pilkington Group-era activities, and board-level positions with companies interacting with Health and Safety Executive oversight. She worked on safety, risk, and operations at firms integrated into supply chains alongside Rolls-Royce, Siemens, and National Grid. Her industry leadership involved participation in trade bodies such as the Confederation of British Industry, Engineering Employers' Federation, and strategic forums with Department for Business and Trade officials, as well as engagement with multinational corporations like Shell, ExxonMobil, and General Electric on shared engineering standards.

Health and Safety Executive leadership

Hackitt served as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), where she oversaw regulatory approaches to occupational safety across sectors regulated by HSE and liaised with parliamentary select committees including the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. During her tenure she addressed issues involving Rail Safety and Standards Board stakeholders, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority interfaces, and cross-sector regulators such as Office for Nuclear Regulation and Civil Aviation Authority. She worked with advisory bodies including the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and the Standing Committee on Structural Safety, and contributed to intergovernmental dialogues involving European Commission technical directives and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-level safety guidance.

Grenfell Tower inquiry and the Hackitt Review

Following the Grenfell Tower fire she was asked by the Department for Communities and Local Government to lead an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, producing what became known as the Hackitt Review. The review examined regulatory performance alongside building industry actors such as Architects Registration Board, Royal Institute of British Architects, Chartered Institute of Building, Construction Industry Council, and major contractors including Kier Group and Balfour Beatty. The Review recommended a competency framework affecting stakeholders like Local government association, London Fire Brigade, National House Building Council, and insurers including Aviva and Lloyd's of London. Findings were debated in the House of Commons and influenced consultations with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Building Research Establishment, and standards bodies such as British Standards Institution and International Organization for Standardization.

Later roles and public advocacy

After the review, Hackitt took on non-executive and advisory roles with organizations including the Environment Agency, Future Cities Catapult, and academic partnerships at University College London and University of Manchester. She engaged with professional institutes like the Institution of Structural Engineers, Royal Institute of British Architects, and Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers to promote competency, culture change, and systems-based regulation. Hackitt contributed to public inquiries, gave evidence to the London Assembly, and worked with charities and campaigning groups including Generation Rent and Shelter (charity) on housing safety debates. Internationally, she participated in standards fora alongside International Electrotechnical Commission and World Economic Forum panels on infrastructure resilience.

Honours and awards

Her service has been recognized with appointments and honours including a Damehood in the Order of the British Empire and fellowships such as Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. She has received honorary degrees from universities including University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, and University of Exeter, and awards from professional bodies such as the Royal Society of Arts and British Safety Council. Her work has been discussed in reports by the National Audit Office and cited in academic journals published by Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell.

Category:British chemical engineers Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:Living people