Gordon MacDonald has been appointed Chief Executive for
WorkSafe New Zealand.
MacDonald enjoyed a 35-year career with the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE), starting in 1978 as a warranted factory inspector.
He is currently HSE’s Acting Deputy Chief Executive responsible for all of HSE’s 2000 operational staff. He has also been Director of Hazardous Installations since February 2009 in which he leads a team of 535 staff regulating health and safety in offshore and onshore oil and gas, chemicals, pipelines, explosives, mines and biological agents industries.
During his tenure at HSE he has held regional and national management roles including being responsible for nuclear safety strategy and he spent two years on secondment to the UK Cabinet Office.
WorkSafe NZ Board Chair Professor Gregor Coster stated he was delighted that someone of MacDonald’s international experience and capability would lead WorkSafe NZ in its critical foundation period.
“Mr MacDonald has had an extraordinarily varied career within HSE ranging from leading large operational teams in major hazard industries to operating effectively at a political level,” he said.
MacDonald added that he was honoured by the appointment and was looking forward to building on the early progress made by the current team.
“I see this as a great opportunity to contribute to a significant step-change in New Zealand’s workplace health and safety culture and performance,” he said.
MacDonald will begin his role March 17, 2014, and will have a two-week handover from Acting Chief Executive Geoffrey Podger who departs 28 March.
