Sarah Newton Reappointed as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive.
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-14)

The Department for Work and Pensions has reappointed Sarah Newton as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board.

- The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety and advises the DWP.
- Sarah Newton “delighted” to continue her work on delivering on its 10-year strategy.
The Department for Work and Pensions has reappointed Sarah Newton as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board.

The reappointment will last for two years starting from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027.

Sarah Newton has led HSE since 2020, overseeing its important role in ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of workers across Great Britain.

During her tenure, she has driven strategic improvements, strengthened regulatory frameworks, and championed HSE’s mission to protect people and places.

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said:

I congratulate Sarah on her reappointment as HSE chair, and I look forward to continuing to work with her over the next few years.

As we overhaul our employment support system and give workers the skills and support they need to succeed in their careers, the role of HSE will be vital to ensure workplaces are safe environments for them to flourish in.

Chair of the HSE Board, Sarah Newton, said:

I am delighted to be reappointed as the Chair of the HSE to deliver our ten-year strategy, Protecting People and Places, while supporting the Government’s aim to improve the productivity of and growth in the UK economy.

HSE does this by supporting business-led innovation and employers in their duty to prevent work related fatalities, ill health and injuries.

Over the past five years, HSE has significantly expanded the scope of our work, taking on the responsibility of regulating chemicals in Great Britain and setting up the Building Safety Regulator for England.

Throughout this journey, it has been a privilege to work with the non-executive and executive leadership team and many dedicated HSE employees. I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead.

The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It is dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.

The HSE Board oversees the activities of HSE, ensuring that high standards of corporate governance and ways of working are maintained.

The HSE 10-year strategy sets out clear objectives and core themes to ensure people are protected in the workplace. The strategy prioritises on delivering a reduction in occupational ill health, specifically focusing on work-related stress and mental health.

Additional Information

About Sarah Newton

Sarah has 30 years’ experience of strategic planning, leadership and change management, dealing with complex issues across the business, voluntary and governmental sectors. She has considerable experience of building partnerships between diverse people and organisations to deliver shared aims. She has served on a wide range of boards and is currently Chair of the Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse.
- Between 2010 and 2019 she was an MP and served for 3 years as a Member of the Science and Technology Select Committee before becoming a Minister in the Home Office and latterly at the Department of Work and Pensions, where she had the honour of working with the HSE and leading the Health and Work unit. Amongst other responsibilities while at the Home Office she led work on tackling modern slavery, human trafficking and human exploitation.
- Before entering the House of Commons, she was Director of the International Longevity Centre – UK, Age Concern England and American Express Europe. She also served as a Councillor in the London Borough of Merton.
- Sarah was educated at Falmouth Comprehensive School and Kings College London. Sarah won a Rotary International postgraduate scholarship in the USA.
- Sarah is married with 3 children.