The British Safety Council Spokespeople
Nina Wrightson (Chairman), OBE, LLB, DipSH, CFIOSH
Nina is Chairman of the BSC and was appointed to the Board in September 2001. Nina was Risk Management Director for Northern Foods plc. She is Chairman of RoSPA's National Occupational Health and Safety Committee and a past President of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). She has a Bachelor of Laws degree; a Post Graduate Diploma in Safety and Hygiene, is a Fellow of IOSH and a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner. Nina was awarded an OBE in 2005 for services to health and safety.
Brian Nimick MSc BSc(Hons) (Chief Executive)
Commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1970, Brian served as an officer in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1992. While serving, he was responsible for the design and implementation of the Unit Safety Officers Course following the application of the Health and Safety at Work Act to the Armed Forces. Moving into the NHS, he worked at Director level in a Regional Health Authority and a large NHS Trust, prior to being appointed Chief Executive of the Medical Supplies Agency in 1996. In this role he was responsible for the worldwide provision of medical supplies and equipment to the Armed Forces. In 2001, he became Director General of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the trade organisation representing the interests of the road passenger transport industry. As Director General he also served on the Policy Board of UITP, the International Union of Public Transport and the IRU, the International Road Transport Union. He was also a key member of an EU sponsored committee looking at safety and security on public transport.
Sameena Khan, BA (Hons) MCIPR (Director of Communications)
Sameena joins us from the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales, a worldwide professional body of 129,000 members. There she headed a communications team of 10 to run campaigns on promoting the profession, protecting the public interest, business confidence, CSR and global corporate governance.
Sameena is a former journalist with communications and PR expertise gained in central Government and the private sector. As a former producer at Sky News, she went into Whitehall where she worked as a strategic advisor and press secretary to a number of senior Cabinet Ministers at the Cabinet Office. In Government her work covered everything from the development and implementation of media campaigns in support of policy initiatives to crisis handling on the BSE scare and press relations in the run up to the Iraq war. Whilst at the Cabinet Office, she also advised on and oversaw the communications for the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and the Regulatory Impact Unit. Sameena was also involved in parliamentary and public affairs as the press adviser to the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons and worked on the Environmental G8 Summit whilst at the Department for International Development.
Sameena is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and a BA Hons graduate in Politics and Social Policy.
Adam Skeens BA Hons (Director of Qualifications)
Adam is a former secondary school head of department, with 14 years experience as a teacher and examiner. He managed the objective testing operation of a large UK awarding body, before joining the BSC in June 2003 to manage the newly formed awarding body function. He has overseen the development of ten QCA accredited qualifications, and chairs the Qualifications Steering Committee.
Adrian Vale, CMIOSH (Technical Development Manager)
Adrian has a background in manufacturing engineering, as well as public sector experience in work involving the management of violence and aggression. He is responsible for the development and maintenance of all BSC training courses, including course outlines and learning objectives, and course notes. He provides technical support for BSC Awards regarding qualification specification and learning outcomes.
Dr Keith Whitehead, CEnv (Environmental Policy Adviser)
Keith is an internationally experienced senior consultant who has personally been lead auditor on more than 50 environmental audits in nine countries, and has been a member of many more audit teams. He is responsible for the delivery of BSC environmental training, undertaking environmental audits, and the structuring and future delivery of the Five Star Environmental Audit currently being launched by the BSC.
Rachel Willis, B.Eng, CEng, MIMechE (Operations Director)
Rachel is an experienced Project Manager within the oil and gas industry. After University, Rachel joined Vosper Thornycroft (VT) in their oil and gas division. Following this, Rachel worked for Lloyd’s Register where she was responsible for bid preparation and contract negotiation in their Oil and Gas Business Development Division. Rachel is responsible for the delivery of all BSC’s training and delivery programmes, including the selection and training of delivery staff.
