Ms Hackitt, who succeeds Sir Bill Callaghan, has been appointed for a five-year term starting on 1 October.

Sir Bill said:

"Her previous role as a Commissioner and her considerable experience in the chemical industry makes her well placed for the responsibility for taking forward the HSC's Strategy for making health and safety a cornerstone of our society, achieving a record for workplace health and safety that leads the world and seeing through the merger of HSC and HSE [Health and Safety Executive]."

She is currently working as the director of the Chemistry for Europe project with the European Chemical Industry Council in Brussels.