OHTA has recently elected three directors to complete its new Board. This election took place during the association’s first AGM and is the culmination of a series of constitutional changes over the past few months.
There was an excellent turnout with votes from 15 member associations. The candidates with the most votes were Roger Alesbury, Nancy McClellan and Noel Tresider, all former directors of OHTA with extensive experience of the organisation. They join previous appointees Peter O’Neil, Steve Perkins, Hans Thore Smedbold and Barry Westhorpe.
The new OHTA Board of Directors therefore comprises:
Roger Alesbury CFFOH
A founder director and chair of the OHTA Leadership Group, he has 40 years experience as an occupational hygienist, mostly working internationally in the oil, gas and chemical industries. Prior to retirement in 2010, he was Director of Industrial Hygiene for BP, with international responsibilities including the development of global occupational hygiene capability and resources. He has an MSc in occupational hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Diploma of Professional Competence. He is a Past President of both BOHS and the Institute of Occupational Hygienists.
Nancy McClellan M.P.H., CIH, CHMM
Prior to joining AbbVie Biopharmaceutical in 2010, Nancy McClellan invested over 20 years in practising occupational hygiene in a wide variety of high hazard industries throughout the USA. A past director and committee chair for the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) Board of Directors, Nancy is also a member of the British and Irish Occupational Hygiene Societies and has recently been elected to the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Board of Directors. A member of the OHTA Leadership Group since 2007, she is currently contributing to the development of a professional level Pharmaceutical Occupational Hygiene training module.
Peter O’Neil CAE
Peter is the Executive Director of AIHA. He also has management responsibilities for three limited liability companies, a related education oriented Foundation, and a Foundation that establishes guideline values for exposure limits. Peter has served in leadership positions with GWSAE, ASAE, and The Center for Association Leadership over the past ten years. He is immediate Past-chair of ASAE and Past-chair of the ASAE Foundation. He received the Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification in 1998 and was named as an ASAE Fellow in 2006. Peter graduated from Syracuse University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in International Relations.
Steve Perkins MA Oxf, DipIoD, FInstP
Steve is a seasoned business and third sector leader with twenty years of experience working with professionals, scientists and volunteers. He is CEO at BOHS – The Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, a global non-profit membership society and awarding body working in the field of occupational hygiene and health. Steve provides clear leadership, strategic direction and heads up the BOHS Senior Management Team. Originally from a scientific and pastoral background, he is passionate about bringing positive change for commercial and social benefit, whilst developing new leaders. See LinkedIn for more details www.linkedin.com/pub/steve-perkins/26/392/b2b.
Hans Thore Smedbold CIH
Hans Thore is a senior consultant within Occupational Hygiene in Norway. Over the last few years he has worked mainly in the Norwegian Oil and Gas industry. He is Chief Specialist with Proactima AS and was Managing Director of Occupational Hygiene Solutions AS prior to the merger with Proactima. An active figure in the Norwegian Industrial Hygiene Association, Hans Thore brings valuable experience as an IOHA board member and as a member of the OHTA Qualifications Group. He has been appointed to the OHTA board as the IOHA representative, an important conduit between OHTA and the IOHA National Associations’ representatives on the IOHA board.
Noel Tresider COH, CIH
Noel is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH) with over 35 years’ experience as a hygienist. He served on the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) board for eight years and was IOHA President 2011-2012. He was Chair of the IOHA National Accreditation Recognition (NAR) Committee for six years and has an understanding of certification schemes around the world. He has received the IOHA 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award and the AIHA 2015 Yant Award. A keen advocate of OHlearning, he has been involved with OHTA since its inception and has written the draft Oil & Gas Module (2014) (Advanced).
Barry Westhorpe MBA
A performance-driven business manager, Barry is acknowledged for expertise in capability building in the areas of strategic implementation, business development, people/operational management, organisational change, program management and service delivery in the professional services, health, consumer goods, educational, local government and manufacturing sectors. Barry’s experience includes Corporate Services and Company Secretarial roles with Medicare Local, CEO of The CEO Institute, CEO of Patons Health, and General Management at Chiquita Brands South Pacific. With qualifications in Economics and Management and an MBA in Marketing and Finance, Barry is currently studying Applied Corporate and Non Profit Governance. He is Executive Director of AIOH.
