The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
International Health & Safety Director (L6)
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Mastering global H&S strategy development, enterprise-wide system selection and deployment, and consistent reporting to the C-suite. You'll need to demonstrate the ability to influence at the highest levels and manage multi-million-pound budgets.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led a major global H&S transformation programme (e.g., ISO 45001 certification across all regions).
- Consistently delivered year-over-year reductions in global incident rates.
- Built and mentored a high-performing H&S leadership team across multiple regions.
- Presented regularly to the Board or executive committee on H&S performance and strategic risks.
- 2
Chief Risk Officer (CRO) with Strong H&S Background
5-7 yearsSkills to master
- Broadening your scope beyond H&S to encompass all enterprise-level risks (financial, operational, reputational, cyber, etc.). This path requires a deep understanding of integrated risk management frameworks and their application across the entire business.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully integrated H&S risk management into the company's broader ERM framework.
- Demonstrated ability to assess and mitigate a wide range of non-H&S business risks.
- Proven track record of influencing executive decision-making on cross-functional risk matters.
- Developed and presented comprehensive enterprise risk reports to the Board.
- 3
Head of Operations / COO with Exceptional H&S Focus
7-10 yearsSkills to master
- This path involves deep operational leadership experience across a significant portion of the business, with a clear focus on embedding safety as a core operational value. You'll need to demonstrate P&L ownership and strategic business leadership.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led a large operational division, consistently exceeding safety and operational performance targets.
- Implemented significant safety improvements through operational process redesign.
- Managed large, diverse teams across multiple functions and geographies.
- Demonstrated strong financial acumen and P&L management responsibility.