Committee Members

A member of the Executive Committee since 1966, Wilson became NISG President in 1994. In 1988 he was awarded the MBE for services to Health & Safety in Northern Ireland and was National President of IOSH in 1998. Wilson was H&S Manager of the CEF from 1979 to his retirement in 2002. He is a Consultant Chartered Safety & Health Practitioner. In October 2023 he achieved 60 yrs in H&S – an amazing feat – and has mentored many past and present Executive Committee members, something he will no doubt continue
to do for years to come.

Heather is a Health, Safety and Environment Consultant who works on behalf of JTI. She has been in H&S since 1990, initially in the R&D Division of Gallahers Ltd, Ballymena (a JTI company) and then in their Production Division. Heather was seconded to Geneva in 2013 – 2015. On return to the UK, she became Global Occupational Hygiene Lead, and fulfils this role now as a Consultant. Heather has been an NISG Committee Member since 1990 and was NISG Chair from 1997 to 1999. She chairs the NISG Safety Awards; Quiz; John Gordon and Conference sub committees. Heather was elected to the role of Vice President in February 2024.

Wendy is HSQE Manager with W&H Alexander (Civil Engineering) Ltd. She has 15 yrs experience working in the Civil Engineering & Construction fields having previously worked for Clarke Group, Lisnaskea as H&S Manager. Wendy has both a NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Safety & Health and a NEBOSH Diploma in Environmental Management and she became NISG Chair in January 2023, just in time for our 70th celebrations.

Wendy achieved a First Class Honours Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Ulster and holds a NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety. She has 16 yrs experience in construction and is currently the Infrastructure SHE Manager at Translink. Wendy also sits on the Institution of Civil Engineers (NI) Health & Safety Group and became NISG Vice Chair in January 2023 and Chairs the Farming Sub Committee.

Ashleigh practised as a solicitor, specialising in health and safety law, from 2005-2022. She worked as an adviser in relation to investigations and enforcement action by regulatory bodies and also provided advice and training on a wide range of health and safety topics. She was NISG Chair from 2020 to 2022 and became Immediate Past Chair in January 2023. Ashleigh chairs the Development & Governance Sub Committee.

Jimmy is currently H&S Section Lead at Ulster University. Prior to this he was HSET Manager with Kerry Group in Coleraine. His first H&S job was Safety Manager at Michelin, Ballymena, after working his way up from being an electrical apprentice and a project and engineering management role. Jimmy completed NEBOSH H&S and fire certificates followed by the NEBOSH Diploma. He was NISG Chair in 2014 and 2015 and is Chair of the PR, Marketing and Sponsorship Sub Committee.

Mandy is currently working as a Health, Safety and Environmental Officer with Phoenix Energy, and has been there for over 10 years. Prior to this she worked as a Health, Safety, Quality & Environmental Manager in Construction and Piling until October 2010. Mandy joined the NISG Committee in 2009 and was NISG Chair in 2016 and 2017. She is the Chair of the Meetings and Workshops Sub Committee.

John is Head of Safety & Corporate Responsibility at Translink. Prior to this he spent 7 yrs in the construction industry as HSQE Manager with H & J Martin. John holds a Master of Science (MSc) Occupational Health & Safety from QUB and joined the NISG committee in 2014. He was NISG Chair in 2018 and 2019.

Priscilla is Director for Health, Safety & Security for P&O Ferries after joining in 2022. She was previously Group Health & Safety Manager at Dale Farm Ltd and Head of Global Safety for Sensata Technologies. Priscilla has recently completed a Masters in Law in Company & Compliance Law. She holds an MBA and a BSc Hons Degree in Environmental Health as well as the NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety. Priscilla is a Chartered Member of IOSH. Priscilla was NISG Chair in 2012 and 2013 and currently chairs the Driving and Education sub committees.

Declan is Director of SHEQ for McAleer & Rushe. He joined the company in 2010 after spending 4 years as Health & Safety Manager at Farrans. Declan chairs the Construction Employers Federation’s Health and Safety Committee and was a previous Secretary for the Adjudication Society. He joined the NISG committee in January 2022.

Ian McIlveen has been Health & Safety Officer with Hyster-Yale Materials Handling for the past 3 yrs. He has 26 yrs experience of working in Manufacturing and Engineering and has been a Safety Representative for 20 yrs. Prior to his current role he was the Training & Development Officer for 10 yrs. Ian is currently involved in implementing HYGs Global H&S Management system across their EMEA Plants. He has both a NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Safety & Health and Environmental Management and is Lead auditor for ISO45001. Ian joined the NISG Committee in January 2022.

Jim is the Health, Safety, Environmental and Training Manager (HSET) at Creative Composites. Prior to this Jim worked at Linamar Light Metals Belfast (formerly Montupet), starting as a Production Operator and finishing as Health, Safety and Training Manager in a career spanning 23 years. He passionate about Health, Safety &Training and a keen mentor. Outside of work, Jim chairs the Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Sectoral Partnership and sits on the Advanced Manufacturing & Innovation Centre Task & Finish group at QUB. He joined the NISG Committee January 2023.

Will is the HSE Manager with Ryobi Aluminum Casting (UK) Ltd., based in Carrickfergus. He has been a safety professional since 1995 when he started as a maintenance fitter with NIE. Will has experience in manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, quarrying & road surfacing, power generation & high voltage distribution. He completed the NEBOSH Certificate & Diploma route to become CMIOSH. Will then completed an MSc in Occupational Health & Safety and a MSc in Integrated Environmental Management. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Accident Investigators (IIAI). Will joined the NISG Committee in January 2023.

John has been working in various CDM roles within the construction industry since 1999.  He is the Associate Health and Safety Practitioner with McAdam Design, having joined them in 2017.  Prior to that, he was Health & Safety Manager JNP Architects.  John has completed various CDM/PSDP qualifications, the NEBOSH Construction Certificate and is currently in the final stages of an NVQ Diploma Level 6 in Occupational Health & Safety.  He was formerly on the APS NI Regional Committee for 20 years and remains a National Members Regional Representative for NI. John was elected to the NISG Committee in February 2024.

Tom is Group Head of Safety & Health at Lakeland Dairies. Prior to this he held a similar position at the Balcas Group of Companies. Prior to moving back to Northern Ireland, he held a number of high profile roles in England. Tom has been a member of the Executive Committee for 20 years and was NISG Chair in 2010 and 2011.

David is a H&S Consultant and prior to this he was employed as a Safety Officer within Northern Ireland Electricity. He has 28 years of H&S management experience within electrical, construction and manufacturing sectors and has served on the Executive Committee for over 20 years. David was NISG Chair in 2002 and 2003.

Nicola has over 30 yrs experience in building & civil engineering locally and abroad. She is a Health & Safety Consultant and was previously employed as Health & Safety Manager for both Lagan Construction and John Laing. As a consultant she has worked in manufacturing, the food Sector and construction products. She is a Women in Construction & Careers Ambassador at CITBNI. She is also Administrator for Buildhealth. Nicola was NISG Chair in 2000 and 2001 and commenced as NISG Joint Secretary in November 2019, working alongside Ernie.

Ernie has been involved with NISG since 1997. He has worked in both the private and voluntary sectors in business services & supplies and currently works as a self-employed marketing consultant. After standing in for the Group's previous Secretary he officially moved into the post in January 2008. He now shares this role with Nicola, as he plans for future retirement.