Background
Hackitt was born on 1 December 1954 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England.
Hackitt was born on 1 December 1954 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England.
She studied chemical engineering at Imperial College, London.
She is Chair of the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive. After graduating from university, Hackitt worked for Exxon Chemicals for 15 years at the Fawley Refinery. After further industrial experience she held senior positions at the Chemical Industries Association and the European Chemical Industries Council (Conseil Europeen des Federations de l'Industrie Chimique) before being appointed Chair of the Health and Safety Commission in 2007.
She became Chair of the Health and Safety Executive on 1 April 2009 when the two organizations merged.
She was President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers from 2013 to 2014.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Hackitt was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2006 for services to health and safety and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 New Year for services to engineering and health and safety.