Borders man to take up presidency of professional body

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has elected Andrew Sharman, who hails from the Scottish Borders, as its future president.

Andrew Sharman is set to become president in 2019. Picture: Contributed

Sharman will take up the role at the global professional body, subject to confirmation at its annual general meeting, on 18 September. He is set to become president in September 2019.

The president-elect is a former chair of the organisation’s Edinburgh branch and founded the Scottish Borders Safety Forum in Kelso in the late 1990s.

Sharman, who is now based in Switzerland, used to live in Jedburgh and still has a Scottish home, in Innerleithen.

He said: “I tipped a bucket of acid over myself while I was working as a process engineer, and that really sparked my interest in workplace safety and health.

“Over the past 20 years, I have been part of the Edinburgh branch executive committee, including a term as chair, held positions on the IOSH board of trustees and more recently the presidential team. So, this feels like a coming of age for me. I’m delighted to have been voted in as the new president-elect.”

Sharman is also chairman of the board of the Institute of Leadership and Management and is professor of leadership and safety culture and program director at the European Centre for Executive Development on the Insead business school campus in Paris.