Our people

Mark Young

President

I have worked in ergonomics / human factors for nearly 30 years, in both academia and industry. Early on in that career, I made CIEHF my professional home, and have long been an active supporter of the Institute – as a postgraduate working on the conference secretariat, then on Council as Chair of the PR & Communications Committee between 2007 and 2011. I re-joined Council in 2018. This is an exciting time for CIEHF as we fully emerge from the pandemic years stronger than ever, flourishing where other learned societies have struggled. We recently rebranded, we have a new CEO and we are building a new strategy to take us forward. In 2024, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our professional body, and I have been chairing a working group to mark this milestone with a public exhibition, seeking to promote wider interest in the Institute and human factors in line with our strategy. Building on this, my priorities for CIEHF are to raise our profile and, in particular, to foster the growth of ‘grassroots’ ergonomics and human factors. Industry is crying out for trained human factors professionals while university programmes have been declining. I aim to address this through reinvigorating our engagement with schools, stimulating demand for such courses and, ultimately, inspiring the next generation of human factors specialists.

Barry Kirby

Past President

I've been working in human factors for 20 years, and running my own CIEHF accredited consultancy, K Sharp, for the past 10. I was a CIEHF council member and a CPD assessor and am active within the CIEHF's Digital and AI in Healthcare SIG and the Defence Sector Group. I've spearheaded the current drive in Climate Ergonomics which has seen the Institute publish a guide for business, as well as sharing this work in Australia, Iran and the USA. I strongly believe in collaboration, communication and promotion about what we do. I launched “1202- The Human Factors Podcast” to focus on talking to interesting people and sharing HF related stories. Throughout my career I've been driven by putting the user at the heart of any and every project I have worked on, and I aim to use my time as President Elect to ensure we continue to grow and evolve our delivery for members to ensure the value and support is there for everyone, as well as taking more strides into collaborating with other Institutes and organisations to spread the value of what we do.

Email:

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Martin Thody

President Elect

I'm currently the Senior Consultant for Human Factors at BAE Systems Submarines, working with a team of 30+ human factors professionals with a diverse educational and experiential range. My 40-year professional background includes roles in UK defence, nuclear and global oil & gas. I commit to promoting the importance of human factors to make a difference in enhancing user experiences, optimising organisational performance, and ensuring safety and wellbeing. I recognise that CIEHF is at our core. It's our ultimate support network, our centre for professional standing, and is essential to our individual and collective growth and sustainability. I've served on the CIEHF Professional Affairs Board, including being the lead for CPD and now I'm part of the Strategy Working Group, actively contributing to our future direction. I have a passion for continuous learning and mentorship underscoring my enduring commitment to nurturing each generation of human factors professionals.

Bob Bridger

Treasurer

I last served as Treasurer from 2013-2016 during which time we renegotiated the Institute's journal publishing agreements, which greatly improved the Institute's finances. Now, with new initiatives in place, such as the Learning Pathways, the Institute is in a different, but much better, position. This brings to light new matters such as how the income from these sources is accounted for, reported and utilised. The Institute has expanded its outreach activities, such as the publication of white papers. I will also support the development of the Institute's publishing activities, possibly in a more commercial direction but within its charitable status.