Jonathan Gawthrop Appointed Group Chief QSHE Officer at OCS

Strengthening QSHE Leadership Across Global Operations

We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Jonathan Gawthrop as Group Chief QSHE Officer at OCS Group, with responsibility for oversight across the organisation’s global operations. 

Jonathan’s approach to QSHE aligns closely with OCS’s people-led culture and its mission that every person deserves the best conditions and opportunities to thrive, with safety and service at the heart of everyday business decisions. 

Jonathan transitions into this group role from EMCOR UK, where he joined the business in 2011. Most recently, he served as Executive Director, Safety, Quality and Risk, overseeing safety, quality and risk across operational settings, with responsibility spanning both operational and executive levels. 

Professional Background

Jonathan has a long and well-established career across quality, operations, safety and sustainability, with experience spanning the UK & Ireland and APAC. His background includes account, regional, managing director and executive roles, developed in customer-facing environments with international and regulatory exposure. 

Jonathan began his career in the airline industry, working in quality assurance within highly regulated environments. Early in his career, he was responsible for introducing safety management practices for large-scale aviation food production, including the application of HACCP principles, across international airline operations and diverse regulatory settings. This experience shaped his understanding of disciplined safety management in complex operational environments. 

Alongside his career, Jonathan holds a number of external roles. He is a Trustee of the British Safety Council and the Society of Occupational Medicine, and Chair of the MIND Mental Health at Work Leadership Council. 

Jonathan is also a Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) and acts as an ambassador for the Institute, one of only 12 globally, contributing insight on risk and safety management across international and regulatory settings. 

What Matters Most to Jonathan

Jonathan’s focus centres on clarity, consistency and relevance. With finite time and resources, the emphasis is on directing attention where it makes the greatest difference and ensuring that information supports confident, well-informed decision-making. 

Strong existing practice already in place across the organisation is recognised and understood, with a focus on how it can be applied more widely without compromising its effectiveness. Clear, relevant and timely reporting underpins this, ensuring that information reflects operational reality and supports decision-making. 

Culture is central to this approach. Creating the conditions in which colleagues feel confident to raise concerns, share insights and speak up supports stronger reporting, better decision-making and safer outcomes. Practical approaches such as STOP reinforce everyday awareness by encouraging people to stop, think, observe and prevent as part of how work is done. 

What Does Success Look Like

Jonathan sees progress in practical terms: confidence in information, clarity in decisions, and consistency in how safety and assurance support colleagues’ day-to-day work. Central to this is ensuring colleagues have the knowledge and confidence to question, challenge and contribute, recognising that better outcomes come from informed discussion and shared responsibility rather than from direction alone. 

Over time, this approach is reflected not only in fewer surprises and stronger judgement, but also in a culture where colleagues feel trusted, equipped and supported to make the right decisions in their roles. For Jonathan, success is evident when assurance helps people do their jobs well, when safety and service are part of everyday thinking, and when colleagues across the organisation go home safe at the end of the working day, confident in the decisions they have made.