Richard Wheeler, Director of SHE for the VGC, has recently become a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH) and a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Managers Institute (CMgr FCMI).
VGC is incredibly proud of Richard, who achieved both charterships in just one year. It’s a remarkable milestone that reflects his dedication, expertise and commitment to his professional development.
Richard’s Role in Leading SHE at VGC
As Director of SHE, Richard plays a central role in shaping and delivering VGC’s safety, health, and environmental strategy. His responsibilities include:
- Leading and managing the SHE team, including setting performance goals, providing coaching, and addressing performance issues.
- Promoting strong awareness and personal ownership of SHE requirements across VGC’s management personnel and ensuring the highest commitment to safe working practices across our site workforce.
- Liaising with procurement to establish SHE requirements from external suppliers, reviewing pre-qualification documentation, and carrying out third party audits where required.
- Conducting and facilitating SHE risk assessments, ensuring findings are reflected in documentation and communicated effectively across the business.
Why Having Chartered Leaders Matters
Richard’s chartered status strengthens leadership across VGC, bringing verified expertise directly into its teams. His guidance helps colleagues perform at their best, while embedding recognised best practice into everyday safety and leadership decisions.
At the same time, these accreditations reinforce VGC’s reputation for professionalism and reliability, giving clients confidence in the safe, compliant, and high-quality delivery of every project.
By combining people-focused leadership with technical credibility, VGC drives a culture of continuous improvement and accountability across the business.
The Journey to Chartered Status
VGC supported Richard throughout his chartership journey through a combination of practical experience, structured development, and organisational encouragement.
- Professional Development and Training
Richard was given dedicated time to study, prepare assessments, attend courses, and apply his learning across different areas of the business. He also benefited from access to internal training aligned with the competencies required for chartership.
- Mentoring
For the CMI route, Richard was paired with a Chartered Member of the institute who guided him through the application process, helped him reflect on his professional experience, and provided valuable feedback on his portfolio and submissions.
- Financial and Administrative Support
For both institutions, VGC covered membership fees, application costs, and training materials, removing barriers and enabling Richard to focus fully on the qualification process.
- Recognition and Encouragement
The company celebrated Richard’s achievements internally and continues to promote a culture that values professional development and recognition across the business.
Embedding Expertise Across Teams
Over the past two years, VGC has integrated health and safety teams directly into delivery teams, ensuring risks are identified early and safety is considered at every stage.
This approach has strengthened collaboration, accountability, and communication across teams, making safety an integral part of everyday work. It has improved incident reporting, reduced risks, and supported safer, more reliable outcomes for everyone involved.
Leadership That Sets the Standard
Richard’s achievement in becoming a Chartered Member of IOSH and a Chartered Fellow of the CMI highlights both his personal dedication and VGC’s commitment to professional development.
VGC celebrates this achievement and recognises the positive impact Richard’s leadership brings to the business.
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