Stephen Hardy announced as the new Certification Officer
Hardy will be responsible for statutory functions relating to trade unions and employers' associations.
The Department of Business and Trade has today (1st October) announced the appointment of Stephen Hardy as the new Certification Officer.
The independent Certification Officer is responsible for statutory functions relating to trade unions and employers’ associations.
Stephen Hardy will take up his role on 1 October 2025, replacing Sarah Bedwell, who has held the post since 2017.
Biography
Stephen Hardy is a Professor of Employment Law and formerly the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Law & Politics at the University of Hull (2020-2024). He has over 3 decades experience in higher education and was a practising Barrister, specialising in Employment and Public law, instructed in complex trades union, equality, redundancy, dismissal and judicial review cases; including being appointed Regional Treasury Counsel and on the Panel of Preferred Counsel of the Equality Human Rights Commission. Since 2011, he has been a Fee-paid Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal and was a member of the Judicial Pensions Board (2019-2023). Currently, he is a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee. In 2021 he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and since 2022, has been a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.