I think you are right in the respect that everyone should be given a 'fair go' and furthermore if he was CEO or COO I wouldn't even bat an eyelid but Director of Safety is a very specialised role requiring a deep understanding of safety & risk principles and also having experience in the industry, knowledge of aircraft and maintenance operations and I just don't think this guy is qualified or experienced in this respect. If you're an FO, do you expect the Capt to be well qualified and experienced? how about lead engineers or Eng. Mgrs...I don't know of many organisations, if any who would recruit someone who doesn't have the qualifications or experience to do the job...