Volume 4, No.

3, March 2013, ISSN 2226-1095

Gaining
ground

• DuPont CEO : standards are essential to business

• ISO 22000 in the retail industry
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Contents Comment

Dare the difference !

Comment
Elisabeth Stampfl-Blaha, ISO Vice-President (technical management)
Dare the difference ! – Getting the best talent on board ............................................ 1

ISO Focus+ is published 10 times a year

(single issues : July-August,
World Scene Getting the best talent on board
November-December). International events and international standardization ............................................. 2
It is available in English and French.
Guest Interview
www.iso.org/isofocus+
ISO Update : www.iso.org/isoupdate Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board & CEO, DuPont ................................................. 3
Considerable research demonstrates the benefits of gender diversity women, we bring a distinctive approach to
our interaction, perhaps due to our particular
The electronic edition (PDF file) of Special Report in terms of economic growth and sustainability, better governance,
ISO Focus+ is accessible free of charge upbringing, and this diversity is one of our
on the ISO Website www.iso.org/isofocus+ Inspirational women – Leading the way for change .................................................. 8 transparency and decision making. Yet women only make up 3 % greatest assets.
An annual subscription to the paper edition In Ada’s footsteps – Decoding the non-gender gap ................................................... 10 to 4 % of CEOs and chairs in Europe and the USA. The problem is Difference challenges the way we perceive
costs 38 Swiss francs. not so much the low numbers of women in high positions, but the and do things. It lies at the heart of origi-
An enriching experience – Why “ I still love my job ! ” ............................................ 15
nality, creativity, innovation and progress.
“ Come and join us ! ” – Embarking on new adventures ............................................ 16 sluggish progress being made to improve the situation. Despite the
Publisher Why only stick to square, when round can
ISO Central Secretariat increasing rhetoric promoting gender equality, implementation is bring interesting opportunities ? Diversity
Attention, ladies and gentlemen ! – Why it pays to participate in standards ............ 17
(International Organization for ­lagging behind. in all senses is enriching, and organizations
Standardization) Event sustainability – A young woman’s vision ........................................................ 19
have much to gain from it.
1, chemin de la Voie-Creuse Fight for consumer rights – The hard climb to ISO 26000 ....................................... 21 The business of standardization can never transport can put them at risk of attack and At ISO we understand this value. Our com-
CH – 1211 Genève 20
CEOs speak out – Why it pays to work in standards ! .............................................. 24 be more inclusive than the world around prevent them from working. Fortunately, munity brings together people from around
Switzerland
Tel. : +41 22 749 01 11 us. If there are no female engineers, there some forward-thinking companies, perhaps the world, experts from all backgrounds, to
Fax : +41 22 733 34 30 Centre-fold will be none in standardization ; if there recognizing women’s economic potential, work together and seek consensus. Great
E-mail : isofocus+@iso.org are no female directors in middle manage- have been known to provide secure travel ideas for positive change have come out
Social responsibility – How to eliminate bias and promote gender equality ...... 22-23
ment, there will be no female CEOs ; and for their female employees. of this inclusive environment, like the
Manager : Roger Frost if there are no female CEOs, there will be ISO 26000 standard on social responsibility.
Planet ISO
Editor in Chief : Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis no women on supervisory boards. The world has some tough challenges
Assistant Editor : Maria Lazarte News of the ISO system ............................................................................................. 28 Stereotypes and implicit ahead : climate change, sustainability, eco-
I joined the standards business in 1988
Communication Officer : Sandrine Tranchard and have since been part of a number of biases keep women nomic growth. To address these, we need
Artwork : Xela Damond, Pierre Granier CDC the finest talent humanity has to offer. The
exciting developments in the field. Although out of top leadership
and Alexane Rosa Product safety – Opportunities and challenges of innovation ................................... 29 goal is not to put a woman or two in high
standardization was – and partly still is – “ a
Copy editor/Proofreader : Vivienne Rojas
man’s world ”, mainly because of its close positions. positions to “ meet numbers ”, but to create
Translation : Translation Services, Supporting stakeholder engagement .......................................................................... 29
link to technical, scientific and mathematical effective leadership by getting the best tal-
ISO Central Secretariat Training for ISO chairs and convenors ...................................................................... 30
subjects traditionally dominated by men, I In addition to the most serious challenges ent on board – and women, as this issue of
must pay tribute to all the male colleagues faced by women in many countries, such as ISO Focus+ shows, are part of the best. 
Subscription enquiries : Sonia Rosas Friot Management Solutions
ISO Central Secretariat I have worked with during this time. In low access to education and health, forced
Tel. : +41 22 749 03 36
Never tire of saving energy ! – ISO 50001 is a win-win for Bridgestone ................. 31 professional relations, I never felt I was marriages, violence, etc., stereotypes and
Fax : +41 22 749 09 47 treated differently because I was a woman. implicit biases have been identified as
E-mail : sales@iso.org Standards in Action And let’s face it, women do not want to one of the barriers keeping them out of
Datuk Aishah Ahmad – Malaysian Automotive Association .................................... 36 take on leadership posts with a footnote next top leadership positions. These are often
© ISO, 2013. All rights reserved. to their names. As all the women featured in so ingrained in our cultures that we don’t
ISO 22000 in the retail industry – A matter of integration........................................ 40
this issue confirm, our goal is simply to do even realize they are there. The European
The contents of ISO Focus+ are copyrighted
our jobs to the best of our ability. That said, Commission published a teaser video last
and may not, whether in whole or in part, 360°
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
over the years I have met several female year for a campaign aiming to attract more
Your voice matters – Engaging consumers in standards ........................................... 42 colleagues who have impressed me with women into science. Despite its good inten-
transmitted in any form or by any means, elec-
tronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, their joined-up thinking, commitment and tions, the video was heavily criticized as it
New Releases pragmatism, often going the extra mile to was laden with images of fashion, glamour
without written permission of the Editor.
Out of harm’s way – New brochure reveals how ISO standards keep you safe ........ 44 get their jobs done. and lipstick, and very little science !
The articles in ISO Focus+ express the views
More often than not, however, women As Christine Lagarde, Managing Director
of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect
the views of ISO or of any of its members.
Coming Up 45 doubt their ability to cope with the demands of the International Monetary Fund, said at
of the job. And it is no surprise, as many the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
of us are told from an early age what we in Davos earlier this year, while women and
ISSN 2226-1095
Printed in Switzerland
“ can ” and “ cannot ” do. Women are taught men should strive to free themselves from
to fear a dangerous world. And sadly, the stereotypes, we should accept and embrace
world can be more dangerous for women. our differences. Drew Gilpin Faust, Presi- Elisabeth Stampfl-Blaha
Cover photo : Huw Evans Agency
In some places, simply taking public dent of Harvard University, agreed that, as ISO Vice-President (technical management).

ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 1

 a
World Scene Guest Interview

Ellen Kullman
The observance of World High marks for learning services
Water Day is a United Nations
initiative. This year, it high- IT Training Academy, an information
lights the importance of water technology training centre based in Geneva,
cooperation, a cross-cutting Switzerland, uses International Standard
issue that demands attention
at all levels and across sec-
ISO 29990 to offer a higher level of service
to its clients.
The company was awarded the ISO 29990
Chair of the Board & CEO, DuPont
tors. World Water Day 2013
aims to raise awareness of certification in February 2013. Valérie Ravinet,
both the potential for increased IT Training Academy’s Managing Director,
cooperation and the challenges comments, “ With over 300 courses and 400 Ellen Kullman, has been Chair
facing water management in clients, it was important to us that our clients
understood that our main priority is guarantee- of the Board and Chief Execu-
the context of greater demand
for water access, allocation, ing training quality and efficiency ”. tive Officer (CEO) of DuPont
and services. ISO 29990:2010, Learning services for
non-formal education and training – Basic since 2009.
ISO’s standards provide
practical tools for developing requirements for service providers, helps
training institutions delivering quality services As CEO, Ellen has champi-
a common understanding and
cooperation between countries to stand out in the marketplace. It aims to oned market-driven science to
on aspects such as water qual- improve the quality of the offer on the thriving
global market for non-formal education and promote innovation across the
ity and measurement, and the
management of water supply training, which includes vocational training, company’s businesses. Under
services, including under crisis life-long learning and in-company training. It
conditions. also ensures greater transparency and provides her leadership, decision making
Water cooperation will be better criteria for benchmarking learning has moved closer to customers
a cornerstone to achieving service providers in an international market.
the Millennium Development
around the world, resulting in
Goals, and ensuring water secu- No limit for social responsibility greater partnering, collabora-
rity and a sustainable future.
Consequently, the 2013 Inter- The Pernod Ricard Group, a co-leader in tion, and solutions attuned to
national Year on Water Cooperation calls on the wines and spirits sector worldwide, says local needs.
Water cooperation it has been “committed to a corporate social
leaders to bring water to centre stage, acting
ISO’s portfolio of more than 19 500 as the basis on which to establish stronger responsibility (CSR) process since it was Ellen began her career at
International Standards includes at least ties between nations, states and communi- first founded”. In 2010, the Group revised its
500 which directly or indirectly support the ties.The International Year and World Water strategy around one fundamental principle, the ­DuPont in 1988. In 2006, she
objectives of this year’s World Water Day Day therefore attempts to build a consensus respect for its stakeholders, and four priorities : was named Executive Vice-
on 22 March, based on the theme “Water, around the understanding of water coopera- • Promotion of responsible consumption
water everywhere, only if we share”. tion and needed actions. President with responsibility
• Respect of the environment
• Promotion of an entrepreneurial spirit for three business platforms and
behind the scenes, playing an essential sup-
• Sharing of cultures several functions including Mar-
Standards at the 2013 Oscars “ In 2012, two years after this new policy
porting role in the film industry.
was rolled out, the Group was eager to assess
keting and Sales. In 2008, she
As millions of people around the world This year, Academy Award best-picture
tuned in to see who took home the “Oscars” nominees Life of Pi and Zero Dark Thirty
its quality and relevance.” To achieve this, the was chosen to lead the compa-
at the 85th annual Academy Awards, voluntary Group says it “ had the credibility of its CSR
were both shot predominantly on digital approach assessed in light of ISO 26000:2010, ny’s focus on growth in emerg-
consensus standards have been hard at work video, while others, including best-picture
winner Argo, used digital cameras to com-
Guidance on social responsibility ”. Pernod ing international markets.
Ricard was selected by a panel of independent
plement footage shot on traditional film experts to be the first company to pilot the new
cameras.
Ellen is a member of the board
French experimental standard, XP X 30-027,
Supporting the film industry, ISO/IEC on ensuring the credibility of a social respon- of directors of United Tech-
13818-2:2000, Information technology – sibility approach based on ISO 26000.
generic coding of moving pictures and asso-
nologies Corp. She is also on
In order to draft a credibility report, “ the
ciated audio information : Video, aids film group of experts compared the CSR strategy the board of trustees of Tufts
makers by specifying the coded representa- and initiatives deployed by Pernod Ricard with
tion of picture information for digital storage
­University and serves on the
the industry’s current position and stakeholder
media and digital video communication, expectations. This data was scrutinized using board of overseers at Tufts Uni-
as well as for the decoding process. The the criteria of ISO 26000”.
standard was developed by ISO/IEC Joint
versity School of Engineering.
This approach was supported by senior
Technical Committee JTC 1, which focuses management, as Pierre Pringuet, Pernod Ellen became a member of the
on aspects of information technology. Ricard’s Chief Executive Officer, emphasizes :
Another standard, ISO 26431-1:2008,
board of Change the Equation, a
“ For almost 40 years, with our ‘commitment
Digital cinema (D-cinema) quality – Part 1 : to responsibility’, we have followed in the national coalition of more than
Screen luminance level, chromaticity and footsteps of the founders, Paul Ricard and
uniformity, developed by ISO/TC 36, Cin-
100 CEOs committed to improv-
Jean Hémard. Our aspirations remain the
ematography, provides guidance connected same : there are no leaders without exemplary ing science, technology, engi-
with another recent innovation in the movie social behaviour. The CSR must be seen as
world, namely the use of digital projectors in central to these aspirations. We need to be at
neering and mathematics learn-
movie theaters around the globe. the forefront of this process ”. ing for US Pre K-12 students. Photo : DuPont Image

2 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 3
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Guest Interview

ISO Focus+ : Standards were once mainly International Standards enable operational innovation is a key priority for DuPont. ISO Focus+ : Some 20 years ago, DuPont
perceived as tools solving problems for excellence and standardization across our Do standards help or hinder innovation – was among the first multinationals to take
About DuPont
engineers. Today, as the CEO of one of the complex global company. They are also key and how ? up the ISO 9000 approach to quality man-
world’s largest multinational companies, to our relationships with partner companies agement. What is the extent of DuPont’s
Ellen Kullman :The innovation process is DuPont (NYSE : DD) has been bringing
how do you view their importance ? since they build a foundation for mutual implementation of ISO 9001 and other
complex and can vary by product and mar- world-class science and engineering
trust and common understanding based ISO management system standards today ?
ket. At DuPont we strongly believe that the to the global marketplace in the form
Ellen Kullman :Standards have become an on clear specifications and performance What contribution have they made and are
power of innovation resides in collaboration
essential part of daily business, not just in expectations. of innovative products, materials, and they still making to the company ? What
with our partners. International Standards
terms of quality but also in terms of occu- services since 1802. The company would you like to see in the next revision
help create more seamless collaboration
pational safety, environmental management ISO Focus+ : With products like nylon believes that, by collaborating with of ISO 9001 in 2015 ?
across borders, thus further enabling the
and other disciplines. and Teflon® revolutionizing industry, customers, governments, NGOs, and
process of innovation. Ellen Kullman : The development of
DuPont participates in, and contributes thought leaders, we can help find ISO 9001 has helped us to considerably
to, standards development and committees solutions to such global challenges as improve our processes, both for our custom-
around the world. This is important for providing enough healthy food for people ers and our full value chain. We also use the
new product technologies and helps ensure everywhere, decreasing dependence on requirements of ISO 9001 to develop our
strong product stewardship. fossil fuels, and protecting life and the own control processes, including appropri-
environment. For additional information ate key performance indicators which help
about DuPont and its commitment us stay focused in daily business activities.
Standards have become The DuPont Production System in place at
to inclusive innovation, please visit
an essential part of daily our global operating sites incorporates all
http://www.dupont.com.
business. aspects of manufacturing and continual
improvement in a holistic, standards-driven

Photo : DuPont Image

Photo : DuPont Image

DuPont™ Kevlar® was the first high-

performance fibre to be used in bullet-
resistant vests and continues to protect law
enforcement officers around the world.
Photo : DuPont Image Since 1987, body armour has helped more
than 3 000 officers survive life-threatening
DuPont biologists Hong Wang (left) and Natalie Weber (right) work to extract polymeric injuries.
materials from plants.

approach to operational excellence. We

utilize the ISO 14001 system as part of our
global environmental management system,
and we take a standards-based approach to
the management of occupational safety.
This disciplined process has led to a trend
of continued long-term improvement.

ISO Focus+ : DuPont experts participate

in 10 or more ISO technical commit-
tees developing standards on subjects as
diverse as nanotechnologies, road vehicles,
fire safety and agricultural machinery.
What’s the return on investment for this
engagement ?
Ellen Kullman :DuPont is a 21st century
science company with global markets
and opportunities. By working together
Photo : DuPont Image
we can find new and better ways to solve
global challenges and provide for the food,
DuPont research scientists at work in a biobutanol molecular biology lab. From left to right:
microbiologist Dr. Lori Maggio-Hall, biochemist Annette Howard and molecular biologist DuPont scientist Paul Viitanen develops biocatalysts for the DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol energy, and protection needs of the world’s
Joseph Tuminello. efforts. growing population. Collaborating with

4 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 5
 a

ISO Focus+ : DuPont is focusing on the

challenges of food security, protecting a DuPont’s new Innovation Center for global collaboration
growing population and energy as key areas
where it can help make a difference. Can ISO Secretary-General Rob Steele took partners as well as representatives from knowledge, on site or via remote video
you briefly tell us about these initiatives ? part in a discussion forum organized major international companies also attended conferencing.
Ellen Kullman :Throughout the company’s during the opening of the second DuPont the ceremony, alongside Mark Vergnano, So, is innovation on the right track ? “ I
history, DuPont has created solutions through Innovation Center for Europe, the Middle DuPont’s Executive Vice-President. believe innovation is on the right track, ”
science that have solved big challenges,
East and Africa in January 2013. The This is the 10th Innovation Center worldwide said Mark Vergnano. “ For example, I
and we continue that tradition today. Our
new centre is housed in the European and the second to be launched at an existing believe we are just starting to understand
science is the engine that drives DuPont.
Together with our partners, we are working Technical Center, in Meyrin, Switzerland, DuPont research site. The global network the power that biotechnology will have in
with more people in more places than ever which has been spearheading research of centres provides a unique space where transforming and creating new advanced
before to create transformative products and and technical innovation for over 20 years. strategic partners from industry, academia materials.”
services that will help ensure a more secure Customers, academics and research and government can connect and pool their Panellists agreed on the importance of
food supply, find new energy sources and
innovation to remain competitive and
protect people where they work and live.
respond to market trends. However,
Our efforts are not restricted to the
high-performance products, technologies International Standards are crucial to
and services that we offer, but extend to making these ideas a reality, said the
efforts to engage a common dialogue on ISO Secretary-General. They enable
these important issues. For example, we interoperability, and facilitate economies
have worked with The Economist Intelli-
of scale, increasing the market potential
gence Unit to create a Food Security Index
of new products.
that offers a uniform definition for the root
causes of food insecurity and, in doing so,
aligns all stakeholders to be able to address
these challenges together.

International Standards
enable operational ISO Secretary-General Rob Steele
at the inauguration
excellence. of the DuPont Geneva
Innovation Center.
I served as a member of the Bipartisan
Policy Center Energy Board, a group that
studied America’s energy resurgence and
made recommendations on American DuPont’s new Innovation Center.
energy policy.
These are just a few of the efforts we are
working on today.

ISO Focus+ : Today we are living in a

fast-paced, constantly evolving world.
ISO’s portfolio of 19 500 standards on
everything from nanotec hnologies to
other companies, stakeholders and inno- equality so important to the company and social responsibility reflect this. Do you
vators through the work on ISO technical how do you achieve it ? ever think : “ I wish there was a standard
committees is just one example of what on that ! ” – if so, could you share some
Ellen Kullman : Respect for people is a
we mean by Inclusive Innovation – no ideas ?
key DuPont core value and sets the tone
one organization alone can solve these
for how we operate around the globe. We Ellen Kullman : DuPont believes that in
complex issues.
strive to ensure that all of our employees are order to encourage innovation and invest-
valued, valued for their knowledge, talents ment and foster sustainable global economic
ISO Focus+ : We are dedicating this issue and unique perspectives. The strength and growth, increased consistency of standards
of ISO Focus+ to women in standardiza- capability of each individual at DuPont is a is critical. If the same standards are similarly
tion to celebrate International Women’s significant asset to the company. We strive recognized by regulatory bodies around the
Photo : DuPont Image
Day. DuPont has been named among the to hire, train and retain the best possible world, then new products and technologies
Top 100 Best Places to Work for Working talent from around the world. To do this, will develop and commercialize more rapidly
Mothers (2011) and Top 50 Companies for we must foster an environment of diversity to help us meet the challenges of a growing
Executive Women (2012). Why is gender across all of our businesses and functions. world population.  Photo : DuPont Image

6 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 7
 a
Special Report

Inspirational
women
Leading the way for change
by Maria Lazarte

The statistics speak for themselves. Women represent 3 % to 4 % of

CEOs in the USA and Europe. They make up between 14 % and 16 %
of board members in the developed world, but in many European
Gertrude B. Elion, Nobel Prize in countries numbers do not even reach 5 %.
Medicine, she discovered drugs to treat
leukemia and other diseases.
atologist, the world’s Extensive academic research confirms consumers – the more representative and
Jane Goodall, Prim
on ch impanzees. that gender parity is linked to global com- influential the resulting document will be.
strial foremost expert
Lillian Moller Gilbreth, indu petitiveness and economic performance. Standards level the playing field, giving
strial
cs engineer and pioneer in indu
ze for Physi Panellists at a session of the 2013 annual everyone equal opportunities. They are
e, Noble Pri red research in psychology.
Marie Curi on ee meeting of the World Economic Forum also powerful tools for disseminating best
try, she pi
and Chemis
oa ct iv it y. (WEF) in Davos spelled it out: although practice – and this includes gender diversity,
radi
real gains have been made in the number which is addressed in ISO 26000 on social
of women in top economic decision-making responsibility. And there are many other
positions, progress is slow and we are still standards that contribute to the well-being
far from closing the gender gap. and safety of both men and women.
Today, 60 % of university graduates are Coinciding with this year’s International
women who are entering the workforce in Women’s Day (IWD), observed annually on
equal proportion to men. But the higher 8 March, this issue of ISO Focus+ celebrates
you look on the organizational scale, the the accomplishments, talents and expertise
thinner their numbers get. WEF panellists of women in standardization.
called this the mid-career “cliff”, a very “We have to talk about gender openly
real barrier which is keeping women from and honestly,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Chief
securing senior positions. Surveys of busi- Operating Officer and Member of the Board
ness schools show that, although women of Facebook, at the WEF session. Because
are getting the best MBAs, they do the the first step to closing the gender gap is
worst after graduation. What is needed, awareness.
panellists agreed, is better governance to In this issue of ISO Focus+, women in
promote diversity on management boards. leadership consider the progress made, and
In turn, by bringing more diverse talent into how being a female in standardization poses
the company, efficiency and governance no particular challenge. We hope these suc-
Augusta Ada Lo
ve
computer progra lace, the world’s first will improve. cess stories will be the catalyst for further
mmer.
ISO has made significant strides over time sustainable change in the workplace. A lot
as more and more women join its ranks. more needs to be done. The International
They now represent an important portion Labour Organization recently announced
of the staff at the ISO Central Secretariat that women and girls are in danger of being
Ada E. Yonath, Nobel prize
in Chemistry (55 %), as in many national standards bod- shut out of careers in science and technology,
for her work on the structure
lar , a
® of ies. Hundreds, if not thousands, are experts such as engineering, computer science and
ntor of Kev the ribosome.
p h an ie K wolek, inve corrosion and
S te
stant to wea
r, and leaders in technical committees, work- the physical sciences. And violence against
Grace Murray Hopper, lead developer material resi ing on subjects ranging from information women, the United Nations’ theme for this
of COBOL, the first modern programming flames.
language. technology to nanotechologies. year’s IWD, is still rampant in many parts
The principles of diversity and equality of the world.
lie at the very heart of standardization and We hope the experiences and stories
are fundamental to its success. At ISO, we of these remarkable female leaders will
know that the more voices get heard during inspire new generations of women to join
the development of a standard – be it from the world of standards.
industry, government, academia, NGOs,
Maria Lazarte is Assistant Editor, ISO Focus+

© ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 9
 a

Special Report

Karen Higginbottom – Modern times

I have been struggling a bit over why it is “ politically correct ”
to have an article on the women in ISO/IEC’s joint techni-
cal committee JTC 1, Information technology. Having often
sought to be treated no differently “ just because I’m female ”,
this seemed almost like a dichotomy. But, as I attended the
100th meeting of the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)
working group of ISO/IEC JTC 1, subcommittee 29, Coding
of audio, picture, multimedia and hypermedia information,
in May 2012, there it was staring me in the face. There were
more than just a few women in attendance. Women were even
being acknowledged on stage as speakers and leaders, both
within the standards activities and within their companies, universities or organizations.
It was a revelation for me – sometime, almost overnight, women had
reached a tipping point.
Perhaps this is best understood against the backdrop of my 25 years in
with Ada.Text_IO; standards and consortia. I started in telecom standards in the US where
I was the only woman in the management body. When I joined Ecma
procedure Hello_ISO is International, I was the first woman ever in attendance. At the consortium
begin entitled Corporation for Open Systems, of which I was the Steering Com-
Ada.Text_IO.Put_Line(“Hello, ISO!”); mittee Chair, Judy Brown was the only other woman there – an experience
end Hello_ISO; so unique that she and I have remained lifelong friends. And when I later
while a /= b loop went to work at HP, I was thrilled to collaborate with Josée Auber who has
always been technically strong and an effective leader in standardization
Ada.Text_IO.Put_Line (“Waiting”);
activities, now the President of Ecma International. In short, two decades of
end loop; meetings with so few women in information and communication technology
(ICT) standardization that I could count them on one hand !
if a > b then But the MPEG meeting made it clear : whatever unique obstacles or
Ada.Text_IO.Put_Line (“Condition met”); challenges somehow limited the participation of women, they are now
else key contributors to the ICT standards process. So much so, in fact, that
Ada.Text_IO.Put_Line (“Condition not met”); it seems fitting to acknowledge some of them here.
end if;
Karen Higginbottom is Chair of joint technical committee ISO/IEC JTC 1,
for i in 1 .. 10 loop Information technology.

In Ada’s footsteps Ada programming language for greater reliability and security

Often used in air traffic control, banking and other high-risk industries The revision responds to real user needs, for example by improving

Decoding the non-gender gap because of its reliability, the Ada programming language has become
even more flexible and secure with the third edition of ISO/IEC
portability, interfacing to other languages, adding formal support
for contract-based programming, and continuing to improve
8652:2012, Information technology – Programming languages – Ada. object-oriented and real-time capabilities.
Among other improvements, the latest version of Ada offers a “ By publishing Ada as an International Standard, users know that
feature commonly referred to as “ contract-based programming ”. any updates will be accessible to developers around the world, and
Information technology (IT) is to the sector from the earliest
times. Ada Lovelace, a mathema-
In Ada’s footsteps, women’s
participation in the IT sector is
Found in very few other languages, it significantly strengthens
programmes against bugs and malicious use.
have confidence on the stability of the updates, ” says Dr. Joyce
not only innovative for its cutting- Tokar, Convenor of the working group that developed the standard.
tician from the 1800s, is widely on the increase, with more and Ada was originally designed with three broad goals :
edge designs and for making peo- This is critical as Ada is often used in industries where security
regarded as the first computer more girls choosing to study IT • Programme reliability and maintenance and dependability are crucial. Examples include aviation and air
ple’s daily lives healthier, more
programmer, whose pioneering in college/university than ever • Programming as a human activity traffic control, satellites, medical and banking sectors, railway and
comfortable, safer and richer, it
work in the IT field has made a before. Below are a remark- • Efficiency subway systems, and the military, to name a few.
is also one of the few industry
significant and lasting impact. able group of women who tell
sectors where gender equality is Since then, the language has been ameliorated to increase flexibility The language was originally commissioned by the US Department
In honour of her contribution, us how their experience in the of Defense to consolidate programming languages in the military,
(almost) a reality. and extensibility, and give more control and wider support. The
a computer language (and ISO world of IT standardization 2012 version further enhances its capability and expressiveness, and it was published as an ISO standard in 1987. It is named
Despite the commonly held standard !) was named after her, has brought fulfilment, friend- as well as the dependability, safety and security of programmes after Ada Lovelace, considered to be the world’s first computer
belief that IT is a man’s world, Ada, almost two hundred years ship, challenges and some great using the language. programmer.
women have made contributions later ! stories.

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daughter developed a liking for Japanese ways of life. The emergence of global Marina Bosi – Conceiving MP3 and were in competition, so I felt a bit of an
beer, made friends with a Yokohama communications and IT – and specifically outsider and scrutinized as a representative
family with teenagers of a similar age and my laptop – means that it is no longer I vividly remember my first MPEG of Dolby Labs. I was also the only woman
helped me to navigate Tokyo trains with necessary to carry a case bulging with (Moving Picture Experts Group) meeting, in a room full of male engineers, which
the pushchair. papers onto the plane (pretending it is as which took place in Paris in 1991. I had didn’t help, and, in Paris, my first instinct
Looking back, it was unusual to continue light as a feather). just joined Dolby Laboratories as the first was to stay quietly hidden behind a desk.
working in international standardization with Having suffered the onset of a perma- female engineer in the R&D department I was travelling with my boss’s boss
such young children, but it allowed me to nent disability, I am now deeply involved and was working on Dolby’s proprietary at the time and, upon arrival, he bluntly
stay involved and contributing. in accessibility-related standardization, codecs. I was asked to represent Dolby in ordered : “ Marina, you must now go
As my work began to include more especially as it can target those people the International Standards arena and the around the room and introduce yourself
developments related to video compres- with no clearly focused pressure groups. Paris MPEG meeting would be my first to everyone. ” This was the last thing I
sion, metadata and communications, the At times, my children have accompanied foray into that activity. It was with both wanted to do, and the most difficult task
pace increased to the four meetings per me to places as contrasting as Hong Kong excitement and trepidation that I boarded that had been asked of me in my budding
year that MPEG (Moving Picture Experts and Sheffield to push my wheelchair the flight to Paris. career ! Fortunately though, I ended up
Group) typically holds. For several years, and enable me to remain engaged with meeting people who became long-lasting
I attended all these meetings, contributing standardization. professional collaborators and some of my
Kate Grant – A mother’s tale to UK positions and specific standards Those of us with limited mobility and I ended up meeting closest personal friends.
such as those related to aspects of video manual dexterity may look the same as people who became The 1991 MPEG meeting in Paris, as
I began working on industrial communica- surveillance. it turns out, was a particularly significant
everyone else, but we can struggle to cope, long-lasting professional
tions standards when my first four children Occasionally, the children came along for meeting, not just personally (I doubt anyone
have to plan trips around hospital treatment collaborators and some
had got to a stage where they could be left for the travel experience and I can remember took much notice of my first attendance),
and must ensure we travel with medication. including leading the development of the
a week at home. At my second international taking three of them to a meeting in San We also need enough extra medication
of my closest personal but also historically. In the MPEG audio
meeting, I was once again pregnant and, then newly conceived MPEG advanced
Francisco followed by a week in Shanghai. to cope with unexpected traumas such as friends. group, we lay down a major building block,
every time the convenor raised his voice, While I worked, they enjoyed cycling over the hybrid filterbank, the backbone of audio coding, which today is widely used
flight cancellations following a volcanic
the baby kicked hard. That autumn, at three the Golden Gate Bridge, visiting Alcatraz what later became the MP3 format. These in Apple’s iTunes and iPod-based products.
ash disruption… so that we can “ keep calm
months, she attended her first meeting in and exploring the different faces of ancient At the time, my colleagues and I were days everyone is familiar with MP3 but, ISO/IEC has had, and continues to have,
and carry on ”.
Germany and slept peacefully as delegates and modern China. working on stereo audio coding techniques at the time, it was a stab in the dark and a major role in the development of media
discussed time-critical communications. Working with experts from around the Dr. Kate Grant is a Consultant at Nine Tiles, similar to the ones being considered by the an effort most people considered doomed technology and I feel fortunate to be a part
A meeting in China nine months later world has given me insights into different United Kingdom. ISO/IEC MPEG audio group. We were also from the start. of this community.
presented more of a challenge. In 1990 flights branching out to multichannel extensions My work within ISO/IEC continued
were infrequent, so a one-week meeting with AC-3 (later known as Dolby Digital). through the years and, thanks to the incred- Dr. Marina Bosi is a Consulting Professor at
meant 10 days away. My eldest daughter The Dolby and MPEG audio coding tech- ible friends and colleagues I met through Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research
came and babysat. Between meetings, the nologies addressed the same market needs MPEG, I enjoyed a number of successes, in Music and Acoustics, California, USA.
United Kingdom (UK) delegation and
nine-month-old Alice visited major tourist
attractions, and during meetings, my baby
girl explored the area around our hotel.
As an editor of the standard, I needed
to attend the meetings and, the following networking and hypertext transfer protocol vivid memories. The first lesson came after
autumn, my second daughter babysat Alice (http) were fast catching up. a horrendous technical battle when my
when we went to Michigan. During this Being active in join technical commit- staunch opponent told me : “ We’ve had a
time, I visited the General Motors Techni- tee ISO/IEC JTC 1 and in key standard good fight today – let’s go and have a beer
cal Center. bodies in the industry, I was honoured to together ! ” This has happened many times,
The company I worked for cooperated become part of a small group that invented whether ending with drinks, dinner or a cup
with a UK university to provide a tutorial the JTC 1 Publicly Available Specifica- of tea, and our fierce debates have never
on the emerging Manufacturing Message tion (PAS) process. This enabled me, in prevented me from getting to know people
Specification. It was important to closely JTC 1, to keep bringing together the best with different views and backgrounds.
involve the activities of technical commit- standards, whatever their origin. Being a woman in standardization, and
tee ISO/TC 184, Automation systems and working in France for a Californian-spirited
integration, to ensure it correctly reflected company, has not brought particular chal-
the standard.
Perhaps I just felt
lenges. It has brought amusement though,
Two years later, my youngest daughter at ease in JTC 1, like when I was told that, in order to con-
began her career in standards at only five a place that has vince a particular person, I would need to
weeks old. We travelled to Carlsbad, Cali- Josée Auber – never lacked be German with a loud voice and a beard.
fornia, where I worked with joint technical No beards about it women in lead roles ! But perhaps I just felt at ease in JTC 1,
committee ISO/IEC JTC 1 on time-critical a place that has never lacked women in
communications. This was followed by two I came to standardization from standards- leading roles !
trips to Japan before her first birthday to based software engineering. At that time, in Looking back, if standards and technolo-
pursue both this and additional industrial Baby goes to Japan ! Delegates at a 1993 meeting of JTC 1/SC 21 in Yokohama, the early 1990s, open systems interconnec- gies come and go, the lessons learned from Josée Auber is Director of Standards Europe at
communications standardization. My eldest Japan, posing with Kate’s baby. tion still shined, but Internet protocol-based people I met in various committees remain Hewlett Packard.

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An
Catherine Tilton – Firstly, let me say that it’s great to be Watching this unfold was interesting, Throughout this journey, I have learned
Roll up your sleeves considered one of the “Women of JTC 1” as the many agendas collided and com- a lot and evolved, both as a person and as a
and I feel I am in good company ! promises were made. Serving as head of woman. There have been many challenges

enriching
Joining in 2002 as a relative novice, I feel the US delegation, it was a challenge to along the way, some relatively straightfor-
that my experiences over the past 10 years herd our 25 delegates and negotiate with ward and others demanding a more personal
have been personally rewarding and provided other national bodies, but as a group we commitment.
many opportunities for growth. I have also were successful. A high percentage of the staff I know

experience
greatly enjoyed the diversity of people I have Months later, one of the US delegates in standardization bodies are women.
worked with and have come to appreciate mentioned that a foreign delegate had asked Fortunately, there are also men ! What is
their talents, contributions and perspectives. why the US had a woman as its head of certain, however, is that in standardization
Although this appreciation has been department. He retorted that perhaps she forums attended by experts and profes-
mainly mutual, there is one incident that was the best-qualified person. I hope to sionals, there are generally more men than
sticks in my mind. JTC 1 subcommittee have proven myself since then ! women representing their companies or
SC 37, Biometrics, was formed in 2002, organizations.
with 17 countries initially coming together In the variety of fields I have engaged
to organize and begin work on standards My advice to those in so far, being a woman has been neither
related to biometrics. positive nor negative from a professional
interested in joining in
point of view. And this is true at the national,
is to “roll up their sleeves”, European and international levels.
get to work and be Working in a foreign language is a con-
prepared to compromise ! stant challenge and sometimes great effort is
needed to express a complex idea in English.
Some people do this with a definite accent
Progressing the work of the committee while others have very fluent English, even
requires active contribution, review and if it is not their mother tongue !
debate. Many participants, like myself, Leaving home and the family to travel
have day jobs, with their standards work for several days, a week or even longer,
being an “additional duty”, often performed requires strict organization and planning.
after hours. This is why you have to love As a woman, I have never had to overcome
it and it’s certainly not for everyone. It travel-related obstacles and I can always rely
takes a unique combination of technical on the support of understanding relatives.
competence and people skills. My advice to My mother worked outside the home at a
those interested in joining in is to “roll up time when it was still unusual. Nowadays,
their sleeves”, get to work and be prepared it is quite common and I am pleased that
to compromise ! my son can grow up in a world where it is
Catherine Tilton is Vice-President, Standards and Why “ I still love my job ! ” considered normal.
All the projects in which I have been
Technology, at Daon. She is also US Head of
involved have enriched my experience.
Elena Ordozgoiti is Head of Food and Services at AENOR, the
Department of joint technical committee
ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Topics have varied greatly, ranging from
subcommittee SC 37, Biometrics. saffron and equal opportunities to packing
Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification. Here she and wrapping. These days, I am increasingly
reveals some of the changes she has witnessed, the pro’s and con’s of involved in the services field, where each
Jaeyeon Song – Despite the warm welcome and rapid her career to date, and why she still loves her job. standardization committee is like a window
on the economy and society.
Overcoming prejudice recognition, a woman’s technical contribu-
tion will not always be readily accepted in When we were children, we used to say More than anything, my standardiza-
As a woman IT engineer and as a woman an environment that is still very much a things like, “ I want to be a nurse ”, or, “ I tion activities have enabled me to work
working in standardization, I feel my life male preserve. want to be an actress ”. But one thing’s for with, and experience, a wide diversity of
has special meaning. For me, the answer is to have confidence sure, none of us ever said we wanted to be people and cultures. Some people have
There are few women in IT standards a “ female standardizer ”. proved interesting and educated while
in my technology and to prove my ability
meetings and, in my 10 years in this I began working in this unknown field in others have been more difficult, but all
as a professional engineer, not as a female
field, I have usually been the only female 1994, completely by chance. At the time, have taught me a lot and shown me that
participant. Sometimes this involves over-
participant. But I have experienced only the Spanish Association for Standardiza- cultural differences are not a myth. Across
coming prejudice.
warmth and kindness and feel the world tion and Certification (AENOR) was little the world, people live, work and think in
Standards work is challenging and
of standardization is welcoming to women. known in the agri-food and services sectors ; different ways, and it is not always true
interesting. Like life itself, it has high’s
IT standards meetings require the right in fact, it was little known in Spain, except that “ we ” do everything right and that
and low’s and is full of surprises. And it’s
measure of technology, persuasiveness and perhaps in industry. “ the others ” should change.
a life I love ! 
good social relationships since the standard- In the 1990s, I played my part in strength- I am fortunate enough to say that my
ized solution must be based on consensus Jaeyeon Song is a Director of multimedia ening and developing AENOR, before work is as interesting and enjoyable as
and the best technology. Good technology standardization and a Senior Engineer at Samsung it became the prestigious and renowned ever. And 18 years after joining AENOR,
alone does no make a standard. Electronics. organization it is today. I still love my job ! 

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Attention, ladies
and gentlemen !
“ Come and Why it pays to participate in standards
join us ! ”
Embarking on new adventures
Sophie Clivio is the new Secretary of ISO’s Technical Manage-
ment Board (TMB). As the first woman to take on this key role,
she explains why she loves her job and why the fascinating world
of standardization offers opportunities for all.

ISO Focus+ : How has your career in ISO Focus+ : Can you tell us more about ISO Focus+ : How does participation in
standardization developed ? your mainly female team ? standardization empower you as a woman ?
Sophie Clivio :I started at the ISO Central Sophie Clivio : There are three other Sophie Clivio :I’m not sure I feel empow-
Secretariat 20 years ago as a technical members in my team, two of them women. ered ! Yet the chance to participate in many
programme manager and, a few years later, This, combined with the fact that the TMB different areas through standardization has
became a technical group manager. I took Chair and ISO Vice-President (technical broadened my mind and awoken the urge
up my current duties as TMB Secretary management), Elisabeth Stampfl-Blaha, to embark on new adventures.
and Head of Technical Policy in September is also a woman, does make the TMB
2011. I enjoy my new role as it combines stand out. ISO Focus+ : What advice would you give
the technical and political aspects of to young women considering a career in
standardization, which are both interesting standardization ?
and challenging. The TMB’s mandate is a We are better served
Sophie Clivio :Having a solid background
broad and important one, and I appreciate
that my job allows me to use a wide range
when employers are
blind to gender and
is essential, as is hard work. Probably the
most important thing at the beginning is to
N orma McCormick is Chair of ISO’s Committee on consumer
of experiences and skills. policy (ISO/COPOLCO). Here she explains why the more consumers
focus on who will be perceived as credible. This credibility
ISO Focus+ : Have women’s roles in do the best job. is built up through showing, constantly participate in developing standards, the more likely it is that products
standardization changed ? and consistently, that you really under- and services meet their needs. The win-win result benefits consumers
stand the field and can respond to issues and suppliers alike.
Sophie Clivio :It never occurred to me that However, creating a “women-run” as they arise. This is not difficult when
I might be the first woman to take on this team was never the intention. Elisabeth is you like your job, no matter your gender !
job, although it is true that standardization highly accomplished and brings a wealth During my time as a technical pro- Consumers play an important and evolv- system. They are valued for their advice and and conformity assessment work, has a
has historically been a male-dominated of experience and knowledge to her role. gramme manager, I gained a knowledge ing role in standards development, both participation, including in the high-profile strong record of female participation and
environment. Many product standards were, As for my team, I believe in hiring the best and understanding of procedures (our nationally through the national standards ISO advisory committees on sustainability, leadership. In its almost 35-year history,
and still are, developed by male technical person for the job, regardless of gender. role is to be experts in procedures and bodies (NSBs) and internationally through energy and security. there have been nine chairs, five of which
experts and engineers, but we also have Hiring a woman because she is a woman processes), which have helped me to participation in ISO advisory, governance were women !
new areas where women are participating helps no one, least of all women. We are establish my credibility. I also thoroughly and technical committees. Our rich history Even in 1978, at our initial plenary, a
as experts and/or leaders in technical com- better served when employers are blind enjoyed my job. Freely devoting their time and talents, large percentage of the 40 delegates present
mittees and subcommittees. to gender and focus on who will do the But, although standardization has always I am very proud of the long history of
the consumers involved in standardization from 17 countries, were women. And today,
best job. been the province of men, both the world of women’s contributions to issues of con-
activities are mainly volunteers. They do many women are participating in national
ISO Focus+ : What are the challenges of sumer concern and of their achievements
standards and the wider world are constantly this because they recognize that standards and international technical work.
being a woman in standardization ? ISO Focus+ : How would you describe the
evolving, and we are certainly seeing more boost consumer protection, societies and in standardization. As a member of three Canadian and three
team’s dynamics ?
Sophie Clivio : The challenges facing and more women in this field. economies. ISO/COPOLCO, which provides ISO ISO technical committees, I am pleased to
women in standardization are not unique Sophie Clivio : They’re based on mutual The work is rewarding, different and, Consumers have historically been seen with advice from a consumer viewpoint observe that, increasingly, women are com-
to standardization. respect for each individual’s strengths. above all, fascinating. Come and join us !  as important stakeholders in the standards on current and potential standardization ing forward to contribute their expertise.

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Consumer expertise or those affected by standards, are seen • Address concerns related to the safety,

Event
as important. convenience and durability of products
In the past, technical committee experts ISO/COPOLCO recommendations have • Provide information on how products
were primarily representatives of manufac- led to many important ISO standards. But are used in practice, and the potential
turers and industry groups interested in the

sustainability
we have also supported or developed guides for their unintended use or misuse
technical area concerned. for standards writers and users.
Increasingly though, consumers are being • Ensure the suitability of marks and
recognized as experts. Their input is now instructions
Working for you
acknowledged as essential to the technical • Offer a perspective on the reliability of
committees that develop consumer-related ISO/COPOLCO is increasingly seeking test methods and performance specifi-
standards. and seizing opportunities to reflect consumer cations to achieve the intended results
NSBs are being encouraged to support the views in standards development.
participation of consumer representatives ISO/COPOLCO has identified ways to
on technical committees. To measure their support ISO’s strategic goals, meet the needs
growing involvement, the ISO Technical Our initiatives will of our members and strengthen consumer
Management Board has adopted seven expand the pool of participation in standards development. Our
categories to classify experts nominated committed and informed priority is to bolster our members’ efforts
to working groups. Member bodies must to raise public awareness of standardiza-
consumers.
apply these categories when registering tion and the consumer-protection benefits
experts on the Global Directory. Category C brought about by standards.
identifies consumers as “ national, regional Consumers are well placed to define We are building our capacity through
and international consumer representation the desired characteristics of products tutorials, Web-based learning and on-site
bodies, independent of any organization that and services. Their involvement – as both training, by increasing our use of social
would fall into the ‘industry and commerce’ stakeholders and technical experts – can media and, in particular, by reaching out
category, or individual experts engaged help to ensure that the product or service to our members through an e-newsletter,
from a consumer perspective ”. to which the standard applies is market- a blog and Facebook.
Interested and informed consumer rep- relevant and fit for purpose. Our initiatives will expand the pool of
resentatives can make a valuable contribu- More specifically, consumers can : committed and informed consumers and
tion to the work of technical committees. • Influence the scope of a standard, pro- enhance our skills, resulting in stronger, more
The perspectives and views of end users, viding hazard and injury data active and more confident participation. 

Photo : © R&M

A young woman’s vision

ISO 20121:2012, Event sustainability management systems – could make : it has the potential to change the
entire way the international event industry
­ equirements with guidance for use, was launched in June 2012,
R
works. The vision of a sustainable event
in time to be used at the London 2012 Olympics. Fiona Pelham, industry continues to be my main inspira-
Chair of the ISO technical committee responsible for its development, tion for being involved with ISO 20121.
­explains how she kept everything and everyone on track.
ISO Focus+ : What did you do to ensure
you were a successful chair ?
Fiona Pelham : The event industry is a
ISO Focus+ : How did you get involved in Despite being a 28-year-old with no
predominantly female industry and contains
standardization ? experience of standardization, it was clear
many small to medium-sized businesses.
to me, after sitting through my first meeting
Fiona Pelham :In 2004 I set up an event Against this background, I felt confident that
for BS 8901, that this standard represented
management company to deliver events I was a fair representation of the industry
everything I was passionate about – creating
in a way that was both good for the local this standard was being created for.
a sustainable event industry.
community and environment, and finan- I quickly understood that being the best
cially viable. Through my work, I met the chair possible meant testing the standard and
ISO Focus+ : What inspired you to take a
Institute of Environmental Management understanding how its words translated into
leading role ?
and Assessment’s event manager, who sug- practical action. Throughout the develop-
Mohana Priya from the Malaysian Association of Standards Users participates at the 2012 workshop on counterfeiting and fraud organized gested I attend a meeting for the creation Fiona Pelham :From the very first meeting, ment of BS 8901, and then ISO 20121, the
by the ISO Consumer policy committee (ISO/COPOLCO) in Fiji. of a British standard, BS 8901. I understood what difference this standard team at Sustainable Events Ltd. constantly

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Fight for consumer rights

Sadie Homer is Senior Policy
Advisor at Consumers Interna- The hard climb to ISO 26000
tional, an organization work-
ing to protect and empower
consumers everywhere. Sadie
was one of over 400 partici-
pants in the development of
ISO 26000:2010, Guidance on
social responsibility, and here she
tells us about her experience.

trialled the standard at events held at Man- I would be a good chair as I knew I was age and gender should not be a barrier to
chester International Festival, Old Trafford putting in the effort and time to implement making a difference in the world. I hope
Manchester United and Reed Exhibitions, the standard and get to know the committee. I can be a good example for other young
and in our working methods in our small The committee members also trialled the women who are keen to use standards to
office of eight. standard and took a collaborative approach so make a difference !
This practical understanding of how the their contribution made a huge difference. We I have been proactive in promoting
standard worked made up for any lack of all worked as one team with a shared vision : ISO 20121. The standard was created
experience I had in the standard creation the creation of a sustainable event industry. principally by, and for, members of the
process. I worked closely with José Alcorta event industry, and I think my role as chair
and Leonardo Matin, the joint secretariats is proof of that. It makes sense that the
from the United Kingdom (UK) and Bra- This standard chair of an ISO committee should provide
zil, and they provided fantastic support in represented good representation for their industry and
helping me to increase my competence in everything I was make the effort to explain the standard’s
When I started working in standards
standard terminology and the time frames relevance.
passionate about. in the mid-1990s, I was usually the only
for standard development. Communicating to the global event
consumer advocate at the meeting – and on consumer policy (ISO/COPOLCO), we As representation is an inherent princi-
My final step was to put in the time and industry about the creation and imple-
the only woman. This was juxtaposed to saw this as an opportunity to work towards ple of social responsibility, the number of
effort to build relationships with the com- Although a voluntary chair’s work is mentation of ISO 20121 has brought
working within the consumer movement this goal. We also wanted to bring much women participating in the development of
mittee’s members. For example, when new demanding in terms of time and energy, I some great experiences. These include
where women have a strong presence, and needed clarity to organizations’ responsibili- ISO 26000 was crucial. Women are natural
members joined, I would hold a pre-meeting think it is a challenge any chair – of any presenting at the International Olympic
often lead the way. ties towards consumers, as well as to the organizers and communicators and, if ever
conference call to supply them with relevant age or gender – would accept. The main Committee Sport and Environment Con- Consumers International’s executive rights and responsibilities of the consumers these skills were needed for a successful
background information. Most committee challenge I faced came from those com- ference in Doha in 2011, and to chapters council is 40 % female, it has a female themselves. outcome, it was in this forum !
members working on ISO 20121 came from mittee members with significant standards of Meeting Professionals International Director General, and women hold four Although it may not be possible to repli-
the event industry with limited experience experience and what I perceived to be lim- around the world. of the nine senior management positions. cate the process and passion that ISO/WG SR
in standard creation, so I tried to take an ited interest in the vision of a sustainable Representation
The global consumer rights movement created to deliver ISO 26000, much can
open, honest and collaborative approach. event industry. In certain situations, I had ISO Focus+ : What would you say to other
to alter my chairing style from collabora- young women interested in chairing a
has long recognized the importance of is an inherent principle certainly be learnt about the value of ensuring
women’s voices in stakeholder advocacy. of social responsibility. a balanced input from stakeholder groups.
ISO Focus+ : What challenges did you face tive to more forceful to stay on schedule, standard ?
On 15 March 2013, we once again pushed This includes positively seeking the less
as a young female chair, and how did you but I always tried to maintain a personal
Fiona Pelham : If the standard supports for better consumer protection for under- well resourced, or the less able, to ensure
overcome them ? approach. One committee member told me
something you are passionate about, get represented groups, including women, as From the first meeting of the ISO their voices are heard.
I kept everyone on track and focused in a
Fiona Pelham : I didn’t realize how few involved whatever your age or gender. If part of the World Consumer Rights Day. Working group on social responsibility It is fantastic to see this type of approach
“ killing with kindness ” style, which I took
young female chairs there were until I you implement the standard, even in its trial Consumers International advocates for (WG SR), it was clear that this would playing an increasingly central role in
as a compliment !
was told that I was probably the youngest version, you will have something relevant consumers to be acknowledged as key be a long and complex journey, and that standards development.
female ISO chair. to share.  stakeholders in standards development, and it would involve a steep learning curve. For me, success has been seeing an
ISO Focus+ : How has your role with
With the core members of the ISO 20121 for processes that enable under-represented Multi-stakeholder standardization had efficient and effective consumer move-
ISO 20121 influenced your wider career ?
committee (the secretariats and the regular Fiona Pelham is also Managing Director groups to be heard. never tried to operate on this level before, ment working together to put the rights of
meeting attendees), I never experienced Fiona Pelham : I’m proud to be a young of Sustainable Events Ltd. and Positive Impact, So, when a standard on social responsibil- encompassing gender as well as economic women and consumers at the heart of social
any resistance to my role. I felt confident female ISO chair as I strongly believe that both based in Manchester. ity was first put forward in the ISO Committee and cultural diversity. responsibility. 

20 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 21
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Social responsibility
How to eliminate bias and promote gender equality

A positive link exists between gender parity and economic and social development.
That is why gender equality is one of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
Inversely, discrimination has a negative impact on individuals, families, communities
and societies, limiting their potential. According to ISO 26000 (social responsibility),
gender equality is a cornerstone of social responsibility. To eliminate bias and
promote parity, organizations must therefore ensure:

Equal treatment
in recruitment,
job assignment,
training, opportunities,
A good mix of compensation
men and women in
governing structures
and management

Equal
Equal benefits consideration of
from advocacy the needs of both
and community Equal men and women
development consideration of in decisions and
projects, with the different needs of activities (for
particular emphasis men and women in example by reviewing
Equal on redressing areas the workplace and in how company
remuneration for where gender equality aspects of community communications
work of equal value is lacking safety and health portray gender)

© ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+

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CEOs
But we must stay relevant. To do this, are among the six strategic reform initiatives A level playing field
I have to interact with people, listen and in the Government’s economic transforma- Kenya’s Evah Adega Oduor
understand their needs and continue to tion programme. This plan aims to make

speak
meet their expectations. Furthermore, as Malaysia a high-income country by 2020
part of an interconnected network, I need and, at the DSM, I will do my part to make
to travel and meet with peers and DSM this happen.
stakeholders in order to ensure the timely Is being a woman relevant in all this ?

out
delivery of our standards. Well, by default, I was born a woman. Has
I am proud to say that Malaysia is heading it given me any perks ? Well, I can choose to
in the right direction, towards a “ quality wear colours in “ serious ” meetings, and I’m
culture ”. In 2011, we had the honour to hear often allowed to express my views – first !
our Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohammad
Why it pays Najib Tun Razak, announce that standards Fadilah Baharin is Director General of the
Department of Standards Malaysia.

to work
in standards ! How can we attract more women to
Raising awareness
Colombia’s María Zulema Vélez Jara standardization ? I have the feeling that
it is not a matter of gender, but of lack
of information. Most people, at least in
Colombia, are not aware of the work carried
out in standardization. Certainly, before
I joined ICONTEC, if you had asked me
what a person does in standardization, I Standardization is a broad field with a
really would not have known the answer. wide scope, and yet it is very specific. It
has broadened my work from understanding
products and services, and the environment,
It is rewarding to work to newer subjects such as climate change
in an activity that helps and energy efficiency.
Some 26 CEOs of ISO’s national bodies are women. society. My job in standardization gives me the
opportunity to interact with experts and pro-
Here, six of them talk about their careers to date, life at the top and fessionals from around the world and from
the role of women in standardization. Although standardization is present in all all walks of life. I like the world of standards,
fields, there is a stronger presence where which makes the world a better place.
experts or people involved are linked to
From village to VIP Growing up in a village in Malaysia, Now, many years later, in my current male-dominated professions.
Malaysia’s Fadilah Baharin otherwise known as a “ kampong ”, civil position as Director General of the Depart- To attract more women to standardiza- When there is
servants were considered the great maha- ment of Standards Malaysia (DSM), I tion, therefore, we need to : a level playing field,
rajas, the “chosen ones” with extraordinary would like to think that my efforts have women can run
• Provide more information on work in
powers. Civil servants lived in a world of been contributing to the cause.
standardization just as fast as men –
their own, doing whatever they wanted,
whenever they wanted. This, of course, As the CEO of Colombia’s standards • Apply standardization increasingly to and sometimes faster !
was in stark contrast to village people, who I have found my calling body, ICONTEC International, allow me new technologies
were making their daily living by running in standardization to share with you some ideas. • Change the way people see standards
All our staff in the Kenya Bureau of
small businesses. For a start, it is interesting to be part of (which remains “ boring job, boring
because it encompasses Standards is highly motivated and focused
This reminds me of a childhood memory an organization that shares knowledge. It standards ”)
everything I love. on results. On occasions though, I have
of my mother walking all the way to the is also interesting to see the interactions
We also need to answer people’s questions : asked myself if a female employee has
local tax office at midday, only to be told in technical committees which involve a
where standardization can be learned, what had to work extra hard to rise up through
to come back at 14:00. Lunchtime was at Confucius once said, “ Choose a job you mix of knowledge management and human
experience and skills are needed, what stand- the ranks.
13:00. As a common villager, she didn’t love, and you will never have to work a day behaviour. In these meetings, it is important
ardization is trying to achieve, and what can With consistency, perseverance and
complain and did as she was told. in your life. ” And that describes exactly to work with – and not against – people
be expected in terms of career progression. professionalism, any member of staff
Upon completing my studies at a univer- where I am now. I have found my calling with different backgrounds, personalities
We must also change the idea that stand- should be able to progress. Gender should
sity in England, I was summoned back to in standardization because it encompasses and views.
ardization is just a logistics job. It is more be irrelevant. I know I have what it takes,
enter the Malaysian civil service. Although everything I love, including meeting people It is rewarding to work in an activity
than that, so we need to highlight broader and I deliver. When there is an equal, level
my mother’s experiences with the civil and international travel. that helps society. Companies can gain
project management. playing field, women can run just as fast
service were enough to scare me off, she For some, standards are little more than certificates to standards, which is of course as men – and sometimes faster !
convinced me that I could help change sheets of paper. For me, standards are a excellent, but the standards involved María Zulema Vélez Jara is Executive Director of
the culture. service. Standards exist because people really benefit the market and people’s ICONTEC International, the Colombian Institute of Evah Adega Oduor is Managing Director of the
need them. everyday lives. Technical Standards and Certification. Kenya Bureau of Standards.

24 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 25
 a

Special Report

All for the good cause the ISO General Assembly, the Pacific Area Wanted : Female standardizers I regard standardization as a unique arena Empowering young women There should be programmes and caring
New Zealand’s Debbie Chin Standards Congress and the International Norway’s Trine Tveter for experts and stakeholders from all parts South Africa’s Boni Mehlomakulu mentors of both genders to help women
Electrotechnology Commission’s General of the world to meet and participate on succeed in leadership positions. I have
Meeting. They too are always interested equal grounds. It’s a forum where they can been fortunate to benefit from both at a
to hear of developments in New Zealand. discuss topics of mutual interest to create young age.
Of course, SNZ has a special relationship joint solutions. I have been a part of the I have been driving significant assign-
with Standards Australia, with whom we international standardization family for ments for around 10 years. I want to keep
develop many joint standards. years now, and I feel tempted to describe my promises to my country and ensure
To women thinking of a career in stand- it as a project contributing to international that my children grow up in a better place.
ardization, I say, “ Go for it ” ! Working peace in an important and successful way. My role puts me in a position where
in this field is always varied, sometimes There should be increased public aware- I can help to empower women. In most
challenging, and very rewarding. Your ness of the true significance of standards. developing countries, including South
chosen career will enable you to have a This is a challenge but I enjoy bringing Africa, girls would not customarily choose
significant and positive impact on people, this message to decision makers and the science as a field of study. Women have
organizations and society. market. not been encouraged to pursue careers in
Standards are constantly expanding in the sciences, so I take pleasure in hosting
terms of depth and breadth. They underpin small groups of girl pupils (grades 11 and
technological progress and economic growth, We should seek to 12) in my office throughout the year. These
and are affected by them. Nothing stands still encourage women young women get exposure to the work of
in standards, which gives us a dynamic and SABS, learn about standardization and see
to apply for a career
stimulating environment in which to work. at first hand the level of responsibility that
You will meet, and work with, people in standardization. comes with my position as CEO.
from many industries. Once you become Inspired by my passion for girls’ education,
immersed in this world and become more SABS has recently established a trust fund
As Chief Executive of Standards New aware of the value of standards, you will More specifically, I want to bring the for rural girls’ tertiary education in maths
Zealand (SNZ), there is a lot I like about my become a firm proponent too. In my role as the Managing Director of world of standards into education. In and science as part of the social corporate
job. The best part is the realization that the As CEO of the South African Bureau
Because standards are everywhere and Standards Norway, I enjoy what I do pre- Norway, we are involved in some projects responsibility programme. With the first
standards we develop – through our expert of Standards (SABS), my team and I are
often “ hidden ”, people can take them for dominantly because working in standardiza- to include standards and standardization enrolment having started in January 2013,
committees – have such a positive impact currently modernizing the organization,
granted. So it’s important to do what you tion has such a big and important impact in curriculums at certain universities I hope these young women will be ready to
on New Zealand and New Zealanders. and building new capacity to support South
can to convey the benefits of standards as on our society. What would the world be and colleges. And the timing is crucial. start their careers with SABS in 2016.
It is satisfying to lead an organization Africa’s industrial development plan.
widely as possible. like today without standards ? Including a standards curriculum will
that provides products that keep homes, SABS was formed in 1947 and is a
Whichever path you take in your stand- I also like the idea of the international help demystify the long-held belief that
buildings, playgrounds and health ser- founding member of ISO. We also hold Women should play
ards career, you will find it worthwhile, standardization system as one of the standardization is of interest predominantly
vices safe, and help to prevent accidents the Secretariat for SADCSTAN, the stand-
satisfying (at least most of the time) and world’s best examples of well-functioning, to older people. a meaningful role
and injuries ; that minimize the impact of ardization body for the Southern African
widespread, cross-border interaction and Standardization is evolving into new
always interesting. Development Community of 14 nations. in all the sectors
potential disasters ; that improve the quality cooperation. Others have described it as a areas such as sustainable events, where
of goods and services ; that help to protect Debbie Chin is Chief Executive of mini-UN, but I think it’s even more efficient women are better represented. As a result,
I needed to redirect SABS, an organiza- of the economy.
the environment ; and that boost economic tion that had until 2007 enjoyed regulatory
Standards New Zealand. and inclusive. I think and hope that standardization will
growth and trade. powers, into a service-oriented organiza- As a woman, I look at our economy and
become less male-oriented than it tradi-
tion committed to continual improvement. think how I can make other women’s lives
tionally has been.
My ultimate goal is to position SABS as a easier. One answer relates to the key role
Recruiting women is important to me.
To women thinking of a As a female leader, I think we should seek
standardization services provider of choice. of standards in stimulating innovation and
career in standardization, For me this process has been, and still is, economic growth in developing countries.
to encourage women to apply for a career
stimulating and enriching. We’ve seen great Take, for example, Africa’s large but
I say, “ Go for it ” ! in standardization, both as employees and
progress, including the installation of new
as chairs and members of standardization informal sector of traditional medicine. In
information and communication technolo- South Africa, around 70 % of the population
committees. I want to broaden perspectives
I enjoy working with our stakeholders – gies, and the opening of a nine-laboratory still depends on traditional medicine for
and look for female “ standardizers ” in
committee members, funders, nominating advanced testing complex in 2011. This is primary health care. This sector is estimated
areas that historically have been domi-
organizations and industry – who share my speeding up testing and assuring consumers to be worth ZAR 2,9 billion per year, has
nated by men.
appreciation of standards and their benefits. worldwide that South African products are 27 million consumers and employs 133 000
I would like to welcome all women to
Our expert committee members really do safe and fit for purpose. people, mostly rural women. Since traditional
the world of standardization. We need your
devote huge amounts of time, dedication and On gender issues, I am lucky to be in medicine is based mainly on plants, the 771
skills and I’m sure your contribution will
enthusiasm to the development of National a country that puts so much effort into species harvested from the wild is a threat
enable us to make better standards for all.
and International Standards. equality. The South African Government to sustainability. The subsequent frequent
It also gives me great pleasure to lead a Trine Tveter is Managing Director has made it clear in its policies on women informal packaging of remedies in juice and
team of 40 committed staff. Their strong of Standards Norway. empowerment that women should play a drink bottles has led to many deaths. Stand-
belief in standards is reflected in the high meaningful role in all the sectors of the ards could save lives and help this sector to
quality of their work. economy – starting with a 50 % women become more predictable in its practices.
My role in the international arena also gives representation in Parliament. South Africa
me great satisfaction. I learn so much from has achieved 49 % women representation to Dr. Boni Mehlomakulu is CEO
my counterparts and others at events such as date, making us number three in the world. of the South African Bureau of Standards.

26 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 27
 a

Planet ISO Planet ISO CDC – Consumers, Developing Countries, Conformity Assessment

Product safety Supporting

Uganda becomes full ISO member ISO Focus+ : What role does UNBS play in Environmental checklist in ePub
the national economy ?
The ISO member for Uganda (UNBS) ISO has just launched an ePub edition
has been upgraded to full ISO member start- Dr. Manyindo :The mission of UNBS is to
enhance national socio-economic develop-
of one of its most successful publications, stakeholder
ing January 2013. Here Dr. Ben Manyindo, ISO 14001, Environmental management
engagement
Opportunities and
Executive Director of UNBS, explains why ment through the application of standards for systems. An easy-to-use checklist for small
full membership in ISO is important to Uganda trade, industry and consumer protection. The business. Are you ready ?
and how it benefits the country, both nation- benefits of ISO membership, such as train-
ally and internationally. ing, sharing of knowledge and experiences
at international level, and capacity-building
challenges of innovation by Sophie Clivio and Geoff Visser
ISO Focus+ : Why has UNBS decided to opportunities for ISO members, will contribute
upgrade its membership in ISO ? to its mission. There are several things that set stand-
ards apart from other publications such as
Dr. Manyindo :The need for Uganda to fully ISO Focus+ : What is UNBS’ long-term academic papers or textbooks, but the most
participate and influence the International vision as a full member of ISO ? striking is probably the fact that standards
Standards development and strategy has been
the key driver for UNBS to upgrade to full Dr. Manyindo : UNBS’ vision is to be a have been developed within a process that
membership. Uganda, through UNBS, had leading institution of international repute takes into account the needs of the very
been an associate member for a long time. in the provision of sustainable standardiza- people who are affected by them. By get-
We noted that we were missing out on many tion services. Uganda vision is being able to ting people involved from the outset, we
benefits that accrue to full members in the advocate for policy and strategy reforms to can develop standards that are relevant to
ISO family. In addition, as a member of the allow effective participation of developing
those who will be using them and have a
East Africa Community, most of our partner countries in the standardization process. 
manageable impact on those who will be
states had acquired full membership in ISO.
affected by them.
As standards developers, this means we
need to engage the affected parties, other-
How green is green ? ISO standards wise known as stakeholders. The success of
can help ! a standard is measured in terms of the time
Leading experts from ISO technical commit- and effort needed to reach consensus on
by Dana Kissinger-Matray its content and the final market relevance
tee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management,

Consumer product safety has greatly improved over the past

have authored a new brochure proclaiming The guide is designed to help small and after publication. And this will be largely
the benefits of the ISO 14020 family of stand- medium-sized enterprises achieve the benefits determined by how well we, the standards
ards on environmental labelling. The free of implementing an environmental manage- developers, engage our stakeholders in
brochure, entitled Environmental labels and ment system based on ISO 14001. Working 40 years thanks to increased consumer awareness and engagement,
the project.
declarations – How ISO standards can help, methodically through the step-by-step checklist standardization and better regulatory controls. However, innovations As a leader in the development of Inter-
gives a clear and concise presentation of the will enable managers of an organization to
series and is intended to help manufacturers determine its present environmental perfor-
such as Internet-based purchasing, new technologies, global supply national Standards, ISO has recognized
decide whether the standards can help them mance and identify areas for improvement. chains, and the proliferation of claims and labels, have added a new that it not only needs to engage more of
fulfil their goal of informing consumers in an The versatile new ePub edition is all at once : dimension to product safety concerns. its members when creating internationally
accurate and understandable way. • Mobile – can be read on most tablets relevant standards, but that it also needs
In their introduction to the brochure, the • Reflowable – adapts well to variously sized to ensure that the members themselves
ISO helps smaller businesses ISO/TC 207 experts explain that “the envi- displays and devices ISO/COPOLCO will consider how these Yet these new technologies also raise invite all the relevant parties within their
ronmental benefits of a company’s products,
ISO has just launched a new video that • User friendly factors affect product safety at its next challenges in increasingly global, "virtual" area to participate in standards develop-
such as recyclability of packaging, are part
shows how International Standards can help of its overall marketing strategy. ” • Easy to read, even on small screens  annual workshop on innovation and con- and interconnected markets with complex ment projects.
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) The ISO 14020 series provides businesses sumer safety, scheduled to take place on 21 supply chains. For example, unsubstantiated A series of workshops and training mate-
be more competitive on global markets by with a globally recognized and credible set May 2013. Hosted by the Malta Competi- product claims and unreliable certification rial have been developed to enhance the
adding credibility and confidence in their of international benchmarks that help them ISO in figures tion and Consumer Affairs Authority, the and sourcing contribute to illicit trade in skills that will help ISO member bodies
products and services. prepare the environmental labelling used on
Available in English and French, the latest Do you know how many ISO standards were workshop will run concurrently with the counterfeit goods and components. The identify relevant stakeholders and encour-
their products and in advertising. 
release is one of over 60 ISO videos which can published in 2012 ? The yearly publication ISO/COPOLCO plenary and other meetings recent scandal in Europe where horse meat age them to get involved in the development
be viewed on the ISO Website (www.iso.org), ISO in figures 2012 has all the answers. You at the Grand Hotel Excelsior, near Valletta, was found in processed foods containing of standards and to participate in areas
on YouTube (www.youtube29om/planetiso) will learn that ISO comprises 164 members during the week of 20-24 May 2013. beef, questions the reliability of labelling of standardization that are of particular
and on iTunes. ISO’s YouTube site has already worldwide, 3 368 technical bodies, 154 full- New technologies provide some clear and sourcing claims. interest to their country.
attracted more than 246 000 views. time staff operating from its Central Secretariat benefits for product safety. The Internet has The first of these training workshops
Workshop participants will look at how
ISO has also dedicated a new section of in Geneva, and that it has published a total of
made product traceability and comparing these challenges and opportunities affect was held on the beautiful island of Mau-
its Website to ISO publications that can help 1 280 International Standards and standards-
SMEs reap the benefits of standards. It includes type documents in 2012, totalling some 77 326 product attributes and prices easy. Warnings specific areas such as food production ritius in October 2012 and was open to
extracts from the ISO brochure 10 good things pages in English and French. But that’s not about unsafe products reach consumers and and processing technologies. Although representatives of standards bodies in
for SMEs, in which managers of small busi- the end of it ! There are also 1 583 new work regulators much more quickly, and new it caters to ISO/COPOLCO member the African region. Departing from the
nesses in 10 countries around the world describe items in progress, ready to become the Inter- technologies such as Radio Frequency representatives and stakeholders, the conventional procedure for such courses,
labels
how ISO standards have contributed to their Environmental ns national Standards of tomorrow.
and declara tio Identification allow more reliable sourc- workshop is open to the public and all both the National Standards Body (NSB)
success. Other ISO publications explain how Some of these easy-to-read statistics
How ISO ing for suppliers. Online rating services, are welcome. To find out more, please and a stakeholder representative from
standards help
SMEs can achieve the same benefits as larger will form part of the organization’s Annual
competitors by implementing standards on Report 2012, a review of the year’s high-
international online databases on recalled contact copolco@iso.org.  each country were invited to attend the
quality management, environmental manage- lights and innovations, soon to be accessible products, and secure payment systems are workshop.
ment, food safety management and information online. Find out more on the ISO Website at other examples of automated systems that Dana Kissinger-Matray, Senior personnel from countries such
security management.  www.iso.org.  support consumer product safety. ISO/COPOLCO Secretary. as Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana,

28 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 29
15:20:25
2012-11-13

d 1
ISO standards help - EN.ind
Environmental labelling - How
 a

CDC Consumers, Developing Countries, Conformity Assessment Management Solutions

As a result, the ISO Technical Manage-

ment Board (TMB) asked the ISO Central
Secretariat to develop a training course for

Never tire of
ISO chairs and convenors. A regional pilot
of this workshop, aptly entitled Effective
ISO Meetings, was organized by the ISO

saving energy !
Development and Training Services (ISO
DEVT) in October 2012 in Singapore. It
was hosted by the Singapore Standards,
Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING
SG) and financed under the ISO Action
Plan for Developing Countries 2011-2015.
The workshop was facilitated by ­Graham
Holloway, an International Standards expert, ISO 50001 is a win-win for Bridgestone
and Sophie Clivio, TMB Secretary and Head
of Technical Policy at the ISO Central Secre-
tariat. The highly interactive event included
case studies and role-playing exercises
and touched on such topics as the role of
the chair and convenor as leaders, running
ISO meetings, ISO procedures and policy
issues affecting chairs and convenors, and
negotiation and consensus-building skills.
Participants at a training workshop on stakeholder engagement in Mauritius in October 2012. The course was open to anyone working
as chair of an ISO technical committee or
Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria,
Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Training for subcommittee or as convenor of a working
Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
and Zimbabwe attended, as well as repre-
ISO chairs and group in the region. Also attending were
a number chairs and convenors of ISO
sentatives of industry, academia, consumer convenors member national committees. In addition
to Singaporeans, there were representatives
associations, government and NGOs : a
from Fiji, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia,
homogeneous mix of standards profes-
sionals and people likely to be affected by Glenn Bosmans the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Participants from developing countries
by standards.
were sponsored by ISO DEVT.
This diversity proved to be a great suc- The need to train up ISO chairs and con-
cess as the groups learned from one another venors was highlighted at the fifth ISO Chairs ISO/DEVT organized an additional
about the initiatives employed by standards Conference in June 2011 and via the ISO customized two-day version of the work-
bodies and how they are perceived by the Living Lab project, both of which revealed shop for SPRING SG national chairs and
people they are intended to assist. In many that the leadership and consensus-building convenors in November 2012. 
cases, the perception was quite different skills of ISO chairs and convenors are a
Glenn Bosmans, Programme Manager,
from what was expected but, helped by a driving force in international standardiza- Participation in ISO technical work,
frank, open dialogue, the delegates learned tion and, as such, vital to the success of Development and Training Services,
a lot from the process. The material was ISO projects. ISO Central Secretariat.
presented over three days and included
several round-table workshops to find
solutions to the problems of stakeholder
engagement in the African region.
A self-assessment tool also enabled NSB by Garry Lambert
staff to work with one or two targeted
stakeholders to assess for themselves
which systems or areas needed improving By the end of 2012, the energy management
in order to enhance levels of engagement. systems of more than 1 000 organizations in 50
More information on this course and other countries had been certified to ISO 50001*, only
training and development programmes run 18 months after its publication. Many are major
by ISO can be obtained at dev@iso.org.
global enterprises seeking to achieve continual
Sophie Clivio, ISO Technical Management Board improvement in energy performance, including *According to ISO 5001 certification statistics at
Secretary and Head of Technical Policy, end December 2012, compiled by Reinhard Peglau,
ISO Central Secretariat, and enhanced energy efficiency, and reduced energy Senior Scientific Officer on Environmental Man-
Geoff Visser, Standardization Expert, use and consumption. agement, German Federal Environment Agency.
South African Bureau of Standards.
Participants at the first training course for ISO chairs and convenors in Singapore in October 2012.

30 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 31
 a

Management Solutions

One of the latest companies to have

gained ISO 50001 certification is the
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations
(BATO) manufacturing facility at Wilson
County, N.C., USA. BATO is part of the
Bridgestone Corporation, which became
the world’s largest tyre producer with the
acquisition of the Firestone Tire & Rub-
ber Company in 1988. Bridgestone also
requires all its manufacturing facilities to
obtain the ISO 14001 environmental man-
agement certification, and, to date, 52 US
sites have done so.

A win-win situation
“ Our company has long been focused
on reducing the use of natural resources
and instituting sustainable manufacturing
practices, so while earning this certification
is a great honour, I’m happy to say it’s also
business as usual for our plant, ” said Gary Letha Barnes posting an energy reduction suggestion in the company energy ideas box provided
at the Bridgestone plant to stimulate energy awareness and involvement among all employees.
Williamson, BATO Plant Manager. “ Energy
saving isn’t just good for our environment, ISO Focus+ : Following ISO 50001 certi- jobs impact energy will reiterate the influ-
it’s also good for our bottom line, so this fication, how to you think implementation ence we have on energy management and
is truly a win-win situation. ” of the standard will change or influence keep it fresh in our minds.
Bridgestone’s Wilson County plant cites Bridgestone’s approach to energy man-
several recent energy-saving projects that agement ? ISO Focus+ : What is the scope of certifica-
helped contribute to the ISO 50001 certifica- tion – does it extend beyond Bridgestone
tion, including switching the primary fuel Letha Barnes :We believe implementation
Americas ?
source to natural gas in its boilers, shutting of ISO 50001 will bring a new awareness
The ISO 50001 implementation team at Bridgestone Americas’ Wilson Plant. From left : Gwen Brinson, Implementation Coordinator,
down equipment when not in operation, to energy conservation and management. Letha Barnes : The scope of our certifi-
Charles Boswell, Energy Management Systems Representative, Letha Barnes, Project Manager, Dekra Auditor I (automotive industry testing, From identifying new opportunities for cation includes the entire Wilson Plant.
inspection and certification provider), Dekra Auditor II, and Gary Williamson, Plant Manager. promptly repairing steam and air leaks,
insulating piping and executing several reducing energy consumption to designing We also communicate to our vendors that
lighting optimization projects. and purchasing more energy-efficient prod- purchases will be evaluated on their energy
ISO Focus+ asked Letha Barnes, a ucts and services, every BATO team-mate performance. While there is a policy in
Bridgestone electrical engineer and pro- can contribute to energy management. The place to implement energy management
standard requires us to identify operations systems across the company, there is not
Our prior certification ject manager for ISO 50001 and Superior
Energy Performance** implementation and that have a significant impact on energy. necessarily a directive that ISO 50001 must
to ISO 14001 definitely Communication and training on how our be obtained.
certification, to comment on the process
helped. and the benefits to the company.

ISO Focus+ : What was your involvement in

the implementation/certification process ?
Letha Barnes : With assistance from my
colleagues, I was responsible for develop-
ing the energy baseline, identifying energy
sources, modifying and creating new pro-
cedures and forms, gathering energy data,
communicating information with the plant,
creating the schedule for certification, and
implementing other requirements of the
standard.

**Superior Energy Performance is sponsored by

the US Council for Energy-Efficient Manu-
facturing and, via its Mature Energy Pathway,
encourages companies to implement more than 50
“ best energy practices ”. The programme requires Monthly energy training is an important part of raising energy awareness at Bridgestone. Here,
By replacing some 1 600 light fixtures with new low-energy lamps, Bridgestone’s Wilson County plant expects to save at least 180 kW and a 15 % reduction in energy use over the previous Letha Barnes reviews electricity and fuel use statistics with colleagues as part of the company’s
1 532 768 kWh of electrical energy in one year. 10 years to receive recognition. ISO 50001-certified energy management system.

32 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 33
 a

Management Solutions

ISO Focus+ : Did you find the implemen-

tation process straightforward, and did
you integrate it with other ISO-based
management systems such as ISO 9001
and ISO 14001 ?
Letha Barnes : Once we understood the
requirements of the standard, implementa-
tion was straightforward. We felt we could
comply with the standard. Our prior certifi-
cation to ISO 14001 definitely helped with
implementation. We were able to modify
existing documentation and practices to
ISO 50001.

ISO Focus+ : Did you need to adapt any

requirements of the standard or its inter-
pretation to suit Bridgestone’s operating
practices and policies ?
Letha Barnes : BATO-Wilson has been
in operation for over 38 years and we still Bridgestone Americas Headquarters and Support Center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
have some of the original plant metering.

You have to be
We had to assess our metering capabilities
to ensure we could monitor and measure our
energy sources as required by the standard.

organized.
For areas that had less metering, we were
able to determine energy consumption
through gathered data.

ISO Focus+ : What energy-saving measures

and initiatives do you expect to put in place
as a result of certification ?
Letha Barnes : We are now being more
proactive with considering energy in
engineering designs and purchases. We
are also adding emphasis to daily equip-
ISO’s “animal ads”
ment checks. We expect to continue with were shortlisted for a prize
energy audits and implementing energy in the Corporate Advertising category
reduction projects. of the European Excellence
Since implementation of ISO 50001, Awards 2009.
team-mates have been more conscious of
how they can impact energy, and more
proactive with submitting energy reduction
ideas. As an example, we are fitting new
T5 fixtures (including lamps and ballast)
using approximately 217 W electricity each
The integrated use of management system standards.
compared to the old 465 W fixtures.
That is a saving of 248 W in one year Organizations face multiple challenges. The integrated use of management Available from ISO national member
for one fixture. Part of the upgrade includes Quality and environmental system standards, explains institutes (listed with contact details
on the ISO Website at www.iso.org)
changing some T12 lamps to T8 lamps. By management, information how to integrate the required
and from the ISO Central Secretariat
the end of 2012, we should have upgraded security, food safety, sup- elements of different standards Webstore at www.iso.org/isostore
1 600 fixtures. We estimate to save at least ply chain security and within the organization’s or e-mail to sales@iso.org.
180 kW and 1 532 768 kWh in one year. occupational health and overall management system.
ISBN 978-92-67-10473-7
We are also planning to upgrade additional safety among others. More Based on the practical
space in 2013, and the goal for the year and more are turning to experience of organizations International Organization
is to achieve at least the same amount of management system stan- large and small, the book for Standardization – www.iso.org
savings as in 2012.  dards (MSS) to help them identifies methodologies,
ISO Central Secretariat
meet such challenges effi- tools and good practice. 1, ch. de la Voie-Creuse
Garry Lambert is a British freelance journalist ciently and effectively. The Case postale 56
based in Switzerland. combined book and CD, CH-1211 Genève 20

34 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013

 a

Standards in Action Standards in Action

Photo : Datuk Aishah Ahmad MAA

Datuk Aishah Ahmad

Malaysian Automotive
Association
Since 2000, Datuk Aishah
Ahmad has served as President
of the Malaysian Automotive
Association (MAA).
Ms. Aishah is also Chairman
of the Automotive Federation
Malaysia, Vice-President of the
ASEAN Automotive ­Federation,
Director Corporate Affairs (­Motor
Group) at Sime Darby, and a past
board member of the ­Malaysian
National Standards and Accredi-
tation Council. She is an industry
representative of Land Rover
Malaysia, and a member of the
Malaysian National Standards MAA President Datuk Aishah Ahmad meets with the Malaysian Minister of Transport, Dr. M. Tun, and other car industry stakeholders.
Committee (MyNSC).
ISO Focus+ : What is MAA’s mission and ISO Focus+ : What do you think is the Understanding the importance of inter-
In 2002, Ms. Aishah became a who participates ? strategic importance of International national regulations and standards, the
director of Associated Motor Standards for the automotive industry ? Malaysian government acceded to the
Industries, a subsidiary of Ford Datuk Aishah :MAA promotes and protects “ World Forum for Harmonization of
the interests of the automotive industry and Datuk Aishah : International Standards Vehicle Regulation ” (better known as
Malaysia and the assembly plant its stakeholders in Malaysia. Its key func- are important in a number of areas. Given WP.29) in April 2006. This agreement sets
for Ford, BMW, Mazda, S ­ cania tions are monitoring legislation or measures that Malaysia has a significant automotive down the basic rules that vehicles and their
and Land Rover vehicles in that affect its members’ interests, making industry, local automotive companies must components must meet in order to be sold
representations to the government to further keep up with present and future international
Malaysia. internationally.
or safeguard the interests of the automotive regulations and standards that affect the At the end of 2012, Malaysia had
Ms. Aishah has over 30 years’ industry, and collecting, compiling and industry. adopted and published 55 of the United
motor trade experience, par- disseminating vehicle sales and production A good knowledge and understanding Nations Economic Commission for Europe
ticularly in sales, marketing, statistics to members. of these regulations and standards ensures (UNECE) regulations on vehicle safety. It
and corporate and government We have three classes of membership : that Malaysian companies make products will implement a further 24 in 2015. For
ordinary, for automotive companies such as that meet consumers’ expectation in terms the local automotive industry, most of the
affairs, including tenures at
vehicle manufacturers, assemblers, franchise of quality, safety, health and the environ- standards adopted by Malaysia will follow
­Inchcape, Ford Malaysia and holders and sole distributors dealing with ment. This knowledge and understanding the UNECE regulations.
Tractors Malaysia. completely knocked-down (“ CKD ”) and/or also enhances Malaysian companies’ If there is no UNECE regulation, com-
Among her many other roles, past completely built-up (“ CBU ”) operations ; competitiveness in exporting vehicles and panies can choose to comply with any
associate, for companies or individuals automotive components globally. internationally recognized and approved
and present, she was also Chair-
engaged as dealers or agents to sell vehicles ; As a responsible global citizen, Malaysia standards. ISO standards would then serve
man of the Kuala Lumpur Inter- and subscriber, for companies, associations must also ensure its products comply with as a useful platform for companies to fol-
national Motor Show in 1994, or individuals in businesses related to the internationally recognized and approved low on product specifications and quality
2000, 2003, 2006 and 2010. Photo : Datuk Aishah Ahmad MAA
automotive industry in Malaysia. standards and practices. management.

36 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 37
 a

Standards in Action
About the Malaysian Automotive Association
participating in the development of Inter-
The MAA, formerly known as the Malaysian Motor Traders Association, was established
national Standards ?
in 1960. It aims to support the development and protect the interests of motor traders
in Malaysia, and make representations to government bodies on key issues affecting Datuk Aishah : As the leading automo-
the automotive industry. tive association in the country, the MAA
is represented in three committees. These
Its activities include monthly council meetings, twice-yearly press conferences, motor are the Committee on Mandatory Industrial
shows, raising issues with the relevant governmental agencies and resolving problems, Standards, the Industry Standards Com-
and collecting and analysing sales and production data, to be distributed to members. mittee on Road Vehicles (ISC L) and the
Industry Standards Committee on Petroleum
In addition to liaising with government agencies and international organizations, the
& Gas (ISC H).
MAA regularly communicates industry opinions, positions and objectives to the media.
As President of the MAA, I have been
The association has 253 members comprising 49 full members who are franchise nominated to represent the association in
holders and assemblers, four associate members nominated by franchise holders, and the MyNSC since 2010.
200 subscriber members from various institutions and associations (including banks, In the ISC-related committees, the MAA
stockbrokers and component manufacturers) with an interest in the automotive industry. is represented by the MAA technical com-
mittee chair and relevant members in the
respective industrial standards committee.
Photo : Datuk Aishah Ahmad MAA The association works closely with
relevant government agencies such as the
Department of Standards, the research and
technology organization SIRIM, and the
Ministry of Malaysia International Trade
and Industry. We therefore contribute in
one way or another to standardization
development and activities in Malaysia. to quality, reliability, safety, technology Once you prove your ability, overcome The greatest challenge for Malaysian
Participating in these committees enables and environmental issues. people’s doubts and work together as a women is their family commitment, which
us to provide feedback on policies and Given all the benefits derived from team – and are accepted as the leader –, includes caring for children and elderly
highlight issues faced by our members adopting standards, it is important that there really are no issues. parents. The lack of quality childcare is
on standards, technical regulations and standardization activities continue to receive I don’t think there is a gender issue any one of the main obstacles preventing more
government procedures. strong support from the industry. longer. What is more important is experience, women from joining the workforce.
Our participation brings two further commitment, dedication and an interest in
benefits : we can recommend appropriate ISO Focus+ : As a female president in a serving the association. ISO Focus+ : With rapid technological
measures, solutions and strategies that male-dominated industry, how does gender advances and environmental concerns,
correspond to the automotive industry’s diversity affect business, what challenges what are the most important standardiza-
interests and needs, and we can obtain the do women face and what advice would tion priorities for the Malaysian automo-
Safety-related
latest news on the development of interna- you give to women considering a career tive industry ?
Datuk Aishah Ahmad (centre) at the MAA’s General Meeting in 2011. tional regulations and standards affecting in the industry ? regulations are
Datuk Aishah : Safety-related regula-
the industry. a continuing priority.
Datuk Aishah :The Malaysian automo- tions are a continuing priority. Working in
By implementing these International traffic safety management was formed to
tive industry faces many challenges, consultation with the industry, the Govern-
Standards, it is hoped that local players will discuss and oversee standards preparations ISO Focus+ : What are the benefits for the
especially following market liberaliza- There are tremendous opportunities for ment has already implemented a number
constantly increase the quality and safety in Malaysia. The committee was chaired automotive industry of ISO standards such
tion. The industry needs to improve its women who are keen to consider a career of safety-related regulations. Among them
of their products. by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety as ISO/TS 16949:2009, Quality manage-
capabilities and competitiveness to survive in the Malaysian automotive industry. are regulations on rear seat belts, safety
Research and included representatives from ment systems – Particular requirements
in the long term. Women work in many areas of the helmets and the protection of occupants
ISO Focus+ : ISO recently published relevant organizations. for the application of ISO 9001:2008 for
Automotive companies in Malaysia are Malaysian economy and represent about in the event of a frontal or side collision.
ISO 39001, Road traffic safety (RTS) As all relevant stakeholders have been automotive production and relevant service
now looking beyond the domestic market 36 % of the workforce. The Government Another priority, and challenge, is embrac-
management systems – Requirements involved in the development of ISO 39001, part organizations, or those developed by
and exploring partnerships with foreign car has acknowledged women’s capabilities ing the latest International Standards while
with guidance for use. What is your view this standard can assist governmental and ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, and ISO/TC 204,
manufacturers to penetrate global markets. in appointing female ministers and top maintaining industry competitiveness. To
on this standard, and how can it help to private-sector organizations by providing a Intelligent transport systems ?
Under its revised National Automo- civil servants. gain access to new technology, Malaysia’s
make our roads safer ? tool for a structured and systematic approach Datuk Aishah :Standards are important in tive Policy, the Government provides car In the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), automotive industry must keep abreast
Datuk Aishah :Malaysia has a compara- to road traffic safety management. ensuring that companies carry out business in manufacturers with new and improved the Government has given priority to the of the latest international developments.
tively high number of road traffic fatalities – I hope this will increase awareness and a safe, healthy, fair and responsible manner. incentives, such as tax exemption on the empowerment of women so as to enhance However, adopting and implementing
more than 6 000 deaths a year. In 2010 this everyone’s commitment to instill a road By using standards, companies can value of increased exports of vehicles and their economic contributions. Through vari- more stringent and up-to-date regulations
also cost the country over MYR 9 billion. safety culture with better safety practices improve the quality and consistency of their parts/components. Local players have to ous programmes, the plan aims to increase and standards can be costly, particularly
Like other member countries of ISO, in Malaysia. With such concerted effort goods and services, increase efficiency, convince their principals of the attractive- women’s participation in the workforce, for smaller companies. Industry players
Malaysia has participated in the develop- from all parties, we believe we will see reduce waste and costs, and boost customer ness of this form of partnership. particularly in decision-making roles. need to conduct a proper study of this issue.
ment of standards in road traffic safety fewer deaths on our roads. loyalty and international export. Yes, the local automotive industry is still The Government has announced that A third priority is attaining internationally
management. In particular, ISO standards enable the dominated by men. But, as President of the companies must have at least 30 % female recognized certification as it is important
In June 2008, a national mirror committee ISO Focus+ : What is your involvement automotive industry to make products that MAA, I have encountered no problems representation in boardrooms within five in raising the image and acceptance of
to technical committee ISO/TC 241 on road in MyNSC, and what is the benefit of meet customers’ requirements with regard working with many of my male colleagues. years (the figure is currently only 10 %). companies’ products in the marketplace. 

38 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 39
 a

Standards in Action

ISO 22000
responsibility, among other things, to look For example, a company-focused strategy Perfect coordination
after the business relationship with suppli- based on efficiency is not really compatible
ers and introduce new product references. with the implementation of an ISO 22000 Food safety is an implicit requirement for

in the retail
This implies working in collaboration with system, which is, by nature, focused on the sale of foodstuffs. In the retail industry,
the quality department, which, in turn, must customer satisfaction. food safety management is the province of
implement a process for selecting, evaluat- the quality management department, which
ing and monitoring its suppliers to ensure has the necessary competencies in the field.

industry
full control of the safety of food products The implementation Converting such management activities into
delivered by suppliers and displayed on store of ISO 22000 should a proper management system requires perfect
shelves. This is unfortunately not always the coordination throughout the retail company
take the managerial of the activities impacting on food safety.
case, and, in the absence of proper supplier
control, products unknown to the quality
dimension seriously. This type of coordination is referred to
department are sometimes sold in stores. above as “ horizontal and vertical integra-
The technical department, on the other tion ” and, as such, requires an extra set of
Conversely, a strategy based on satisfying
hand, is responsible for purchasing the skills, in addition to the technical competen-
the needs of existing and future customers,
refrigerating equipment, deciding where it cies, in order to implement a food safety
which enables the company to gain an edge
will be installed in the stores and ensuring management system. Leadership skills, for
over the competition, might find in the
its maintenance. To this end, and in order instance, are essential since the ability to
food safety management system the perfect
to comply with good hygiene practice for convince and influence internal stakehold-
operational and continual improvement tool.
store facilities and equipment, the technical ers, in particular senior management, is a
Having committed itself to implementing the
manager must work hand in hand with the prerequisite for the system’s efficiency.
system, senior management must then ensure
quality manager, especially regarding the Marketing and communication skills are
the information is disseminated throughout
intended use of the refrigeration equipment also important as they help the people
the company. This is critical for preparing
and the planning and execution of technical involved engage in the process.
staff to get involved in the process.
maintenance activities. For instance, refrig- Besides, an in-depth knowledge and
understanding of the company’s strategy
erated shelves with a 0-4 °C temperature Effective communication helps to achieve company-wide integration
range cannot be used for meat products, in
Horizontal and vertical integration, of the food safety policy. Other compe-
particular mincemeat (0-2 °C). Yet it is not
backed by senior management, is facilitated tencies in human resources, operational
unusual to find refrigerating systems that
by effective internal communication. The management and finance can also be
are unfit for their intended use in the store.
relevant parties dealing with food safety added. All these disciplines give food
control within the company must be identified safety control a true management dimen-
Management commitment sion, which is particularly emphasized
and communication flows established. For
in ISO 22000. As a result, this standard
A matter of integration Effective implementation of a food safety
management system in large-scale retail
example, effective communication between
the marketing department and the quality provides the retail industry with a real
opportunity to make food safety control
begins with a commitment from senior department would help avoid plant schemat-
at quality management level but throughout more professional and expand it to other
by Achraf Tiouali the company. In fact, large-scale retail pro-
management. Here, the quality manager ics that are likely to affect food safety (for
plays significant role since he/she must example cross-contamination by allergens disciplines that are vital in order to suc-
vides a perfect example of the complexities
Several publications have highlighted how ISO 22000 on food of food safety control and, ultimately, of
the difficulty in implementing ISO 22000.
convince top management of the merits of
the approach and demonstrate the added
from shelves reserved for non-food prod-
ucts). Vertical communication, in particular
ceed in today’s business world. 

safety management stands out from other International Standards on Food safety in the retail industry involves
value of the system. Aligning the project between the quality department and the store,
the subject in terms of the advances it has brought to hazard analysis. with the company’s strategy is fundamen- is crucial in that it helps the system design
several divisions, units and departments which
are coordinated by the quality department. At
tal to obtaining success. In order to gain process and enables the quality department About the author
management’s trust and support, the system to establish the procedures and tools that are
the horizontal level, these entities include,
Indeed, the identification of critical implementation project must be seen as a best suited to the actual store, without losing Achraf Tiouali,
among others, the food purchasing depart-
control points and operational prerequisite In the retail industry, translation of the company’s overall strategy. sight of the commercial purpose. Doctor of Veteri-
ment, the human resources department, the
programmes is the key issue discussed in technical services department, the marketing nary Medicine and
ISO 22000 provides
this standard. The management dimension, department and the finance department. And Consulting Man-
however, is still underestimated despite an actual opportunity to ager at M
­ érieux
at the vertical level, they naturally include the
being given considerable importance in advance professionalism sales department, which oversees the regional NutriSciences,
the standard. Its importance is more acute in food safety control. offices, themselves made up of several stores. helps large retail-
in large enterprise with a highly complex ers improve food
organizational structure. Such companies safety management
A role for each managerial
have a large number of divisions and depart- through the implementation of ISO 22000.
The managerial dimension function
ments, causing a dilution of the activities With over 10 years’ experience in food
that have an impact on food safety. Man- This is precisely why the management It is essential, when designing and imple- safety, he has gained expertise above
agement is crucial here for coordinating dimension needs to be taken seriously when menting a food safety management system, all in the managerial dimension of food
activities, both at a vertical and horizontal implementing ISO 22000:2005, Food safety to understand the role of each corporate safety control. He also holds an Execu-
level, in order to achieve the ultimate goal : management systems – Requirements for department and its link with food safety. So, tive MBA from the Rotterdam School of
supplying safe products. any organization in the food chain, not only for example, it is the purchasing department’s Management in the Netherlands.

40 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 41
 a

360° 360°

for complaints handling in organizations,

Your voice
outlines a process destined to achieve a
fair result in the marketplace and gives
business the capacity to recognize and deal
with consumer problems.

matters More consumer-driven

standards in the pipeline
Two other International Standards inspired
by ISO/COPOLCO will be published in
April 2013. The first, ISO 10393, Consumer
product recall – Guidelines for suppliers,
gives advice on recalling a defective prod-
uct traded across borders, the jurisdictions
involved, managing legal risks, and building
customer loyalty. The second, ISO 10377,
Consumer product safety – Guidelines for
suppliers, empowers manufacturers to assess
the risk of a consumer product throughout
its life cycle.
Engaging consumers Current and future challenges
in standards Consumers can, and do, make a valu-
able contribution to standardization at the
national, regional and international levels.
But they could do a great deal more to
by Dana Kissinger-Matray known as utility lighters (but also known either by joining a consumer association that Consumer engagement helps drive the “demand side” if they were more
as grill lighters, fireplace lighters, lighting is already involved or by contacting the NSB ISO break new ground actively engaged.
With its network of 164 members and thousands of committees, rods or gas matches), and similar devices. directly. Often, an NSB will seek consumer
engagement through public consultation or ISO/COPOLCO is the international forum
for consumers in standardization. It does
ISO members play a critical role in raising
awareness of the benefits of standards for
subcommittees and working groups, ISO forms an impressive group What is a “consumer” and how by inviting a consumer group to comment consumer protection, and the ISO system
on a specific issue. Consumers International not develop International Standards itself,
of dedicated professionals. Its work has been proven to benefit busi- do we begin ? as a whole will need to continue promoting
(www.consumersinternational.org), the but proposes ideas for new standards and
ness and improve our daily lives. But when you mention “ISO” or its role in the wider world as a provider of
When the ISO Committee on consumer representative international organization policies for further development in ISO.
solutions to such problems as trade bar-
“standards” to a random sample of people you know, how many policy (ISO/COPOLCO) was established for consumers, which has members in 120 One recent example is ISO 14452,
riers, climate change and the sustainable
pairs of eyes will light up in recognition ? Chances are that, for many, in 1978, one of the first things it did was countries, also participates in selected areas Network services billing – Requirements,
management of resources. But ultimately,
to define the word “consumer”, which it of standardization. published in July 2012, which provides
standards are an abstract concept, and ISO, just a three-letter word. international guidance on transparent
truly meaningful and relevant standards
described as “an individual member of the
that address these challenges need the
general public, purchasing or using property, billing practices for all types of network
Consumers’ views make a services. It deals with billing formats and
commitment of an informed and engaged
Standards may seem far removed from requirements that help manufacturers of products or services for private purposes”.
difference procedures, collection, effective systems of
customer base.
everyday life and normal priorities, yet cards and terminals/card readers to comply This definition has changed little over time.
they affect most of the goods and services with the basic dimensions and properties In each country, the national ISO member Experts involved in the technical com- redress and inquiry, vulnerable customers,
consumers use daily, whether or not we are of identification cards used in the global is the gateway into the world of national mittees that develop standards are drawn and interruption of service. Let’s get started !
aware of this. But consumers need to know marketplace. and international standards. And that primarily from manufacturing and indus- Visit the ISO and consumers section on
that – with proper orientation – they can get And how do we guarantee our online goes for consumers too ! Members of try groups relevant to the technical field. ISO members play ISO Online (www.iso.org) for resources
involved in technical groups that develop or business transfers are safe ? ISO has the public or consumer associations who However, the views of the end user and on how to get involved as a consumer in
recently developed a number of standards are concerned with how standards affect those impacted by the standard are just a critical role.
comment on standards, and have a positive standards development.
influence on the goods and services that to ensure the security of financial transac- consumer protection can contact the ISO as important if the final product is to be An introductory module offers distance
are produced according to these standards. tions, including ISO 9564-1:2011, Financial member in their country to find out more market-relevant and fit for purpose. So it is But perhaps the best known of ISO/ learning opportunities on consumer inter-
services – Personal Identification Number about its standardization priorities and vital that interested and informed consumer COPOLCO’s past proposals is ISO 26000, est participation (see www.iso.org/sites/
First, a few examples (PIN) management and security – Part 1 : work programme. They should then “ pick representatives get involved in the work of Guidance on social responsibility. This consumersStandards/index.htm).
Basic principles and requirements for PINs their battles ” and concentrate on one or a technical committees. non-certifiable standard provides terms, Information about priority areas and
What would we do if bank cards and credit in card-based systems. few issues that matter most to them. This ISO has known this for a long time, which definitions and concepts relating to social consumer participation in these areas can
cards were all different shapes and sizes ? Finally, how can we trust the lighters might be food safety, children’s car seats, is why it established ISO/COPOLCO as a responsibility, and gives advice on how to be found on the ISO Directory of consumer
We can use these cards all over the world we use ? We have more confidence in our fire extinguishers, hospitality services or means to channelling consumers’ views implement best practices on social respon- interest participation (see www.iso.org/
thanks to ISO/IEC 7810:2003, Identification lighters thanks to ISO 22702:2003, Utility any other area. into standards and policy development, sibility within the organization and com- isoconsumerdirectory). 
cards – Physical characteristics, which lighters – General consumer-safety require- Consumers can participate in standards and why it continues to encourage the municate them effectively to the outside.
makes dimensions uniform and therefore ments, a specification covering all flame- and policy development within a national participation of all stakeholder groups in Finally, ISO 10002, Quality manage- Dana Kissinger-Matray is Secretary of the ISO
convenient to use. The standard contains producing consumer products commonly standards body (NSB) on a regular basis, technical work. ment – Customer satisfaction – Guidelines Committee on consumer policy (ISO/COPOLCO).

42 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 43
 a

New Releases New Releases Coming Up

Out of harm’s way You Arçelik plugs into ISO 50001

Turkish home appliances manufacturer
New brochure reveals Arçelik A.Ş. shares its experience of
integrating ISO 50001:2011, Energy

Sign
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wher
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with guidance for use. The company,
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ISO 50001 will help it improve its exist-

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issue of ISO Focus+ !
may have safety the safety of citizen
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for the services The construction citizens in develo
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a s e p m n da d imle po where d ure can result in one quarter of all
stand r structure t only th
fields relate
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nom safety s reotheISrOvuhln elp sector, including older. ISO standards
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ings tect t the dces, u idelin e International Stand to delivery. unnecessary risk
count
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u ild p ro b u u c rly an vi e g d • ISO 31000:2009
, and construction. enhance quality of
b .) s, al prodthe elode de Th vi are transportation the safe design of
s, etc structure operation n of bility y of life. :2001 pro nges Risk managemen
t gs – emergency,
fire ISO standards for ination and, at the same time,
dam io rm
othe and qualit Guide 71 halle From safety in buildin Produ ct safety ures (bridges, tunne ls, discrim
y products for all.
those surin
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using lves, en er it is a repair, IS – Principles and that design proble e
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se r safety y ISO/IE ns to pop s and passengers (child dams, etc.) protec ures g standards on
th solutio lnerable inadequate safety
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guidelines protect car
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conti tion, main ges. state tered by
• ISO Guide 73:200 s), to food safety, information are all using themselves, ensur of related to wheelchairs or
c a t− systems and airbag s result ing from er it is a quest ion product stand ards
inspe s on all st Risk managemen number of injurie
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se enco Vocabulary quality and mach products, whatever
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inspection, maint
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ISO
other mobility device
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focu the world a safer
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standards provid
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• ISO/IEC ISO product safety focuses on all stage ISO/IE C Guide 71:2001 provide
and practical tools given by
to the challenges
31010:2009, Risk universal guidance e -art solutio ns
eliminate or reduc state-of-the
vulnerable population.
mana gement – to identify, assess, encountered by this
:16 to eliminate them
potential safety risks,
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ISO Focus+
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2013 * January 2013
techniques before the produ e
measures includ
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The electronic edition (PDF file) of
uide 50
ISO Focus+ is accessible free of
ISO and safety_EN
.indd 4-5
charge on the ISO Website www.
iso.org/isofocus+. In addition, the

N
by Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis entire collection of previous issues of
ISO Focus+ editions, plus ISO Focus
(2004-2009), plus ISO Management
ISO safety standards help protect at work, at play and in the home. An overview of ISO’s substantial D o you keep your watch on while swim- you ever be sure that your contact lenses
Systems magazine (2001-2009)
is also available free of charge as
portfolio of safety standards is now available in a new brochure, ISO & safety – Working together for a ming, confident it is water-resistant ? Do will not harm your eyes or that you will
electronic files.

I
safer world. you apply your skin moisturizer, certain it understand public safety symbols in another
will not cause adverse reactions ? Although country. These standards also make it easier
The four-page brochure, designed for • Food safety consumer product safety, cross-border trade ISO Update
you may not be aware of them, behind the for manufacturers to access more markets
busy people, provides a snapshot into the • Machine (industrial) safety of second-hand goods, anti-counterfeiting scenes of these and other routine activities, and therefore become more competitive. The ISO Update, a monthly sup-
range of ISO International Standards for tools, fraud countermeasures and controls ISO standards are hard at work to ensure The bottom line ? International Standards plement to ISO Focus+ is available
• Buildings and structural safety

L
safety and the benefits they provide for as well as the safety of amusement park your comfort and safety. benefit industry, the economy, and of course, electronically (PDF) in both English
business, government and society : • Road safety rides and toys.” You, like me, and everyone else for that you – the user ! www.iso.org/isoupdate and French
“From safety in buildings – emergency, • Child safety The brochure, ISO & safety – Working matter, benefit from standards. It is only Did you know there are ISO standards www.iso.org/fr/isoupdate.
fire and alarm systems – to standards that together for a safer world, published in when these standards are lacking that we for mental workload, public warning and
• Elderly people and persons with
protect car drivers and passengers (child English and French, is available free of realize their importance. The April 2013 personal financial planning ? The next The ISO Update informs readers
disabilities
restraint systems, anti-locking braking charge from the ISO Central Secretariat issue of ISO Focus+ puts the spotlight about the latest developments in

N
issue of ISO Focus+ will open your eyes
systems and airbags), to food safety, qual- The brochure further asserts : “Globaliza- through the ISO Store (www.iso.org) or by on the most commonplace standards that to a world of standards you might not have the ISO world, including ISO member
ity and machinery, ISO helps to make the tion has pushed the need for International contacting the Marketing, Communication & accompany us in our daily lives. known existed. The issue also introduces bodies’ CEO and address changes,
world a safer place,” states the brochure. Standards and has broadened the concern Information department (sale@iso.org). In this issue, you will find out why some exciting projects in the making, such draft standards under circulation, as
In a concise and easy-to-follow format, for safety – reflected in the increasing scope It can also be obtained from ISO national standards are needed for cosmetics, eye as the future standards for fireworks and well as newly published, confirmed
the publication lays out comprehensive of safety standardization. member institutes.  wear or even clothing care labels ! Just adventure tourism. or withdrawn standards. It also in-
and practical information about the vari- imagine the health and safety issues, not

O
“An extensive array of safety-related Prepare to be surprised, amused and cludes a list of upcoming technical
ous sectors in which ISO supports safety : standards are under way on issues as var- to mention the financial burden, of a world intrigued by the standards featured in this
Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis is Editor in Chief, committee plenary meetings.
• Product safety ied as risk management, product recall, ISO Focus+ where standards did not exist. How could unique issue designed especially for you. 

44 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ ISO Focus + March 2013 ISO Focus + March 2013 © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 45
1

Worried
you’ve forgotten
something really
important ?
Photo : © Lionel Egger

ISO/IEC 27001 for Small Businesses

Neglecting to take adequate care of your effective way to protect information Available from ISO national member
organization’s information assets is assets. And it’s not just for large institutes (listed with contact details
definitely cause for worry. Information organizations. ISO/IEC on the ISO Website at www.iso.org)
may concern the organiza- 0 0 1 27001 for Small Business- and from the ISO Central Secretariat
ISO /IEC 2 7 es
all Bu
siness
Webstore at www.iso.org/isostore
tion’s products, processes ad v ic e es – Practical advice takes
for Sm

Practical or e-mail to sales@iso.org.

or markets. It may be sensi- the mystery out of infor-
tive information entrusted by mation security and pre-
customers, suppliers or sents a practical, clearly
stakeholders. Failure to pro- explained step-by-step
International Organization
tect that information can ruin approach for SMEs to for Standardization – www.iso.org
the organization. Implement- implement an ISMS.
Central Secretariat
ing an information security The best remedy to 1, ch. de la Voie-Creuse
management system (ISMS) worry is taking action Case postale 56
based on ISO/IEC 27001 is an to remove the cause. 08.09.2010
10:11:46
CH-1211 Genève 20
1
A5.indd
sses-E-Cover
Small Busine
ISO 27001-