2022 ISO Annual Meeting Virtual Session


Standards and conformity assessment provide the tools to deliver trust and confidence about the environment in which we live. But what happens when this environment changes? Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization has fundamentally altered the way we live, work and relate to each other. Conformity assessment actors have had to develop alternative ways of working based on AI, machine learning, remote auditing, constant data exchange and much more.

For this year’s ISO’s Annual Meeting being held from 19-23 September 2022, IAF, ILAC and ISO have collaborated to organize the virtual session ‘Has Covid launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment?’. The session will be moderated by Marcus Long (Chief Executive, Independent International Organisation for Certification and IAF Conformity Assessment Body Advisory Committee Chair), with panellists including Sheronda Jeffries (Technical Leader, Cisco Systems and IAF User Advisory Committee Vice-Chair), Amina Ahmed (Arab Accreditation Cooperation Chair and Chief Executive, Emirates International Accreditation Centre), Pavel Castka (Professor, University of Canterbury) and Eve Christine Gadzikwa (Chief Executive, Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services). H.E Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi (Under-Secretary, United Arab Emirates Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technologies) will deliver opening remarks.

The session will highlight topics such as how conformity assessment can help to enhance trust in ISO standards; how processes used during pandemic lockdowns have continued to deliver audits and assessments; how services such as accreditation, certification, testing, inspection, and validation and verification can continue to ensure trust is maintained during periods of accelerating change; key techniques and tools that will see digitalisation, data use and new technology play a more crucial role in conformity assessment; and the needs of conformity assessment users as the delivery of conformity assessment evolves.

The session will be held on 20 September from 18:00-19:00 GST (UTC+4). More information and registration are available here.