Quality Live 2023: A resounding success

The CQI's inaugural Quality Live event took place yesterday, 15 June 2023, in London, and this year for the first time featured a full conference programme of presentations, panel discussions, and interactive workshops. As well as launching the CQI's Profession Map, the event then culminated in the Winner's Ceremony, announcing the winners of the International Quality Awards 2023. 

Exploring the challenges and opportunities facing the profession

Opening the conference was the plenary session, Making Quality a Strategic tool, which examined the drivers for competitiveness and productivity, and the extent to which quality management can be a strategic tool to improve customer value and organisational performance. The panelists included: Colin Hart, Competitiveness Programme Director at ADS; Rashad Issa, Quality and Business Improvement Lead at Baltic Exchange; Niall Kealey, IATF Oversight Manager at SMMT; and Clifford Smith, Executive Director at GIRI. 

Following on from the plenary session, attendees could choose from three breakout sessions: What Next for ISO 9001, The Complex Business of Risk and Assurance, and Contextualising Quality. Alexander Woods, Policy Manager at the CQI and panelist for What Next for ISO 9001 commented: "ISO 9001 is always a hot topic of discussion in the quality community. We’re living through a period of political, social, technological, and economic change the like of which hasn’t been seen since the standard was published in 1987. So, it’s no surprise that we heard diverse questions and views on what the future holds for ISO 9001, and what ISO 9001 holds for the future."

The second plenary session, Enabling Quality in a Context of Change, was lead by CQI Head of Profession, Mike Turner, who introduced the CQI's new Profession Map, which launched for the event. Speaking on the Profession Map, Mike said "We know the world is changing faster and more dramatically than ever. Professions must lead the way in adapting the world of work. The quality profession is no different, but there is work to be done by all of us. This Profession Map gives us a way forward.

The afternoon saw a further five breakout sessions, covering exciting topics that included: Leading Quality Culture, Professionalising the Quality Function, The Quality Manager is Dead - Long Live the Robot, The Future of Assurance (Are You Ready?), and Quality, Agility, Innovation. Whilst many of the discussions covered important topics including technology, competitiveness and innovation, Dr Alaa Garad's comment summarised the afternoon of discussions perfectly: "The concepts of agility and innovation go hand in hand, but quality forms the third side of the coin." 

Announcing the winners

Finally, the conference concluded with the International Quality Awards, which saw the celebration of excellence in the quality profession, as eight winners collected awards that recognise and reward the contribution of quality professionals, teams and organisations across the globe.

Vince Desmond, the CQI's CEO, commented: "It was an honour to be part of such a special day. Each year, we hear such incredible stories from teams and individuals alike, and this year has been no exception. Congratulations to all the winners."