CQI meets quality leaders in Saudi and US

CQI acting CEO Vincent Desmond has been travelling around the world to meet fellow leaders and understand the global trends in quality.

In April he met with leaders from the Saudi Quality Council (SQC). The not-for-profit organisation has embarked on a strategic partnership with the CQI in order to share best practice and give its perspective on our global professional standards.

The SQC is committed to driving professional recognition and continuing professional developing in the region.  The organisation will be utilising both CQI training and membership to reach this goal and continue in its commitment to improving quality standards.

Desmond said: “We are delighted to welcome the Saudi Quality Council as a CQI Strategic Partner. With more than 20 years of supporting the quality profession, the SQC is recognised as a trusted voice in the profession and has shown its commitment to improving quality standards. The Council has contributed to the success of awards such as the King Abdul Aziz Quality Award and National Quality Conferences.”

The future of the profession

In May, Desmond attended the American Society for Quality (ASQ) conference and learned first-hand about a new piece of ASQ research, which was conducted with the International Academy of Quality.

The research discussed the future of the profession and illustrated that quality professionals must develop skills and knowledge in:

• Understanding the language of business
• Developing leadership skills
• Preparing for a digital future.

Desmond said: “This will come as no surprise as the CQI has been driving the context and leadership agenda within the profession, and as part of our ISO liaison status for ISO 9001:2015.

“Having established the need for change, the question for the global quality community is how can we transform quickly to meet industry requirements?

“We have the potential to benefit from collaboration with our global peer quality associations in areas such as Industry 4.0, where the European Organisation for Quality and ASQ are starting important work on implications for the quality profession.”

The CQI is staying ahead of these challenges by launching the new portfolio of CQI and IRCA Certified Training, which develops delegates knowledge and skills in line with the needs of industry.

We have also forged relationships with other national quality bodies to better develop the competencies of the quality professional globally.