Lord Jamie Lindsay announced as new CQI President

Lord Lindsay will take over from Chris Sexton, Technical Director of Crossrail, who has served as CQI President for the past three years.

Lord Jamie Lindsay has been a member of the House of Lords for nearly 28 years. His active public life includes serving as chair of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), which works closely with the CQI to promote accreditation certification. From 2013 to 2015 Lord Lindsay helped to advance regulatory reform as a member of the Better Regulation Strategy Group (part of the government’s Better Regulation Executive). He also served from 2012 until earlier this year as president of the National Trust for Scotland.

The CQI President is a voluntary, non-executive position appointed by the CQI’s Board of Trustees in accordance with its Royal Charter. Lord Lindsay’s two-year term as CQI President will include the organisation’s centenary year in 2019.

The CQI’s Chair Ian Mitchell said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Lord Lindsay take up the role of CQI President next year. He will bring to the role a unique range of experience in business and government, and as chair of UKAS is already an influential advocate for quality in the UK and overseas. We’re looking forward to working with Lord Lindsay to take the message of quality forward at this important time.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to Chris Sexton for the expertise and commitment that he has given as our President. Chris has made an invaluable contribution to promoting the quality profession and its message in industry – all at the same time as overseeing the closing stages of Europe’s largest infrastructure project. In recognition of this the board was very pleased to award Chris Honorary Fellowship of the CQI.”

Mr Sexton said: “It has been a great privilege to serve as President of the CQI. Within Crossrail it has been a very visible demonstration of my personal commitment to quality, and it has been a great opportunity to contribute to shaping the future of the profession – as well as spreading the quality message in the rail and construction industries.”

Lord Lindsay said: “It’s an honour to take on the role of CQI President as the organisation approaches its centenary. As chair of UKAS for the past fifteen years, I’ve seen the pivotal role that quality plays in our economy. To face the risks and uncertainties of today’s world, it has never been more important for organisations to embed quality in everything they do. I’m looking forward to helping the CQI make sure that strong governance, robust systems of assurance and continuous improvement are at the heart of every organisation.”

Lord Lindsay will become the new CQI President on 1 January 2018.