LRQA: The Future in Focus: Recent Episodes
LRQA
The latest from global experts in certification, brand assurance, cybersecurity, inspection, and training, with a focus on the risks and opportunities that digitalisation brings, and the importance of building a sustainable future. Throughout each series, we will bring technical expertise and a fresh perspective on industry trends and challenges.
In this episode, host Xavier Francis is joined by Bill Barnes, Auditor Manager at LRQA, and Dariusz Antonczyk, Training and Improvement Services Manager at LRQA, to explore how quality thinking has evolved from a management system into a powerful organisational mindset.
Together, they trace the journey of quality from the origins of ISO 9001 to today’s connected approach to risk management, resilience, and leadership. Through practical examples and personal insights, they discuss how the principles of consistency, culture and continuous improvement underpin modern business performance.
Looking ahead, the conversation highlights how a quality mindset is driving the next generation of assurance professionals: those able to connect quality, cyber security, sustainability and safety as part of one unified vision for organisational excellence.
Welcome to Transition Talks, a new podcast series from LRQA designed to guide organisations through the upcoming changes to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
In this first episode, Stuart Kelly, Chief Commercial Officer at LRQA, and Kevin Franklin, LRQA's Chief Product Officer, unpack what’s driving the updates to these cornerstone management system standards, why it matters now and what businesses can expect as the transition period begins. From climate considerations and stakeholder expectations to governance and resilience, we explore the evolving risk landscape and the practical implications for quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems.
Brought to you by LRQA’s technical and sector specialists, Transition Talks will run throughout the ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 transition period, giving you the insight, clarity and guidance needed to stay informed and prepared.
Follow LRQA’s Future in Focus series on your preferred podcast platform to stay up to date.
In this timely episode of Future in Focus (released 25 June), we sit down with the European Central Bank to discuss its official Omnibus opinion and why robust, high-quality sustainability data is critical, not only for corporate reporting and due diligence but also for the long-term stability of the EU’s financial system.
LRQA’s Theresa Gigov speaks with Katharina Klausch, Senior Legal Counsel at the ECB, on the future of sustainability regulation, including the role of Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) in financial decision-making. As EU negotiations intensify, this conversation offers key insights for corporates and financial institutions navigating fast-moving changes.
In this episode of Future in Focus, Xavier Francis is joined by Kevin Franklin, Chief Product Officer at LRQA, to explore the pivotal role of AI governance in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. Together, they discuss how ISO 42001 offers a timely and practical framework for managing AI-related risks, building trust and staying ahead of global regulation. With insights drawn from Kevin’s extensive background in systems and standards, the conversation highlights why responsible AI deployment is essential for organisations of every size and why ISO 42001 is set to become a foundational tool in doing it right.
This podcast episode features a discussion on the EU omnibus proposal, a significant regulatory topic in sustainability and its potential implications for businesses. Experts Tara Norton and JP Stevenson provide insights on navigating the complexities of sustainability reporting and the importance of due diligence in supply chains, no matter the shifts in regulatory requirements.
As supply chain legislation evolves, businesses face increasing expectations to uphold transparency and accountability on ESG issues, including mitigating human rights violations and reducing carbon emissions. In this fourth episode of our Assurance 4.0 mini-series, LRQA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Stuart Kelly, discusses how data-driven insights and proactive strategies can help organisations address these challenges.
Stuart highlights the importance of going beyond compliance to build robust responsible sourcing programmes that maintain ethical integrity, minimise negative impacts on people and the environment and foster long-term resilience in global value chains. Tune in to discover how businesses can strengthen consumer trust and deliver meaningful change through their supply chains.
Global businesses are under pressure to meet net zero targets while also navigating the energy transition. This shift impacts everyone from the energy industry to consumer brands across every sector, and is happening alongside increased scrutiny from stakeholders. It’s one of the key challenges within the era of Assurance 4.0 - the new era of risk management.
In this third episode of our Assurance 4.0 mini-series, LRQA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Stuart Kelly, focuses on what it takes to successfully navigate this challenge. Against the backdrop of COP29, we’ll explore how businesses can respond to changing regulations, leverage data, and work across supply chains to achieve a ‘just transition’ for workers, communities and the environment.
Senior Director for Sustainability at LRQA, Tara Norton, shares her expertise on leading climate strategies. As we mark Climate Week NYC, Tara discusses the growing regulatory pressures, the need for businesses to adapt and the importance of integrating climate risk into broader ESG strategies.
We dive into practical tips for balancing financial goals with climate commitments, the role of investors and consumers in driving sustainability, and the crucial role of data in building resilient supply chains. Whether you're looking to enhance transparency or meet global climate regulations, this episode offers actionable insights for businesses to thrive in a changing world.
In late 2024, the rules behind the commonly know series of quality standards for the Aerospace industry, AS 9100, are set to be amended, and will be rebranded as "IA 9100."
In this episode of Future in Focus, LRQA's Aerospace and Defence Subject Matter Expert, Daniel Carmel joins us to dive into what we know so far about the changes, how the changes impact certified organisations and certification bodies, and when the changes are set to take place.
Businesses face a rapidly changing world, with a heightened focus on ESG considerations, supply chain complexity and evolving cybersecurity threats. These powerful new trends have combined with more traditional risks – across assets, people and systems – to create a new era of risk management. We call it the era of Assurance 4.0. Here, LRQA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Stuart Kelly, dives into the second episode of our Assurance 4.0 mini-series, exploring ‘achieving product integrity’ as a key challenge for clients across sectors, from food to aerospace.
Welcome to the latest episode of LRQA's Future in Focus podcast. In this episode, host Holly Plackett is joined by special guests, Anshuman Tiwari, Global Head of Operational Excellence at DXC Technology, and Shirish Bapat, Technical Product Manager for Cybersecurity at LRQA. The discussion explores how businesses can turn standards into strategy by leveraging management systems and artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve business excellence in a new era of risk.Anshuman shares his insights on the foundational role of ISO standards in driving business excellence and the transformative potential of AI in operational processes. Shirish delves into the critical importance of information security, highlighting best practices and the impact of the new ISO 42001 standard for AI management systems.
Tune in to discover how businesses can achieve operational brilliance and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Whether you're an industry professional or just curious about the future of business excellence, this episode is packed with valuable insights and expert perspectives.
In LRQA’s latest podcast episode, global media outlets, including The Australian Financial Review and H2 View, share commentary recorded live at the World Hydrogen Summit – the world’s largest dedicated hydrogen event – about the need to shift from hype to reality within the hydrogen industry.
Combined with client insights from the LRQA team, we explore how this dynamic industry needs to balance the immense innovation currently in development, with risk management and assurance to ensure a shift from an R&D mindset to a commercial one. Listen to find out more.
Businesses face a rapidly changing world, with a heightened focus on ESG considerations, supply chain complexity and evolving cybersecurity threats. These powerful new trends have combined with more traditional risks – across assets, people and systems – to create a new era of risk management. We call it the era of Assurance 4.0.
Over the course of the year, LRQA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Stuart Kelly, will dive into the biggest challenges businesses are facing within this new era, starting with our first episode: ‘Assuring assets and management systems’. Listen to find out more.
In this episode, we are joined by a returning guest of the podcast, Supply Chain Assurance Technical for LRQA, Kimberly Coffin to talk about a topic that she is very passionate about. The new era of risk we’re currently living and operating in, and more specifically how this is impacting food businesses all over the world.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), is amending many of the familiar management system standards to insert an additional requirement and a note related to climate change.
In this episode, we are joined by the Chair of the ISO Technical Committee 283 for Occupational Health & Safety Management (owner of the ISO 45000 series of standards), and a returning guest of the podcast, Martin Cottam, to discuss the actions ISO is taking in relation to climate change and how these changes impact standard users.
LRQA recently launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - an internal sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA also launched an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The eighth and final episode, ‘Lifelong learning at work', sees Luis Cunha, LRQA’s Assessment Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, talk about education as a key pillar of corporate sustainability as well as wider social mobility. Luis explores the roles and responsibilities of businesses in supporting employee education, and offers practical guidance on how to start the process, ensuring education initiatives also align to a company's vision, mission and values. Listen to find out more.
LRQA recently launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - an internal sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA also launched an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The seventh episode, ‘The ‘E’ in ESG’, sees Marcela Romero Merino, LRQA’s Consulting Regional Director for Latin America, highlight the role of a ‘committed private sector’ in supporting the global goal of net zero carbon emissions. With COP28 in full flow, Marcela also gives her take on market trends, as businesses begin to understand the urgency behind climate management, the changing regulatory landscape, and the need to adapt. Listen to find out more.
Welcome back to the Future in Focus podcast by LRQA, and if you’re new here, welcome. In this episode, presenter, Josh Flanagan, is joined by LRQA’s Global Hydrogen Expert, Leanne Halliday, to discuss hydrogen and its role in powering a net zero future.
LRQA recently launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - an internal sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA also launched an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The sixth episode, ‘Safety – not just the absence of accidents’, sees Erik Mooij, LRQA’s Global Head of Health, Safety, Environment and Security, share his personal experiences of the life-changing impact that workplace safety can have. Erik also explores how safety has evolved from workplace accidents to more complex physical, psychological, financial and social wellbeing, and breaks down what exactly that means for companies trying to create a safer place to work. Listen to find out more.
LRQA recently launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - an internal sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA also launched an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The fifth episode, ‘Plant gifts, not trees – why we need to transform corporate volunteering’, sees Benjamin Western, LRQA’s Head of Sustainability, take a fresh perspective and new approach to corporate volunteering. How do we use our strongest skills and assess where they could make the greatest impact? Listen to find out.
LRQA recently launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - an internal sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA also launched an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The fourth episode, ‘Glorious governance (no, seriously!)’, sees Vikas Neeraj, Service Delivery Manager for LRQA, share his views on governance as just good business. Vikas explores how governance has changed in recent years, including the impact of ESG.
LRQA recently launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - an internal sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA has also launched an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The third episode, ‘Equity should be an ideal, not an ideology’, sees Lani Hollander, LRQA’s Global Sustainability Partner, clarify the crucial difference between equity and equality and offer practical guidance on how organisations can achieve greater equity.
LRQA recently launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - an internal sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA is launching an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The second episode, ‘Wilfully inclusive: Why everyone wins with inclusivity’, sees Leanne Halliday, LRQA’s Global Hydrogen Expert and Oceania Territory Manager, sharing personal experiences and practical advice around the challenges and opportunities within inclusivity.
Today, LRQA launched 'Our Planet, Our Plan' - a sustainability programme that outlines our ambitious Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments over the next seven years, underpinned by time-bound performance metrics.
To accompany the programme, LRQA is launching an eight-episode podcast series to explore each of the seven commitments within Our Planet, Our Plan. The first episode, ‘The power of transparency in business’, sees Ben Western, LRQA’s Head of Sustainability, exploring how the programme was developed, the evolution if ESG in business, and how other organisations can embrace its principles.
Welcome back to the Future in Focus podcast by LRQA, and if you’re new here, thank you. In this episode, we are joined by returning guest Meghan Quinlan, Vice President of Food & Agriculture at ELEVATE, LRQA’s ESG specialists, to talk about human rights issues, specifically in the food industry, and the growing importance of human rights due diligence, or HRDD.
On the 24th of April 2013, the Rana Plaza building, which housed five garment factories, collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh killing over 1,100 people and injuring over 2,500 people. We’re here to mark the tenth anniversary of that tragic event to remember those who lost their lives but also to discuss how this was a defining moment in the evolution of assurance and social responsibility in the region.
Welcome back to the Future in Focus podcast by LRQA, and if you’re new here, welcome. In this episode, presenter, Holly Plackett, is joined by LRQA’s Technical Director of Supply Chain, Kimberly Coffin, to discuss the expanding use of technology and data within the food sector.
Welcome back to the Future in Focus podcast by LRQA, and if you’re new here, thank you. In this episode, we are joined by returning guest Forbes Fyfe, Technical Account Manager of Agriculture Supply Chain at LRQA, and Meghan Quinlan, Vice President of Food & Agriculture at ELEVATE, an LRQA business, to talk about responsible sourcing and production; what it is, emerging themes, and how these themes are affecting food supply chains.
In this second episode of the two part mini-series, Jo Fairley - co-founder of Green & Black's organic chocolate - speaks with LRQA about the implications of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues for the food and beverage industry. Jo also shares her personal advice for proactively managing risk, drawing on her own experiences as co-founder of the pioneering brand.
Welcome back to the Future in Focus podcast by LRQA, and if you’re new here, thank you. In this episode, we are joined by LRQA’s Technical Account Manager for Agriculture, James Sage, to discuss the food supply chain and the increasing pressure on suppliers to demonstrate their commitment to the ethical production of animal products.
Welcome back to the Future In Focus by LRQA, and if you’re new here, thank you. In this episode, presenter, Holly Plackett, is joined by Stuart Wright, Global Head of Governance, Risk, and Compliance at Nettitude, an LRQA business, and returning guest Kimberly Coffin, Global Technical Director of Supply Chain at LRQA. In this episode, we ask Stuart and Kimberly why cybercrime should be a well-considered factor in any food defence programme and discuss the potential implications on food safety in the case of a cyber-attack.
We do apologise for the audio issues early on in this episode.
Business continuity has been a hot topic in recent years. Even more recently, we’ve heard the term ‘Agility and Resilience’ referenced heavily in discussions about food safety and the food supply chain, but what does it actually mean to have an agile and resilient business model? In this episode, we speak to Kimberly Coffin, Technical Director of Supply Chain at LRQA, who shares the truth about business continuity trends.
On today’s episode of Future in Focus we sit down with Dr. Hendrik Lau, LRQA's leading wind energy expert. Discover the growing importance of wind energy, its crucial role in achieving net zero goals, and the hurdles faced by developers in this rapidly growing industry.
In the first of two episodes, Jo Fairley shares a brief history of Green & Black's organic chocolate - the first of its kind in the UK. Speaking to LRQA, Jo explores how, as co-founder of the brand, the challenges she faced may resonate with other members of the food and beverage industry today as they negotiate the current risk landscape.
Often, when we hear the term ‘ESG, or Environmental, Social and Governance issues’, people think first of the environmental component and less so about social and governance. In this episode, LRQA’s Chief Growth Officer, Ian Spaulding, is joined by special guest Mike Posner to talk about the ‘S’ in ‘ESG’; what it is, how it’s evolved, and why it should be at the top of an organisations agenda.
In today's episode, we speak to LRQA's Supply Chain Assurance Technical Director, Kimberly Coffin, about some of the issues the food industry is currently facing and how businesses can ensure product integrity despite these ever-evolving risks.
Welcome to the Future in Focus podcast. In today's episode, we speak to Forbes Fyfe, LRQA's Technical Account Manager for the agricultural supply chain, about supply chain shortages and how this could lead to greater food fraud risks.
In consumer staples, brand is everything. In fact, for many fast-moving consumer goods brands, it’s not unusual for ‘intangible assets’ to account for more than 100% of the company’s market value. In this episode, we speak to Sales Director Stuart Kelly about brand assurance, what it is, why it's important and how businesses can build their brand assurance.
In this episode, we speak to Ian Spaulding, Chief Growth Officer at LRQA as well as founder and former CEO of ELEVATE, an industry-leading sustainability and supply chain services business acquired earlier this year by LRQA. During the episode, Ian talks about ESG, or Environmental, Social, and Governance. What is it, why has it become such a mainstream topic , and how do businesses leverage ESG to demonstrate trust and transparency to their stakeholders?
In this episode, we speak to Martin Cottam, chair of the ISO Technical Committee for occupational health and safety, about the organisational benefits of having a certified occupational health and safety system. In this episode, Martin talks about a recently published study conducted by researchers at Harvard and Duke universities in the U.S.
Link to download the paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3988416
In this episode, we speak to Martin Cottam, former Assurance and Quality Director at LRQA (formerly Lloyd’s Register), about ISO 9001, one of the most popular quality management system standards, and how it has performed since its revision in 2015, and more notably, how the standard has responded to the rapidly changing landscape we have seen more recently.
In this episode, we’ll be speaking with hydrogen expert, Leanne Halliday, Corporate Account Manager at LRQA who will cover the expanding risks in a hydrogen supply chain.
Historically, many organisations have been hesitant to address psychological health and wellbeing. However, the impact of work on people’s psychological health was a significant issue long before the COVID-19 pandemic. It was already causing significant harm – and causing significant costs for organisations – and it was already on an upward trend. Psychosocial risk is therefore becoming an ever more important part of the risk to which many workers are exposed, so organisations now need to address it effectively.
In this episode, we speak to Martin Cottam, Chair of the ISO Technical Committee for Occupational Health & Safety Management, about the rising importance and how to tackle psychological health, safety, and wellbeing in the workplace.
In this episode, we speak to Food Technical Manager at LRQA, Mark Fincham to discuss the BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9, which is scheduled to be published in August 2022.
In our rapidly changing world, organisations need to adapt to survive, whether in response to societal or consumer trends, the climate emergency, or geopolitical change. The changes needed to sustain our organisations will require adjustments to our occupational health and safety (OH&S) management systems, to manage new risks and changing levels of risk. Alongside these wider trends, there are emerging issues more specific to OH&S management, to which organisations also need to respond.
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Martin Cottam Chair of the ISO Technical Committee for Occupational Health & Safety Management as we explore some of these trends and consider how they will affect health and safety in the workplace and the possible implications for the ISO 45000 series of standards.
There are several areas in which the Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) landscape has changed significantly in the four years since the publication of ISO 45001, the global standard for Occupational health & safety Management Systems. Some of these areas have been or are being addressed through guidance standards, while some will require further consideration when ISO 45001 is eventually revised. In this episode, we speak to Martin Cottam, Chair of the ISO Technical Committee for Occupational Health & Safety Management, to discuss five key Health & Safety challenges and how perspectives on these have evolved since ISO 45001 was published in 2018.
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Martin Cottam, Chair of the ISO Technical Committee for Occupational Health & Safety Management. In this episode, we’re talking about the importance of worker participation in building a positive safety and health culture.
In this episode, we speak to LRQA’s Global Head of Food Centre of Excellence, Jan Kranghand, and Kimberly Coffin, LRQA’s voice of supply chain assurance within the Food, Beverage and Hospitality industry, onsite at the GFSI 2022 Conference, hosted this year in Barcelona.
In this episode, we speak to Stuart Kelly, LRQA’s Global Sales Director, and Kimberly Coffin, LRQA’s voice of supply chain assurance within the Food, Beverage and Hospitality industry, onsite at the GFSI 2022 Conference, hosted this year in Barcelona.
In this episode, we speak to LRQA’s Global Sales Director, Stuart Kelly, about some of the key themes of this year’s Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference - where this year LRQA will be exhibiting in a face-to-face capacity - and how the last two years have impacted the food business.
In this episode, we speak to LRQA’s voice of supply chain assurance within the Food, Beverage and Hospitality industry, Kimberly Coffin, about the importance of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and their annual conference, where, this year, LRQA will be exhibiting in a face-to-face capacity.
Chair of the ISO Technical Committee for Occupational Health & Safety Management and former LRQA colleague Martin Cottam reflects on the four years since ISO 45001, the management system for occupational health and safety, was published and shares some insight into the future of the ISO 45000 series.