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Letter from the president

I will remember 2017 as one of the most important years in the history of the company. In October, Raj Nathan was named president of IAS, effective with my retirement on March 31, 2018. We commenced a new accreditation program for medical testing laboratories, and also deployed a state-of-the-art, interactive website to allow for better project management and an enhanced web experience to our clients. Read more.

ICC and IAS board announce new president

The International Code Council (ICC) and the International Accreditation Service (IAS) board announced the selection of Raj Nathan as IAS president. Nathan has more than 30 years of experience in business development, operations, accreditation and conformity assessment and has been with IAS since 2002. Read more.

CEO profile: Chuck Ramani

After almost 45 years in the accreditation industry, IAS President Chuck Ramani, P.E., CBO, refelects on his career, the increasing value of accreditation and his post-retirement plans to help create the next generation of the U.S. workforce in an interview with ICE Digest. Read more.

DOD recognizes IAS personnel certification body accreditation

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) now recognizes the International Accreditation Service's Personnel Certification Bodies Accreditation Program under its Credentialing Opportunities On-Line program, a joint initiative of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy. Read more.

Helga Alexander joins IAS as manager of calibration laboratory accreditations

The International Accreditation Service is pleased to welcome Helga Alexander as the new manager of the IAS Calibration Laboratory Accreditation Program. In her new role, Helga will be responsible for assessments, maintenance, renewals and other activities related to calibration laboratories pursuing IAS accreditation to ISO/IEC Standard 17025. Read more.

IAS provides accreditation for medical laboratories

The International Accreditation Service has established a program for accrediting medical laboratories who demonstrate compliance with the international standard, ISO 15189, Medical Laboratories — Requirements for quality and competence. Read more.

IAS President Chuck Ramani spoke on digital solutions for future building department operations during the Japan Conference of Building Administrators. Pictured (left-right): Ramani with Yuji Kanaya from the Building Center of Japan who did simultaneous translation of Ramani's speech for the Japanese audience.

Ramani addresses Japan Conference of Building Administrators

IAS president C.P. (Chuck) Ramani addressed delegates at the Japan Conference of Building Administrators (JCBA) on Nov. 17, 2017, in Nara, Japan. Ramani represented the International Code Council (ICC) and gave a talk on Digital Solutions for the 21st Century Building Department Operations. Read more.

IAF endorses IPC management system auditors certification scheme

The International Personnel Certification Association's (IPC) "IPC Management System Auditors certification scheme" received endorsement as a sub-scope of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Multilateral Recognition Agreement, during the thirty-first IAF General Assembly that took place on Oct. 28–30, 2017, in Vancouver, Canada. The IPC Management System Auditors certification scheme is the first personnel certification scheme ever to have achieved official endorsement by the IAF. This means more consistency and integrity for management system auditors certificates issued around the world. Read more.

Common elements in ISO/CASCO standards

The first meeting of ISO/CASCO Working Group 23 took a place on Sept. 21–22, 2017, at ISO headquarters in Geneva. The scope of this work group was to create a new document, which will provide a basis for developing other ISO/CASCO documents and will include obligatory requirements and recommended text for ISO/IEC series 17000 standards. Read more.

IAS President Chuck Ramani (right) presents special recognition awards to co-instructors Roxanne Robinson (center) and Ned Gravel (left) at the conclusion of the two-day training.

APLAC lead evaluator training hosted by IAS

IAS hosted the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) Lead Evaluator training class on Sept. 27–28, 2017, in Brea, Calif. Lead evaluators from Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Japan attended the event. APLAC is a cooperation of accreditation bodies in the Asia Pacific region that accredit laboratories, inspection bodies and reference material producers. This Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) forms a regional network of laboratories and inspection bodies accredited by accreditation bodies that have been peer-evaluated and recognized as being competent. This network facilitates the acceptance of test, calibration and inspection reports in the region, thus contributing to the facilitation of trade and the free-trade goal of "tested/inspected once, accepted everywhere." IAS is a MRA signatory for testing laboratories, calibration laboratories and inspection bodies.

IAS participates in the IHAF workshop

IAS participated in the International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) workshop "Global Halal Trade, Challenges and Opportunities" that took place on Oct. 20, 2017, in Vancouver, Canada. The workshop was organized in parallel to the IHAF second board of directors and IHAF second general assembly meetings, where IAS was accepted as full IHAF member. Read more.

IAS attends Lab Tech

IAS participated in the Lab Tech Exhibition that took place on Nov. 7–9, 2017, in Bahrain. Attendees visited the IAS booth and met with IAS representatives and assessors, exchanged experiences and received information about IAS accreditation programs and training. IAS participation in the Lab Tech Exhibition is one of many events that take place in the Middle East and North Africa region and serves as a way for IAS to show gratitude and commitment to existing clients, discuss and cooperate with local authorities, and meet prospective clients.

Upcoming IAS training

The IAS training schedule of courses is posted on the IAS website. Courses include training on ISO Standards 17020, 17021, 17024, 17025, 31000, 22000 and Special Inspection Agency Accreditation. Individuals who register early receive a 30-percent discount.

Seeking contract technical assessors and experts

The International Accreditation Service is seeking contract technical assessors and experts with experience in assessing the management and technical processes of laboratories, inspection agencies, building departments and product certification agencies.

Let us know what you are thinking

The International Accreditation Service strives to continually improve our services and welcomes feedback, positive or negative, which we will use to provide better service to our clients and stakeholders. Visit the Contact Us page of the IAS website to share your comments.

After 12 years covering the latest accreditation industry news and events, this final issue of IAS eNews introduces a new IAS president and shares reflections from a retiring president. We hope that you enjoy our final issue and thank you all for your support through the years. We are excited to share that future IAS content will be included in a new innovative weekly e-newsletter launching early this year.