Standards Policy & Engagement

David Bell heads a team which is responsible for BSI's input to the international and European standards bodies, ISO, IEC, CEN and CENELEC on technical and policy issues. In addition, David manages BSI's institutional relations with British industry, the UK government and with key stakeholders, including consumer and public interest groups.

David was a member of the Council of ISO for five years, and a member of the ISO Finance Committee. David sits on the IEC Business Advisory Committee, is a former member of the CEN and CENELEC Boards, and chairs CEN/CENELEC’s Task Force on Africa.

Amanda is responsible for BSI's external policy activities, leading the development of BSI policy and strategies for influencing the International (ISO, IEC) and European (CEN, CENELEC, ETSI) environments, this includes responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the policy decisions agreed by those organizations.  The environment covers a broad range of issues, from detailed technical policy through to the governance of the European and International organizations.  In addition, there is a focus on influencing policy initiatives coming from the European Commission and engaging with UK government on policy development.  

Amanda is the BSI member of the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB). This is a primary influencing role sitting at the core of ISO’s governance structure.

The International Engagement team develops and maintains BSI’s bilateral and multilateral relationships with strategically important stakeholders; in line with UK economic interests and BSI’s strategic objectives.

The International Engagement team engages with a range of stakeholders from UK and foreign Governments; international standards development organisations; national standards bodies; regional bodies and industry consortia. These relationships provide the opportunity to increase the visibility and international use of BSI’s standards, supporting opportunities for UK firms to trade internationally. The team share good practice globally and identify opportunities for the benefit of BSI and its UK stakeholders. 

In May 2018, the International Engagement team launched the UK Government funded Commonwealth Standards Network. The network seeks to increase the use of international standards as a tool to support intra-Commonwealth trade, leading to enhanced levels of economic prosperity, maximising developmental outcomes across the Commonwealth. The CSN now has 48 member states actively participating in the network – www.Commonwealthstandards.net

The International Engagement team focuses on a range of important countries and regions, including China, the US, Japan and India, alongside Africa, the GCC region and the ASEAN region. Our largest work programme focusses on China, under the UK China Standardization Cooperation Commission (SCC) in partnership with the Standardization Administration of China (SAC). The SCC provides a platform to coordinate standardization activity and promote economic and technical cooperation to facilitate bilateral trade. The SCC has developed work programmes focussing on smart cities, civil nuclear energy, graphene and most recently a group to support the UK Government funded China Business Environment Standards programme.

Steve is responsible for BSI’s engagement, as the UK’s National Standards Body, with industry and government stakeholders.  This includes understanding their current and future needs for standards and raising awareness of the benefits that voluntary, consensus-based standards provide to the UK economy through helping businesses become more productive, efficient and innovative.  Steve also engages across government to communicate the opportunities for government to use standards to achieve its policy objectives and as an alternative to regulation. 

Steve also oversees BSI’s relationships with committee members and with organisations that nominate individuals for membership of standards-making committees.

Email: government.engagement@bsigroup.com

Daniel focuses on policy work relating to BSI’s role as the UK’s National Standards Body, and he leads BSI’s interactions with the UK quality infrastructure (standards, accreditation, metrology). In late 2019 he returned to BSI from a full-time secondment to the UK government, where he worked in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on government standards and accreditation policy. At BSI he has previously held a number of operational and managerial positions right across the standards business, including national and international committees management (he was for a time secretary to the ISO subcommittee responsible for the ISO 14001 environmental management standard), publishing and editorial roles, and policy and governance work. Daniel has commissioned research into the economic impact of standards, notably publishing CEBR’s landmark report on the topic in 2015. He has extensive experience of working with government, industry and innovation stakeholders on how standards can help advance business performance and innovation, and how they can support trade.

Daniel Barlow is Head of Innovation Policy at BSI and manages the University Partnerships and Educational development team. Daniel is responsible for BSI’s policy development and engagement in the field of innovation, digital and emerging technologies; including government, industry and research – particularly in emerging sectors.