ANAB’s Figueiredo Appointed Chair of ISO/CASCO

Reinaldo Figueiredo, ANAB’s senior program director of product, process, and services accreditation programs, has been confirmed as chair of the International Organization for Standardization Committee on Conformity Assessment (ISO/CASCO).

Figueiredo will succeed Alister Dalrymple of the Association Française de Normalization (AFNOR) on January 1, 2020, for the 2020 to 2021 term.

Created in 1970 to develop standards and address issues related to conformity assessment, CASCO has 107 participating national member bodies and 34 observer members. It functions by developing harmonized and internationally accepted policies on conformity assessment and liaising with industry sectors and intergovernmental agencies on conformity assessment activities.

In his role as CASCO chair, Figueiredo’s responsibilities will include guiding the strategic direction of the committee and achieving the committee’s main objectives. He also will serve as the convenor of the ISO/CASCO Coordination Policy Committee (CPC) and the Strategic Alliance and Regulator Group (STAR), and as chair of the annual CASCO plenary. In addition, Figueiredo, together with the ISO Secretary-General and CASCO secretary, will be a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF)-International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)-ISO Joint Working Group.

“On behalf of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment communities, congratulations to Reinaldo on this prestigious appointment,” S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO, said. “We look forward to the many excellent contributions he will make to further conformity assessment activities in the international arena.”

Since 1994, Figueiredo has dedicated his expertise to a variety of international conformity assessment activities, playing an active role in ISO/CASCO working groups, including participating in the revision of ISO/IEC Guide 65 and many other ISO/CASCO standards (ISO/IEC 17000, ISO/IEC 17011, ISO/IEC TR 17032). In 1998, he initiated a United States Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) program enabling IAF and ILAC to manage pre-peer evaluation in support of accreditation bodies in developing countries.

Figueiredo joined ANSI in 1999, as the manager of conformity assessment activities. In 2001, he was promoted to program director for product certification accreditation. His business development acumen and technical knowledge helped ANSI to achieve the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Voluntary Conformity Assessment Systems (NVCASE) recognition as an accreditation body for telecommunication certification bodies.

In his role as a senior program director at ANAB, he manages operations, systems enhancements, and fiscal administration for multiple accreditation programs. He works with nearly 100 conformity assessment bodies, and he has garnered recognition by multiple government agencies and sector scheme owners. He has helped ANAB achieve signatory status for IAF and PAC multilateral recognition arrangements — significant milestones for the credibility of ANAB accreditation.

In June 2019, Figueiredo was elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC), whose members include accreditation bodies and other organizations interested in accredited conformity assessment results. He formally assumed the position at the inaugural APAC annual meetings earlier this year and will serve a three-year term.

Figueiredo holds a degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Santos Dumont in Brazil. He launched his career in 1982 as a standards specialist at INMETRO, where he provided critical input to the creation of IAF, PAC, and the Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC). He served as the first IAAC chair.