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Minister Breen appoints Ms. Marie O’Connell and Mr. Piers Devereaux to the Board of the National Standards Authority of Ireland

The Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen T.D., appointed Ms Marie O’Connell and Mr Piers Devereux as new Board Members of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) on 30 May last. The appointments were made following an open Public Appointment Service (PAS) recruitment process.

Minister Breen said:

I am delighted to appoint two excellent new candidates to the Board of the National Standards Authority of Ireland. Marie and Piers will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the agency at an important time as it begins to develop a new Strategy to guide it through the years ahead.

At the core of this work will be ensuring that NSAI continue to contribute to competitiveness and growth in Irish industry and to the protection of consumers. I have no doubt that the Board will benefit from Piers and Marie’s expertise in that regard, and I wish them both every success on their appointment.

 

Notes to editor:

Biography of Ms Marie O’Connell, NSAI Board Member:

Ms Marie O’Connell was appointed as a Board Member of the National Standards Authority of Ireland following an open Public Appointments Service (PAS) process.

Marie has extensive experience of leading and developing quality assurance teams in the health products sector. She has served in a number of roles in the Blood Transfusion Service Board, most recently as Director of Quality where she had responsibility for ensuring statutory and regulatory compliance across the organisation. Prior to this, Marie worked in a range of quality assurance roles in both the private and public sector.

 

Biography of Mr Piers Devereux, NSAI Board Member:

Mr Piers Devereux was appointed as a Board Member of the National Standards Authority of Ireland following an open Public Appointments Service (PAS) process.

Mr Devereux is currently European Vice President of Operations for Beckman Coulter Inc. He has worked for many years at senior management level within the medical device sector and has extensive experience in a wide range of areas including R&D, operations and commercial activities. Previous roles include Managing Director of Beckman Coulter Ireland and CEO of Olympus Life Science Research Ireland.

 

NSAI Background

The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) was established in 1997 as a statutory non-commercial State body which comes under the aegis of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. The CEO of NSAI, Ms Geraldine Larkin, was appointed in 2017, and the Chair of NSAI, James Kennedy, was appointed in April 2018.

NSAI’s activities are focused on the following areas:

 

Standards

NSAI develops, publishes and promotes Irish, European and International Standards with the aim of improving the efficiency, quality, design, performance, safety and the environmental impact of goods and services produced.

NSAI participation in standards development through the national consultative committee network or international standards committees gives Irish businesses access to a network of national and international stakeholders (standards researchers/experts, potential customers, competitors, suppliers, consumers and users), thereby shaping the future standards applicable to their own industries.

Certification

Through internationally recognised schemes, NSAI provides an independent, third party conformity assessment service that enables businesses to demonstrate to their customers, stakeholders and the wider public that their products or services meet the appropriate standards. A comprehensive suite of schemes is provided to meet industry requirements for:

  • Mandatory certification – in certain sectors such as medical and automotive, products or services cannot be placed on the market without approval or certification by an approved designated body.
  • Voluntary certification – this is utilised by businesses to improve their efficiency or to demonstrate that their products and services meet the requirements of standards.

 

Legal Metrology

As the NSAI’s regulatory function, Legal Metrology is charged with the oversight of measurements and measuring instruments used in trade and has the powers to investigate and prosecute for breaches of metrology legislation. Legal Metrology operates on a risk-based assessment model covering 40,000 traders and 75,000 trading instruments deployed across a wide range of industry sectors, from food production, including export enterprises, to local retailing. These protections underpin trade equity and consumer confidence, which contribute significantly to the stability of the economy closest to the public.

 

National Metrology

Through the National Metrology Laboratory (NML) facility, NSAI discharges the role of the national metrology institute for Ireland which is to provide industrial and scientific metrology to Irish industry, through access to internationally traceable measurement standards and an accompanying high precision instrument calibration service. These activities support businesses who have requirements for the highest measurement accuracy throughout their development, manufacturing and control processes.