President says "robust" IEC will continue to deliver despite difficult times

In his opening address IEC President
Jacques Régis highlighted the dynamic
opportunity offered by the GM's meetings.

In his first address to Council as IEC President, Jacques Régis highlighted the Commission's robust status, both operationally and financially. He said that while the world was experiencing perhaps the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the IEC was in a good position, stating: "For many years, the IEC Members have prepared for the proverbial 'rainy day'. While we now face a considerable storm – some say a 'perfect storm' – I am convinced we will prevail and continue to serve industry, governments and end-users with the products and services required to help rebuild our economies."

He said that the IEC was continuing to seek greater efficiency and improved quality and that it would maintain its leadership in providing IT (Information Technology) tools that do not pass any financial burden on to members or experts.

"The IEC has led the standards industry in so many initiatives – from the first use of IT tools in standards development to the launch of standards in database format more than seven years ago," Régis said. "It is now time to redouble our efforts to deliver more with less, quickly and with at least the same high levels of quality. The investments made in non-proprietary IT applications developed by the IEC itself and made available to members, experts and customers should and will continue."

Turning to the IEC's technical work, Régis highlighted several key areas, which in his view, demonstrated IEC's grasp of the strategic needs of the world.

He recalled the IEC PACT (President's Advisory Committee on Future Technologies), recommendations of July 2006 on the subject of energy efficiency.

"Two years ago, the reports surrounding the possible effects of climate change came as a call to action for the IEC," he said. "And in the short time since then, we have assembled a team of world renowned experts, including representation from the International Energy Agency, to make recommendations on how the IEC can best contribute on questions of energy efficiency."

He outlined the IEC group's recommendations, which include areas such as lighting, heating & cooling, rotating machinery, data centres and power generation and distribution, as well as the obvious area of renewable energies. He said that all of the IEC group's recommendations highlight areas where significant gains can be made, "what I like to call areas where the IEC technical work can make a paradigm-shifting contribution to this global challenge." He reminded members that while global attention had shifted to the financial crisis, industry, governments and end-users would still require increases in energy efficiency "at a time when the global economy is hurting, and the subject of tackling climate change has, rightly or wrongly, taken on a lower importance".

For Régis, the IEC's strategic partnerships with relevant players were another important area that needed to continue developing. In this area, he focused on UHV (Ultra High Voltage), where the IEC has been working closely in recent years with CIGRE (the International Council on Large Electric Systems). He cited the IEC-CIGRE partnership as "an ideal example of two partners working symbiotically, CIGRE is able to deliver the necessary technical research while the IEC can bring the International Standards and Conformity Assessment to the marketplace." The IEC has already created TC (Technical Committee) 115: High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Transmission for DC voltages above 100 kV (provisional), and will be addressing other relevant aspects of UHV technology through a strategic group established by the SMB (Standardization Management Board).

Moving to a similar strategic partnership, Régis described the newly enhanced agreement between the IEC and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) as "an excellent example of delivering what the players in the market want – no duplication of work, optimal use of expert resources, and no fear of the 'not invented here' syndrome from either party."

Régis said that the traditional cooperation with the IEC's sister organizations, the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization), was as strong as ever and promised to reinforce these important ties.

In his closing remarks, Régis outlined his hope that the work of the new MSB (Market Strategy Board) would help the IEC maintain its leadership and strategic insight.

"I believe that the Market Strategy Board will go a long way in helping the Commission to maintain its edge in the market place," he said. "I am now looking to ensure that the types of insights into future market needs that were provided by our disbanded PACT group will continue and grow under the auspices of the Market Strategy Board."

Looking to the future, Régis stated that he would be focusing much of his energy in trying to attract the potential new engineers and business and government leaders to the work of the IEC. "I think that we must engage more with today's youth," he said. "We need to stimulate their participation in the Commission's activities. They, after all, hold the key to our future. I will make this one of my personal objectives as IEC President."

In closing, Régis said that one of the greatest challenges for the IEC "will be evolving the IEC's approach to deal with the multidisciplinary and multi-technological issues across global markets that may not sit well with our current structures and processes. The IEC has demonstrated the vision and flexibility to evolve, and I believe it will continue to lead the field in this challenging respect."