FEATURE
The Stamp of Approval SGS, a global certification firm, uses the tagline ‘when you need to be sure’. Andrew Parmenter, the company’s head of sales and marketing, talks to Ambition about why business verification in an ever-changing world of regulations is more than ticking a box.
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GS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. It is recognised in its markets as the benchmark for quality and integrity with a team of 93,000 including a focused Northern Ireland contingent. Its history goes back almost 150 years, during which time it has evolved from an agri inspection service to a comprehensive service provider covering areas including health and well-being to environmental accreditations and dairy farming. “There are more standards and more common standards changes than ever before,” Andrew, the company’s head of sales and marketing, begins. “They’re growing, driving all the time to follow the trends of business and they’re also relevant for the overhaul of the economy. I’ve been with SGS just two years and already that growth is evident.” With a £5bn turnover, SGS is a multinational powerhouse but it’s unique in that it has a network of provincial bases that offer a more tailored personal service. Andrew looks after certification lines, managing processes correctly. That segment of the business represents one-fifth of the company’s mammoth turnover. “The business is so big because it is so diverse. We test or inspect anything,” he continues.
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