New Chair Selected for ISO Flagship Committee on Environmental Management (ISO/ TC 207)

June 13, 2023

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is pleased to announce that Zakiah Kassam is the new Chairperson of the ISO technical committee on Environmental management (ISO/TC 207)(link is external). 

Zakiah Kassam is President of AirVironment Canada, and a Senior Associate of the Boxfish Infrastructure Group. She also serves on SCC’s Governing Council. Zakiah has 20 years of professional experience spanning the energy sector, including design of large oil and gas facilities; environmental and occupational health and safety assessments; and large international and multi-national development projects in Central Asia and the Middle East.

Canada holds the Secretariat for ISO/TC 207, which is one of ISO’s leading committees in climate change standards. It is responsible for developing the ISO 14000 Environmental management(link is external) series of standards, which provide companies and organizations of any type with practical tools to manage their environmental responsibilities. Across the globe, there are more than 300,000 certifications to the ISO 14001 Environmental management systems standard. 

“Zakiah brings the calibre of expertise and leadership needed to drive forward actions and conversations at global climate forums,” says Chantal Guay, CEO, Standards Council of Canada. “SCC looks forward to seeing the evolving solutions that the committee will bring to the table under her leadership.”

Chantal Guay, CEO, Standards Council of Canada

ISO/TC 207 leads the way on standards that address environmental and climate impacts. This includes incorporating social and economic aspects in standards development and supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action. The committee has over 600 people from 77 participating ISO member countries, and another 45 observing member countries. It has 67 published ISO standards and 16 standards under development. 

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