Stuart Beck
Certification Manager
Define your role within Nemko.
I believe that my role is a very significant role, which is to oversee our Nemko Group certification activities. So that means responsibility for all our certification bodies that we have around the globe. One moment I could be working with the Norway team on the CB scheme, and the next, it could be with our NRTL program, our radio TCB program, or our GS program. Responsibilities include supporting and guiding the teams and looking at developing new schemes as Nemko and its customers identify them. It's varied and very interesting to work with many people around Nemko. So, it's a lot of fun.
How did you choose this career path?
I don't know if people choose a specific career path, but what happens is that paths open for you, depending on where you are. My background is honestly as a test engineer from way back when, predominantly in telecommunications. This brought me to Canada, where I continued in the lab until Nemko Canada saw the opportunity to develop a certification body for telecom and radio. So, I moved into that role and found that it held a lot of interest to me. Technology, engineering, and QA all rolled into one. From developing radio programs, then energy efficiency, and the NRTL things just opened as we progressed from a local view to global operations. The opportunity to participate in the global operations of Nemko’s certification services arose and seemed like a good opportunity, given my background and interest. People believed in me, so I went for it. It has been a little over two years in that role now, but overall, in certification and testing for over 28 years.
What do you enjoy most about your job at Nemko?
Working with people from all over Nemko. I get to learn from and support those doing the critical day-to-day work in the lab and certification areas, but also colleagues working in more strategic roles. So, because of that, I get to learn about and often see cutting-edge technology before the marketplace does. So, it's interesting to keep on top of that, especially given my engineering background.
Are there any challenges that you’ve faced during your career that have taught you important lessons?
Oh absolutely. The most significant thing I see is that no matter how easy it can be for us to say, "oh yeah, this is a tough job we have.", we must consider that the customers have an even more challenging job. They must design the product, sell the product, and make money on the product so we must be sympathetic to their issues when we do our job. So, while ensuring we always keep our interests and independence in mind, we also have to consider we are a service industry, and we must keep the customer's interests in mind. Ultimately, a certification body or a test lab must be independent and only apply the rules, but we are here to serve as well. So, always making sure that we meet that balance is always challenging, but it's also an excellent way for us to keep looking forward because we're only here because of customers.
What do you think the industry will look like in 20 years?
Way more electronics, no question; radio will be everywhere. Every device or little tool will somehow connect; that’s a guarantee. We’ll also be looking at using more and more software tools driven by the increased introduction of artificial intelligence. It's there to make our lives easier, but it will also be interesting. It will create new jobs for us based on new types of products and regulations around them. If we stay where we are now and think, "oh, this is how it will be in 20 years," we won't be here in 20 years. The good news is that we're in the high-tech industry, so we will keep evolving, and it'll be exciting.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
Seeing a product out on the market that Nemko has been involved with. That's really what makes me kind of smile because we can honestly say that we helped and we've had a role in doing what's right. To say this product meets the rules or regulations, we were there to help the customer, and seeing that mark on the product is very satisfying.
What are some market trends you’re keeping an eye on?
As I mentioned, radio, of course, any new rules and regulations, and technologies that come along in that area. Nemko also needs to make sure that it keeps an eye on the cybersecurity side as the world depends more and more on connectivity and data. As a global organization, it's essential that we communicate amongst all our business units to make sure that we can develop and offer complete services where the need is identified.
When not working, how do you spend your spare time?
I wouldn’t say there was a lot of free time, I mean, the children take a lot of non-work time, but being a Canadian, I must admit I embrace winter, and that is all about snow sports. So, I am an outdoorsy kind of person. For the months when it is not -20C would love to golf more, but a bit of biking and hiking does creep in. Ironically winter is the one that's looked forward to from an exercise perspective. However, while keeping an eye on the English Premier League doesn’t really count as exercise, it is still important.
