Cars

We need to look ahead to be ready with the solutions when they are needed, not years afterwards. ISO has a strong legacy, built with great endeavour by dedicated people, and this dedication is borne out again in the 2009 results. But, in 2010 and beyond, as the ISO Strategic Plan 2011-2015 is approved and then implemented, there are major opportunities to : Increase our customer focus significantly • Improve the responsiveness and efficiency of the • standards development processes Reinforce the skills and expertise of those who • develop standards Maintain the strong financial base of the • organization. This drive to improve should not be just incremen- tal. ISO needs to look at what is needed and work out, quickly, what must be done to meet the need. Invest- ments made by ISO Council in past years are bearing fruit, for example, the publication of the value of stand- ards methodology ; communicating the benefits of standards, and seeking advice from users of standards as to what is needed at both technical committee level and across industry sectors. This focus on outcomes needs to continue, and there is a strong incentive to look at how this can be done even better. To everyone involved with ISO in 2009, especially our customers, thanks ! and the nature of many of the subject areas where ISO is providing, or could provide value means that by the time the need is identified using traditional methods, the opportunity, and the need, is gone. So, we should look back proudly on ISO's achievements and the strong legacy that they provide. But, just as driv- ing by looking in the rear-view mirror is not only inef- ficient but also dangerous, so is resting on our laurels. If we rest on our laurels, then we are wearing them on the wrong end ! We need to look up, around and ahead at where we can assist and focus on our customers. What do I mean by this ? We need to look at the major trends and ask how we can assist our customers to tackle the threats and capi- talize on the opportunities We need to look around at the increasing convergence of technologies and issues and ask how we can assist our cus- tomers to strengthen their organizations and activities. ISO Secretary-General, Rob Steele. 3 Annual Report 2009

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