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Throughout Ian Brown’s career, which covers many roles within the sphere of analytical chemistry, he has worked with UKAS in many capacities, first as an accreditation customer, and then as an Independent Technical Assessor. Here Ian talks about the influence UKAS accreditation has had during this time, and how his more recent work has enhanced his career and experience.
As an analytical chemist I have been working in and around laboratories my whole career, including the areas of contract manufacturing, public analyst and independent contract analytical services.
In 2002 I became a partner in a new start up business, with the aim of offering contract analytical services to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Having previously worked in UKAS accredited laboratories, we identified that accreditation would be crucial to our future success and so this was a high initial focus for us. We were granted accreditation in a relatively short timeframe, and this provided a platform to build our business, giving clients, and potential clients, confidence in the quality of our operations and procedures.
From the initial accreditation we continued to build our scope and field of accredited procedures, also being able to utilise flexible scope when applicable. Over the years I was involved in every aspect of the accreditation process, including the demonstration of test procedures to Technical Assessors, spending time as a Quality Manager, as well as overseeing assessment visits and providing the necessary resources to deal with any improvement actions.
When I left the business in 2020, I still felt a strong desire to be involved in the scientific community, ideally within the analytical chemistry sector. Over my career I had been directly involved with laboratory accreditation going all the way back to the NAMAS and had interaction with many Technical Assessors during this time.
From my time as a young analyst, all the way through to becoming a business owner, I recognised and valued the niche experience and knowledge these Technical Assessors brought to the process. I have had the pleasure to meet several excellent assessors who have challenged procedures, whilst at the same time helping to strengthen levels of quality year on year, imparting knowledge in a helpful and appropriate manner. I felt confident that I possessed a range of experience and qualities which could be beneficial to UKAS, so I approached them to see if any opportunities were available. After an initial discovery chat with senior members within the Agri-Food, Life sciences and Asbestos (AFLA) team, I was taken on as an Independent Technical Assessor within the AFLA section.
Without doubt the highlight of being a Technical Assessor is the site visits. I feel most at home when in a laboratory and this gives me an opportunity to see firsthand how organisations operate within compliance of ISO/IEC 17025. The interaction with staff, from young scientists to industry experts, is particularly enjoyable and enriching, and the beauty of being a Technical assessor is that you will be having discussions with a wide range of people, from budding researchers at the start of their journey, through to business owners and experts in the field.