SIQ
01. October 2024
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60 years of SIQ
SIQ celebrated its 60th anniversary on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at the Brdo Congress Center in the company of its employees, external colleagues, partners from Slovenia and abroad, and other esteemed guests. More than 500 of us gathered at the event full of positive stories and impressions from the 60-year history of our institute. Together, we went through the journey of quality and excellence from the very first steps and looked forward to the future and the planned investment in a new office building with its 15,000 m2 of space for laboratories and test chambers, which was presented by the Managing Director of SIQ Ljubljana, Gregor Schoss, at the end of the event. He emphasized, among other things, that “the dedication, expertise, and innovative spirit of all stakeholders have always been the driving force of SIQ’s activities,” and alongside impartiality, he highlighted trust as the foundation of many success stories and the excellence for which the institute is recognized today.
The State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matevž Frangež, emphasized in his address that “the vision presented by SIQ, which has developed for 60 years as an important national infrastructure for testing, certification, quality assurance, and compliance, is extremely important.”
The Institute’s important role in supporting the Slovenian economy and its impact on wider society was also highlighted by Mitja Gorenšček, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia and President of the SIQ Council, as it “significantly contributes to the formation of global quality and safety standards through its activities.”
In the morning, we held three interesting expert lectures in sold-out lecture halls–on the future of management systems, artificial intelligence and its impacts on HR, and on the evolution of conformity assessment of electrotechnical products. After acquiring new knowledge, we focused on SIQ’s historical milestones and presented its vision.
This time, we hosted two esteemed guests from abroad, Pedro Castro Alves, the Director of the IQNET association, and Wolfram Zeitz, the Executive Director of the IECEE scheme. They presented the important role of international associations and schemes and the benefits they bring to their members and organizations around the world. As a member of such international associations, SIQ plays a key role as it represents the voice of the Slovenian economy on the global map and opens the door to the global market with its services.
For inspiration outside the world of standardization and certification, we turned to the established sociologist and philosopher Dr. Renata Salecl, the only Slovenian to speak at TED Global. In her lecture, she spoke on the general lack of trust in our society, also as a negative consequence of new technologies, artificial intelligence. and fake news. She summed up the message of her address in the idea that organizations like SIQ have a responsible mission because through our work we maintain trust in the profession and science.
The central focus of the event was, of course, a presentation of SIQ’s history through a talkshow with members of the SIQ’s management board: Gregor Schoss, Managing Director; Tatjana Čoko, Director of Training; Miloš Seražin, Director of Management Systems Assessment; Matjaž Lindič, Director of Metrology; Matej Žontar, Director of Certification (all SIQ Ljubljana). Through an interesting conversation and presentations, full of personal stories and reflections, we learned more about the work of SIQ and the key milestones that marked its success and growth.
The event was enriched with their excellent performances by well-established Slovenian musicians Nuška Drašček and Vlado Kreslin, who, in the innovative spirit of SIQ and our partners, shared the stage as a duo for the first time.
Thank you to everyone who co-created the first 60 years of the institute. And thank you to everyone who stays with us in the future.
Photo: Tija Ažman
