The decision to operate under the name LRQA was one of the first we took. It reflects the pride we take in our heritage and the rich experience we bring to our work with clients.
Throughout a career that has spanned across finance, management consultancy, technology and, of course, risk management, I’ve never claimed to be an expert on brand - but I do believe in one simple principle: a brand is a promise. And promises, notoriously, are easier to make than keep.
When we announced the sale of the Business Assurance & Inspection Services division of Lloyd’s Register earlier this year, the decision to operate under the name LRQA was one of the first we took. It reflects the pride we take in our heritage and the rich experience we bring to our work with clients.
Today, as we unveil our new brand and logo, the decision to become LRQA takes on a greater meaning. We are making a very public promise to our customers to lead our market towards a more digital future, to give them the support they need to manage fast-changing risks and - with COP26 fresh in our minds – to help them face towards a more sustainable future.
How will we do this? By building on the foundations we have already laid to lead the digital transformation of assurance and inspection services. This is not futurology. This is a journey already begun.
The experience of the past two years has convinced me that with the right technology, we can deliver more efficient and effective services, with no compromise on quality. By blending face-to-face with remote service delivery techniques, we have saved customers time, reduced the administrative burden of audit and inspection and learned to operate in a more environmentally conscious way.
At the same time, we have invested in data science capabilities, transforming our ability to identify, organise and analyse data on behalf of our customers so that risk management programmes are more targeted and better reflect the issues most salient to our customers and their brands.
We are making a very public promise to our customers to lead our market towards a more digital future, to give them the support they need to manage fast-changing risks.
And, through the acquisition of Nettitude in 2018, we have long recognised that in today’s world, the assurance of both digital and physical assets is critical to business resilience and performance. The dramatic shift in working patterns and reliance on IT that we have seen throughout the pandemic can only accelerate that trend further still.
It’s this combination of being ahead of the digital curve, allied to our reputation for deep technical expertise and the breadth of our services that gives me confidence in LRQA and the promise we are making today. As we become an independent business, 100% focussed on the needs of our customers, we have never been in a better position to keep it.