This month, we're excited to spotlight one of our community members whose career has spanned manufacturing leadership, management systems, auditing, consulting, and education: @Chris Spire !
Chris officially retired in 2022 at the age of 80 after serving as a Lead Auditor for certification body DQS. However, after 22 years in manufacturing management and another 30 years working with ISO management systems, he knew he still had valuable knowledge to contribute to the profession.
Chris is now sharing that experience through his upcoming book, "Certified ISO Management Systems: How to Successfully Implement Them," which is anticipated to be published by Taylor & Francis in late 2027.
Throughout his career, Chris has worked across nearly every side of the management systems profession. He began implementing environmental health and safety management systems as Group Director of Environmental Health and Safety for Anheuser-Busch and its 12 U.S. breweries, later adapting those systems to align with the newly published ISO 14001 standard in 1996.
He went on to serve for 20 years as a member and Chair of the ANSI National Accreditation Body Accreditation Council. He also taught environmental management systems as an Adjunct Professor in the Environmental MBA program at Florida Atlantic University.
As a consultant, Chris helped organizations such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and the Tampa and Philadelphia airports implement ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. His career also included roles as an Accreditation Body Auditor for ANAB, a Certification Body Auditor for DQS, and the manager of a 55-person auditor group.
When asked what he hopes to gain from the Exemplar Global Community, his answer focused on both learning and giving back:
"My objective in becoming part of the Exemplar Global Community is to stay on top of changes to management systems, practices in the industry, and new management systems and practices."
Just as importantly, Chris wants to share what he has learned throughout his decades in manufacturing and management systems with other members of the Community.
Advice for Fellow Members: "Don't be content to just have one management system certification, particularly just QMS."
Chris has seen firsthand how expanding into multiple management systems can create new professional opportunities. During his time with DQS, he worked with and later managed the group responsible for integrated audits. Every auditor in that group held at least two certifications, and many held more.
He also worked with large international clients to bring separate quality, environmental, and occupational health and safety systems together into a unified Business Management System. As more organizations pursue multiple certifications and integrated systems, Chris encourages professionals to broaden their knowledge and build expertise across more than one standard.
Fun Fact: For approximately 32 years of his life, Chris was an equestrian.
He began riding as a child and competed in jumper classes at horse shows. After returning to riding at age 46, he participated in fox hunting, jumping, and horse trials. In 2000, he moved to Wellington, Florida, where he built a horse farm and competed in dressage and hunter classes.
After selling the horse farm in 2015, Chris traded his horse for a bicycle.
Thank you, Chris, for sharing your story and for bringing your incredible depth of experience to the Exemplar Global Community!
#communitymemberspotlight
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Jamie Gravatte
Community Manager
Exemplar Global
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