Panel Discussion: Driving Change

PANEL DISCUSSION - THU SEPT 4 - 11:30 - 13:00

The digital transformation in metrology is arguably the most wide-ranging and ambitious attempt to reshape the international quality infrastructure ever undertaken. As measurement underpins virtually every aspect of modern society, the implications of this transformation are likely to be profound and global. Many organisations will be involved, including national metrology institutes, national standards and accreditation bodies, commercial calibration laboratories, manufacturers and other industrial consumers of traceable measurement services, regulatory authorities, environmental protection authorities, scientific research organisations, and others.

The panel discussion will explore facets of planning for—and leading—this digital transformation, which is still in its early stages. Digitalisation—the precursor to digital transformation—involves identifying representations of workflows and processes carried out by skilled operators. Within the metrology community, there is growing awareness of the complexities inherent in these tasks.

The panellists include leaders from national metrology institutes, experts in metrological concepts and terminology, thought leaders in digital transformation from industry, and specialists in digital systems and system architecture. They will share insights, consider progress to date, and identify opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the digitalisation of metrology.

As a member of the Australian delegation to UN/CEFACT, Steve Capell has contributed to the development of digital standards for trade facilitation for nearly 20 years, including a decade as a Solution and Enterprise Architect. He is currently working on a recommendation to nations on implementation of supply chain transparency at scale.
When not working on UN/CEFACT projects, Steve runs a boutique consultancy in Canberra, Australia that provides digital strategy and implementation services to Australian government agencies including the Australian Border Force, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry.

Annette Koo is Chief Metrologist and Director at the Measurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand. Annette has been in her current role for three years but has been at MSL since 2008. She worked for over 10 years as a research scientist developing expertise in the measurement of light and human perception, representing NZ in international forums such as CIE, CCPR, and APMP. In September she will be taking up the role of Director Designate at the BIPM, becoming Director when Dr Milton retires.

Mark Kuster holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He consults with 34 years of metrology experience and chairs the NCSLI 173 Metrology Practices and 141 Measurement Information Infrastructure & Automation Committees.

Georgette Macdonald is Director General at the National Research Council Canada, where she leads the research and measurement services of Canada’s national metrology institute. She is committed to advancing innovation through measurement science and the continual development of metrology. Georgette plays a key role in engaging stakeholders and ensuring their needs are understood by fostering strong relationships with senior leaders across industry, government, academia, and international organisations. She also serves as vice-chair of the CIPM Forum on Metrology and Digitalization.

Luca Mari is a Full Professor in Measurement Science at Università Cattaneo–LIUC, Castellanza, Italy, where he teaches courses about measurement science, statistical data analysis, and systems theory. Dr. Mari has been the Chair of the TC7 (Measurement Science) of the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO) and the Chair of the TC1 (Terminology) and the Secretary of the TC25 (Quantities and units) of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). He is an IEC Expert in the WG2 (VIM) of the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM).

Anjali Sharma is a Senior Principal Scientist at the National Physical Laboratory of India (NPLI) and a Professor at the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) in New Delhi. She brings over 20 years of experience in software design, development and testing, having worked across the corporate, academic, and R&D sectors. An author of multiple patents, book chapters, and research papers, Dr. Sharma is also actively involved in training end-users to streamline and automate workflows.