By Mike Richman

“Future Ready: Empowering Auditors, Transforming Tomorrow” was the theme of the recent ASQ Audit Division Conference at the stylish Loews Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. Reflecting the principles of an exceptional quality management system, the session met its objectives and provided an engaged audience of industry professionals with valuable opportunities to exchange knowledge.

Learning opportunities galore

More than 250 auditors from a broad range of organizations attended this year’s ASQ Audit Division Conference. They were there to consider the massive changes currently underway within the industry, and conference organizers did not disappoint their expectations. Featuring six pre-conference tutorial sessions, three dynamic keynotes, and more than 30 in-depth breakouts, this event offered an impressive breadth of information presented by an exceptional cohort of speakers. Topics ran the gamut from AI enablement and internal auditing tactics to assessing risk and interpreting data quality.

Because the conference was offered in collaboration with the ASQ Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Division, many attendees audit against the ISO 13485 standard addressing the management of quality within the medical device sector. Other more generic management system standards, such as ISO 9001, ISO 22000, and ISO 14001, were common to many auditors who attended as well.

These professionals play important roles in auditing key management systems for their organizations. As such, the content was geared toward practical insights to help them do better, more efficient work.

An example of this was the opening keynote, from noted author, trainer, and quality professional Jd Marhevko, Ph.D. In her presentation, titled “Auditor Evolution! From Compliance to Strategic Catalyst,” Marhevko offered insight into the emerging capabilities, mindsets, and tools required to thrive in a future where data, automation, and cross-functional collaboration redefine what “good” looks like. It was an exceptional look at the auditor function from the high level of strategy right down to the nuts and bolts of tactical compliance, and all the stops in between. As one would expect from a deeply experienced auditor, the presentation was complete with useful, action-oriented insights fit for use by everyone in attendance. Coming on the heels of a conference welcome from ASQ Chief Executive Officer Sid Bhatnagar, this opening session got us all ready to learn and engage.

Exemplar Global in the house

Exemplar Global is proud to be a member of the ASQ family and, due specifically to our focus on management system auditing, a close partner of the Audit Division.

I was joined at the event by Executive Managing Director Adam Bannon and Director of Strategic Partnerships Kera Glass. The three of us extensively walked the presentation hall, sat in on multiple presentations, and shared information about our role in the industry. In turn, we learned from the attendees as well as our fellow exhibitors.

The biggest takeaway was the neat alignment between ASQ programs such as the Certified Quality Auditor credential and Exemplar Global’s lead auditor certifications for ISO 9001 and other key management system standards. Many attendees were delighted to understand how these programs can augment one another and offer professionals a greater number of pathways in their career journeys.

ASQ’s Audit Division Conference returns in 2027. Given our shared audiences and objectives as well as our commitment to the event and the Audit Division community in general, Exemplar Global will once again be there front and center. Keep watching this space for details on the location and specific timing of next year’s conference.

About the author

Mike Richman is Exemplar Global’s Manager of Communications and Content.