US TAG to ISO Technical Committee 176 senior member Paul Palmes has agreed to speak at G31000’s upcoming conference, presumably filling the seat of departed speaker Dr. Karen Hardy, who left after controversy erupted over her participation with the group.
Paul Palmes
Mr. Palmes is a US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) leader and official US representative to ISO TC 176, as well as a self-described leader in “ethics“ for the Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG).
Ironically, Dr Hardy’s departure came due to a question of ethics, when it was reported that the senior-most advisor on risk to President Barack Obama had obtained an unaccredited risk credential from a “certificate mill.” According to court papers filed by G31000’s New York director Allen Gluck, Dr. Hardy fled the event for fear of being fired from her position in the White House, and as a deputy director within the US Department of Commerce. Dr. Hardy has not publicly commented on the controversy.
Oxebridge VP Operations Christopher Paris has sent a scathing letter to the US TAG leadership indicating his deep disapproval of the Palmes appearance, chastising the US TAG for helping to promote unaccredited certificate mills. Citing Mr. Palmes’ self-credited expertise in “ethics,” Mr. Paris wrote, “This is the very opposite of ethical behavior. You should be deeply, deeply ashamed. Your public popularity and ability to sell books are less important than the safety of the public, or maintaining the integrity of ISO standards and certifications. “
The event is also being attended by ISO TC 262 Chairman Kevin Knight, a key author of the ISO 31000 risk management standard. According to G31000 materials, ISO Secretary General Rob Steele attended the first G31000 event in 2012. (*)
Disclosure: G31000 is currently suing Oxebridge for defamation, following its reporting on the organization and founder Alex Dali. Oxebridge vigorously denies the charges. The group recently appealed to the US District Court for a “gag order” injunction against Oxebridge, but the immediate order was denied, allowing Oxebridge time to file a response.
(*) CORRECTION 17 July 2014: Oxebridge has learned that despite ISO Secretary General Rob Steele being listed on the G31000 website as a speaker at the first international conference, he did not attend.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
