CSA Group Leadership

David Weinstein was appointed President and CEO, CSA Group on November 11, 2015.

As President and CEO, David Weinstein will be responsible for the leadership and direction of the global company, which employs more than 1,800 people serving approximately 35,000 customers across a portfolio of standards development and solutions, training and advisory services, and testing and certification in North America, Europe and Asia.

Most recently, Mr. Weinstein was CEO of ABS Group, where he was responsible for leading the firm’s growth and success. ABS Group is a 2,400-person membership-based technical services firm with operations in over 30 countries that provides consulting, inspection, and certification services to oil and gas, power, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and government clients — enabling them to operate safely, reliably, efficiently, and in compliance with regulations and standards. Prior to ABS Group, he was a partner in several management consulting firms, including Accenture and Oliver Wyman — assisting commercial, non-profit, and government agency clients with a range of growth and performance improvement challenges. Over the years his clients have included organizations engaged in standards development, providers of testing and certification services, and a significant number of Canadian companies and Crown corporations.

David Weinstein holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a dual concentration in Finance and Multi-National Management. He also has Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Farhan Imam was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for CSA Group in April 2017. He provides leadership and oversight over the global financial function including financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, internal controls, tax, treasury, insurance, operational finance, risk management and M&A.

Prior to joining CSA, Mr. Imam was the Vice President Finance for the Pipeline Performance Group of Shawcor Ltd, based in Houston, Texas. Mr. Imam led a global team and had responsibility for financial management and overall direction of financial planning and analysis, forecasting, and oversight for reporting and financial procedures. As a member of the executive management team, he also played a key role in strategic decision making including bid approvals, M&A, hedging and capital expenditures. Prior to his role as VP Finance, Mr. Imam served as the Director of Tax and had responsibility over tax compliance, tax planning, structuring, transfer pricing and deploying tax efficient cash repatriation strategies.

Prior to Shawcor, Mr. Imam was with Ernst & Young as member of the tax team and with Deloitte as a member of the audit staff. Mr. Imam is a Certified Professional Accountant, and Chartered Accountant (Ontario). He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto.

Farukh Javed was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer at CSA Group on June 1, 2019. As CTO at CSA Group, Mr. Javed will focus on driving digital transformation enabling a higher level of service delivery performance, and the development of safety certification expertise for new product technologies.

Mr. Javed has over 18 years of business and technology leadership experience. Most recently, Mr. Javed was the Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer at CSA, leading its global IT, Marketing and Communications teams. In this role he led CSA's global brand transformation as well as the startup of Artificial Intelligence based digital products. Mr. Javed joined CSA Group on August 8, 2016 as Vice President, Chief Information Officer chartered to modernize legacy platforms and govern cyber-security.

Prior to joining CSA Group, Mr. Javed was the Canada Chief Information Officer at GlaxoSmithKline Inc. leading the development of an engagement platform designed to encourage scientific debate for better health outcomes. Prior to his assignment at GSK, Farukh Javed was at Procter & Gamble Inc. delivering strategic initiatives across 80 markets worldwide. These included developing shared services, enabling mergers and acquisitions, entering emerging markets, monetizing intellectual property and leading innovation. Mr. Javed started his career programming financial systems as an Intern Analyst at IBM Canada Ltd.

Mr. Javed graduated from McMaster University with a B. Eng. in Engineering Physics and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Paul Keane joined CSA Group in March 2008 as Executive Vice President, Human Resources. He has global responsibility for the Human Resources and Health Safety and Environment divisions of CSA Group.

Mr. Keane’s 25+ years experience includes working for large foreign and domestic multinationals and extends into many diverse industries such as Pharmaceutical, Specialty Chemicals, Retail, Information Technology, Wholesale Distribution, Environmental and Certification & Testing.

Prior to joining CSA, Mr. Keane held the position of Director, Human Resources with HD Supply Canada Inc., a wholesale distribution company operating as a division within Home Depot that was focused solely on serving the Supply needs of professional customers in the infrastructure, construction, maintenance and repair and remodel markets. He was a key member of the Leadership team and was responsible for all aspects of the Human Resources function in Canada, reporting to the President of HD Supply Canada Inc.

Prior to that, Mr. Keane was Vice President, Human Resources at Waste Management of Canada Inc. wherein he was a member of the Executive Leadership team and led the development and implementation of the strategic HR initiatives for the Canadian operations that had revenues of $1BB with over 4,000 employees in over 100 locations.

During his career, Mr. Keane has built extensive experience in all facets of Human Resources with particular emphasis on strategy, change management, employee engagement, talent management and mergers & acquisitions.

Mr. Keane attended York University where he graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree, Public Policy & Administration. He is a certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and has obtained the Human Resources and Compensation Committee Certified (H.R.C.C.C.) and the Chartered Director (C.Dir) designation from The Directors College (a joint venture of McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada) in 2014. Mr. Keane obtained his Leading Professional in Ethics and Compliance (LPEC) designation in August 2015.

George Tranquada was appointed Executive Vice President, Technical Integrity on May 29, 2019.

As Executive Vice President of Technical Integrity, Mr. Tranquada will lead a dedicated team of professionals responsible for the ongoing development and integrity of CSA Group, globally, in the areas of accreditation programs, product safety investigations and compliance, quality management systems compliance, information management services and technical training, providing technical expertise within our standards development and testing, inspection and certification entities.

Mr. Tranquada brings 33 years of experience at CSA Group in the testing, inspection and certification of wiring devices, audio/video, information technology products and Service Quality. Most recently, he was promoted to Vice President, Technical Integrity where he was responsible for rebranding the team and leading its success.

He has held the position of Technical Manager, Electrical Products, Service Quality and various managerial positions in the Audio/Video, Information Technology, Appliances, Telecommunications, Signal Sensing, HVAC, Laboratory Equipment and Medical teams. Prior to his career at CSA, he was employed in the high tech manufacturing sector, supporting the testing, manufacturing and R&D of electronic products.

Mr. Tranquada holds a C.E.T. designation with OACETT and obtained his Leading Professional in Ethics and Compliance (LPEC) designation in August 2015. Through the years, he has taken numerous executive managerial courses with Queens Executive Education, Ivey Business School, Rotman School of Management and McGill Executive Institute.

In June 2017, Kathryn Yung was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Legal, Ethics & Compliance Officer. Reporting to the President and CEO,  Ms. Yung manages the global legal, corporate governance and ethics & compliance functions at CSA Group. Her responsibilities include formulation and implementation of legal review policies and procedures, compliance, training, budget management and cost allocation for legal projects. Ms. Yung is also responsible for oversight and execution of files ranging from strategic corporate/commercial reviews to new business assessments and transactions. As Corporate Secretary, a position she has held since January 27, 2017, Ms. Yung is responsible for CSA Group’s governance framework and administration of the Board of Directors.

In August 2014, Ms. Yung relocated to England to manage the integration of an acquired automotive test and development business.  She served as interim Managing Director with full P&L, capex, budgeting and management responsibilities.  She was a strong supporter of local apprenticeship and community programs and associations, including women in business initiatives.

Ms. Yung began her career with CSA Group as Legal Counsel in January, 2005.  Previous positions include Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Regional Counsel for European operations, for which she travelled regularly to CSA Group’s German offices.  Prior to joining CSA Group, Ms. Yung was in-house legal counsel at Imperial Oil, and was the first-line legal resource supporting all aspects of Canadian retail operations.

She holds civil and common law degrees from McGill University, Montreal; a Bachelor of Arts, Honours from Queen’s University, Kingston in Economics and English; and completed the Herstmonceaux International Study Centre International Business and Law diploma program in East Sussex, UK as well as various leadership programs. She is qualified to practice law in Canada (Ontario) and England & Wales.

Avninder Buttar was appointed Vice President, Global Strategic Initiatives at CSA Group on October 1, 2019. In this role, Avninder reports to the CEO and is focused on maximizing the financial performance of the organization and driving strategic initiatives across all areas of the TIC organization. In addition, Avninder is responsible for insights & analytics, market analysis & growth strategy, business case evaluation, M&A and major capital programs.

Mr. Buttar has over 15 years of experience developing and delivering complex strategic initiatives and helping global organizations accelerate growth and achieve operational excellence across industries (TIC, retail, CPG, transportation, QSR and hospitality). This work has spanned functional areas such as organizational design, process engineering, network rationalization, customer experience and analytics.

Prior to joining CSA Group, Mr. Buttar worked at Accenture in their Strategy practice and focused on large scale business transformation programs, supporting clients in developing market growth strategies, improving customer experience, digital and other technology transformation as well as helping to close organizational and analytical capability gaps. These projects helped clients in improving operational and financial performance. Accenture is a large management consulting organization specializing in Strategy, Consulting, Technology and Outsourcing.

Avninder Buttar holds a MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University in addition to a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Ryerson University.

Wei Hong was appointed Vice President, Information Technology at CSA group on June 1, 2019. In this role, Mr. Hong will focus on maximizing the value out of CSA Group’s technology investments.

Mr. Hong has over 15 years of experience leading and growing IT organizations to be transformational enablers of businesses. At CSA Group, Mr. Hong has supported the organization’s revenue growth by leading the implementations of new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms. Prior to joining CSA Group, Mr. Hong was at Procter & Gamble Inc., delivering strategic initiatives for the company’s Financial & Accounting systems globally.

Mr. Hong graduated from University of Toronto with a B.A.Sc. in Computer Engineering, and is a certified Project Management Professional.

Melodie Mason joined CSA Group in October 2010 as Director, Total Rewards.  She was appointed to the role of Vice President, Total Rewards in November 2016.

Ms. Mason is a key member of the Human Resources leadership team.  Her global responsibilities include leading and developing CSA Group’s total rewards strategy, an integral part of employee engagement and retention.  She will be responsible for monitoring the global compensation, pension & benefits programs to ensure that they are market competitive and effectively designed to mitigate employer risk and cost, while being perceived positively by employees. In addition, she will oversee the data integrity of the Human Resources Information System.

Ms. Mason has more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources working for large multinational organizations in diverse industries such as Consumer Goods, Logistics Solutions, and Retail.  Her prior positions include Human Resources leadership roles with such companies as Kellogg Canada Inc. and Federal Express Canada Ltd.

Ms. Mason attended Brock University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Psychology & Sociology.  She is a Certified Human Resources Leader and has obtained several certifications in her field – Certified Compensation Profession (CCP), Certified Benefits Profession (CBP), Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), and a Certificate in Global Benefits Management as well as a Masters Certificate in Business Leadership for Human Resources Professionals.  In addition she has completed the Certificate in General Management from the Queen’s University School of Business Executive Development Program.

Mary Cianchetti was appointed President of Standards at CSA Group on August 31, 2016. As President of Standards, Ms. Cianchetti will lead the next chapter of standards development and ensure continued success in member engagement.

Ms. Cianchetti has more than 20 years of experience in engineering and more than a decade working specifically in standards development. Her most recent position at CSA Group was a dual role as Director of Health and Safety Standards and Membership. She has worked for CSA Group for 12 years in a variety of progressive roles and portfolios including energy efficiency, oil & gas, and nuclear. Prior to joining CSA Group, Ms. Cianchetti worked in the wire and cable industry.

Ms. Cianchetti graduated from the University of Toronto with a B. A. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario.

Doug Morton was appointed Vice President, Government Relations at CSA Group in February 2020. Mr. Morton joined CSA Group in 2008 as Director of the Health and Safety standards development group, and subsequently moved to lead Government Relations in 2012.

Mr. Morton has over thirty years of executive management experience in a variety of market sectors, including Health Care and Telecommunications, with internationally renowned companies such as Siemens AG and Bell Canada. He also has extensive global experience, having completed assignments in both Europe and the Middle East.

Mr. Morton is a former member and current contributor to the Standards Development Organizations Advisory Committee to the Standards Council of Canada, and was also a member of the Strategic Advisory Group on Security at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva.

Mr. Morton has served as a board member of Neuro-Vision Sciences Inc. at McGill University in Montreal; industry executive member of the President’s Advancement Council of The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences in Toronto; and is past Chair of the former Medical Imaging and Information Systems Council of Electro-Federation Canada.

Hélène Vaillancourt was appointed Vice President, Standards Research and Planning, CSA Group in April 2016 to develop a research program within CSA Group’s Standards Organization and to position CSA Group as a thought leader in selected areas and enhance the education of stakeholders.

Hélène acted as Executive Vice President, Science and Engineering, CSA Group from April 2010 to April 2016. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing CSA laboratories worldwide to ensure they are brought to the latest technologies. She also lead the CSA core technical team that supports certification & testing capabilities, inspection services and training, and developed new capabilities in emerging areas. She championed cross functional teams that are working on improving operational efficiencies. She relocated to China in September 2014 to further support the development of CSA Asia technical capabilities and, in addition, assumed the role of interim Executive Vice-President, Asia from October 2015 to April 2016.

Hélène joined CSA in October 1999 as the Team Leader, Certification Services for the Montreal office. She has been involved in numerous internal projects that aimed at improving consistency and service offerings in certification.

Prior to joining CSA, Hélène was with CRIQ (Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec) as the Team Coordinator for the Mechanical Laboratory, where custom testing services were offered to evaluate the static and dynamic resistance of new product designs in a variety of sizes, starting from metallic storage boxes to subway truck frames.

Hélène started her career with the Industrial Material Institute of the National Research Council of Canada. As a Research Officer, she led many experimental projects in material processing, residual stresses and finite element analysis.

Hélène graduated in mechanical engineering from Laval University. She obtained her Master of Applied Science in mechanical engineering from École Polytechnique in Montreal by doing research in the field of biomechanics. She also earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. Her research in the field of dentistry had both numerical and experimental aspects.

Karim Nazarali was appointed Vice President, Standards Development at CSA Group on August 1, 2018. In this role, he will provide leadership and guidance in the development and implementation of Standards sector strategies. He will focus on identifying, fostering, and managing cross sector synergies and opportunities. Mr. Nazarali will also continue to provide a greater focus on coordination between the Standards organization and its TIC business.

Mr. Nazarali joined CSA Group in February 2013 and his most recent position was Vice President, Electrical and Gas Standards. Prior to joining CSA Group, he held senior level positions at COM DEV Ltd., a global designer, and manufacturer of space hardware equipment.

Mr. Nazarali has over twenty-five years of executive experience in global business and technical management. He has extensive experience in leading global cross-functional teams on large-scale programs with national and international organizations.

Mr. Nazarali earned a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering from City University of New York.

Laurie Amiruddin was appointed Vice President, Standards Commercial Services at CSA Group on February 1, 2020. In this role, she will be responsible for leading and executing Standards’ commercial product and sales strategy, transforming the business and setting the direction for future growth. Ms. Amiruddin will lead product management, product development, sales and customer success teams as they embrace industry trends and the needs of a changing workforce to deliver innovative commercial solutions that support ease of access, application and impact of standards for CSA Group customers.

Ms. Amiruddin has over 25 years of professional experience across a broad operational range including product management, publishing, learning and development, information technology and sales. Over the past five years at CSA Group, Ms. Amiruddin provided strategic direction and strong operational results as Director, Standards Commercial Services and Director, Learning Services & Publishing. Prior to joining CSA Group, Ms. Amiruddin held director-level positions at Nelson Education with a focus on digital strategy, OMERS where she was responsible for employee learning and development globally, and Oxford Properties, focused on educational initiatives in real estate assets in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. She has also held progressive management roles at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and Thomson Reuters.

Laurie Amiruddin holds both a BA (Hons) English and History and a Master of Library and Information Science, both from Western University, as well as a Master of Education from Athabasca University. Ms. Amiruddin is a Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP) and has completed Western University’s Ivey Leadership Program in Organizational Leadership.

Ray Woo was appointed Vice President, Standards Membership and Operations at CSA group in February 2020. In this role, Mr. Woo is inspired by the dedication of CSA Group’s 10,000 expert volunteer members, and leads a team committed to the development of innovative tools, training and processes that help to enrich the membership experience.

With over 20 years of experience in product development, including more than a decade in standards development, Mr. Woo is focused on engaging the next generation in standards, growing online communities of interest and enhancing the collaboration potential of standards development committees.

Prior to joining CSA Group, Mr. Woo held progressive roles in consumer product and manufacturing industries that included telecommunications, office furniture, and healthcare design; where active participation in standards development support product integrity, and help to improve safety and sustainability.

Mr. Woo holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Design from Carleton University.

David Kuehn joined CSA Group as EVP, Chief Commercial Officer on April 1, 2019.

As EVP & CCO, Mr. Kuehn brings a deep and rich expertise in global sales and marketing, as well as a passion for relationship building, and will focus on increasing growth and efficiency across all of CSA Group’s Commercial Units.

Most recently, Mr. Kuehn was Vice President, Global Marketing and Sales, Commercial and Industrial Business Unit at Underwriters Laboratories (UL), where he guided a global team of marketing, sales, and customer support professionals. During his tenure, Mr. Kuehn led his team to dramatic growth in orders and revenue over a six-year period. He also guided the transformation of sales through the creation of new services and an aggressive acquisition strategy, expanding UL’s services portfolio and footprint.

Prior to his time at UL, Mr. Kuehn spent 13 years at Philips Healthcare. As General Manager/Vice President, Global Marketing and Sales, he built the sales and marketing team and created a new model for selling that transformed the business from transactional sales to creating a continuous revenue stream, significantly increasing sales margins. Mr. Kuehn’s early career was also focused on sales and marketing with organizations including Siemens Healthcare, Hologic, and Varian Healthcare.

Mr. Kuehn holds an MBA from DePaul University with a concentration on International Business, as well as a BSc in Marketing from Western Illinois University. Mr. Kuehn is also a Graduate of the Yale School of Management, Global Executive Leader Program.

Rich Weiser was appointed Executive Vice President, Global Operations on June 1st, 2016.  He will be responsible for Global Operations for CSA Group.  In this role Mr. Weiser will work to drive Operational Excellence across all regions and deliver a high level of service to our customers globally.  Mr. Weiser will work closely with our Commercial Units to make sure we are delivering the right services at a quality level and in a way that we exceed our customer’s expectations.

Previously, Rich Weiser was appointed Regional Vice President, U.S. and Mexico, on November 15, 2010. In this role, Mr. Weiser was responsible for all operational aspects the United States and Mexico. He works closely with Global Business Unit leaders with regards to strategies and implementation of those strategies.  In this role Mr. Weiser helped to grow the business in his region from $35M in Revenues to $75M in revenues and increased the net margin in his region from $13M to $26M.

Prior to serving in this position, Mr. Weiser held a variety of management positions within CSA Group, most notably in OnSpeX, the consumer products evaluation division of CSA Group. OnSpeX was developed, in large part, as the result of inquiries from major retailers and certification testing customers of CSA. As Director, Operations, OnSpeX, he managed all operational aspects throughout the North American and Shanghai offices. His responsibilities included budgeting, client interfacing, and delivery of services, contract negotiations, writing test protocols and managing sixty engineers and technicians globally.

Mr. Weiser began his career in the organization as a project engineer with the American Gas Association in 1991. When the company merged with the Canadian Gas Association and became International Approval Services, Mr. Weiser advanced as Project Manager, leading a team of engineers and technicians with the NGV1 validation test program and NGV Component Certification Program. He participated in the QCC1 subcommittee and AGA Requirements Committee, and was involved with the writing of requirements for various controls. In 2001, Mr. Weiser oversaw the Gas Appliance and Water Heater Flammable Test Facility at the Cleveland laboratory. He worked closely with the Water Heater Consortium to help water heater manufacturers test and certify the new flammable vapor resistant water heaters.

Mr. Weiser holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Technology from the University of Akron. In addition, he has completed classes at the Dale Carnegie Management Institute, as well as various management courses at Corporate College, Cleveland, Ohio and Rotman School of Management, Toronto, Ontario.

Frances Hung joined CSA Group in April 2014 as Area Director, North and South East Asia and was appointed RVP, North and South East Asia in October 2015. In this role, Frances Hung is responsible for all operations in North and South East Asia and leads the focus on expanding our certification offerings to a broader scopes of services for CSA customers.

Prior to joining CSA, Frances spent 7+ years with Underwriters Laboratories where she had various experiences in expanding new business and implementing commercial strategy for a wide range of industries including High Tech, Appliances/HVAC, and Lighting, Energy, Building Material, Life Safety & Security, Power & Controls, Wire & Cable, and Chemicals business. She had won “Mark of Excellence” Award in both 2008 and 2012 at UL with recognition in growing new business and building great service team. Most recently before she joined CSA, Frances was responsible for strategic planning on development of new verification testing business focusing on Asia Pacific region.

Before joining UL, Frances worked for various software based companies such as Microsoft and Computer Associates in areas of partner account management as well as business development. Her solid experiences in strategic sales planning, market expansion and business process management had been the key to her business success in following years at her career.

Frances holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from Ming Chuan College, and after her first two jobs as a Programmer, she has been dedicated her role in sales development for over 20 years.

Inga Hipsz was appointed Vice President, Global Programs at CSA Group on January 19^th, 2017.  In this role, she will be responsible for implementing and managing global, cross-functional programs designed to drive the strategic plan and grow the company. Her leadership will apply to testing, inspection, certification and standards, as well as other key corporate areas.

Ms. Hipsz is a recognized Change Agent with in-depth experience in strategic program development and implementation, building highly effective teams, standards development, Lean Thinking, and world-class manufacturing environments with high standards of customer satisfaction, quality control, and reliability. She has held a number of senior positions at CSA Group. Since 2011, Ms. Hipsz held the role of Director, Sustainability at CSA Group where she was responsible for standards development in the environmental, business management, natural resources, as well as construction and civil infrastructure.  During that time, she also instituted the Lean program within the Standards division.  Prior to this role, she was the Program Manager for Environment & Climate Change. She also held the position of the Innovation Champion with CSA Standards working in the CSA President’s Innovation Centre where she helped lead the organization in continuous process improvement and culture change through the application of Lean Thinking and Six Sigma tools.  During her initial role as a Project Manager in the nuclear standards development program she first introduced the concepts of Lean Thinking and helped conduct the first Kaizen to reduce and improve the standards development process. For her efforts she received the first President’s Innovation Award in April 2009.

Ms. Hipsz worked in various project management, process engineering, process improvement, and quality control roles with Kodak Canada Inc. for almost a decade prior to joining CSA Group in 2005, where she received the Eastman Kodak Six Sigma Black Belt Practitioner Certification. During this time, she was selected to develop a cross-functional communications team to shape a Lean Manufacturing culture, which was recognized by the Shingu Jitsu sensei as World-Class. She was also presented with the KOS (Lean Manufacturing) Leadership Award by the Eastman Kodak Co.

Inga Hipsz holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto.  She is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario.

Nancy Ge was appointed Regional Vice President of China on 1st of June, 2019.

Ms. Ge has been the General Manager for China since 2013. In this capacity, Nancy has been responsible for all operations of CSA Group’s joint venture in China.

Ms. Ge began her career in the organization in 1997, at that time CSA group had just started growing its footprint in the region. During her 20 years of experience in Operations and Business Development, Nancy held a variety of management positions in the China joint venture, and contributed to the building of a successful team from scratch to what now is a budding organization of 200 employees.

Nancy Ge holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from The University of Hong Kong, and a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from Shanghai University.

Peter Mertel joined CSA Group on December 5, 2016 as Regional Vice President, Europe and India, where he holds responsibility for strategically growing CSA Group’s European operations through strengthening operational & technical excellence and ensuring exceptional customer service.

Mr. Mertel is an experienced, high-impact executive with more than 20 years in progressively senior roles in Europe, equipped with a deep knowledge and experience in the testing, inspection and certification (TIC) industry. He has a proven track record of strategic and long-term international business growth focusing on operational excellence and the development of high performing, multi-national teams.

Prior to joining CSA Group he has served 10 years for Bureau Veritas, most recently as Senior Vice President and Regional Chief Executive of the northeast Europe region and in addition to the role of managing director of BV Germany Holding GmbH and BV Certification Germany GmbH, amongst other roles. Before joining Bureau Veritas he was a Partner at ERM (Environmental Resources Management), a leading global Environmental, Health and Safety consultancy firm.

Mr. Mertel has a Master of Science from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, and is fluent in German and English.

Dana Parmenter was appointed Vice President, Industrial on June 1st, 2016.  In this role, Mr. Parmenter is responsible for leading and developing CSA Group’s global commercial market sector strategies, and anticipating industry and market developments and activities.  He is accountable for determining strategic business opportunities for the Industrial business, and developing effective sales and marketing plans that reflect customer needs.

Prior to this role, Mr. Parmenter was Global Business Unit leader for the Hazardous Locations (Hazloc) & Photovoltaics business segments at CSA Group where he was responsible for developing and implementing global strategy. Mr. Parmenter has also served as Managing Director for CSA Group in the United Kingdom, heading up the Sira group of companies, acquired by CSA in 2009.  His extensive experience includes implementing initiatives for integration, procurements, accreditation, key account management, strategy, alignment and efficiency in both sales and operational capacities.

Prior to joining CSA Group, Mr. Parmenter served in the technology and life safety sector for ten years concluding as the director of sales and marketing.  Mr. Parmenter holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Management from the University of New Mexico. In addition, he has completed classes at the Dale Carnegie Management Institute, as well as graduate, executive leadership business courses at Ivey Business School.

Gianluca Arcari was appointed Vice President, Home & Commercial on June 1st, 2016.  In this role, Gianluca is responsible for leading and developing CSA Group’s global commercial market sector strategies, and anticipating industry and market developments and activities.  He is accountable for determining strategic business opportunities for the Home & Commercial business, and developing effective sales and marketing plans that reflect customer needs.

Over the past 15 years with CSA Group, Gianluca held positions as Vice President, Advisor to the CEO, Executive Director, Standards, Director, Learning Services, Director, Appliance & Gas Global Business Unit, and Director, Service Quality.  Prior to joining CSA Group, he worked for Bell Northern Research, Nortel and CMAC, in related Product Integrity fields.

Gianluca earned a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University, and an MBA from York University (Schulich School of Business).

Thomas Spees joined CSA Group as Commercial Vice President, Healthcare on April 1, 2019.

As CVP, Mr. Spees brings valuable experience leading sales in the medical and healthcare fields, and will focus on growing the Healthcare Commercial Unit at CSA Group.

Most recently, Mr. Spees was Vice President of Market Development at Richardson Healthcare where he was part of a team that created the healthcare business within Richardson as a startup. In this role, he helped develop and execute a strategic plan which included acquisition, investment, and geographic expansion.

Prior to Richardson Healthcare, Mr. Spees led sales at the Dunlee Division of Philips Healthcare, where he built a strong North American regional sales management team that consistently exceeded targets and expectations, achieving revenue growth of greater than 50% over a 5-year period in the company’s most mature market.

Mr. Spees holds a BSc in Business, Management & Marketing from Eastern Illinois University.

Tom Jackson joined CSA Group as Commercial Vice President, Cross-Market Services on January 20, 2020. In this role, Mr. Jackson is responsible for leading and developing CSA Group’s global commercial strategies for the cross-market services including Global Market Access, Cybersecurity, Functional Safety and Special Inspections/Field Evaluations.

Most recently, Mr. Jackson was the Global Director of Sales for the Energy, Power and Technology Division at Underwriters Laboratories. During his 16-year tenure at UL, he held a variety of commercial leadership positions overseeing significant order and revenue growth across the entire UL service portfolio. His extensive experience includes implementing sales growth initiatives, expanding services beyond core certification, key account management and business development while embracing a customer first focus. Prior to his time at UL, Mr. Jackson managed sales territories at both Intertek and TUV Rheinland.

Mr. Jackson holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He is also a Graduate of the Yale School of Management, Global Executive Leader Program.