BSI Corporate overview

BSI (British Standards Institution) is the business standards company that equips businesses with the necessary solutions to turn standards of best practice into habits of excellence. Comprising over 2,500 staff - of which 53% are outside of the UK - BSI is led by Chief Executive Howard Kerr from its headquarters in London. BSI helps its clients drive performance, reduce risk and grow sustainably.

Formed in 1901, BSI was the world’s first National Standards Body and over a century later is globally recognised as champions of best practice. BSI is responsible for originating many of the world’s most commonly used management systems standards and publishes over 2,500 standards annually.   These standards address the most pressing issues of today from clear billing to energy management and disability access to nano-technology; spanning sectors including aerospace, construction, energy, engineering, finance, healthcare, IT and retail.  

BSI’s standards are underpinned by a collaborative and rigorous approach honed over decades; working with industry experts, government bodies, trade associations, businesses of all sizes and consumers to develop the standards for excellence.

BSI works with over 65,000 clients in 150 countries worldwide to help them adopt and cultivate the habits of best practice. Clients are trained and provided with practical guidance for implementation alongside a suite of compliance tools. Moreover, to ensure they receive the very best service, BSI is also independently assessed and accredited globally by ANAB (ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board) and by over 26 other accreditation bodies throughout the world including UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service).   BSI is also renowned for its marks of excellence including the consumer recognised Kitemark®, which today ranks amongst the UK’s most trusted brands.

BSI’s influence is global, playing a key role within the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). As one of the founding members, it ensures that international standards developed address today and tomorrow’s business and societal needs, while delivering real benefits to an organisation and its stakeholders.  


BSI Offering

BSI’s offering is built upon enabling excellence, and key to this is its delivery by expert people.   The services provided are aligned to the steps customers need to take as they instil these habits of excellence within their own organisation.

  1. Shape the standards – as the UK National Standards Body, BSI develops standards that respond to the pressing industry and societal issues of the day.
  2. Publish the standards – enabling dynamic sharing and integration of digital standards content.
  3. Train how to get the most from standards – provide organisations with a comprehensive understanding of how to implement and operate standards.
  4. Check and test – once clients have embedded the use of a standard, BSI audits the organisation or tests its product to check it meets the standard and continues to perform.  
  5. Provide the tools to keep the standards – proprietary compliance tools and software makes it easier for clients to drive continuous improvement and deliver long term improvements.