Miranda Whitcher has been with BSI since 1991, joining the Chiswick office in the UK after working in a number of other positions including as a constable with the Thames Valley Police. Her journey has seen her work her way up from an administrative assistant to BSI’s top sales person. While her focus is now primarily multi-national aerospace companies, Miranda also looks after several global accounts in sectors as varied as financial, electronics and information technology. With her can-do attitude, Miranda is known as a tenacious, detail-oriented executive. Her favorite line, “Humor me now…” can be translated to “you are about to see things differently.”
You have seen a lot of changes since you first started with BSI in the US, can you tell me about the early days?
Back in June 1994 I came over to help two of my colleagues, Reg Blake and Paul Brooks, set up BSI’s first office in the US. At that time, we only had a temp helping the three of us. From a staff of 3 to now over 1,000, BSI has remained agile and dynamic in its growth plan for the US and the extended Americas Region. To meet market demands, we added services including training, software solutions, and, most recently, the addition of a Professional Services team that offers supply chain, cybersecurity, and consultancy. The success we had in the US over the years helped us to expand to Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and, in the past year, to other portions of Latin America. The original staff who started the office in the US built a team to drive growth, and through the passion and expertise of our people, we have attracted an incredible amount of talent that has allowed us to further BSI’s growth within the Americas region.
What do you see as some of BSI’s differentiators from the competition?
BSI is a true innovator in the market. Our full solution approach, what we refer to as One BSI, is our differentiator and enables us to stand out from the competition. We go above and beyond the client’s initial request to fully understand their journey and enable them to achieve their goals and objectives. We take pride in being a trusted partner, one who our clients can rely on to demonstrate value and help embed excellence within their organization that helps to improve business performance and resilience.
You are now tasked with growing the aerospace client base, what do you think are the greatest opportunities for businesses in the aerospace sector when it comes to standards and certifications?
As with any industry we work in, BSI is working within the aerospace sector to understand key challenges and, as part of our sector approach, to tailor solutions to each customer. Our expertise is broad; from the AS9100-series through to cybersecurity and occupation health and safety, we help organizations by inspiring trust and providing a comprehensive approach, utilizing standards and additional certifications, to build organizational resilience into their business.
ENDS
About BSI
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. Formed in 1901, BSI was the world’s first National Standards Body and a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Over a century later it continues to facilitate business improvement across the globe by helping its clients drive performance, manage risk, and grow sustainably through the adoption of international management systems standards, many of which BSI originated. Renowned for its marks of excellence including the consumer-recognized BSI Kitemark™, BSI’s influence spans multiple sectors including Aerospace, Automotive, Built Environment, Food, Healthcare, and ICT. With more than 84,000 clients in 193 countries, BSI is an organization whose standards inspire excellence across the globe.
To learn more, please visit bsigroup.com/en-us
