Hello, I'm

Brahim Houla

International conformity assessment and Accreditation expert

To survive and flourish in such a world, you will need a lot of mental flexibility and great reserves of emotional balance. You will have to repeatedly let go of some of what you know best, and feel at home with the unknown. Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

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Years of
Achievements
International conformity assessment and Accreditation expert

Overpoint

Having started with accreditation since 2001, I became passionate about conformity assessment activities and their relation to trade facilitation and consumer protection. I had the privilege to work for two Accreditation Bodies in completely different economic and cultural backgrounds, and was part of the amazing experience of running a Multi-economy AB. Having helped with international work since 2001, it enabled me to develop not only specific knowledge of international cooperation mechanisms, but also a valuable and transferable skill set in this fast-paced sector. I have a proven track record of providing valuable input in the field of Capacity building and international teams leading for APAC and ARAC, in addition to the tasks I was entrusted to conduct at the international level in ILAC and IAF committees and ISO CASCO Working Groups.

Work Experience

    • Accreditation services Director

      GCC ACCREDITATION CENTER (GAC)
    • 2013 - now
      • Technical Management of the GSO project to establish the GCC Accreditation Center. Leading the discussions with stakeholders and Government officials for the multi-economy agreement
      • Establishment of the technical documentation for the accreditation of testing & calibration laboratories and product certification bodies for the future accreditation body.
      • Coordination of the establishment of national contact points and a multi-cultural team,
      • Training of assessors, country representatives and future GAC staff on accreditation requirements Establishment of budget estimations and benchmarking of accreditation fees for GAC.
      • Reporting to the board of ministers on the advancement of the technical processes. Advising H.E the secretary of GSO on the strategic orientation in the field of accreditation and notification.
    • Conformity Assessment Senior Specialist

      GCC Standardization Organization (GSO)
    • 2010 - 2013
      • Responsible of all technical departments in GAC.
      • Supervising the development of new processes and recruitment of needed staff and assessors (Testing, calibration, product certification, medical laboratories and management system certification)
      • Guiding and supervising the work of the staff and assessors in different accreditation fields.
      • Managing the finances of the team by effective budgeting and expenditure control.
      • Representation of GAC at the national, regional and international level
      • Development of Accreditation strategies and liaising with Government, Industry and other interested parties.
      • Supervising Digitalization projects of accreditation services.
      • Advising GAC General direction on strategic orientations and work environment enhancing initiatives.
      • Conducting onsite assessments (ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17024, ISO/IEC 17021-1....).
    • Head of Testing Laboratories Accreditation

      Tunisian ACCREDITATION Council (TUNAC)
    • 2001 - 2010
      • Managing accreditation activities of testing laboratories department and reporting the general direction, Follow up of initial, surveillance and reaccreditation assessments in addition to the supervision of assessors
      • Training and awareness activities of staff, assessors and stakeholders on the accreditation requirements Establishment of technical requirements for the accreditation of laboratories
      • Managing cooperation projects with PTB, GIZ, UE and UNIDO supporting Tunisian QI enhancement projects
      • Coordination with government departments and participation to national committees related to QI
      • Conducting assessments of Testing and calibration laboratories
      • Representation of TUNAC at the national and international level
      • Development of new accreditation activities for TUNAC, starting up and handling to relevant departments

My Resume

Education

PHD Candidate

Al-Madinah International University
2020-now

The relationship between TQM and project performance of accredited Inspection bodies: Omani petrochemical industry empirical evidence.

DEA in Industrial Engineering

Ecole Nationale d'Ingenieurs de Tunis
2001-2004

Industrial systems and processes Methode de prediction a court et long terme des performances des chauffe-eau solaires.

Industrial Engineer

Ecole Nationale d'Ingenieurs de Tunis
1996-2001

Industrial systems and processes Methode de prediction a court et long terme des performances des chaiffe eau solaires.

Languages

Arabic100%
English85%
French85%
Italian55%

Interests

Reading80%
Graphic Designing70%
Photography35%
Video Animations90%
Sport45%

Skills

Advance Microsoft Skills (Word, Excel, PPT...)

Adobe Series (PS, AI, AE, PR, ID....)

Video and Sound Editing

Trade and negotiations training

Communications tools and techniques

Qualifications

Lead Peer Evaluator

APAC, ARAC, AFRAC, IHAF

Trainer

APAC, ARAC ISO, GSO

Lead Assessor

Testing, calibration, inspection, Prdt Certification, MS Certification, Halal

Peer Evaluation

NATA - Australia

TAF - Taiwan

BoA - Vietnam

EGAC - Egypt

ANSI/ANAB - USA

PNAC - Pakistan

NAC - USA

SOAC - Sudan

JSAC - Saudi Arabia

AS-AU - Jordan

TUNAC - Tunisia

Research Contribution

Chicken Stunning Halalness

2017

Methane Production from food industry wastes

2010

Water Desalination using Solar Energy

2004

Current International Positions

    1. IAF Communications & Marketing Committee Chair
    2. IAF Executive Committee Member
    1. Joint ILAC/IAF Mutual Recognition Committee Member (MLA/MRA)
    1. Capacity Building Committee Chairman
    2. Executive committee member
    3. Lead Peer-evaluator
    1. WG 61 Co-convener
    1. MLA Committee Chairman
    2. Executive committee member
    3. Lead Peer-evaluator
    1. Communication WG Convener

Achievements

Contribution to the Recognition of two accreditation bodies at the international level.

TUNAC,GAC

Driving the establishment of regional association of laboratories in the GCC region.

GCCLAB

Leading role in the creation of the international recognition agreements in the field of Halal Accreditation.

IHAF

Reengineering the capacity building activities at the Asia Pacific accreditation cooperation level

APAC

Leading the digitalization initiative of the International Accreditation Form.

IAF

References

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