In October 2018, Dr. Eddy Njoroge hit the headlines as the first African to be elected as President of the standards body ISO.
Mr. Njoroge, a board member at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and who sits on several corporate boards, was to replace Canadian John Walter whose term was to end by end August 2019 with Njoroge fully assuming official roles in 2020.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Njoroge narrates a story of resilience and slow growth towards the high position after years of working in the government and at private companies.
“My first job was that of a salesman for Twiga Chemicals after which I started my own business, Abcon Ltd. At Abcon I maximized in the sale of chemicals, soaps.
“I later ventured into manufacturing of breakfast cereals,” remarked Njoroge.
After his election in October 2018, Njoroge attracted global attention, with major stakeholders in the standards sector describing him as a man equal to the challenging task of ensuring global products meet the necessary standards.
“Today ISO elected their new President, Mr. Edward Njoroge. He will be President-elect during 2019 as he works hand in hand with President John Walter before his term becomes effective in 2020,” wrote ISO on Twitter in September 2018.
The appointment will see ISO operating from Nairobi as the global office gets established in the city for the whole of his tenure that will run from January 2020-December 2022.
Inits description, the ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 164 national standards bodies.
Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, market oriented International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.
"Standards formulation should no longer be a preserve of the developed countries that are later forced on developing countries, denying them global market access. We will adopt a participatory approach that ensures developing nations are involved in standards formulation activities.
“I will be reiterating the commitment I made during my election last October in Geneva, Switzerland, that I will enhance adoption of International Standards in governance, besides working with SMEs to improve their conformity to global standards,” remarked Njoroge on his election as quoted by the Nation.
Before heading to the ISO body, Njoroge served as the Managing Director at KenGen, a position he served for ten years until 2011.
During his tenure, the Nation described Njoroge as a man who brought the company to the achievement of major projects that enabled increased energy production.
Njoroge also served in the Nairobi Securities Exchange management board.
