International Standards Award

23 October 2007

New Zealander to receive prestigious International Standards Award

New Zealander Derek Johns is one of three international recipients of the prestigious International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) Lord Kelvin Award for 2007. The Award will be presented at a ceremony in Paris on 26 October during the IEC annual general meeting.

The IEC Lord Kelvin Award distinguishes those experts who have made outstanding contributions to electrotechnical standardization within the global community. A maximum of three awards may be granted each year for qualities such as leadership or a remarkable contribution to the growth, development and promotion of IEC systems and standards.

"It has been my great privilege to work with many able and dedicated people to produce the standards that we have today," says Johns. "I hope that the presentation of this award to me will show that it is not always necessary to come from a national committee of a large economy in order to make a contribution to international electrotechnical standardization."

Mr Johns runs his own electrical consultancy business in Christchurch, New Zealand and specializes in the areas of safety, electromagnetic compatibility and power quality as they relate to electrical appliances. Since 1994 he has been Chairman of IEC Technical Committee 61, Safety of household and similar electrical appliances.

Created in 1995, the Lord Kelvin Award has established itself as a landmark within the global electrotechnical community. It takes its name from the famous British scientist and engineer who achieved celebrity by successfully laying the first commercial telegraph cable across the Atlantic ocean and who played a major role in the founding of the IEC in 1906, becoming its first president.

For more information on IEC and the awards go to: www.iec.ch

ENDS

© Scoop Media