Photo gallery
Dive into the event atmosphere and browse through the pictures from day 2.
Young minds meet
Who says the best conversations start on stage? The young professionals’ networking breakfast got them going before the day’s sessions began. ISO President Dr Khaled Soufi welcomed participants, then gave them space to talk: how did they find their way into standardization, what are they working on, and what sparked their interest in standards? From national standards bodies to technical committees, they made connections to carry through the week. For some, those first introductions are only the start. There’s a bigger conversation still to come…
ISO President Dr Khaled Soufi puts youth in the frame at the young professionals’ networking breakfast.
Trade runs on trust
What keeps goods moving when uncertainty continues to mount? William Gain of the World Bank Group tackled that question with a look at the headwinds facing global trade – and the particular pressure these place on developing countries. The answer, he said, lies in trust mechanisms built through standards and cooperation between the public and private sectors. That need for trust is growing as trade moves on to digital platforms.
Moderator Shiulie Ghosh (centre) joins William Gain of the World Bank Group (left) and Olivier Tsalpatouros of Geopost (right) to discuss the importance of standards in smoothing global trade.
Partnership is the key – public and private sectors coming together at the national level, the regional level and the global level.
Olivier Tsalpatouros of Geopost added a view from the delivery sector: goods move through many hands and systems, and standards are needed to help those networks connect. From the digital exchange of information to the journey of a parcel, he explained how common standards make an invaluable contribution to smooth value chains.
Both speakers pointed to standards as tools that support predictability, a prerequisite for resilient global supply chains and the free flow of goods across borders. Their insights echo the World Bank’s World Development Report 2025, which recognizes International Standards as critical enablers of trade and sustainable development.
Cyber trust in practice
Can standards help keep us safe in the digital age? This session put the question to three entrepreneurs, each approaching cybersecurity risks from a different angle: a start-up using standards to break into the market, an ethical hacker probing connected devices for weaknesses, and a governance expert confronting risks to essential infrastructure. Each drew on first-hand experience to show where standards could make a difference.
The discussion then shifted to cybersecurity at scale. Claire Chauvin, Strategy Architecture and Standards Director at Orange, considered what those challenges mean in a large organization, where AI and complex networks raise the stakes. The speakers explored what it takes to make cybersecurity work across settings as diverse as small businesses and multinationals – and how standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 can turn a clearer understanding of risk into safeguards that hold up in practice.
You can’t buy a product and be secure. You need to understand the fundamental risk of what you’re doing. The implementation (of standards) is what’s going to stop it.
They put cyber risks on the table – and standards to the test. From left: Shiulie Ghosh, Journalist, Aero Productions (Moderator); Claudia Nguyen, Co-founder and CEO, Ouwba; Gael Musquet, Ethical Hacker, Founder and CEO, CxLinks; Faud Khan, Founder and Chief Security Analyst, TwelveDot; and Claire Chauvin, Strategy Architecture and Standards Director, Orange.
Don’t think of cybersecurity as a cost. It’s an investment.
Discover the world’s best-known information security standard:
Making women’s
leadership count
The energy was immediate as three women from business and politics took on a question that goes straight to the heart of leadership: what does it take for women to have influence once they reach the top?
Framed around ISO 53800 on gender equality and women’s empowerment, the conversation, exceptionally held in French, moved quickly from the numbers to the realities of the workplace. Low self-confidence, regulation that is slow to take effect, and barriers in business and public service all shape who gets heard and who can make decisions.
The panellists asked what organizations need to change, and how they will know whether that change is working. International Standards offered one way to turn commitments into workplace practices that can be applied and assessed. ISO 53800 already exists; the challenge now is for organizations to make it work.
A lively exchange on what it takes for women to lead – and be heard. From left: Lena Harikiopoulos-Cordova, Founder, CONSEQUALLY; Aurore Jicquel, HR Director, responsible for D&I, culture and engagement, Alstom; and Violette Spillebout, Member, French National Assembly, with moderator Franck Lebeugle, Director, Standardization, AFNOR.
For me, equality is fundamentally an issue of governance, organization and accountability at every level, especially among leaders.
Business model review
In an uncertain world, the changing needs and expectations of standards users demand bold adaptation. ISO’s Business Model Review is a structured assessment of how ISO delivers and captures value, which seeks a sustainable model that reflects ISO members’ current realities and ambitions. It is shaped by member input, priorities and leadership.
Over three different sessions, members took part in a comprehensive exploration of the Business Model Review, sharing learnings, stories and experiences to help them make the connection between ISO initiatives and differing national realities and ambition.
The day opened with a Q&A session, explaining the what of the Review: what’s happening and what this means across the value chain. The session aimed to establish a shared baseline for the day ahead and give clarity to participants.
This was followed by a member CEO workshop, which explained the how: how to assess, prepare for change and leverage opportunities. Participants held discussions across six different zones focused on potential member journey priorities and needs.
Finally, an afternoon session on member journeys in practice explained why the Business Model Review matters. Through member stories and peer-to-peer learning, participants were introduced to real impacts and lived experiences, helping them better understand the tools in context.
AI moves fast.
Can trust keep up?
A video made entirely with AI provided a fitting start to a conversation about where the technology is heading. From new ways to boost productivity to adapting solutions to local conditions, the panel moved through five trends already changing what people and organizations can do. Specialized models and AI agents pushed the discussion further: as these tools become more capable, what decisions should people still make themselves?
That question brought participants to the heart of the debate. Innovation is moving fast, but accountability cannot be an afterthought. The panel explored how reliability, governance and International Standards can help organizations of all sizes put AI to work while keeping responsibility for its outcomes firmly in human hands.
The standards community needs to make a business case for standardization and make standards work economically for SMEs.
How do we build trust in AI?
Microsoft experts Laura Lindsay and Marta Janczarski discuss ISO/IEC 42001, the world’s first AI management system standard, which provides guidance on the responsible management and implementation of AI systems within organizations.
The business of nature
Nature is moving up the business agenda, but it looks different wherever you stand. A forest, a river or a stretch of coastline can each affect local communities and supply chains in its own way. That was the challenge at the heart of this session: how can businesses understand their impact on nature – and see whether it is recovering or declining?
The speakers made a strong case for shared metrics, so organizations can measure progress consistently without losing sight of local differences. Those measures matter beyond business, too. Investors need reliable information to direct funding towards activities that help nature recover. With so many initiatives and frameworks to navigate, International Standards can help connect the pieces, giving organizations a clearer route from ambition to action.
Gavin Edwards, Executive Director, Nature Positive Initiative, and Sharon Brooks, Head of Nature Economy, UNEP-WCMC, make the case for shared metrics that show whether nature is recovering – and guide businesses and investment decisions.
ISO 17298 is a really good example of where standards can help organizations bring in the management of nature within their operations.
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