INTRODUCING: MARWAN ARIDI

Can you briefly explain your background?

Prior to joining Bureau Veritas, as a Hospitality Management & Business Administration graduate, I had attained several positions across the hospitality, automotive and property sectors in Lebanon, the USA, Qatar & the UAE. In 2009, I started my journey at Bureau Veritas as a Sales Executive within the Certification Business Line and was leading this sales team by 2011 and became the Sales Manager in 2013. The progression continued and I moved to the Operational Side and assumed the position of Operations Manager in 2015 and eventually took on my current role of Certification Manager in 2016. 

Describe your role at BV?

As a Certification Manager, I am ultimately responsible for the development of the certification function. My role involves strategically guiding its development within the framework defined by the management system, code of ethics, group policies, and the requirements of all LTOs. This involves leading and working alongside Operational, Technical, Commercial, Training and Audit teams to achieve growth targets. 

What’s your greatest professional achievement and your biggest challenge?

One of the global challenges within the certification industry lies in the market's saturation with conventional QHSE standards. This challenge became the backdrop for one of my proudest long-term accomplishments: driving the diversification of certification & training offerings. This entailed proactive promotion and resource preparation for new/ non-traditional standards and services from the outset, to name a few:

• Proactively prepared resources and promoted Carbon, GHG & Social services creating a catalyst for those services in the region.
• Pioneered the development of Gender Equality audits which strategically placed Bureau Veritas on the Diversity & Inclusion map. 
• Embarked on innovative E-Learning programs expanding our reach beyond existing target markets.

This endeavor helped building and retaining a pool of competencies that caters not only to external customers, but also supporting internal regional and global offices within the network. 

Another proud achievement was initiating and leading the development and sales of the Restart Your Business/ Safeguard initiative and issuing the first label globally, which played a pivotal role in turning around business during the pandemic and won the Most Iconic Contract award on a global level. This win paved the road for subsequent strategic wins both locally and globally in addition to significantly contributing to delivering trust within the local hospitality & tourism markets.

In your daily work, how do you contribute to Shaping a World of Trust?

Leading a team of trust builders that carry out thousands of verification, assessment and assurance services every year, while committing to quality, health & safety, environment & sustainability as a practice and as an offering is at the heart of “shaping a world of trust”.