Amandine Pades

Amandine Pades

Head of Certification Body, TÜV SÜD France - Enercert

What is your current role?

I have been working as the Head of Certification Body at TÜV SÜD France since February 2021.

What is your academic/industrial background?

I have a master’s degree in socio-economic management, specialising in quality, safety and environment, from the University of Lyon (France), including a two-year apprenticeship with AREVA (unit shutdown, dismantling and vitrification of nuclear waste).

I worked in the nuclear and metallurgy industry for 12 years and since then my experience has been roughly evenly split between expertise and team management activities.

I’ve had the chance to apply my knowledge and skills directly into practice, both at construction and maintenance sites, and in manufacturing workshops. This

has allowed me to work with all employees within the company, and to develop teamworking skills.

Previously, I was the Head of HSE Department at Bilfinger LTM industrie.

What are your main areas of expertise?

My main areas of expertise include quality, health & safety, environmental fields, and project management. I am also a radiation protection specialist.

What specific tasks and responsibilities does your job entail?

I create and develop projects from start to finish.

In concrete terms, I am the main contact person for COFRAC, the French accreditation body, for our accreditation process. I create all the documentation for the certification body, both in French and English, and integrate it into Roxtra, TÜV SÜD’s electronic document management tool.

I qualify the auditors, make them aware of the certification body’s processes, and answer their questions.

I report back to TÜV SÜD France management on the progress of this project.

I communicate and disseminate updates about our project via publications on LinkedIn and YAMMER, and I also present at webinars. I am also responsible for the translation of our communication materials (brochures, flyers, etc.) into French.

My job also involves liaising with clients and/or prospects and answering any questions they may have.

We have just joined GIFEN, the French Nuclear Industry Association, and I will participate in its commissions and in the WNE (World Nuclear Exhibition) which will take place at the end of the year.

What are your current key projects and who are your key clients?

I am currently building and setting up a certification body for TÜV SÜD’s nuclear activities, and also in the process of developing ISO 19443 activities (training, pre-audit, certification audit). ISO 19443 is a quality management system standard which covers specific requirements for the application of ISO 9001:2015 by organizations in the supply chain of the nuclear energy sector supplying products and services important to nuclear safety (ITNS). This is an international project, bringing together an interdisciplinary team from across the TÜV SÜD Group: I am working with colleagues from TÜV SÜD Energietechnik GmbH Baden-Württemberg, and auditors from Italy, France, Germany, Czech Republic, India, and South Korea.

My key clients include operators and nuclear supply chain operators from around the world.

What most excites/interests you about working at the company?

I really enjoy the variety of different topics I get the chance to work on: no two days are ever the same. I also enjoy the hands-on nature of my role and being able to work within an international and interdisciplinary team on an innovative and collaborative project really motivates me.

The fact that I can “touch” everything and develop a project in all its components is important for me because it allows me to get out of my comfort zone and develop new skills. The opportunity to work on real industry challenges provides a sense of satisfaction, knowing that the work you are doing is adding value.

What future trends do you see developing in your area of work?

As a nuclear-specific quality management standard, ISO 19443 aims to optimise safety and quality throughout the entire nuclear supply chain. ISO 19443 will improve suppliers’ understanding of quality requirements for nuclear needs, standardise these requirements across the world, and facilitate acceptance by regulatory bodies. This will help to create long-term, sustainable relationships between licensees and their suppliers. Because nuclear safety assurance is so critical, the ISO 19443 accreditation process is highly detailed and extremely demanding.

Our target is to continue developing our activities with regard to ISO 19443 and the pool of auditors in order to become a leader in this field.