We are all familiar with the quote the customer is king. From a quality perspective, it is important that we conduct our audits at the highest level of quality in order for our auditees to achieve certification and improve their MS continuously in this very competitive business environment.
About Gawie Roodt
In the early years, the exposure to technology really grabbed my attention. Today, technology is still mind-boggling, and I still try to link my business environment and technology with standards.
Following the completion of my Navy service, I began my studies in Industrial Engineering while also working in the steel industry for about one month per year.
At that time, I was heavily involved with quality as a principle, and later I got involved in the regulations and the ISO standards to support the quality focus.
Over my career, I spent time in the steel manufacturing environment, process improvement, and the FMCG manufacturing environment. I was also involved in a quality role in the glass container environment, new product development, and process improvement. Throughout all this, I started to realize the importance of ISO and other regulatory requirements. I obtained ISO 9001 LA certification, and in different roles I was exposed to the Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety management system standards as well.
Later in 2016, I decided to start my own business and initially focus on industrial engineering and quality consulting across various industries. I also obtained a BCOM in Economics early after my IE qualification in Transport Economics, which always helped me when I consulted at different organizations as most of them store and distribute products. I am also thankful that I had the opportunity to obtain my master’s diploma in Technology in Industrial Engineering.
Today, I am certified in ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 22000, ISO 31000, and ISO 45001. I mostly train others on these standards, as well as provide consultation to implement them, and then audit mainly on ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 for MSECB.
From an Industrial Engineering perspective, I have implemented many systems to improve performance, including Six Sigma projects that also focused on performance improvement and quality enhancement.
I truly believe everything is possible and we can make a difference.
About the experience in auditing
In my early career, I did not like it when I was involved in an audit, be it internal or external. Even organizations did not seem to enjoy audits and auditors.
I think the main reason for that is a gap in terms of knowledge and skills needed to become competent to perform audits. Today, most organizations have the same gap too. They do not ensure that internal auditors have the required level of understanding to apply the requirements. I had been involved in audits for a very long time before I attended the first ISO 9001 Auditor training. The knowledge immediately made sense to me.
Most organizations fail dismally, for example, on clause 7.3 Awareness. As soon as I realized this, I really wanted to get more knowledge and skills to become more competent on this point. Furthermore, the way the latest ISO standards are compiled supports our broad perspective on how systems are integrated and how we can use that to our benefit.
I use audits to highlight the gap and the requirement to the auditee. The challenges in audits are making the auditee understand the ISO criteria, why you need so many days to cover this, and why we can only take samples. Giving feedback to the auditee in both the close-out meeting and the report is a good way to openly communicate and then see how they address the issues.
I always tell people the following: if you need to know anything about your organization, ask the internal auditors, as they are knowledgeable over the broad spectrum of your organization.
My future goals would be to conduct more audits internationally, to experience the broader impact of different cultures, and management styles in the process. Moreover, how does the leadership lead and involves employees throughout the process, and what do they really believe is contributing to the system and overall performance.
Gawie’s experience with MSECB
I have been and continue to be impressed by the drive of MSECB employees since the beginning of my work with them.
There is a constant effort to improve and align with new technology. I also appreciated the way the work continued to deliver during the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge of remote audits brought in new dimensions, and obviously, the world came to realize that there are different ways to achieve our objectives.
Additionally, the people factor adds an extra level of satisfaction to the role of auditing. The people I work with on a frequent basis are always helpful and friendly, and they make me feel like part of a very focused and high-performance unit. I am proud to be working with MSECB.
My personal development has benefited extremely from this component, it has added to my life’s puzzle and filled many gaps.
MSECB Auditor Profile
Gawie Roodt has been part of the MSECB Auditors Network since 2017. He has successfully completed numerous ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 audits. Gawie has always led audits with the utmost integrity, punctuality, and ability to interact with all levels of an organization appropriately.
We are happy to have Gawie as part of our wide network of MS auditors.
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