"Standardization is about building relationships"

The Swedish Institute for Standards, SIS, is part of the global standardization, and our international network is becoming an increasingly important platform and unifying force that influences and contributes to solutions to societal challenges.

This is one of the reasons why SIS has created a new role and appointed Karin Lindmark as Head of International Relations. Karin Lindmark has a solid experience of working with several global issues at SIS, including gender equality and social sustainability, which will be a great asset in her new assignment.

The demand for, and need for, new standards is considerable in several areas, including AI, circular economy, societal security, carbon capture and sustainable mining. And it is important that the Swedish industry and the public sector are well represented in international standardization.

‘I want SIS and Swedish companies and organizations to become even more present in international contexts. We have a lot to contribute and are characterized by our ability and competence to pursue complex issues’, says Karin Lindmark.

Although Sweden is a small country, we are one of the ten largest countries in the world when it comes to managing standardization work, which has contributed to Sweden’s success as an export country. Karin Lindmark wants us to continue to be at the forefront but also states that it is important for us to work even harder to attract new generations to standardization work and increase the understanding of why standardization is so important, and how it can contribute to a better society.

‘There is a lack of knowledge about how democratic, open, and inclusive the standardization work is. In these polarized times, there is a counterbalance in the form of an established way of working and processes where representatives from all over the world sit down together and find the best solution’, says Karin Lindmark.

Karin Lindmark does not believe that it is a mere coincidence that the Swedish Institute for Standards has many women in leading positions, something that distinguishes us from some other standardization organizations.

‘Standardization is about relationships, which I think attracts women. Here too, I believe that Sweden and SIS can be a role model in an international context’, says Karin Lindmark.