Speakers

Since 2014 Thorsten Arnhold is the Chairman of the IECEx System. He is working for the German Manufacturer R. STAHL for almost 23 years.

His current position there is VP Technology. Before this he was responsible for the Quality Management, the Design department and for the Product Management and Marketing.

From the very beginning of his carrier at STAHL he was strongly involved in numerous activities at IEC TC 31 and IECEx.

He gives lectures of Technical Sales and Marketing at the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Science in Jena.

is Executive Secretary of IECEx holding the Secretariat position since the system began some 19 years ago. He has a long standing involvement in the development of National and International Standards and Certification systems. He held various key positions within the Standards Australia Group including those associated with the development and management of Product and Service related certification schemes, including the AUSEx and ANZEx Schemes and the IECEx System.

Chris has qualifications and experience in Electrical Engineering with experience in Ex installations and Engineering testing and investigation and is a long standing Registered ISO 9001 Quality Systems Auditor and an IECEx Lead Assessor. In addition, Chris is also Executive Secretary of the IEC Conformity Assessment System for Quality Manufacture of electronic components.

Currently working as the Business Manager, IECEx Secretariat for the Geneva, Switzerland headquartered International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Prior to this role, Mark worked as:

• Director, Energy Infrastructure Policy at the Energy Networks Association (ENA), the peak national body representing gas and electricity transmission and distribution businesses throughout Australia.
• Technical & Regulatory Manager at Australian Industry Group (AiG)
• a range of roles in the gas and electrical equipment manufacturing industry.

Over the 26 years in industry he held senior positions across production management, technical, marketing and R&D functions.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree (with First Class Honours) and post graduate qualifications in general management, marketing, project management, business analysis and strategy.

Technical Director of ASE Automatic Systems Engineering, graduated Gdynia Maritime University Faculty of Marine Electrical Engineering, Lodz University of Technology "Safety of Industrial Processes" and GIG “Technical safety in hazardous areas”. An experienced specialist in the field of: explosion protected equipment, technical safety, ATEX and IEC Ex regulations. Author of technical publications, trainer and conference speaker.
Certificate of competence MEx (GIG Ex/0005/2012).

Manager of Safety and Technical Analysis Department, graduated Gdansk University of Technology and Lodz University of Technology "Safety of Industrial Processes". An experienced specialist in the field of: risk analysis, functional safety, explosion risk evaluation, explosion protection document etc. Author of technical publications and conference speaker. Certified Functional Safety Specialist (UDT-CERT / BFUNK / I / 34/10).

head of Ex department in Polish testing authority (GIG-KD „BARBARA”). V-ce president of Polish technical committee KT64 (TC 31 mirror) and member of KT269 (TC305 mirror) in Polish Committee for Standardization. Head of IECEx ExCB.

Member of ATEX Standing Committee and ATEX Working Group. Since over 20 years makes a tests and assessment of Ex equipment and protective systems. Author of over 40 publications in Ex scope, head of organization committee of national conference in Poland “EpsilonX”, lecturer and headmaster of academic studies in scope of Ex safety.

Ordinary professor at the Higher School of Labour Protection Management in Katowice , former professor at the Central Mining Institute .International expert in safety in mining, industrial explosions and general work safety in industry, . Author of over 200 scientific works.. Visiting professor at Universite d’Orleans and at National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Pittsburgh, Pa. Works in Standardization Committees IEC included. Member of many professional and non-governmental organisations, among others: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, Section of Combustion of the Committee for Thermodynamics and Combustion of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Participant of European research programs in labour safety and establishing of European Standards on explosion safety.

Studied Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig. After his graduation in 1993 he started to work at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt where he prepared his PdD. Since 2003 he is the leader of the Section “Explosion Protected Drive Systems”.

Dr. Lienesch is a member of several Standardization Working Groups within TC 31 on international and national Level. Since 2005 he presented the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs with respect to the Regulation of Explosion Protected Equipment. This representation includes the Standing Committee of the ATEX directive and the chairmanship of SIEEE of UNECE WP.6.

Has more than 20 year’s active experience in electrical explosion protection. Graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor Diploma of Electrical- and Electronic Engineering at the University of Professional Education of Rotterdam. Since 1990 he is working in the BARTEC Group where he has had several positions; Sales Engineer, Account Manager, Product Manager, Business Development Manager and today Technical Manager, responsible for Conformity Assessment and Ex authorized person within BARTEC.

Karel is an involved member in:

• Dutch standardization committee NEC 31
• IEC SC31J/MT60079-14 (design, selection, installation and initial inspection)
• IEC TC31 WG22 responsible for maintenance of IEC 60079-0 (general requirements)
• IEC TC31 MT 60079-1 (flameproof equipment)
• Dutch delegate within the IECEx Ex MC

As a sideline job, he is also teacher at BARTEC Safety Academy in Germany as well as Reed Business Studies, organizing training modules for Ex protection based on IECEx05.

is at present a member of the Polish Register of Shipping Management Board. He actively cooperates on technical issues with Maritime Academy in Gdynia, Gdansk University of Technology, CTM Center, Polish Ministry of Infrastructure and remains involved in PKN Technical Committees; the leader of KT 18 on ships and maritime technology and secretary of KT 230 for small ships. He was also the PRS expert for cooperation with the Polish IMO Centre for structure and fittings (DE) with wide experience as a member of the IACS Machinery Panel, PKN (Polish Standardisation Committee) representative in IEC for TC 18 Electrical installations in ships and mobile fixed offshore units, in ship technical issues, documentation, assignment of class.

Director of Development and Safety Consulting in ASE Ltd., graduated Gdańsk University of Technology, and Lodz University of Technology post graduate course "Safety of Industrial Processes". Chief in Editor of “Magazyn Ex”, Polish quarterly magazine dedicated for explosion protection and process safety. Created a comprehensive system of trainings in explosion and process safety. Also created a system of safety audits and analyses in explosion protection, process safety, functional safety and safety management for the process industries.

An experienced specialist in the field of: explosion protection, process safety, ATEX, ATEX USER and IEC Ex regulations as well as Safety Culture. Author of science and technical publications, recognized trainer and conference speaker. Author of hundreds expertise works for the Polish Industry.

GSA Consulting, Germany.

Gerhard Schwarz studied electrical engineering in Mannheim with the degree “Master of engineering”.

Since more than 40 years involved in sales, product management and designing of products to be used in hazardous areas. Up to the end of 2011 responsible for R & D Explosion protected light and switchgear in Cooper Crouse Hinds GmbH and also responsible for the worldwide certification of hazardous area products.

In 2012 working as senior technical consultant inside Cooper Crouse Hinds for all general questions related to explosion protection, R&D and certification. Since spring 2013 owner of a new founded consulting company in the field of explosion protection. Chairman of the German Committee “Electrical equipment for use in hazardous areas” in DKE, the German standardization association. Chairman of the of the working Group “explosion protected apparatus” in ZVEI, the German manufacturer association. Convener of the IEC TC 31 MT 60079-18 Maintenance Team on Encapsulation “m”. Convener of the IEC TC 31 WG 40 Working Group luminaires. Head of the German delegation in CLC TC 31 and IEC TC 31. Involved in numerous CLC and IEC standards committees for electrical products to be used in hazardous areas, such as flameproof, increased safety and intrinsic safety. Also working as German expert in the IEC MT 60079-14 Maintenance Team on Electrical installations design, selection and erection. Last but not least also involved in IEC EX Scheme as a German expert.

Has been active in the certification of equipment for use in Hazardous atmospheres since 1975, always based in Buxton in the UK, initially as part of the Health and Safety Executive (where he became Technical Director for the Certification Service) then as Managing Director of Baseefa when the activity moved to the private sector.

He is chair of both the British and European Standards Committees for Electrical Ex Equipment and was recently re-elected as chair of the Test and Assessment Group (ExTAG) of the IECEx international Certification Scheme. He is a vice-chair of the European Ex Notified Bodies Group. Last year he was awarded an MBE for services to certification and standardisation, as well as receiving the HazardEx Personal Contribution Award. In order to facilitate the growth of the Baseefa business, he and his colleagues have recently completed a sale of the business to the SGS Group to enable worldwide reach, with Buxton being the centre of excellence for Ex of the entire SGS Group.

is the owner of Institute for Research, Atestation and Certification OBAC Ltd.

As a CEO at OBAC Certification Body and Testing Laboratory LABOREx, he is involved in process of testing, inspection and conformity assessment activity for 17 years. He graduated Cracow University of Economics and obtained national and international certificates regarding to requirements of various conformity assessment standards. He has experience in Quality Management Systems ISO 9001 as an European Certified Lead Auditor EOQ. In November 2014 he received acceptance of International Electrotechnical Commission as a Head of Certification Body OBAC ExCB according to IECEx Scheme.

thuba Ltd., Switzerland
Born in 1950, studied mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and business administration in Basel, B.Sc. diploma. The company, which was founded in 1932, has been manufacturing explosion-proof electrical apparatus since 1955. In full charge of the company since 1977.

Field of work: design and production of electrical apparatus for gas and dust explosive atmospheres in all types of protection. Certified Service Facilities in accordance to IECEx. In addition to production, many years’ experience in the design, selection, erection and inspection (accredited inspection body SIS 145) of electrical installations. Chairman of Technical Committee TC 31 in Switzerland, member of international TC 31 working groups and maintenance teams, General Requirements IEC 60079-0, Increased Safety IEC 60079-7, Non-Sparking IEC 60079-15, Risk of Ignition of Optical Radiation IEC 60079-28, Trace Heating IEC 60079-30, Inspection and Maintenance IEC 60079-17, and Convenor of Electrical Installations in Hazardous Areas IEC 60079-14.

MD and owner of Veproil Ltd.

ATEX / IECEx auditor

• since 1997 active in the field of explosion protection. involved in many international projects for both ATEX and IECEx related industrial fields.
• lecturer at Technical University of Budapest and at TÜV Rheinland (sbj: electrical and non electrical explosion protection).
•  chairman of the MSZT/MCS 839 working group (Hungarian Standards Institution).
• chairman of the working group for explosion protection (HUNGARIAN ELECTROTECHNICAL ASSOCIATION).
• experienced specialist, active engineer (both theoretical, practical) in the field ATEX Directive and IECEx scheme related projects, involved in R&D projects (new products, softwares - E.g zone classification). developer of the SEP system (chExlist) including www.epds.hu.
• founder of the ExForum conference series
• certification of competence: ATEX - responsible person with executive function and operative (electrical and non electrical explosion protection), IECEx CoPC - Unit Ex 001, Unit Ex 002, Unit Ex 003, Unit Ex 004, Unit Ex 006, Unit Ex 007, Unit Ex 008, Unit Ex 009, Unit Ex 010.

Currently Thaison Vu working as Ex certificate manager at Karsten Moholt AS, an IECEx approved Service Facility for repair overhaul of Ex motors, Generators and equipment.

Thaison is involved in numerous Norwegian and IEC standards committees for electrical equipment intended to be used in use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

Thaison has experience with:

• Testing and certification of Ex-equipment at Nemko AS. A Norwegian's notified body for ATEX & IECEx Product Certification
• Lead Auditor, testing and certification of Ex-equipment at DNV Nemko Presafe.
• Offshore inspector and supervisor at CosL pioneer project, West Hercules drilling project and Jack-up rig Haven on Ekofisk field.
• New build FPSO project as ATEX Manager at Hyundai Heavy Industries offshore construction division in Ulsan Korea.
• Commissioning and ATEX compliance specialist at ENI Norway, Goliat FPSO project ( New installation).

IECEx scope of competence units Ex 001, Ex 004, Ex 007 and Ex 008. Certificate no INE14.0001

E-x Solutions International Pty Ltd

Ralph Wigg operates his own company E-x Solutions International Pty Ltd providing services to the Hazardous Area Industries as a Compliance Professional. His background is in Electrical Power Engineering having over 50 years experience with an involvement of more than 30 years in Hazardous Area equipment gives him the ability to speak with authority on this subject.

Currently chair of several Standards Australia Hazardous Areas Committees and past chair of Committee EL014 Electrical Equipment for Hazardous Areas, and of the IEC Technical Committee SC31H for Combustible Dusts, he is dedicated making standards work for the electrical industry. The commitment to international work sees him as head Australian delegate to the TC31 Committee and a member of more than 20 Maintenance Teams & Working Groups of which he convenes four.

In addition Ralph has been active in the IECEx System from its inception and was recently appointed as Chair of the new IECEx ExPCC for the Certificate of Personnel Competence. With qualifications in both ‘Workplace Training and Assessment’ and Quality System auditing, plus his expert knowledge in Hazardous Area requirements, he is well placed to undertake this role.

Ralph was a recipient of the prestigious Standards Australia International “Standards Award” in 1997 and in 2007 had the honour of receiving the IEC “1906 award” which is given ‘to those experts who have made exceptional contributions to IEC work.’