NSF International Appoints Christian Kurdy as Managing Director, NSF Middle East in Abu Dhabi, UAE

- NSF Middle East provides testing, auditing and certification for water, food and beverage industries and quality (QMS) and environmental management systems (EMS) registrations for the Middle East region

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates and ANN ARBOR, Michigan, May 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- NSF International, a global independent public health organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the water, food, health sciences and consumer goods industries, has appointed Christian Kurdy as Managing Director, NSF Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. NSF International has been active in the Middle East for more than 25 years, working with more than 1,000 companies in the region. 

Kurdy will help guide the growth of the NSF's operations throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (or region) by providing consulting, testing, auditing and certification services for the water, food and beverage industries as well as quality (QMS) and environmental management systems (EMS) registrations. NSF also helps companies operating in the real estate and construction, pharmaceutical manufacturing, energy (natural gas, oil and petroleum), transportation and mining sectors demonstrate compliance with global and local regulations.

"Through Christian Kurdy's leadership, we believe NSF's Middle East operations will continue to grow, providing our customers with the services needed to meet regulatory and public health requirements and expand into new international export markets," said Kevan P. Lawlor, President and CEO of NSF International. "Industry leaders and government agencies continue to rely on the NSF Middle East team for their expertise in water, food and beverage quality as well as quality and environmental management systems registrations."

NSF International services in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) include:

• NSF Water Programs. NSF International water services include testing, certification and auditing for municipal water treatment distribution components and chemicals, plastic piping systems, plumbing fixtures and fittings, and point-of-use and point-of-entry water systems. NSF International developed the American National Standards for chemicals and products that come in contact with drinking water (NSF/ANSI 60: Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals – Health Effects; NSF/ANSI 61: Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects). 
  
  Many international plumbing codes, and all major U.S. codes, require or accept certification to these NSF standards for pipes and plumbing components.  In fact, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) recently adopted NSF/ANSI Standard 61 as a requirement for kitchen taps and bathroom faucets.  Companies in the MENA region will have access to NSF's global market approval program to help them enter other international export markets for water distribution and treatment products by helping them navigate the product certification product approval process for these countries.

• NSF Food Safety and Beverage Quality. NSF International offers a wide range of food safety auditing and certification programs in the Middle East, as well as a bottled water certification program.  This program tests and certifies beverage products to globally accepted requirements from the Codex Alimentarius, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local country standards to demonstrate the quality and safety of bottled water and beverages. NSF bottled water certification can be bundled with ISO and Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-benchmarked standards such as SQF, BRC, IFS and FSSC 22000.

• Quality and Environmental Management Systems Certification. In addition to testing and certification, NSF International is a leader in providing quality assurance (QMS) and environmental management systems (EMS) certification to internationally accepted standards via its NSF-ISR subsidiary.  NSF provides registration to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 50001 (Energy), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety), RCMS (Responsible Care Management Systems for the Chemical Industry) and other international quality, health and safety, and environmental standards.

"NSF International's 70 years of expertise in food safety, water quality, and quality and environmental management systems registration has been a great benefit to companies in the Middle East as they grow into new export markets. As Managing Director, my focus will be on continuing to provide the NSF expertise that more than 1,000 companies in the region rely on to help their businesses grow and overcome new challenges," said Christian Kurdy, Managing Director of NSF Middle East.

Kurdy has more than 15 years of experience in the construction, energy, industrial manufacturing and quality systems sectors, throughout Europe and the Middle East, and is fluent in English, French and Arabic. He graduated from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion in Paris, France with a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in marketing and management and earned a Bachelor of Arts in international business from the Institut Superieur de Gestion in Paris, France.

For more information about NSF Middle East services, visit NSF's website or contact Christian Kurdy at middleeast@nsf.org or +971-2-644-3341. Existing NSF clients are encouraged to continue working with their current NSF point of contact.

Editor's note:  To schedule an interview with an NSF International representative, please email Greta Houlahan at media@nsf.org or call +1-734-913-5723, or contact Christian Kurdy as noted above.

About NSF International: NSF International is a global independent organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the water, food, health sciences and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. Operating in more than 155 countries, NSF is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment. NSF's global water services include testing, certification and auditing for municipal water treatment components and chemicals, plastic piping systems, plumbing fixtures and fittings, point-of-use and point-of-entry water systems and filters. NSF global food services include accredited food safety auditing, training and certification (including GFSI) across all supply chain sectors, as well as bottled water and beverage certification to global and local standards. NSF-ISR offers comprehensive management systems registrations to internationally accepted standards for quality assurance for many industries, including ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 50001 (Energy), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety), FSSC 22000 (Food), RCMS and others.