Standard specifications play a key role in supporting the national economy and strengthening global competitiveness Saad bin Othman Al-Qasabi has been governor of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization since July 2012. He is also a member of the board of directors of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation and a member of the National Industry Strategy steering committee. Speaking at forum in Riyadh last week, Al-Qasabi highlighted the importance of maintaining quality standards and their impact on industrial growth. He said maintaining international standards help strengthen the national economy. “Standard specifications play a key role in supporting the national economy and strengthening global competitiveness. They are crucial in improving the quality and safety of products in the markets since they are one of the most important pillars of the quality infrastructure,” Al-Qasabi said. Prior to his current role, he served as chairman of the National Committee of the Saudi Building Code, director general of Adaptive TechSoft Co., director general of the Information Technology Department, and director general of administration and financial affairs at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. He also worked as the chairman of computer and information sciences department at Prince Sultan University and was a faculty member at the College of Computer and Information Sciences at King Saud University. Al-Qasabi received a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering in 1987 from King Saud University and a master’s degree in computer engineering in 1990 from Syracuse University in New York. He also obtained his doctorate degree in 1995 from the same university with a design and analysis of a dynamically reconfigurable switch for high-speed networks.