Consumers are increasingly looking for products and services that better fit their preferences or constraints, whether they are for health, safety, moral, religious reasons or, simply, for their own satisfaction.
Aware of such notorious changes of consumer habits, organizations offering products or services seek to capture the attention of consumers through advertising, but also and increasingly, through statements on specific quality statements on labeling that satisfy the demand of certain consumers, such as aspects related to health, safety, sustainability, social responsibility, recycling, circular economy, animal welfare, work-family conciliation, gender equality, etc.
For decades, the certification bodies have played an essential role in assessing compliance with the standards and checking the quality of products and services.
Other organizations have made an essential contribution to such goal as well:
- laboratories,
- inspection bodies,
- specialized consultants,
- technology and R+D centres,
- universities and educational centres, as well as
- countless individuals,
whose knowledge and experience have helped to improve our current quality of life.
Such monitoring and ensuring role, that has been discreetly performed by these organizations and individuals, has allowed them to acquire knowledge and skills that can be put in value to consistently launch an initiative like CONFICERT.
What is CONFICERT
CONFICERT is a not-for-profit association, with global scope and managed by accredited Certification Bodies.
We aim to build a new and friendly business environment by the creation, promotion and evolution of global certified quality brands as an access gate to transparent information on the statements provided in the labelling or in the advertising of the products and services, as well as about the organizations that produce or supply them, in close collaboration with public and private administrations and entities, groups of interest, retailers’ associations, distributors, consumers and sectorial associations, associations, standards promoters, etc.
Our Mission
Our mission is to be the common umbrella under which members can operate globally. We aim to become a reference for the definition and monitoring of the quality of products and services that are offered to consumers.
Our experience can help to improve the reliability of quality declarations but and, above all, CONFICERT can provide transparency on the information B2C, through impartial and competent 3rd party certification assessment and reporting.
OUR BRAND SYNTHESISES OUR MISSION
Our Objectives
To create and to promote global certified quality brands (GCQB) applicable to products, services and organizations of any nature, aimed to provide clear and transparent information to final consumers and whose members may be from any country of the world.
OBJECTIVES
01
To develop B2C quality brands
Including the standards they are based on, their certification mechanisms, as well as the requirements for individuals and organizations according to their roles in the certification processes.
02
To train and monitor the competence
Of the individuals and CBs who participate in the evaluation of compliance with the requirements in which the GCQBs are based on.
03
To watch and monitor the integrity
Of all individuals and organizations involved in the certification processes through a robust, thorough, and reliable integrity program.
04
To create and mantain a portal
Where consumers can have complete and transparent information on the quality attributes of certified products and services
Our Team
Matías Romero
President
Matías Romero graduated as an Agricultural Engineer in 1988, with a specialization in food industries and food technology.
- From 1987 to 1991, he worked as a project engineer at Union of Engineers and Economist Consultants, S.A.
- From 1992 to 1998, he was a founding partner of ARTICA Asesores, S.L. In 1996, he created and directed the consulting department.
- From 1998 to 2003, he was a founding partner and CEO of Entidad Certificadora de Alimentos de España, S.A.
- Since 2003, he has been a founding partner and CEO of the companies in the ACERTA group.
David Galeote
Vice-president
David Galeote graduated in Business Economics in 1997 and has extensive experience in conformity assessment activities.
He is currently CEO and Co-Founder at ICDQ (2003), a private and independent certification, verification and inspection body with a local and global focus. It was founded with the aim of providing a new concept in certification services, with three key objectives: quality, professionalism, and a high level of customer Service.
In addition, since 2017, is Vice-President of ACERTES, the Spanish Association of Conformity Assessment Certifiers and Verifiers.
Javier González
Secretary
Javier González is an Agricultural Engineer with extensive experience in the field of agri-food certification and quality.
His passion for agriculture and commitment to sustainability led him to found OCE Global, a Spain-based company with a strong reputation in the certification market.
Since 2013, he has served as the CEO of the company, where he has contributed to its growth and expansion into different territories through the certification of Organic Production, Denomination of Origin Wines, and other differentiated quality schemes.
Francesc Areny
Treasurer
Francesc Areny is CEO Since 2008 of Instituto Comunitario de Certificación, SL an agri-food product certification Company located in Spain.
It focuses its experience on the certification os schemes for agri-food products with differentiated quality as well as for the Export to third countries of products of animal origin.
Since 2013, he has served as the CEO of the company, where he has contributed to its growth and expansion into different territories through the certification of Organic Production, Denomination of Origin Wines, and other differentiated quality schemes.
Ángel Soguero
Board Member
Ángel Soguero has a degree in Biological Sciences from the UCM, with postgraduate courses in Pedagogy from the University of Alicante, in Planning and Rural Development from the UNED, in HACCP and Food Safety from the University of Salamanca, and expert in CSR and Sustainability from the Observatory of Corporate Responsibility.
He has carried out part of his professional activity in different Public Administrations and private companies in areas related to the environment, sustainable development, landscaping, heritage, agroecology, nature conservation….. He is the author of several publications (books, guides, studies…) in these same areas, and member of several scientific societies.
In 2000, with three other partners, he founded AB CERT IBERIA, currently SYGMA CERTIFICATIÓN SL, an entity accredited by ENAC and recognized for several product certification standards: GLOBALG.A.P., Leaf, Integrated Production, Varietal Wines, IGP’s, BRCGS, IFS… He has held the position of Vice-Director of the entity since its inception and since 2018 he has served as Director-Manager combining that role with that of chief auditor of products and systems.
Luciano Fizzotti
Board Member
Luciano Fizzotti has a degree in Engineering, has been working in the certification sector since 1992, and is the technical director of Certification Europe Italia.
He has experience in research and development, follows the development of Vegan certification in the Italian market.
Luis Paiva
Board Member
Graduated as an Agronomic Engineer in 1997, and completed a Post Grad in Quality and Food Safety in 2004.
Since 1997 to 2008 was the General Secretary of a local Association dedicated to inspection and certification of agriculture products, where was responsible for planning and development of the association as well as the daily operations, besides auditing activities.
Since 2008 has been founding partner and Director of, CODIMACO, Lda., a company dedicated to provide certification services throughout the agri-food sector, namely GLOBALG.A.P., PDO´s, Organic, Nurture, LEAF Marque, and many other.
Nesrin Serin
Board Member
Nesrin, an industrial engineering graduate, has made significant contributions in Türkiye through her career and entrepreneurial ventures.
Starting as a research assistant and specialist in the early ’90s, she founded YÖNDES, a key management and process consulting firm, in 1993.
She later established USB Certification in 1998, which has gained international presence and plays a crucial role in Türkiye’s conformity assessment field. USB Certification has international companies in China, the UK, Italy, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Morocco, and Indonesia.
She is also actively involved in non-governmental organizations, holding leadership positions such as Founding President of the Agricultural Product Control and Certification Organizations Association and Vice Chairman of the HABİTAT Association, promoting sustainable development.
Spiros Migos
Board Member
Spiros Migos holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Diploma in Quality Management and Statistics from English and Greek Academic Institutions.
He has worked and acquired extensive work experience from a broad range of industrial sectors as an operations and production manager, before getting involved in certification as a qualified lead auditor and certification manager for various ISO Certification Schemes.
Since 2007, he is a Co-founder and the Director of Q-check P.C, an Independent Certification Body which provides Inspection and Certification Services against ISO17021, ISO17065 and related private certification schemes.
Daniel González
CEO
Daniel González has got a degree in Marine Sciences and is the Development Area and Operations Manager in ACERTA, a certification body operating in the agrifood and the R&D+I sectors with head office in Madrid (Spain).
He has got a broad national and international experience within the agrifood sector at production and management level in scopes as environment, food industry, fishing, aquaculture, and animal feed production, as well as at certification level in these scopes and in R&D+I, being responsible for coordination labors related to accreditation, new projects, and international coordination.