The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has announced the promotion of Shirley Dewi to the position of executive vice president of IAPMO R&T. In her new leadership capacity, Dewi will assume full strategic direction and comprehensive oversight for the organization’s vital certification and compliance operations. Her expansive portfolio will directly encompass Product Certification, the Systems Certification Body (SCB), and Continuous Compliance, positioning her to steer the organization through its next major phase of development.
Dewi’s longstanding career with IAPMO has been defined by exceptional leadership, deep industry expertise, and an unwavering commitment to operational excellence. These attributes have proven instrumental to the sustained success, expansion, and market reputation of IAPMO R&T. Within her elevated role, Dewi will act as a guiding force for the organization’s ongoing evolution and innovation. She will focus heavily on strengthening cross-functional collaboration across all certification and compliance divisions, ensuring that the organization continues to advance its core mission of safeguarding public health and safety on a global scale.
IAPMO CEO Dave Viola expressed immense confidence in Dewi’s capabilities and her proven track record within the enterprise. Noting her trajectory, Viola emphasized that Dewi has consistently demonstrated extraordinary leadership qualities throughout her tenure with the organization.
"Shirley has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout her career with IAPMO, and she has consistently shown the ability to grow programs, build strong relationships, and take on new challenges," said IAPMO CEO Dave Viola. "Her extensive experience in certification, standards development, and organizational management makes her exceptionally well positioned to lead IAPMO R&T into its next chapter. We are confident her leadership will strengthen collaboration, drive operational excellence, and create new opportunities for the future of R&T."
Dewi’s journey with the organization began nearly two decades ago in 2007 when she joined IAPMO R&T. Prior to taking on full-time internal leadership responsibilities, she built a robust professional background working as a quality manager within the competitive plastic injection molding and electronics industries. In addition to her manufacturing expertise, she also served as a contract auditor for IAPMO R&T and worked as an operations analyst for Lockheed Martin IMS. Her academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in business management earned from Cal Poly Pomona, providing her with a solid foundation in organizational strategy and systemic management.
Since officially joining the IAPMO R&T team, Dewi has steadily ascended through a series of increasingly senior leadership positions. Over the years, she has played a central, hands-on role in conceptualizing and executing the expansion of the organization’s diverse certification services. Early in her tenure, while operating as the manager of Management System Registration Services, she successfully spearheaded initiatives to broaden the department’s operational scope far beyond its traditional foundations in the plumbing and mechanical industries. Through her strategic vision, the department began serving a much wider array of complex industries and institutional entities, including aerospace firms, educational institutions, government bodies, and major oil refineries.
Building upon this success, Dewi was later named senior vice president of the department, during which time she expertly oversaw its formal and strategic transition into the Systems Certification Body (SCB). Under her direct guidance, the SCB has substantially broadened its management systems certification capabilities. Today, the division provides rigorous third-party auditing and certification services across an extensive array of highly regulated industries. These range from aerospace, medical devices, and advanced manufacturing to environmental management systems, occupational health and safety, and information security.
The expanded portfolio engineered under Dewi’s leadership enables diverse organizations to demonstrate formal conformance with internationally recognized standards. Furthermore, it provides vital ongoing monitoring and evaluation processes designed to support continued certification and regulatory compliance over the long term.
Beyond her domestic and operational achievements within the United States, Dewi’s strategic leadership has also been fundamentally instrumental to IAPMO’s considerable international growth, most notably in Indonesia. She played a pivotal, hands-on role in collaborative efforts and stakeholder dialogues that ultimately contributed to Indonesia’s historic adoption of a comprehensive national plumbing standard. This standard was directly modeled upon IAPMO’s globally recognized Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). Furthermore, her efforts aided in the successful establishment of PT IAPMO Group Indonesia, an operational entity that now provides localized and international testing, inspection, certification, and training services tailored to both the domestic Indonesian market and the broader global arena.
Reflecting on her promotion and the path ahead, Dewi expressed deep gratitude for the organizational trust placed in her abilities as she steps into the executive suite.
"I am honored by the trust and confidence IAPMO has placed in me through this promotion and grateful for the opportunity to serve in this new role," Dewi said. "I am excited for the future and the opportunities ahead for IAPMO R&T. Together with our talented team and through strong collaboration across our organization, we will continue building upon IAPMO R&T’s decades of customer excellence, technical credibility, and trusted service while driving innovation and speed to market to better serve our customers and industry partners."
In her capacity as executive vice president, Dewi will maintain a hands-on approach to steering the strategic direction and coordination across Product Certification, the Systems Certification Body, and Continuous Compliance. Her day-to-day focus will remain sharply centered on cultivating operational excellence, fostering interdepartmental collaboration, encouraging proactive innovation, and ensuring the continued, sustainable growth of IAPMO R&T as it addresses the evolving needs of the modern industrial landscape.
