Keynote

The Keynote at ISPCE 2011 will focus on the importance and challenges of standards development in sustainability.  Discussion will cover both challenges in sustainable standards and in balancing the need for traditional electrical and fire safety with the increasing importance of the environment


Keynote Bio:

STEPHEN H. WENC
President UL Environment Inc.
President & Managing Director – Europe & Latin America

Stephen Wenc is President of UL Environment Inc.  He is responsible for leading UL’s environmental services business, which provides environmental testing, assessment, certification and training services for companies around the world.  Mr. Wenc is responsible for the development and execution of the strategies for UL Environment, as well as the performance and growth of UL’s business in this new and dynamic field.  UL Environment is developing sustainability standards for products and companies, along with testing, evaluation and certification to UL Environment and other standards.

Mr. Wenc also serves as President & Managing Director – Europe & Latin America of Underwriters Laboratories Inc.  In this role, Mr. Wenc is responsible for leading UL’s business in Europe and Latin America.  He is charged with the development and execution of corporate strategies with a particular focus on the growth of UL’s business in European testing and certification.  He leads the regional teams responsible for managing UL’s operations and business in Europe and Latin America to accomplish corporate objectives and to meet or exceed safety, operational, financial and employee satisfaction performance measures. 

Mr. Wenc previously served as UL’s Senior Vice President – Lean Six Sigma Operations from September 2006 through May 2008.  Mr. Wenc was responsible for leading UL’s global process improvement and the cultural changes that provide the foundation for those improvements.  UL is utilizing Lean and Six Sigma as the basis for driving process improvement and culture change globally.  Mr. Wenc led a team of more than twenty Lean Six Sigma Blackbelts and was also responsible for directing and coordinating global, regional and local teams focused on process improvement and change leadership around the world.

Mr. Wenc formerly served as UL’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from January 2004 through September 2008.  In that role, Mr. Wenc was responsible for representing UL’s legal interests in all domestic and global activities, providing counsel to internal clients on legal issues, defending the company in litigation, and managing operations of the Legal Department.  He also served as general counsel and secretary of UL’s affiliate organizations.   Mr. Wenc also had responsibility for directing UL’s Anti-Counterfeiting group, championing quality improvement, and building UL’s Ethics & Compliance program. 

Previously, Mr. Wenc served as UL’s Managing Corporate Counsel for the Americas with direct responsibility for all corporate law issues for UL’s operations in the U.S., Canada and Latin America.  From January 1999 through January 2004, he worked with UL’s operations in Europe and Asia on a variety of matters including antitrust law, contracting, joint ventures and strategic alliances.

Before joining UL in January 1999, Mr. Wenc was an associate and then partner with the law firm of Bell, Boyd and Lloyd in Chicago, Illinois, USA.  Mr. Wenc was a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation group and represented mid- and large-cap publicly traded and privately held companies including UL, Baxter, Caremark, Waste Management, Liquid Carbonic/Praxair and Blockbuster.

Mr. Wenc received his bachelor’s degree with honors in Government from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.  He attended the University of Notre Dame from August 1984 through May 1988.  Mr. Wenc earned his Juris Doctorate degree, also with honors, from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.  He attended Georgetown from August 1988 through May 1991.