Xiao Chen Named as 2026 Recipient of Ross Koeser Achievement Award

FOR RELEASE:  1/14/26

ICPHSO Honors Xiao Chen as 2026 Ross Koeser Achievement Award Recipient

Mt.  Laurel, NJ — January 14, 2026 — The International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) is pleased to announce that Xiao Chen has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Ross Koeser Achievement Award, one of the organization’s highest honors.

The Ross Koeser Achievement Award is presented annually in honor of Ross Koeser, ICPHSO’s founding member and first Executive Director. The award recognizes an ICPHSO member who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and made significant, lasting contributions to the organization and its mission to protect consumer health and safety worldwide.

Xiao Chen, Vice President, Premiums Assurance & Quality at Intertek, is an internationally recognized expert in risk assessment, with a professional focus on the application of risk modeling across a diverse range of business and governmental issues, from consumer product safety to corporate social responsibility. Throughout her career, she has worked with numerous national and international corporations and associations to improve product safety across the entire product lifecycle—from concept and design through distribution.

In addition to her technical expertise, Xiao brings strong business operation management skills, exceptional organizational ability, and extensive experience managing multiple programs and complex projects simultaneously. She has a proven record of success working with multidisciplinary, cross-functional, and cross-cultural teams, supported by excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Highly motivated and deeply dedicated to advancing consumer product safety, Xiao’s work has had a meaningful and lasting impact on the global product safety community.

Xiao has also demonstrated outstanding leadership within ICPHSO. She previously served on the ICPHSO Board of Directors, including a term as Program Chair for the 2022 ICPHSO Annual Meeting and Training Symposium and President in 2022.

“Xiao’s leadership, expertise, and unwavering commitment to ICPHSO exemplify the spirit and values that Ross Koeser instilled in this organization from its inception,” said Marc Schoem, ICPHSO Executive Director. “Her contributions have strengthened ICPHSO’s collaborative community and advanced its mission to improve consumer product safety through education, networking, and information sharing.”

Xiao Chen will be formally recognized and presented with the award during the ICPHSO 2026 Annual Meeting and Training Symposium, which is being held in Orlando, Florida, February 23-26, 2026.

She joins a distinguished group of past recipients whose work has helped shape ICPHSO and the broader consumer product safety community.

Previous Ross Koeser Achievement Award Recipients include:

• 2025: Don Kornblet
• 2024: Pinuccia Contino
• 2023: Rod Freeman
• 2022: Bob Adler
• 2021: Sean Oberle
• 2020: Nancy Cowles
• 2019: Marc Schoem
• 2018: Carol Pollack-Nelson
• 2017: David Schmeltzer
• 2016: Joan Lawrence
• 2015: Ross Koeser

ICPHSO congratulates Xiao Chen on this well-deserved recognition and looks forward to celebrating her achievements with members and stakeholders at the 2026 Annual Meeting and Training Symposium.

About ICPHSO
The International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) is a global, member-driven organization dedicated to protecting consumer health and safety by providing a forum for education, collaboration, and information exchange among regulators, manufacturers, retailers, laboratories, consultants, and consumer advocates.