EiQ names Gary Francis chief technology officer

EiQ by LRQA appointed Gary Francis as chief technology officer on Aug. 19, 2026, as the supply chain risk and sustainability due diligence platform increases investment in product and technology. The move is aimed at speeding development, expanding the platform’s use and helping clients meet rising compliance demands.

Why it matters: - EiQ is deepening its technology bench as due diligence rules become harder to track across major markets. - The company is investing to move faster on product development and to stay closer to client requirements. - The appointment supports broader use of EiQ by legal, procurement and responsible sourcing teams.

What happened: - EiQ by LRQA appointed Gary Francis as chief technology officer. - Francis joins EiQ from Omnio, where he served as chief product and technology officer. - The appointment was announced on Aug. 19, 2026.

The details: - Francis has spent much of his career leading technology teams and building software platforms in regulated industries. - His background includes work across payments and financial services. - His recent focus has been data platforms and the impact of AI on engineering teams. - EiQ said the hire reflects renewed investment in technology to accelerate product development. - EiQ's platform combines proprietary audit data from LRQA's responsible sourcing programme with analytics and media scans. - The platform is designed to help global brands manage labour, health and safety, and environmental standards across supply chains. - EiQ says growing due diligence regulation is increasing demand for faster ways to evidence compliance. - EiQ uses artificial intelligence, proprietary data and analytics to support end-to-end supply chain due diligence and monitoring. - The platform also helps companies monitor supply chain performance in real time, improve supplier visibility and make data-driven decisions.

Between the lines: - The hire signals EiQ is treating AI and data infrastructure as core to its next phase of growth, not just support functions. - Kevin Franklin, EiQ's CEO, framed the move as part of a wider push for more skills, more resourcing and faster delivery with AI at the core. - Francis said companies are now being asked to prove supply chain claims that were optional five years ago, and that the evidence must hold up. - Francis also pointed to EiQ's combination of audited data and on-the-ground expertise as a difficult capability to build and copy.

What's next: - EiQ plans to keep expanding its product and technology as regulation and AI evolve. - The company is targeting a broader user base as compliance demands rise. - Francis will help evolve EiQ's platform capability with the existing team.

The bottom line: - EiQ is betting that stronger technical leadership will help it build faster, prove compliance more clearly and stay competitive in a fast-changing supply chain risk market.