Improvement, Continuity and Sustainability Group
The Improvement, Continuity and Sustainability (ICS) Group strengthens how CERN works today while preparing it for tomorrow.
It drives continuous improvement, builds organisational resilience, and ensures transparency in how CERN delivers on sustainability—reinforcing public trust in the Organization beyond its reputation for world-class scientific collaboration and operating at the frontier of scientific exploration.
ICS brings together cross-functional expertise to support departments, align efforts across the Organization, and maintain an open dialogue with stakeholders:
ICS promotes a culture of continuous improvement across CERN.
Reporting to the Site Operations Board and aligned to the Organization’s strategic priorities, the team identifies high-impact improvement opportunities, pilots practical solutions, and tracks measurable gains. It collaborates with LEAN* experts and technical teams across CERN to deliver cross-functional projects. Alongside this, ICS develops process improvement training and communication initiatives to embed continuous improvement in CERN’s everyday practices and culture.
The resilience function integrates risk management, crisis preparedness, and business continuity management in a single, coherent resilience framework.
By benchmarking against international standards, aligning with Host State expectations and raising performance across the three domains, the ICS Resilience function ensures that CERN is prepared, responsive and resilient. Clear communication of CERN’s resilience effots and ambitions further build confidence and awareness.
The CERN Sustainability Office develops and coordinates implementation of the organisation’s ESG strategy. It integrates social and governance priorities alongside CERN’s existing environmental actions, ensuring their alignment with CERN’s mission, values, and strategic objectives. The Sustainability Office works transversally across departments and ensures CERN’s sustainability actions are consistent and joined-up.
Sustainability progress is shared through regular, in-depth reporting and targeted communications to achieve meaningful engagement and earn public trust.
How ICS works
Across all three functions, ICS works transversally, playing a central coordinating role backed up with high levels of collaboration and support. It actively seeks feedback and fosters continuous dialogue to ensure its activities remain relevant, impactful, and aligned with CERN’s evolving needs.
Group Leader: Jonathan Drakeford
Deputy Group Leader: Lucy Lockwood
Mandate of the ICS Group
The Improvement, Continuity and Sustainability Group drives process improvements and builds organisational resilience for both the immediate and the longer term. Cross-functional experts support the CERN community and ensure public trust in the Organization by establishing a culture of continuous improvement and by openly communicating CERN’s sustainability actions. Further, by creating a centrally integrated resource for risk management, business continuity, and crisis preparedness, the Group consolidates, clarifies and advances CERN’s activities in these domains. ICS collaborates closely with all departments across CERN and seeks continuous feedback and dialogue.
*LEAN: Lean (Six Sigma) is a process improvement method that uses a collaborative team effort to improve performance by systematically removing operational waste and reducing process variation (Wikipedia).