What is the Good Housekeeping Institute doing to mark its 100th anniversary? 

The GHI is keeping busy in its 100^th year. We’ve launched a series of awards programmes in food, sleep and beauty to highlight all the amazing products we’re testing. We’re also launching VIP Awards at the end of the year to focus on all the fantastic innovation in consumer products that we’re seeing coming through – think connected home appliances, exercise mirrors and sleep gadgets. Finally, we’re moving into Parenting as a new category, which feeds nicely into our testing pillars. We’re tapping into consumers new to a market, who are looking for advice and rely on trusted reviews to help them choose the right product for them.  

What have been the main ingredients to the success of accreditation at the GHI? 

The main ingredient for success in accreditation is the trust that consumers have in GHI reviews. It’s the single biggest driver in our arsenal. We’ve earned this trust over the last 100 years through the consistency and quality of our testing processes and product reviews. While we’ll of course be expanding into new areas over the next century, that cornerstone of trust will remain the same.  

How has the GHI built up trust with consumers and clients? 

We’ve built trust by being a reliable source of useful information for consumers. We test the products they want to buy in the way that consumers use them, through both experts at the GHI and consumer testers at home, then write about them in a way they understand. It’s all about helping people with their purchase decision process in the most accessible way. Our reviews are open to anyone, so you don’t need to be a GH reader to benefit from the GHI. 

What more can magazine brands be doing to build trust in a world of perceived ‘fake news’ and AI? 

Consistent advice in an inconsistent world – if people know they can turn to you, as a magazine brand, to help them navigate the world, brand loyal consumers will follow. 

How do you balance the drive for commercial success with trust and unbiased testing/reporting when it comes to accreditation? 

The balance is an easy one for us to maintain – we prioritise being unbiased and process driven across all of our testing. A product coming from one of our biggest partners will be treated in the same way as a product from a brand we’ve not worked with before. If a product doesn’t perform well enough to be featured in our review round ups or to carry the GHI Approved endorsement at point of sale, then it won’t be featured or have access to the logo. 

And finally, what has been your favourite moment during your time at the GHI? 

My favourite moment at the GHI was the launch of our first standalone test site in Soho. We had a big party for everyone at the brand and friends of the brand – a real ‘pinch me’ we’ve done it moment. That, and seeing the first endorsement I worked on, sold out in real life, and pointing it out to my kids.