When Kaizen Institute founder Masaaki Imai referred to me as one of his best students, helping spread the true meaning of Kaizen across fields including banking, healthcare, local government and accounting, it was an accolade indeed.
My personal philosophy is very well - aligned with the Kaizen philosophy and methodology. K aizen emphasises respect for other people and real every day, everywhere continuous improvement by everyone, thereby unleashing the power and creativity of an organisation’s greatest asset: its people. I believe that my practical experience from the busine ss world, as well as personal application, take the implementation of the Kaizen philosophy beyond the academic or theoretical concepts.
I’ve worked in the Service Sector since 1988 building expertise in the services areas that include healthcare, banking, process manufacturing, discreet manufacturing, distribution and logistics. I completed an M.Com (Strategic Management) before joining Ernst & Young Management consulting in South Africa (3 years) and New Zealand (4 years) specialising in Business Process Improvement, Supply Chain Management and Strategy. I then worked for Carter Holt Harvey Wood Products as Supply Chain Development Manager across New Zealand and Australia sites. At the time, CHH was owned by International Paper. I became Co - founder and Ope rations Manager for a CHH new venture company, Straightedge, selling and delivering e - business and innovative Do - it - Yourself software solutions into North America.
In 2005 I was appointed as the CEO and Managing Director for Kaizen Institute New Zealand. I n 2010 I was also appointed as Australasia Leader. I’m the current president of the NZ Chapter of AME (Association for Manufacturing Excellence) and the chairman of the New Zealand Lean Leadership Network (NZLLN). I’m also a past - president of the CSCMP (Co uncil for Supply Chain Management Professionals) Kiwi Roundtable.
In my role I’ve had the privilege to work with a team of global and local consultants to deliver Lean Transformation to organisations, in healthcare, retail, tertiary education, provision an d utilities, manufacturing, food product manufacturing and distribution (FMCG and fresh product).
I’m passionate about working with organisations and their leadership teams who want to instil a true Kaizen culture in their operations. We’re helping them fu lly realise the potential of their staff by engaging them to add value and to drive excellence to their customers.
It’s extraordinarily rewarding to know that our team is applying Kaizen in our own operation and that we’ve made a difference by helping so many businesses succeed in ways that wouldn’t have been possible without Kaizen.
