The people behind the World Opex Awards

With over 18 years of experience in operations transformation, he specializes in lean manufacturing, supply chain optimization, and digital transformation. Currently Group Head of Operational Excellence at Emmi Group, leading the design and global rollout of operational excellence across manufacturing and supply chain.

Previously held leadership roles at a KKR-backed business overseeing Group Services and Operations, led operational excellence and smart manufacturing at Hilti, and worked as a management consultant at Porsche Consulting driving transformation across industries.

Focused on building sustainable performance systems connecting strategy, leadership, and execution, he holds degrees in Production Engineering and Economic Engineering and has led initiatives across Europe, North America, and Latin America.

With over 35 years of experience in business excellence, operations, and supply chain leadership, he specializes in designing and embedding enterprise excellence management systems that transform organizations into high-performing ones delivering consistent, sustainable results. He currently serves as CEO of iEvolve in Excellence Philippines Corp, providing COO-level leadership to client organizations in strategy execution, operations excellence, and performance governance.

Previously at Nestle Philippines, he spent over a decade as an Executive Committee member reporting to the CEO, leading Nestle Continuous Excellence (NCE) across 13 business units with approximately PHP 170 billion in annual revenue. He led the embedding and institutionalization of NCE as an enterprise excellence management system, and drove end-to-end business transformation covering Source-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, Plan-to-Execute, and other core processes. At DuPont, he progressed from Head of Operations and Supply Chain to Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt for Asia-Pacific, leading manufacturing governance and audits across 80 sites, before being appointed Global Mindsets & Behavior Transformation Lead.

A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (DuPont), Certified Professional Coach (ICF), and APICS Supply Chain Management Certified professional, he holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Mapua University and completed programs in Negotiations and Manufacturing Excellence at the Asian Institute of Management.

With over 40 years of experience in automotive manufacturing and operations, he specializes in setting up and running manufacturing units, world-class manufacturing implementation, and new product launches across domestic and international markets, leading the business strategy and turn around for the organisation . A Champion for Sustainability, currently he serves as Chief Operating Officer at TATA Daewoo Mobility Company in South Korea, overseeing manufacturing operations.

Previously at Tata Motors, he held progressive leadership roles including Plant Head, Head of Manufacturing Operations for Passenger Cars, and Head of Quality for the Commercial Vehicle Business Unit. As Director of Manufacturing at FIAT India and New Holland Tractors, he led manufacturing operations over a combined 14 years. He spent 12 years at Eicher Motors (now a Volvo Group and Eicher Motors joint venture) in senior manufacturing management.

A Certified Six Sigma Champion through the American Society for Quality and Certified Independent Director from the World Council for Corporate Governance (UK), he also served as Mentor at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability and Leadership. He holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology and a PGDM in Operations.

With over 13 years of experience in operational excellence, asset management, and industrial engineering, he specializes in scaling TPM (JIPM), Lean Six Sigma, and reliability-driven transformation across complex multi-site and post-merger environments. He currently serves as Director of Reliability and Engineering at Amcor, overseeing plants across Latin America and leading the regional IWS (Integrated Work System) implementation.

Previously at Amcor, he led Operational Excellence for Latin America, co-creating and leading the regional Operational Excellence Program and delivering measurable improvements in cost, availability, and plant performance. At Tecumseh, he led the operational turnaround with a comprehensive cost reduction program. At Ball Corporation, he implemented TPM across multiple plants in South America, leading the Autonomous Maintenance and Workplace Organization master pillars.

He holds MBAs in Business Management from FGV and Project Management from USP/ESALQ, a Post-Grad in Finances from PUC/RS, and a degree in Materials Engineering from UFSCar. Certified in TPM and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

With over 20 years of experience in industrial operations and business excellence, he specializes in enterprise performance improvement, strategy execution, and large-scale process transformation across heavy industry environments. He currently serves as Head of Operations at Qatar Steel Company, where he leads integrated operations with a parallel focus on operational excellence, KPI governance, and structured improvement disciplines across the value chain.

Previously, he held operations and process engineering roles at Al Ezz Dekheila Steel (EZDK), where he led quality improvement, plant modernization, and production optimization initiatives that enhanced efficiency, reliability, and product consistency. He also designs and delivers capability-building programs as a corporate trainer and coach, having delivered hundreds of training hours across workshops in business excellence, Lean Six Sigma, BPM, and strategy execution in both English and Arabic.

A Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Certified Business Process Professional (CBPP-ABPMP), and PMI Agile Certified Practitioner, he holds a Master of Science in Materials Engineering from Alexandria University and a Mini MBA from The American University in Cairo.

With over 30 years of experience in operational excellence, he specializes in Toyota Production System (TPS) deployment, Lean leadership coaching, and organizational transformation across diverse industries. He is the Owner and Founder of Makoto Flow Ltd. in Japan, a TPS/Lean consultancy offering end-to-end optimization, leadership mindset coaching, Lean immersion tours to Japan, and talent development.

His advisory and hands-on strategies have been applied across 17 of the 19 most profitable industries globally, with the majority in Japan’s automotive sector. He serves as Lead Auditor for IATF 16949:2016 for several large European automotive companies. Concurrently, he works as Senior International Consultant at Korn Consult Group supporting European automotive suppliers in Japan, and as International Senior Advisor at Alvarez & Marsal driving transformational change through organizational assessments and P&L-impacting optimization.

Previously, he developed Lean management systems for Sands China, supported Lean deployment at Philips Health Systems over seven years, led consulting engagements at Givaudan, PACCAR, and Jabil, and served as Director of Kaizen Institute Singapore. He holds a BBA from the University of Maryland and completed the Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program.

Fabrizio Majorana is the CEO of the Six Sigma Management Institute, founded by Dr. Mikel Harry, the co-creator of Six Sigma. A globally recognized authority in quality, process excellence, and operational transformation, he brings three decades of leadership experience across motorsport, manufacturing, banking, and industry.

As Quality Leader at Ferrari Formula 1, Fabrizio helped the team secure eight FIA World Championships. He went on to serve as Design Quality Leader for Ferrari and Maserati road cars, Quality Six Sigma expert at Porsche, and Head of Processes and Quality Leader at General Electric. As global Chief Quality Officer at UniCredit Group, he led one of the largest quality transformations in European banking. To date, he has delivered over 450 efficiency projects across industrial sectors.

A member of the International Judging Panel for the Process Optimization Award, he has evaluated 200+ programs at 108 global companies. He is the author of Lean Banking and a regular keynote speaker at international conferences in New York, London, Singapore, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Orlando, Las Vegas, Miami, and Shanghai. His honors include Top 20 Dynamic CEO (UK, 2021), recognition among the 28 global MBB executives, and three international awards for defect reduction and Best Use of Six Sigma.

Prof. Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes is a Professor of Operations Management and Head of the Center for Supply Chain Improvement at the University of Derby. His work bridges academic research with industrial practice, helping organizations strengthen operational performance and supply chain effectiveness across sectors and geographies.

He has led major international research projects funded by the European Commission, British Academy, Innovate UK, British Council, and other national research bodies. His research output spans nearly 400 publications in leading journals and conferences, and nine books covering operations management, digital transformation, continuous improvement, performance measurement, and quality management.

He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Co-founder and Editor of the International Journal of Supply Chain and Operations Resilience, and Associate Editor for the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management. He has delivered over 30 keynote speeches internationally, and his research has informed policy documents produced by the European Commission, World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank, among others.

Recognized among the world’s most highly cited scientists for six consecutive years by Elsevier/Stanford, he is ranked among the top global scholars in Business and Management by Research.com and identified as a top 0.05% scholar globally by ScholarGPS. Before entering academia, he spent over eight years in production and operations roles across manufacturing organizations. He is a Chartered Engineer, Six Sigma Green Belt, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and Fellow of IEOM.

With over 25 years of experience spanning industry and academia in quality, regulatory affairs, and operational excellence, she specializes in Lean Six Sigma, Quality 4.0, and MedTech regulatory compliance. She is currently an Associate Professor in Regulatory Affairs and Operational Excellence at the University of Galway, Ireland, where she co-directs the Medical Technology Regulatory Affairs programs.

She has published over 160 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and edited books since 2021, and is featured in the Stanford University/Elsevier Top 2% most-cited authors globally for 2025. She serves as Associate Editor of TQM & Business Excellence, and on the editorial boards of Expert Review of Medical Devices, the International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, and the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management. She is a funded investigator on the EU Horizon-funded EU4MEDTECH project.

Prior to academia, she held quality and Six Sigma leadership roles at Dell, where she served as EMEA Supplier Quality Manager and Six Sigma Champion, and at Boston Scientific as Senior Quality Engineer. An ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, she holds a D.Phil from Middlesex University, an MBA from the University of Limerick, and an M.Sc in Quality & Reliability from the University of Galway.

With over 25 years of experience in supply chain and manufacturing operations, he specializes in strategy development, world-class manufacturing, and large-scale operational transformation across multi-country environments. He currently runs OI Consulting, focused on continuous improvement, operational diagnostics, and high-performance organization development.

Previously, he served as COO at ADM Brazil, leading end-to-end supply chain and operational excellence for the Animal Nutrition category. At Mondelez International, he headed E2E Supply Chain and Manufacturing Operations across Brazil and Colombia, and led the Latin America Supply Chain Excellence program across 27 manufacturing sites and 30 distribution centers, implementing World Class Manufacturing combined with Industry 4.0 concepts. At Tetra Pak, he led the global manufacturing excellence program across 34 factories in 24 countries, driving TPM/WCM deployment and establishing robust governance for continuous improvement. At Unilever, he spent a decade leading supply chain strategy deployment across 60+ sites in 15 countries, and directed two manufacturing plants with up to 1,300 employees.

He holds an Executive MBA from Fundacao Dom Cabral, completed the Supply Chain Management program at Harvard Business School, and holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from FEI.

With over 20 years of experience in continuous improvement and change leadership, Iryna Krushevska is a seasoned expert in Lean, Six Sigma, and large-scale operational transformations across global industrial sectors. She currently serves as Senior Continuous Improvement Manager at Paulig Group, where she drives operational excellence, capability building, and cross-site performance improvement.

Prior to Paulig, Iryna held multiple leadership roles at Barry Callebaut, including Gemba School Director—where she designed and deployed the learning and development journey for a Gemba‑Centric organization—and Regional Continuous Improvement Manager for EMEA food manufacturing plants.

Her background spans several high‑tech and highly regulated industries. At Airbus, she served as Lean Expert and Airbus Operating System Expert, defining Lean standards and supporting Final Assembly Line operations. At Merck, she led operational excellence initiatives for a pharmaceutical production site. As a management consultant, she delivered transformation programs across Europe and Asia, including R&D optimization for a USD 9B chemical company and Lean Hospital projects delivering a 15% performance improvement and EUR 500K in additional annual income.

Iryna holds a Master’s degree in International Economics from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Her career spans food manufacturing, aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, automotive, nuclear, and telecommunications—combining deep technical expertise with a passion for developing people and building sustainable, continuous improvement cultures.

With over 25 years of experience in industrial transformation, John Schouten specializes in operating model design, organizational effectiveness, and the deployment of industrial performance systems, including IWS/TPM and Lean, across global manufacturing and supply chain environments. He currently serves as Co-Founder and Operating Partner of ArdFior Sarl in Switzerland, and as a People & Transformation advisor with PwC Belgium, working at the intersection of organization design, leadership capability, and operational excellence.

Previously at Barry Callebaut Group for nearly 12 years, he led Global Manufacturing Organization and People Capability, driving high-performance organization design, process standards, and people capability development across 60+ factories worldwide. Earlier at Barry Callebaut, he led Global Operational Excellence and SHE, scaling industrial performance systems across a multi-site global network and delivering a 50M CHF net productivity program through targeted improvements in reliability, waste reduction, and overall equipment effectiveness. He also served as VP HR Global Cocoa, leading HR for 4,500 people across 16 factories spanning South America, the US, Africa, the EU, and APAC.

Prior to Barry Callebaut, he held senior leadership roles at Honeywell, HBOS, and IBM, and worked as a consultant at Shell. At IBM, he led post-acquisition integration of PwC Consulting and advised industrial clients on manufacturing performance improvement through structured operating systems and Lean methodologies. He holds a Bachelor of Technology (Honors) in Management with Industrial Engineering from Brunel University London.

With over 28 years of experience in continuous improvement and process transformation, he specializes in Lean Six Sigma deployment, business process re-engineering, and operational excellence.

He has worked globally across most sectors, including manufacturing, services, transactional, logistics, GMP, and process industry. He currently runs his own Lean Six Sigma consultancy providing training, coaching and consulting services for clients and other consultancy firms.

Previously, he held a principal consultant roll at another consultancy and prior to that was a Master Black Belt and continuous improvement manager at Invensys. Prior to moving into process improvement, he worked as an electrical engineer on one of the most advanced automotive manufacturing facilities in the World.

His approach is practical, people-first, and results-driven believing real change comes from empowering individuals while aligning with business goals. This approach has enabled him to deliver and coach through to completion over 470 projects saving clients over £100M.

A highly experienced trainer he has trained over 3,000 staff globally from White Belt through to Master Black Belt and C-suite executives.

He was certified as a Black Belt by the Six Sigma Academy in 1997 and as a Master Black Belt in 2001.

With over two decades of experience in operational excellence, he specializes in continuous improvement, Lean manufacturing, and operations management across aerospace, industrial, and consumer goods sectors. He currently serves as Board Advisor at Vanguard Industrial Holdings and as Senior Industrial Council Member and Educator at Gerson Lehrman Group, where he works with C-level executives on operational strategies, business process improvement, and Lean methodologies.

 Previously, he served as Director of Continuous Improvement at Pratt & Whitney, where he led engineering teams on projects that increased part throughput by 43% and saved $350,000 in monthly maintenance costs through Kaizen events and waste elimination programs. As Senior Business Consultant at ActionLink, he advised Fortune 500 manufacturing firms on operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives, earning numerous letters of accolade from clients for improving performance and revenue.

A Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and trained leader in fostering environments that drive operational efficiency, competitiveness, and results, he holds an MBA from Troy University (Magna Cum Laude) and a BS in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University.

With over 24 years of experience in business excellence and process transformation, he specializes in Lean Six Sigma deployment, business process re-engineering, and operational excellence across banking, financial services, healthcare, telecom, and insurance sectors. He currently serves as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt at NAB (National Australia Bank), driving innovation and a continuous improvement culture.

Previously, he held Master Black Belt roles at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, QBE Insurance, and Commonwealth Bank, where he led process re-engineering projects delivering 23 FTE savings through automation and coached frontline leadership to achieve operational excellence certification. As Vice President of Business Excellence at GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, he led 250+ professionals across the US, India, and Philippines, deploying quality management systems and driving Robotic Process Automation. At Maersk Global Service Centres, he delivered improvement projects across India, Manila, and China resulting in USD 230,000+ in savings. At IBM, he was awarded Going the Extra Mile three times for delivering the highest financial savings of USD 2 million annually.

An ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, he holds an MBA in Marketing from Savitribai Phule Pune University, India, and a BE in Production Engineering from AISSMS COEP.

With over 25 years of experience in operations, quality, and production management, he specializes in Lean manufacturing, process innovation, and business management systems across automotive and industrial sectors. He currently serves as National Technical Manager – After Sales and Corporate Quality, Environment, and Lean Manager at HPE Automotores do Brasil, where he leads quality governance, Lean deployment, and environmental compliance across the organization.

Previously, he held progressive leadership roles at Mitsubishi Motors Brasil over 13 years, managing quality, production systems, environmental compliance, and a pre-delivery modification center. He began his career at General Motors as a production and systems planner, implementing KANBAN and balanced programming that increased factory utilization from 80% to 95%. His track record includes delivering R$9 million in operational cost reductions, 7x reduction in product defects, and raising industrial waste recycling from 84% to 93%.

A Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (ASQ), Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma, and MIT Sloan alumnus in Improvement Strategies, he holds a Master’s in Business Management from ISCTE Lisbon and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from UNESP.

Seasoned pharma transformation leader with 22+ years of expertise in Pharma Operations and Operational Excellence, Lean Six Sigma, digital transformation, ESG, and enterprise-wide business excellence.

Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Continuous Improvement leader with 15+ years across Whirlpool, WestRock, and Smurfit Westrock, driving Lean transformation, manufacturing excellence, and large-scale operational performance across the USA and Brazil.

21+ years in operational excellence and business transformation. Global lean, digital, and portfolio management leadership across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and industrial manufacturing.

Operational excellence leader with 20+ years driving transformation across heavy industry. Expert in Lean, Six Sigma, and strategy execution, delivering measurable performance improvement and sustainable impact.

Manufacturing and operational excellence leader with 21+ years of experience driving Lean transformation, quality systems, digital manufacturing, and strategic growth across automotive sectors. Asia.

Operational excellence leader with 20+ years in TPM, WCM, and manufacturing excellence, driving reliability, OEE improvement, cost reduction, and continuous improvement globally.

20+ years driving Operational Excellence, Lean, and CI transformation across EMEA, APAC, USA & Middle East. Expert in Hoshin Kanri, Industry 4.0, Lean Six Sigma, and global manufacturing systems.

Lean Six Sigma and Toyota Kata leader with 30+ years in process improvement, PMO, design thinking, and Opex training, coaching Green and Black Belts to deliver measurable business impact worldwide.

20+ years in industrial operations and business excellence. Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt driving enterprise performance improvement, strategy execution, and large-scale transformation.

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt leading GSK’s site continuous improvement transformation. Strategic operational excellence and Lean leadership across pharmaceuticals, FMCG, and food manufacturing.

35+ years in operational excellence across 45 countries. Former Chairman & CEO, Juran Institute. Juror for Baldrige, EFQM, UAE Quality Awards, and Australian benchmarking. IAQ Academician, author.

DFSS Master Black Belt, retired Medtronic Senior Director and Technical Fellow. Author of Flawless Launches. 30+ years leading record-breaking product launches across Medtronic and Motorola.

20+ years driving enterprise operational excellence across Fortune 500 aerospace, defense, and industrial firms. Expert in Lean learning, culture transformation, and large-scale capability building.

Award-winning Continuous Improvement leader and ASQ Master Black Belt with 20+ years of expertise in Lean Six Sigma, business transformation, WCM, and operational excellence.

22+ years in Operational Excellence and E2E transformation across industries; experience with ABB, Bosch, Denso; expert in Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, digital transformation globally

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with 19+ years designing scalable operating models. Drives operational excellence and EBIT impact across medical devices, manufacturing, and retail in LATAM & APAC.

Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Shingo, PMP, CSCP. 35+ years driving global operational excellence, quality, and supply chain transformations across medical device, pharma, and automation.

15+ years in Business Excellence across Praj, GMR, ReNew, and Tata Power. Certified Malcolm Baldrige, EFQM 2025, HR Excellence Assessor, and CQI IRCA Lead Auditor for ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001.

Operational Excellence leader with 20+ years of experience in Lean Six Sigma, change management and continuous improvement, driving transformation and customer-focused warehousing excellence.

21+ years in continuous improvement, quality, and business transformation. Global Continuous Improvement leadership across manufacturing, quality, supplier excellence, digital transformation, and enterprise performance.

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and industrial engineer with expertise in TPS, Lean transformation, Agile, operational excellence, supply chain, manufacturing systems, and process improvement.

Industrial performance expert with 26+ years’ experience driving Lean transformation across industries. Specialist in Lean, Six Sigma, and supply chain, delivering measurable and sustainable results.

16+ years in operations transformation across pharma, biotech, electronics, and medical devices. Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, author, and PhD researcher bridging AI with operational excellence.

30+ years in operational excellence, strategy execution, and leadership coaching. Expert in Lean Six Sigma, business transformation, and helping SMEs build scalable systems for sustainable growth.

Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Advanced Scrum Master. 25+ years driving enterprise-wide operational excellence across financial services, supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution.

Operational Excellence leader with 19+ years in manufacturing, Lean, TPM, OEE, maintenance, and CI, driving systems, shopfloor discipline, and sustainable performance improvement.

Operational leadership coach and Certified Master Black Belt with 30+ years in Lean, Six Sigma, coaching, and transformation, helping leaders strengthen execution, judgment, and sustainable performance.

Researcher and educator in operational excellence, Lean 4.0/5.0, service engineering, and value co-creation. Published author with extensive contributions to OPEX theory and practice across industrial and service sectors.

JMAC-certified TPM Instructor and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. 30+ years driving global operational excellence, asset reliability, and supplier quality in food, electronics, & FMCG ops.

30+ years in TPM, lean manufacturing, and operational excellence. Led TDK Nashik from TPM kickoff to JIPM Special Award, with deep expertise across electronics, automotive, and packaging manufacturing.

Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt supporting SME manufacturers through hands-on operational excellence, driving process improvement, cost efficiency, and sustainable performance across plant operations.

15+ years driving Continuous Improvement and Lean Six Sigma across TE Connectivity, Eaton, and Honeywell. Operating system deployment, supply chain transformation, and leadership development globally.

40+ years in quality management and Six Sigma. Founder of Quality Gurus Inc., training 300,000+ professionals worldwide. Formerly Director II, Quality & Continuous Improvement, Fluor Canada.

25+ years in operations and supply chain excellence. Lean Six Sigma MBB, productivity improvement, and quality across manufacturing and mining.

Executive coach and leadership trainer with 20+ years bridging Lean Six Sigma and human capability development. Master Black Belt and ICF Professional Certified Coach. Built leadership programs at Apple, Stripe, and Adobe.

25+ years driving Corporate Quality, Operational Excellence, Lean Six Sigma, and Business Excellence across automotive and manufacturing sectors, leading enterprise transformation, digital quality, and culture excellence initiatives.

Quality and business excellence leader with 20+ years in automotive and manufacturing, driving TQM, TPM, Lean Six Sigma, ESG, quality systems, and operational excellence across multi-site organizations.

30+ years in Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence executive leadership, coupled with academic leadership of the Operations and Industrial Management programs at the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business, and recipient of the 2026 EXCEL Award for Undergraduate Teaching.

PhD, author, and creator of Leaner Six Sigma. Former ASQ Lean Enterprise Division Chair driving simpler process improvement across biopharma, manufacturing, government, FinTech, and biotech.

Operations and P&L leader with 20+ years in pharma, CRO, and specialty chemicals, driving Lean Six Sigma, digital transformation, EBITDA improvement, and business excellence.

Industrial and supply chain leader with 26+ years driving WCM, TPM, Lean, P&L turnaround, and operational excellence across food, packaging, and cement sectors.

Operational excellence and industrial transformation leader with 20+ years of global manufacturing experience across Nestlé, Bel, and Danone. Expert in Lean, TPM, digital transformation, and manufacturing performance improvement.

20+ years in manufacturing and operational excellence across pharma, chemicals, advanced materials, and FMCG. Lean Six Sigma leader driving cost, yield, throughput, and quality improvement.