When you look at our team, you won’t find career consultants—you’ll find hands-on practitioners who have held top leadership positions in world-class companies. Whatever challenges your company is facing, you’ll have one of our trusted experts by your side, helping you move the needle. By way of introducing our dedicated team, please allow us to present the founder of Lean Focus, Damon Baker, and his Division Leaders:
Damon’s been implementing lean practices in various GM & VP-level capacities for more than 20 years, but it was at Danaher that his passion for true business transformation was born. After successfully developing Danaher’s now-universal Problem-Solving Process, Damon was inspired to create a new, more comprehensive business system that enables organizations to improve on all fronts—not just Lean. Today, that system is known as the Lean Focus Business System™, and it is not only the foundation on which Lean Focus was formed, it is the method with which businesses all over the world are able to transform for the better, and for the long term.
Damon is a natural leader with an approachable, down-to-business demeanor. He’s well-known for his candor, his insightful feedback, and his unique ability to motivate teams with transformative methods. He was recently named an In Business “2021 Executive of the Year.”
John has held executive and leadership roles with public and private equity backed companies including Teradyne, Danaher, Rego, Coveris, and TC Transcontinental. More than half of his career has been spent in P&L leadership roles leading transformational change through the use of growth tools and Lean operating principles. Successive leadership roles based in Asia and the US gave John a broad understanding of how to navigate cultural differences to deliver results in global teams.
John is passionate about applying and refining strategic planning, commercialization, and lean tools to accelerate core growth, build high performing teams, and deliver best in class profitability.
Sue has over 30 years of experience in talent acquisition and placement services. She has been a key resource ranging from major Fortune 1000 companies to small- and mid-level sized operations seeking talent with major Business System and cultural transformation experience and influencer characteristics. Her understanding of continuous improvement role requirements and risks/opportunities is tied to her long-term experience working with the cultural development of these types of performance-driven organizations.
Sue is an expert in talent assessment and selection, executive recruitment, professional networking, coaching and emerging leader identification.
Kevin has over 30 years of experience in leading and driving business transformation through Lean process improvement. Over the past 20+ years, Kevin has led companies as an entrepreneurial owner, as CEO of a Private Equity backed business, as a P&L division leader of several divisions of Danaher and Fortive and a for a fast growing, founder-owned company. Leveraging what he learned from these roles and ownership structures, Kevin has the ability to help organizations develop continuous improvement transformation cultures which can unlock value and growth.
KEVIN MAINTAINS A PASSION FOR CONTINUOUS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AND CREATING VALUE THROUGH STRATEGY & STRATEGY DEPLOYMENT, OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT, WORKING CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND GROWTH INITIATIVES.
Torsten has been a practitioner of Lean principles for more than 25 years. Since learning from Komatsu Lean Consultants the first Lean tools, he has led business transformations that have resulted in recognition from Danaher including “Best Plant World-Wide within Danaher” in 2015 and 2016. He has held ever-increasing roles of responsibility, including Global Vide-President of Danaher’s most advanced Lean maturity business in Hach. Most recently, at Wilkhahn, he drove improvement at all levels of the company to get sustainable results using Lean principles.
Torsten is the quintessential Lean leader that leads with humility and gets results through others. He has a proven track record of building sustainable Lean cultures and a hands-on leadership style. Effective communication at all levels and strong problem-solving skills are the foundation of his work style.
As a Lean Focus leader overseeing the operations of the business, April has insights to driving culture transformation applications within the Growth, Lean and Leadership toolset. April is known for her holistic approach to problem-solving with a deep dive into analytics, while driving up engagement and empowerment amongst team members. With a proven track record and the skills to match, April knows what it takes to drive leadership, growth, and lean transformation in today’s competitive marketplace.
April is focused on helping you drive real results. She’s proactive, collaborative, and cares about your business as if it were her own.
Michael has more than 20+ years of experience in key management roles within Operations, Quality and R&D for such companies as Carlsberg, Beckman Coulter, Novozymes, ESKO, Spectris, Radiometer and Danaher.
Within Lean Focus he helps organizations to setup tailormade business systems and, provide hands-on coaching in Operations management focusing on customer needs, basic leadership skills and culture transformation.
Michael is passionate about delivering sustainable results through gemba-oriented leadership and coaching the fundamentals of Lean at all levels of the organization.
Stan served as the Chairman and CEO of HNI Corporation for 14 years. HNI is a Fortune 1000 company that is globally recognized as a World-Class, lean benchmark, and is well-respected for its accomplishments in the Lean community. Stan is a “Lean Hall of Fame” Inductee to the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Academy. Stan has served as a Board Member for: Allison Transmission, Armstrong World Industries, and Artic Cat. As the penultimate Lean Leader, Stan has inspired thousands of his associates to drive performance improvements and established a powerful global presence by leading, coaching, and teaching from the frontlines.
Stan is an expert problem solver who works by your side, leading the Lean charge, and motivating your team to create lasting cultural improvements with a truly hands-on approach.
Over the past 30 years, Guy has championed the Human Resource function for such companies as Danaher, Vestas, PAREXEL, and Addivant. But Guy has excelled well beyond his basic HR responsibilities—he has become specialized in organization development, having successfully developed and implemented Lean Culture Systems within numerous enterprises. It’s because of this extensive experience working with Executive Leadership to develop business vision and strategy that he has been so successful in making top-to-bottom organizational improvements.
Guy is a high-energy and highly motivated mentor who isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves. He leads, coaches, teaches, and drives action through passion and inspiration.
As a President, COO, and CEO, he led ten businesses through various stages of transformation in their continuous improvement journeys. Bill started his career in engineering before moving into product management, engineering management, and product line management. Bill acquired his lean process improvement expertise during his time at Danaher where he held President roles for three businesses. Following his tenure at Danaher, as CEO he utilized his lean leadership approach to guide successful transformations of two, small-cap, public companies.
Bill is a fact-based, process-oriented leader who builds best-in-class enterprises using rigorous strategic planning and Lean best practices. He has consistently aligned people, plans, and processes to create market-leading enterprises.
