Chris Richards is a business transformation leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering improvement programs across a wide range of industries. He supports clients across strategy deployment, operational excellence, visual performance management, business operating systems, executive and leadership coaching, and culture change.

Chris began his Lean journey in 2001 in the UK automotive sector, working with world-class manufacturers including Aston Martin, Jaguar, Ford, and Toyota. This experience gave him a deep foundation in Lean Six Sigma methodologies, which he uses to help clients achieve lasting increases in operational capability and profitability.

Since moving into consulting in 2006, Chris has delivered millions in savings and profit improvements for a variety of organizations. His work has included leading a supply chain development program for an automotive OEM that achieved $22 million in savings, creating a Continuous Improvement framework for a medical device company that delivered $18 million in savings over five years, and reducing a global automotive manufacturer’s annual warranty costs by $3 million per year.

Chris has also overhauled the performance management system of a major UK infrastructure program to stabilize delivery and mitigate cost and schedule overruns. In addition, he helped take a Vancouver-based start-up service company from debt and deficit to 4X growth in two years.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of British Columbia and was certified as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt through the Ford system.