Rosie Mansfield - Managing Director - French Waterways
Rosie is Managing Director at French Waterways, her newly acquired business is the leading independent specialist in barge cruise reservations, offering the most extensive selection of luxury hotel barges as well as river cruise and hire boat options in France.
Rosie's ecommerce experience spans over 17 years and she previously served on the Central Steering Committee of Ireland’s leading eLearning Research Centre Learnovate at Trinity College Dublin and represented South Cork LEO as their Leading Light for National Woman’s Enterprise Day 2022.
A member of the South West Lean Forum, Rosie strives to share Lean learning experiences with a particular voice for micro businesses across the South West Region.
Aidan Kelly - Skillnet Business Manager - ICBE
Claude Costelloe - Director of Operations and Supply Chain - Digital Manufacturing Ireland
Claude has over 25 years’ experience in operations leadership roles in the MedTech sector, and prior to joining DMI he was Site Director at Zimmer Biomet with responsibility for both its Ireland manufacturing facilities. An engineering graduate of the University of Limerick and a holder of a Black Belt in Lean, he is a strong advocate of continuous improvement as a key strategy to improve the competitiveness of any organisation. At Zimmer Biomet, Claude’s focus was to use continuous improvement as an enabler to improve all elements of the business around quality, delivery, lead time, and cost. A Limerick native, he is very keen to ensure that the Mid-West is a vibrant, growing ‘centre of excellence’ for continuous improvement enabled by the Mid-West Lean Network, as a means of sustaining and growing investment in the region.
Jo Ann Garbutt - Digital Realty- Director Sustainability and Government Engagement
A well-rounded Organizational Development professional with a reputation for delivering transformational outcomes across a variety of projects and on an international scale. Specialties: Sustainability, Program Management, Change Management
My bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and construction site experience contributed to a pragmatic and data-driven approach to understanding and solving challenges involved in delivering on the Environmental outcomes required, and a commitment to finding the best solutions towards excellence and sustainability. With a commitment to inclusive approaches and strategic and systems thinking, my master’s degree in Organization Development supports my understanding of the Governance and Social aspects of sustainability. Over 20 years of proven accomplishment working across cultures, geographic regions, functions, and organizational levels. Multiple industries: technology, logistics, supply chain, construction, manufacturing.
My engineering background has given me a pragmatic and data-driven approach to business challenges, and a commitment to finding the best solutions towards operational excellence and sustainability. I augment my international experience in dynamic and complex environments with a Master’s degree in Organizational Development.
Billy Creavin - Associate Director Business Process Excellence - Novo Nordisk Production Ireland LTD
Dr Olivia McDermott - Associate Professor in Operational Excellence - University of Galway
Dr. Olivia McDermott is an Associate Professor in Operational Excellence in the University of Galway. She has over 15 years industry experience working in senior roles in Quality management and as a self-employed Lean Six Sigma consultant and trainer. Her research areas of interest are Lean Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, Industry 4.0 and Quality 4.0 and she has over 80 publications in those areas. She was a previous winner of the Lean Business Ireland Contribution to Operational Excellence Practice award in 2022.
Dr. George Onofrei - Senior Lecturer - Atlantic Technological University
Dr. George Onofrei is a Senior Lecturer in the Operation and Supply Chain Management area at the Atlantic Technological University, Ireland. He has over 15 years of teaching experience in Operations Management and Supply Chain Management at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He was Vice-President of Global Manufacturing Research Group (GMRG) and he is involved in various international collaborative research programmes. George has published in several OM and SCM journals and has been active in the field of business consulting in lean implementation and continuous improvement. His work has appeared in premier journals including International Journal of Production and Operations Management, Business Strategy and the Environment, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Production Planning and Control, Resource Conservation and Recycling, International Journal of Production Research, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, Operations Management Research and many more. He is a recipient of Lean Business Ireland Award (2019) for the Best Contribution to Lean/Operational Excellence Body of Work and the Irish Research Council Ally Award (2021). George currently serves on the executive board of the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) and West/North West Lean Network.
Miriam Keogh - Head of Supply Chain and Lean - Dawn Farm Foods
Miriam Keogh is Head of Supply Chain and Lean in Dawn Farm Foods and sits on the Leadership team.
Dawn Farms is Europe’s leading B2B specialist supplier of cooked protein ingredients exporting to over 50 international markets from their plants in Ireland, UK and Germany. They supply many of the world’s most loved food brands in retail and QSR restaurants.
Miriam has worked in Dawn Farms for 20 years and her depth of knowledge and experience helps her to play a leading role in fostering a culture of continuous improvement across all the manufacturing and various functions of the business. She believes passionately in the power of great team work and sustainable long term solutions. Dawn Farms are over 10 years into their Lean journey and are previous winners of the Lean Business Ireland awards.
Miriam is a graduate of UCC with a MSC in Supply Chain and a Lean Black Belt.
Philip Rossiter - Operational Excellence Manager - Coca Cola
Philip Rossiter, Operational Excellence manager at Ballina Beverages (Coca-Cola), Master black belt in Lean Six Sigma. Over 25 years’ experience of leadership and driving performance improvement in the beverage, medical device, and automotive industries. Has a background in leading improvement projects using proven business excellence, digital transformation and program management techniques and methodologies. Board member of the Irish Centre for Business Excellence.
Leanne Shannon - Lean/Operational Excellence Business Supports Advisor - Enterprise Ireland
I help facilitate finance packages for Lean and Digital Grant aid to Irish Indigenous Companies. I manage a portfolio of clients across various sectors including Construction, Engineering, and Medical Device. With a strong finance background and several years of auditing experience, I hold a First Class Honours BSc in Business specialising in Finance and I am a qualified Lean Green Belt. I recently completed a Level 9 Black Belt with LBS accredited by the University of Limerick.
My journey in Lean principles took me to Japan, where I learned from the best at the EU Japan Centre under Prof. Richard Keegan. This experience solidified my detail-oriented and process-driven approach, making Lean my specialist field.
For the past several years, I have been dedicated to working with Enterprise Ireland client companies, enhancing their strategic growth plans by building efficiencies around people, processes, and technology. As a passionate Lean advocate, I actively support the Lean Business Networks and contribute to the wider Lean Community through knowledge sharing.
Enterprise Ireland sponsors multiple Lean events, including the Annual Lean Business Conference and the Lean Business Awards. I coordinate the Toyota Lean Management trips for Enterprise Ireland clients, now held quarterly. This is the second year in a row that I have had the honour of serving as a judge for the Lean Business Ireland Awards. Additionally, I gave a module in Lean at DCU as part of Enterprise Ireland’s Graduates for International Growth programme in UCD.
Ryan Tierney - Head of Design & Innovation - Seating Matters Ltd
Seven years ago I went home from work really frustrated, the business wasn’t running the way I wanted it to run, we had lots of production issues, lots of defects and it was a very stressful environment to work in. I said to myself “there has to be a better way” I started researching and came across Paul Akers ‘Fastcap Lean Tour’ video on You Tube. I sat up all night and watched Pauls videos repeatedly. Being exposed to this new way of thinking was a light bulb moment for me. I went into work the next day after discovering ‘2 Second Lean’ and I announced to our entire team that we were going to start practicing this transformative business philosophy.
Today our company is unrecognisable from where it was six years ago, and it is all down to the power of ‘2 Second Lean’.
Since discovering Lean, several members of our team have travelled to Japan, Canada, USA and Germany to further our understanding of Lean and we have brought this knowledge back to our company. Today Seating Matters stands as an example of world class Lean Manufacturing. Lean principles can be implemented into any organisation or industry and in any country.
I hope 2 Second Lean has the same impact for you as it has had for me over the past seven years.
Dr. Derek Sinnott -
Derek is an advocate for sustainable business development through organisational productivity and performance optimisation, high-performance leadership, and digital innovation.
He is a graduate of Civil Engineering from NUI Galway and holds an MSc in Civil Engineering and PhD in Energy Management and Engineering from Trinity College Dublin. He regularly leads industry-focused academic research projects.
In practice, he specialises in Lean, Green and Digital Transformation Strategy Development and deployment aligned to best practice sustainability and ESG reporting standards.
He is Director of Lean Construction Ireland, a community of learning and practice that advocates for the transformation of the Irish construction sector through the adoption of Lean thinking and practice.
Derek is Chair of the Pyrite Resolution Board (PRB) State Board and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the PRB. He is the Sustainability Pillar Co-Chair on the Build Digital Project which will deliver increased digital adoption across the entire Irish construction and built environment sector.
Note regarding the Lean Business Ireland Awards Judging Panel
The Lean Business Ireland (LBI) Awards are judged by a select panel of experienced industry practitioners and academic and subject matter experts who follow LBI’s standard work adjudication process to enable independent, objective, consistent, and rigorous evaluation of all award entrant submissions. As appropriate, a Judge shall be recused from adjudicating a particular award entry and/or category when, for example, a Judge’s own organisation submits an entry, or where a Judge or LBI otherwise deem there is a potential conflict of interest.