Lean4Gain Advisory Team Canada

With 30+ years in manufacturing operations, I’ve dedicated my career to helping people and organizations grow together. My experience as a Kaizen Circle Leader at Toyota shaped my belief that meaningful improvement starts with developing people, strengthening systems, and creating environments where clarity, purpose, and continuous learning thrive.

As the founder of Lean4Gain and co-developer the 4 Pillars of the H.E.A.L.™ Framework, I focus on empowering leaders to build capability, elevate team performance, and align daily work with long‑term goals. My work centers on practical, people‑driven approaches that build trust, enhance problem‑solving, and support teams through change.

I’m committed to helping leaders create cultures where people feel valued, supported, and equipped to contribute at their highest level. I’m grateful for every opportunity to guide that journey and look forward to helping you build a stronger, more aligned, and more capable organization.

Doug has over 40 years of experience in leadership roles, ranging from Supervisor to President, overseeing production, quality control, sales, and distribution. For the past 13 years, he has specialized in employee engagement, founding Manage2Retain in 2021 to help organizations improve employee retention through strategic programs. 

Doug emphasizes that retention is rooted in creating an environment where people want to work and belong. His company’s approach focuses on diagnostic assessments, manager training, and tools that help build strong manager-employee relationships, improve trust and communication, and meet career expectations. Our ground up work focuses on the heart of retention; the manager-employee-team dynamic. By addressing the core drivers of retention—engagement, rewarding work experiences, and career development—Doug has successfully helped businesses overcome retention challenges and foster high-performance teams.

Nicki Straza, I help different generations get along and get things done at work!

Nicki Straza is a workplace culture specialist with a unique lens of generational diversity. She is also a speaker, and Certified Flourishing Trainer & Coach with over 25 years of leadership and organizational development experience across non-profit, corporate, and small business sectors. As the founder of Straza Solutions, she partners with organizations to create inclusive, trust-based workplaces where every generation can thrive both individually and collectively.

Kevin Burns works exclusively with frontline industrial supervisors - the most overlooked and under-trained leaders in operations. For over 25 years, he's focused on one thing: helping supervisors build the leadership skills that actually drive operational results.

As founder of PeopleWork Supervisor Academy, Kevin created a turnkey development system used by industrial companies across North America. His book PeopleWork was named the #4 Top Workplace Safety Book of All Time by BookAuthority.org, and The CareFull Supervisor is based on his Academy program.

Kevin's proven that you can't build a safety culture without your frontline supervisors. They're the bridge between senior management and daily operations. Supervisors make or break every safety initiative, productivity target, and culture change.

When companies need to develop their frontline supervisors fast, Kevin's the advisor they call.

Bill Neeve is recognized as one of Canada’s leading experts in Lean Manufacturing and the founder of Cycle Time Management. With more than 35 years of experience, he has been a pioneer in applying Toyota’s methodologies across North America and has played a significant role in shaping core cycle time principles used by organizations today.

Bill created a comprehensive Lean Certification Pathway that equips individuals and teams with the practical skills needed to drive lasting improvement. His programs, which include Lean Thinking Belts, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Visual Controls, Standard Work, and other essential practices, have been adopted across multiple industries and continue to support the development of future Lean leaders.

Throughout his career, Bill has helped organizations strengthen processes, elevate continuous improvement capability, and embed the principles of the Toyota Production System into their culture.

A solutions driver, seasoned, multi-plant Servant Leader, I have worked in various industries throughout my career, in ever increasing leadership responsibilities.  I wake up in the morning specifically to help manufacturing in Ontario grow, and stay competitive, through critical thinking and strategic problem solving.

With putting people first, companies can be right-sized, turn a profit, and become successful.  It is amazing what happens when you create a strong team of great people!

An experienced Lean Six Sigma business transformation leader, with proven track record in value creation and continuous improvement across Fortune 500 companies like Chevron and Vale. At Chevron, he served as a Lean Six Sigma Advisor, while at Vale, he worked in Asset Management leading enterprise performance management programs across multiple countries. 

Victor's expertise spans industries such as construction, oil and gas, logistics, and mining. He has successfully trained over 4,000 professionals including executives and achieved more than $150 million in verified cost savings. Specializing in strategic performance improvement, KPI creation, complex project management, and building high-performing teams. His ability to drive bottom-line transformation is demonstrated through comprehensive value creation programs and operational excellence initiatives.

Heather is a seasoned coach, facilitator, and entrepreneur whose mission is to be a catalyst for leaders to create inspiring and highly successful companies through improving one’s own leadership acumen and building high performing teams. Her leadership experience in both the private and non-profit sectors, and in several entrepreneurial adventures, brings a depth of knowledge to her coaching relationships in the areas of Visioning, Change Management, Succession Planning, Executive Development, Team Effectiveness, and Career Advancement. Heather's experience spans the globe in a variety of industries. 

Heather focuses on transformative change at both the individual and organization level. Awareness + action = results! Her clients say their success comes from Heather getting curious, challenging current reality and bringing tough issues to the surface in order to explore new possibilities…all while injecting fun and warmth into the relationship.