About Richard

Richard Steel is a seasoned business leader who loves helping organisations improve and build high-performing teams.

Richard began his Lean journey over 30 years ago and has worked extensively across the service and government sectors — including healthcare, local councils, food manufacturing, packaging, and industrial products.

Alongside his Lean work, Richard offers supply chain consulting, blending Lean techniques with practical solutions to deliver real value for his clients.

He’s also a trained executive coach, providing coaching and mentoring as a complimentary service to help leaders build capability and unlock their true potential.

Earlier in his career, Richard spent nine years as a director and global consultant with the Kaizen Institute NZ, and five years as Managing Consultant for SA Partners. He has led study missions to Japan and contributed to several well-known publications, including:

Kaizen in Logistics and Supply Chains

Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy (2nd edition)

Creating a Kaizen Culture: Align the Organization, Achieve Breakthrough Results, and Sustain the Gains