I met Riaan on a learning mission to Japan to study the Toyota Production System via the Honsha consulting group. I found Riaan to be a gregarious leader who was the perfect fit to lead a culture transformation. He has a deep understanding the philosophy and the tools of TPS. He has the passion for continuous improvement, but best of all he has the personality to provide confidence and a sense of humor to lead people to want to transform. Everyone enjoys being around Riaan.

I first met Riaan in 1997 whilst studying Engineering together, where he was a driven and ambitious student. His hands-on industry experience has provided him with a solid foundation and ultimately set him up to work with some of the world’s most respected companies. Riaan’s constant search for improvement has been evident since his days as a student, and this passion has followed him through his various professional roles. His logical approach to life and work makes him a trusted advisor, whilst his experience and knowledge ensures that he will overcome any challenge laid down before him.

Riaan has proven his desire to learn and apply Lean. I had the privilege to spend a week with Riaan in Japan as part of the Honsha Japan Executive Development Mission. Riaan demonstrated the humility necessary to learn and contributed to the group with his key insights. It was a pleasure to spend time with him.