This year at KaiNexicon, one of the Keynote Speakers joining us is John Quirke, Senior Partner at S A Partners & Author. As we gear up to showcase John’s keynote session, we’ve asked John a few questions to give you a glimpse into John’s background and what to anticipate from his keynote speech. Dive in with us to discover John’s wealth of experience and expertise and get a sneak peek into the exciting topics he’ll be discussing during KaiNexicon!

First, here is some background about John: 

John Quirke is an experienced leader in operational excellence with a background in chemical engineering and extensive experience in pharmaceutical, bio-pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare industries. He currently heads the Global Life Science sector and thought leadership activity at S A Partners. John’s other specialist areas include leadership coaching, behavioral deployment, strategy development/deployment, business storytelling, process design, and problem-solving.

John is co-author of the award-winning books “TPM: A Foundation of Operational Excellence” and “Deep Excellence,” focusing on organizational behaviors and leadership for sustainable excellence. He is certified by the Shingo Institute and Cardiff University as a facilitator and lean coach, respectively. Beyond his professional achievements, John is also a community health advocate and passionate sailor.

How did you get involved in Operational Excellence and Business Transformation? 

"I moved from chemical oceanography (no Jobs at the time!) to chemical process engineering and then to a position as European EHS Director. I became frustrated with high levels of inefficiency, waste, and poor workplace and equipment design. This frustration led to a focus on Lean Six Sigma along with process and equipment design. This led to director-level positions in the Blue Chip organization with a focus on Business and supply chain transformation."

What inspired you and your colleagues to write Deep Excellence, Seeing and Hearing a Culture of Deep Excellence? 

"We need to get real about what a culture of improvement really is and why it is important. We no longer have the luxury of time or resources to run and manage suboptimal and wasteful businesses and supply chains. In Deep Excellence, we hope to open up impactful dialogue around what we see as a new and pressing moral obligation for all businesses."

What are the key takeaways that attendees can expect from your keynote session at KaiNexicon 2024? 

"Getting real about the behaviors that enable or disable improvement. Understanding that we are naturally ‘wired’ to do the wrong things and the fact that our business systems can either exacerbate the negative impacts of this ‘wiring’ or work with it and around it to enable real impactful improvement."

You can connect with John on LinkedIn here. 

Visit https://www.kainexus.com/kainexicon for more information about KaiNexicon, and contact your CSM if you need help registering.