Mark Reich

During his extensive career, Mark has led lean transformations and coached executives in various companies and business sectors. Clients include GE Appliances and Ingersoll Rand (manufacturers); Michigan Medicine and Mt. Sinai (healthcare systems); Turner Construction; Kroger (retail); Legal Seafood (hospitality); and Microsoft (software).  

As LEI’s chief engineer, strategy, Mark leads the development of new learning experiences that enhance executives’ lean knowledge and capabilities while advancing the lean thinking and practice body of knowledge. Through this work and coaching, he helps executives acquire the mindset and adopt the behaviors that help them more effectively — and respectfully — lead people to achieve organizational objectives. 

In coaching many executive teams, Mark guides them through the Lean Leader program, a custom executive learning experience he developed for LEI. Through the Lean Leader program, he helps leaders understand and cultivate a lean problem-solving culture and adopt lean leadership behavior principles and practices. 

Since joining LEI in 2011, Mark has served in many roles. As a senior coach, Mark supports LEI’s new product development and Co-Learning Partnership program, which assists companies engaged in lean transformation. He also codeveloped and is an instructor for LEI’s Hoshin Kanri and Managing to Learn courses, online and in-person. Before being named a senior coach, he spent five years as its chief operating officer. 

Before coming to LEI, he spent 23 years at Toyota in Japan and North America, most recently as general manager of the Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC). As a hands-on GM, Mark directly implemented the Toyota Production System (TPS) or managed its implementation in various industries, including automotive, food, furniture, and healthcare. 

Mark also doubled the number of companies supported by TSSC from 20 to 40 and transitioned it from for-profit to nonprofit status, helping it better support its original mission to strengthen North American manufacturing and assist any organization interested in implementing TPS. In addition, he expanded the client base beyond manufacturing to hospitals, schools, low-income food distribution, and nationally prominent nonprofits. 

Before TSSC, he was assistant general manager of the corporate strategy division, where he managed and implemented Toyota’s North American strategic (hoshin) process, designed jointly with Toyota’s Japan headquarters. In addition, he launched efforts to strengthen Toyota Way principles in administrative areas in North America and facilitated the integration of its design and manufacturing organizations. 

Mark earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and specialized in Japanese studies at Nanzan University. He is fluent in written and spoken Japanese.