Ian Fairweather

Ian is a Senior Partner at Catalyst and a hands-on Lean Sensei with over 25 years’ experience in continuous improvement. He began his career as an apprentice toolmaker and later studied Lean at MIT.

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Professional Background

Recent Experience

Ian has held senior roles across automotive, power generation, pharmaceuticals, construction, food and drink, medical devices, and public sector organisations internationally.

Agile Transformation & Leadership

Ian specialises in process improvement, Kaizen, and critical thinking, preferring coaching in the Gemba. He also instructs Strategic and Technology-Enabled Continuous Improvement programmes.

Major Achievements

Ian has led multiple organisations through Lean journeys, embedding 5S, flow, and Daily Management systems that shift mindsets and sustain performance improvement.

Catalyst & Industry Roles

As a Senior Partner, Ian supports Catalyst clients through training, coaching, and deployment leadership, enabling teams to take ownership of improvement systems.

Qualifications & Professional Background

Ian holds a BEng (Hons) in Product Design and Manufacturing from Loughborough University, is MIT Lean trained, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

International & Enterprise Expertise

Ian has worked across the UK, Europe, and North America, leading improvement in manufacturing, engineering, public sector, and regulated environments.

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