D.J. Duarte

Owner & Co-Founder, Makoto Flow Ltd, Iwakuni, Japan

The culmination of my life’s work is to find and align my talents with organization’s that seek to improve their current financial & market state through collaboration and innovation.

DJ Duarte’s 32 years as a Global Optimization Expert & Leadership Coach has enabled him to influence the practical application, facilitation and implementation of business processes and systems as well as the development of leaders with the right mindsets & behaviors to support sustainable change. He has worked in a variety of industries from manufacturing (automotive, construction, electronics & medical devices), service (resorts, casinos & retail stores), healthcare (out-patient care & documentation), aerospace (maintenance & servicing), logistics and back office/shared service environments (finance, HR, IT, & procurement). His expertise spans 7 continents, 40 different cultures, 17 different industries and several leading global consulting firms

Industry experience: Aerospace, Automotive, BPO, Confectionary, Construction, Flavors & Fragrances, Engineering, Healthcare, Hospitality, Logistics, Manufacturing, Medical Devices, Oil & Gas, Shared Services, Shipping, Telecoms, etc.
DJ previously ran the consulting arm of Makoto Investments & Kaizen Institute here in Asia with 5 different sites. This was preceded by a stint in another management consulting firm Gemba Research as a Sr. Consultant managing and implementing global optimization projects. He started his career with the Department of Defense as the Dir. of Innovation & Improvement managing the implementation of Strategic Initiatives to reduce Costs & improve the Customer Experiences in Japan, Korea & the West Coast of the USA.
DJ is a very influential coach and mentor to more than 25 global lean management professionals. As a professional speaker, he engages many annual global events as a thought leader on the topics of Lean Management, Leadership & Changing Mindsets & Behaviors with TPS. His extensive experience and certifications include Strategy Facilitation, Leadership, Lean Management, Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management and Business Process Re-engineering to name a few.

Relevant previous roles

Since 2016: Co-Founder and Owner of Makoto Flow Ltd. a Lean Knowledge Sharing Consultancy Firm, Japan
2006-2016: Partner & Sr. Vice Pres. for Gemba Research Ltd. & Kaizen Institute, Japan (a global Lean Management Consultancy with affiliates in 34 countries)
1986-2006: Strategic Management Officer & Dir. of Innovation & Improvement for a US Defense agency in Japan and the US.
Global Clients: ABB, Achmea, Axiom Telecom, Galaxy Entertainment, Givaudan, Jabil Circuit, Maersk, Melco Resorts, MetLife, Philips, PACCAR, Swiber Off-Shore & The Venetian
Global Consulting Support: Kaizen UAE, Implement Consulting, McKinsey & Co., Tefen Management & Unity

Educational/Professional Qualifications

University of Arkansas, USA B.S., Business Administration
University of Maryland, USA A.S., Asian Studies
Dept. of Defense, USA Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP), Graduate Class of 2005