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

Call for Proposals

Proposal Submission Deadline:
October 11, 2019

Acceptance notification date:
November 11, 2019

Early Registration Deadline:
February 11, 2020

Please make sure to review and prepare the material needed before you start the on-line Proposal Submission Form. Click here to see Proposal Submission Guidelines.

Who May Submit: This online form may be used by a principal speaker, co-speaker, contact person, or a committee member submitting on behalf of a speaker.

Multiple Proposals: You may submit multiple proposals.

Conference Registration Fee:
The conference registration fee is waived for the principal speaker of accepted proposals. Speakers are responsible for their travel expenses and arrangements. Co-speakers will receive a 30% discount for the conference that they are presenting at.

Length of Presentations: Technical sessions are typically 35 minutes. There will be a limited number of "double" sessions, 70 minutes, at the end of each day.