Niklas Modig

Speaker: Niklas is a global authority on Lean and Operational Excellence, recognized as a thought leader in Flow Thinking. Over his career, he has trained hundreds of top management teams and delivered more than 1,000 keynote speeches across 40 countries, inspiring organizations worldwide.

Niklas began his Lean journey as a researcher at the Stockholm School of Economics, where he worked from 2003 to 2018. Fluent in Japanese, he spent extended periods in Japan, including as a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo from 2006 to 2008, where he collaborated with Professor Takahiro Fujimoto, gaining exclusive insights into Toyota’s high-performance operations. Niklas is the first foreign researcher granted such in-depth access to Toyota.

As the author of This Is Lean: Resolving the Efficiency Paradox, Niklas introduced the concept of flow efficiency, distinguishing it from resource efficiency and advocating for streamlined, end-to-end processes. The book has sold over 350,000 copies in 22 languages, making it one of the best-selling Lean books of all time.

Currently, as Founder and CEO of Hups, Niklas continues to lead transformative initiatives, supervising global organizations like Airbus, BP, H&M, Volvo, and Wärtsilä, sharing his vision for self-improving organizations that achieve sustainable excellence.

Jason Schroeder

Speaker: Jason is an experienced field leader and career Superintendent in construction. 

Jason is the founder and COO of Elevate Construction, a company dedicated to elevating the industry, LeanTakt, a company dedicated to scaling flow with production planning, and LeanBuilt, a construction company as a showcase for lean construction. Jason is a leader in planning, lean, The First Planner System™, The Takt Production System®, and The Last Planner® System.

He and the team shares information on his podcast, LinkedIn, YouTube channels, and through blogs.

Aleksi Heinonen

Speaker: Aleksi is a prominent Lean construction expert and Partner at Vison Oy. He has significantly influenced the Finnish construction industry through his innovative use of takt time planning and one-piece flow. His journey into Lean construction began in the early 2010s when he applied Porsche’s takt production methods to renovate 1,500 hotel rooms on a cruise ship in just two weeks. This groundbreaking approach led to remarkable productivity improvements and set a new standard in the industry.

Since 2016, Aleksi has been involved in over 50 projects across various sectors, including apartments, corporate offices, hospitals, infrastructure, and marine. His work has not only enhanced efficiency but also improved quality and reduced lead times dramatically. Aleksi’s expertise and dedication have made him a sought-after speaker and consultant, sharing his insights and lessons learned with a global audience.

Aleksi continues to drive innovation in construction and ship building, helping teams embrace Lean principles to achieve outstanding results.

Iris Tommelein

Webinar Host: Iris is the Roy W. Carlson Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Project Management / Construction Systems, and she directs the Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL) at UC Berkeley.

Iris was one of four founders in 1997 of the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) and has received LCI’s Lean Pioneer Award. She is an active member of the International Group for Lean Construction.

In 2005, jointly with Glenn Ballard, she founded P2SL to engage with practitioners and students studying both the theory and practical application of Lean Thinking in the Architecture-Engineering-Construction-Facilities Management industry. Among other research projects, she has been involved since 2012 in takt planning research, workshop delivery, and implementation. She and Glenn are now soliciting inputs as they develop the 2025 Benchmark of the Last Planner(R) System (the 2020 Benchmark is available here).