Mark Reich

Mark Reich spent 23 years working for Toyota, starting in 1988 with six years in Japan in the Overseas Planning Division, where he was responsible for Product Planning and worked with Chief Engineers to define vehicle specifications for overseas markets. This was at a critical time when Toyota was introducing the Lexus to the world.

Mark moved back to the United States in 1994 and transitioned to the Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC), a non-profit organization Toyota established in North America dedicated to the practical application of the Toyota Production System to manufacturing. While with TSSC in 2008, he worked to spread TPS beyond manufacturing to a variety of applications in healthcare and non-profits, and this is still an important part of the TSSC mission.

Mark transferred to the Corporate Strategy group for Toyota in North America in 2001, and as Assistant General Manager, was given responsibility to manage Toyota’s North American hoshin kanri process. This was at a time when Toyota experienced significant growth, nearly doubling sales and production in the next decade. Hoshin kanri was critical to bringing the organization together.

In 2011, Mark transitioned to LEI and has served in several positions, including as Chief Operating Officer and, since 2018, Senior Coach and Chief Engineer, Strategy. Mark has led lean transformations and coached executives in hoshin kanri in various companies and business sectors. Clients include Freeman, GE Appliances, Legal Sea Foods, Michigan Medicine, Nucleus Software, and Turner Construction.

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.