Mike Saunders

Senior Consultant

Available for Work

Currently at Randstad, with a passion for harnessing data and process improvement to drive efficiency and innovation.

Previously, BI & Kaizen Lead at Target Group. where I pioneered a first-in-class operational excellence framework.

My approach to problem-solving is guided by a blend of intuition and targeted research, a methodology that I believe uncovers creative and impactful solutions from within the operation.

I'm always open to discussing new ideas, industry trends and insights, and how a more dynamic approach to Lean Six Sigma can create value. If this interests you, reach out via my LinkedIn for a Coffee. ☕

Professional Profile

A Senior Consultant with 10 years experience working within large-scale, digital transformation programs. I am a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from the Project Management Institute.

I have delivered projects globally and have worked with companies based primarily within the EMEA and NAM regions. I have worked with clients in most industries, including finance, pharmaceutical and defence.

Career History

  • Data Analyst Data & Business Analysis

    Jun 2023 - Present

    Randstad Global

    Working in-house with strategic clients. Responsibility is focused on providing advisory support for statistical analysis initiatives to improve quality, cost, delivery and experience.

  • Senior Consultant Continuous Improvement & Transformation

    Sep 2022 - Jun 2023

    Randstad Global

    A strategic role, responsible for driving impactful outcomes for a fintech client through intelligence design. Focused on improving problem solving capability through focused training and coaching (Leaders, Analysts, Graduates).

    Highlighted Project

    Finance: Spearheaded a pioneering transformation initiative that revolutionised the onboarding process for >15,000 candidates per quarter internationally. Resulting in a 46% increase in candidate-to-hire conversion setting a new benchmark for the business.

  • BI & Kaizen Lead

    Feb 2022 - Sep 2022

    Target Group Acquired by Tech Mahindra

    Leading a team of 12, driving transformative initiatives and advancing data maturity across the business. Designed & Implemented a new operational excellence framework centered around Lean Culture & Automation.

    Highlighted Project

    Finance: Designed, Implemented and Coached an internal “Kaizen” program. Guiding 6 Junior Analysts to achieve Lean Six Sigma Green & Black Belt Certifications.

  • Senior Continuous Improvement Analyst

    Mar 2020 - Feb 2022

    Target Group Acquired by Tech Mahindra

    Acting as principal analyst of a specialist team tasked with the identification, definition and delivery of process improvements business-wide. Led a team of 6 Analysts, focused on automating and optimising business processes through data-driven analysis. Documented detailed process maps (BPMN & AL), User stories, configuration requirements to streamline operational processes and facilitate a continuous improvement culture.

    Highlighted Project

    Regulatory: Led the design, development delivery of a full-scale process overhaul, focused on asset recovery frameworks and workflows. Resulting in >£800k cost avoidance over a 2Y period.

  • Root Cause Analyst

    Mar 2019 - Mar 2020

    Target Group Acquired by Tech Mahindra

    Dedicated to conducting fair and consistent analysis into the long-term impacts of both consumer and regulatory complaints. Designed and implemented refined brand guidelines and direction measures to the Analysis-department. Credited with a significant increase in client satisfaction. Developed new and existing BI dashboards (PowerBI; SSRS; SSIS) and reports to provide actionable insights to decision-makers.

    Highlighted Project

    Aerospace: Developed & Implemented an automation utility to reduce manual process lead time from 10-Minutes to 25-Seconds. Saving >£2.3m over a 5Y period.

  • Data Subject Rights Specialist

    Jun 2016 - Mar 2019

    Target Group Acquired by Tech Mahindra

    Working as part of a specialist team responsible for the regulatory assurance; due diligence in Data Privacy and Data Protection.

Notable Clients

I've had the pleasure to work with some amazing teams over the years, here is a selection of some that I have shared the most memorable moments with.

Lockheed Martin
General Electric
Goldman Sachs
BBC
Randstad
Shawbrook

Insights

Reading

Currently Reading

The Emperor of All Maladies

The Emperor of All Maladies

Siddhartha Mukherjee

“The evolution of cancer treatment, from early day through to the development of chemotheerapy and more targeted genetic therapies is inspiring. It's fascinating to see how statistical analysis has revolutionised epidemiological understanding over time to shape the contemporary precision medicine we have today.”

Finished

Root Cause Analysis

Root Cause Analysis

Duke Okes

Black Box Thinking

Black Box Thinking

Matthew Syed

The Digital Transformation Playbook

The Digital Transformation Playbook

David L. Rogers

Innovating for People

Innovating for People

LUMA Institute

Up Next

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational

Dan Ariely

How to Solve it

How to Solve it

George Pólya

Mindware

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

Brian Christian, Griffiths

Other Projects

edu.paper-process.com
Focusing on content creation for Paper-Process into areas such as Data, OpEx, Agile, AI-ML and more.

NewLeaf

An exploratory data analysis project into the expansive world of medical cannabis. Covering the heritage of over 5,000 unique strains.

Koios

"If it's not written down, it doesn't exist." - An approachable, performant and versatile framework for workflow documentation and experience.