Education Sponsors

Lee D. Lovely

Founding Strategic Advisor

Lee Lovely is a senior executive with a diverse leadership background which includes experience in international sales, marketing and distribution, human resources, manufacturing operations, supply chain management, finance, strategic planning, compliance and customer service. He possess extensive experience in working and managing across diverse cultures in the developing world and is completely fluent in Spanish with working knowledge of Portuguese.

EXPERIENCE

1990 – 2008 STRYKER CORPORATION
$6 Billion global leader in medical technology and orthopedic products.

Vice President and General Manager, (Stryker Canada & Latin America) 2006 – 2008
Leadership position responsible for over 400 people and sales in excess of $275 million.

  • Recruited high caliber General Manager, Vice President of Operations and Director of Finance/Accounting for Canada
  • Grew Canada revenues 7%, operating income 16% and cash flow 54% (In local currency). Order backlog increased 32%
  • Increased Canada’s operating income as a percent of sales 2 full percentage points through focus on higher margin products and improved operational efficiencies
  • Increased Canada’s return on capital employed from 34% to 41% through improved asset management
  • Developed and promoted from within, General Manager for Latin America
  • Prepared and presented 5 Year Strategic Plan to Board of Directors

Vice President and General Manager (Stryker Latin America) 2003 – 2006
Full operating and P&L responsibility for this sales and distribution division with legal entities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and the U.S. This assignment constituted a turnaround as sales, profits and cash flow growth had been flat to negative for the previous 3 years.

  • Grew revenues from $30 million to $90 million – a CAGR of 30% - by dramatically improving relationships with the 80+ distributors representing the product lines in the region, implementing a surgeon education program and upgrading the talent throughout the organization
  • Implemented focused monthly operational reviews to measure and improve key business metrics. Fostered disciplined process to manage risks inherent to the region and to keep pace with accelerated growth
  • Significantly increased investments in IT and Quality which led to increased salesforce engagement and customer satisfaction
  • Initiated quarterly compliance meetings
  • Decreased past due receivables from 42% of total AR balance to 7%
  • Closed non-profitable entity in Puerto Rico
  • Returned the division to being cash positive and profitable
  • Gained extensive experience working with and managing across different cultures in the developing world

Vice President of Human Resources, (Stryker Endoscopy – San Jose, Ca) 1995 – 2003
Responsible for recruitment, development and retention of high caliber talent at Stryker’s high-tech Endoscopy business. Divisional revenue was approximately $350 million with over 1,000 employees in multiple locations.

  • Key contributor of Sr. Leadership Team that achieved 6 consecutive years of 20+% operating income growth
  • Improved “operating income per employee” metric for 7 consecutive years
  • Decreased division’s turnover by >50% and improved organizational capacity by refining recruitment process and instituting quarterly staffing/talent reviews
  • Divisional employee engagement survey ranked in top 3% nation-wide (Gallup). HR employee engagement scores were the highest in the division
  • Promoted 3 HR professionals to roles of increased executive responsibility
  • Developed and implemented division’s “Cross-functional Training” program
  • Served as division’s Compliance Officer
  • Initiated and automated annual compensation surveys

Associate Unit Manager, (Stryker Puerto Rico - Arroyo, Puerto Rico) 1994 – 1995
Led two high-volume, medical device manufacturing groups, which consisted of 11 professionals and 130 assemblers, two production shifts and approximately $35 million of finished-goods product.

  • Service levels consistently >99%
  • Decreased customer complaints by >10% / No product recalls
  • Selected by senior managers as winner of “Total Performance” award

Distribution Supervisor 1993 – 1994

  • Responsible for two raw materials warehouses, as well as one distribution warehouse. Shipped approximately $50 million worth of product to customers worldwide.

Buyer/Planner 1991 – 1993

Associate Business Analyst, (Stryker Corporate, Kalamazoo, MI) 1990 – 1991

EDUCATION

MBA, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
Major: Finance

BBS, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
Major(s): Finance and Spanish

Attended Stryker’s Advanced Leadership Academy Program at Harvard University