Helen Zak is the director of research at the Shingo Institute. She has Lean leadership experience in the automotive, capital equipment, non-profit, and healthcare industries, including roles at General Motors and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Ms. Zak is a founder and former president of Catalysis, where she developed a network of Lean healthcare executives in Europe. She also served as COO of the Lean Enterprise Institute and helped establish the Lean Education Academic Network, Lean Global Network, Catalysis Healthcare Value Network, Center for Lean Engagement and Research, and the Catalysis Executive Forums. She is an examiner for the Shingo Prize and serves at the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and the Master of Business of Operational Excellence Program at Fisher College of Business at Ohio State. She was inducted into the Association for Manufacturing Excellence Hall of Fame in 2017. Prior to employment with the Institute, she worked with Value Capture LLC as their COO and president.