Tjerk Dijkstra - Head of Business Excellence Global Engineering

Q: Where is Tjerk based?

Tjerk is based in Zürich, Switzerland .

Q: What languages does Tjerk speak?

Tjerk speaks the following languages: Dutch (Native), German (Advanced), English (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Tjerk have?

Tjerk has at least 36 years of experience. During this time, Tjerk has worked in at least 11 different roles and for 8 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 3 months . Note that Tjerk may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Tjerk's latest experience?

Tjerk's most recent position is Head of Business Excellence Global Engineering at Takeda .

Q: What companies has Tjerk worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Tjerk has worked for Takeda .

Q: Which industries is Tjerk most experienced in?

Tjerk is most experienced in industries like Professional Services , Chemical , and Manufacturing . Tjerk also has some experience in Pharmaceutical , Insurance , and Banking and Finance .

Q: Which business areas is Tjerk most experienced in?

Tjerk is most experienced in business areas like Operations , Quality Assurance (QA) , and Project Management . Tjerk also has some experience in Production/Manufacturing , Strategy and Planning , and Sustainability Management .

Q: Which industries has Tjerk worked in recently?

Tjerk has recently worked in industries like Pharmaceutical .

Q: Which business areas has Tjerk worked in recently?

Tjerk has recently worked in business areas like Operations , Strategy and Planning , and Sustainability Management .

Recommended expert

Zürich, Switzerland

Experience

Aug 2020 - Present

5 years 7 months

Zürich, Switzerland

Head of Business Excellence Global Engineering

Takeda

Led and implemented the transformation program "One Takeda Engineering" to harmonize the engineering approach and organization across 30 sites globally, ca. 3000 employees
Designed and implemented the target operating model
Designed and embedded new structures, processes, systems, projects and technologies
Focused on decarbonization and energy efficiency of manufacturing sites to meet Takeda's Net-Zero objectives in 2035

Jan 2018 - Jul 2020

2 years 7 months

Switzerland

Head Operational and Business Excellence Bystronic, member of Corporate BEX leadership team

Conzzeta

Built and rolled out business excellence globally to support and execute company strategy with focus on customer & quality, speed, employee engagement and profitability
Focused on lean in production, production systems, administration (finance and back office), R&D (including agile), service and sales

Sep 2016 - Dec 2017

1 year 4 months

Head of Operational Excellence EMEA

Zurich Insurance Company Ltd

Rolled out lean management in EMEA and built the global program by working with country, regional and global executives to match lean activities with company strategies
Freed up 20–25% capacity per mini-transformation for improved customer experience, employee engagement and profitability
Supported business units in identifying potential in RPA/automation and converting this
Attracted and developed talents
Coached senior and executive management in increasing efficiency and effectiveness

Jan 2015 - Aug 2016

1 year 8 months

Change Architect - Zurich Way of Working (ZWoW)

Zurich Insurance Company Ltd

Led teams in workstreams implementing lean management (ZWoW) across Europe and APAC
Worked with McKinsey on projects using the "5 lens" approach
Freed up 20–30% capacity in 12 months
Increased employee engagement and improved customer satisfaction
Increased market share, revenue and margin
Gained functional experience in claims, underwriting, IT (application development & service management), HR and offshore service centers

Jun 2012 - Dec 2014

2 years 7 months

Zürich, Switzerland

Global Deployment Leader Lean

Zurich Insurance Company Ltd

Led the global roll-out of lean in group functions: legal & compliance, human resources, group finance, risk management, marketing, communications
Defined lean strategy and implemented it globally
Led 16 Kaizen teams to improve processes with average productivity increase of over 30% and cycle time reduction of 30%
Implemented standardized global processes and operational metrics
Collaborated effectively with various management levels from executive to staff

Sep 2005 - Oct 2007

2 years 2 months

Zürich, Switzerland

Head OE Academy, Director

Credit Suisse

Led operational excellence academy team of five global FTEs
Implemented international OE training (Lean Six Sigma and DFSS) across Europe, Pacific and Americas for investment banking, private banking, retail banking and back office operations
Led improvement projects in global locations with exposure to multiple banking sectors
Improved training concepts and delivery for master black belt, black belt, green belt, yellow belt, process owners and sponsors, and executives
Implemented certification process for black belts and master black belts
Trained approximately 200 black belts and 150 process owners and sponsors with average satisfaction score >80%

Dec 1999 - Jun 2012

12 years 7 months

Zürich, Switzerland

Owner

Sigma Quality Consultancy GmbH

Served as independent senior consultant and interim senior project/program manager to improve business processes
Supported clients and C-level management to transform businesses for greater success and profitability
Led strategic cross-divisional projects and teams
Implemented and deployed Lean Six Sigma and DFSS in service and production industries
Aligned business visions and strategies to measurable operational metrics and implemented review cycles (process management and BPM)
Trained, coached and mentored project leaders, black belts, champions and other stakeholders involved in Lean Six Sigma
Applied change management strategies to support various activities

Jan 1998 - Dec 1999

2 years

Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands

Master Black Belt

General Electric Bayer Silicones

Served as master black belt for on-time delivery
Responsible for global supply chain management of four global sites
Led Kaizen events to improve order-to-delivery process
Implemented process management structure by aligning business goals to KPIs and scheduled regular review sessions with senior management
Supported, trained and coached individuals and teams on projects to improve delivery performance, achieving 20% service level increase while maintaining inventory turns
Acted as internal consultant and change agent
Trained and coached 50 black belts, 20 champions, 15 master black belts, 20 executives and 150 green belts in DMAIC and DFSS

Jan 1997 - Dec 1998

2 years

Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands

Master Black Belt Manufacturing

General Electric Plastics

Implemented process management structure by aligning business goals to KPIs and scheduled regular review sessions with senior management
Accountable for process improvement projects resulting in direct savings of USD 2 million and incremental revenue of USD 1.5 million
Led one of the first DFSS projects to introduce an improved silicone sealant that delivered USD 300k incremental margin and USD 730k direct savings in the first 12 months
Acted as internal consultant and change agent

Jan 1995 - Dec 1997

3 years

Black Belt

General Electric Plastics

Served as black belt in Noryl plant
Executed several successful projects to eliminate machine downtime and quality issues
One of the first certified black belts at GE Plastics

Jan 1990 - Dec 1995

6 years

Production Manager

Caldic

Managed project and supervised construction of chemical plant with €70 million investment
Became production manager after start-up, leading 60 employees
Increased plant output by 300% via modifications and coaching of operators

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Professional Services (12.5 years), Chemical (8 years), Manufacturing (7.5 years), Pharmaceutical (5.5 years), Insurance (5.5 years), and Banking and Finance (2 years).

Professional Services

Chemical

Manufacturing

Pharmaceutical

Insurance

Banking and Finance

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Operations (31 years), Quality Assurance (22.5 years), Project Management (21 years), Production (8.5 years), Strategy (5.5 years), and Sustainability Management (5.5 years).

Operations

Quality Assurance

Project Management

Production

Strategy

Sustainability Management

Summary

I am an international and cross-cultural leader in process & organizational optimization with a track record across 8 industries, 30 companies and over 100 projects that delivered performance improvements up to 50%.

As a certified Master Black Belt, I have a deep knowledge of Lean Management (including McKinsey’s 5 lenses approach, TPS), Six Sigma, Re-engineering and transformations in manufacturing and service companies. Occasionally I'm a key-note speaker on these topics.

I led project teams with subject matter experts that improved constraints in organizations and processes by using an extended toolkit of methodologies.

I supported and advised Executive and Senior Management Teams to transform organizations into successful enterprises that serve their customers better and are great places to work.

Skills

Statistical Tools
Six Sigma
Operational Excellence

Languages

Dutch

Native

German

Advanced

English

Advanced

Education

Oct 1985 - Jun 1990

Eindhoven University of Technology

Master's degree · Chemical Engineering · Eindhoven, Netherlands

Certifications & licenses

Master Black Belt Certification

GE

Master Black Belt Manufacturing

Black Belt Certification

CAP Trainer

MBTI Step I And II Consultant

Profile

Created

May 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Tjerk based?

Tjerk is based in Zürich, Switzerland.

What languages does Tjerk speak?

Tjerk speaks the following languages: Dutch (Native), German (Advanced), English (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Tjerk have?

Tjerk has at least 36 years of experience. During this time, Tjerk has worked in at least 11 different roles and for 8 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 3 months. Note that Tjerk may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Tjerk be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Tjerk would be well-suited for roles such as: Head of Business Excellence Global Engineering, Head Operational and Business Excellence Bystronic, member of Corporate BEX leadership team, Head of Operational Excellence EMEA.

What is Tjerk's latest experience?

Tjerk's most recent position is Head of Business Excellence Global Engineering at Takeda.

What companies has Tjerk worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Tjerk has worked for Takeda.

Which industries is Tjerk most experienced in?

Tjerk is most experienced in industries like Professional Services, Chemical, and Manufacturing. Tjerk also has some experience in Pharmaceutical, Insurance, and Banking and Finance.

Which business areas is Tjerk most experienced in?

Tjerk is most experienced in business areas like Operations, Quality Assurance (QA), and Project Management. Tjerk also has some experience in Production/Manufacturing, Strategy and Planning, and Sustainability Management.

Which industries has Tjerk worked in recently?

Tjerk has recently worked in industries like Pharmaceutical.

Which business areas has Tjerk worked in recently?

Tjerk has recently worked in business areas like Operations, Strategy and Planning, and Sustainability Management.

What is Tjerk's education?

Tjerk holds a Master in Chemical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology.

Does Tjerk have any certificates?

Tjerk has 5 certificates. Among them, these include: Master Black Belt Certification, Master Black Belt Manufacturing, and Black Belt Certification.

What is the availability of Tjerk?

Tjerk is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Tjerk?

Tjerk's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.