About this Presentation
In this presentation, Ian Visser, ex-CEO of Premier Foods, and Dr. Alan Barnard, Premier Foods Viable Vision Project Auditor and CEO of Goldratt Research Labs, will share, not just the successes, but also the insights gained from these success as well as (in hindsight), from the avoidable failures and delays experienced during Premier Food’s Viable Vision journey. Premier Foods was established in 1852 and is one of South Africa's leading staple foods producers. Its main activity is the milling, marketing, selling and distribution of branded maize and flour products as well as the branding, marketing, selling and distribution of bread. Premier Foods makes 30,000 deliveries a day across South Africa feeds 10 million people a day. In 2004, Premier Foods was in dire straits. In the previous year, it had a record loss of 10% of its revenues. Shortly after Ian Visser was appointed as CEO in 2004, they embarked on their Viable Vision journey. Ian and his executive team worked closely with Dr. Eli Goldratt and Dr. Alan Barnard to design and implement a profitable growth turnaround strategy. The operations and supply chain performance was improved using TOC principles, risk was dramatically reduced and the company turned around. Combined with a series of innovatively financed transactions, ordinary shareholders realised a 7000% return on capital from then to July 2012. That was higher than any company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange over this time period. Video length: . PDF: slides.
What Will You Learn
To help you get the most value from this session, we’ve highlighted a few key points. These takeaways capture the main ideas and practical insights from the presentation, making it easier for you to review, reflect, and apply what you’ve learned.
Instructor(s)
Ian Visser
Ian Visser was active in the financial markets for 25 years. He worked in merchant banking, trading, risk management, structuring and corporate finance. He also owned a stock broking and asset management firm. He joined Premier Foods as CEO in 2004 and served in that capacity until 2011. In 2012 he was Chairman of the group.
Ms Alka Wadhwa
Alka Wadhwa is an experienced consultant and process improvement expert with over 24 years of expertise in the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean Six Sigma, and organizational performance optimization. She has successfully led projects in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing, driving significant improvements such as a 67% boost in hospital operations and a 140% increase in outpatient visits.
Previously, Alka Wadhwa spent 17+ years at GE Global Research Center, where she led initiatives to enhance various GE businesses through advanced technologies, process redesign, and system optimization. Founder of Better Solutions Consulting, LLC, she specializes in using TOC, Six Sigma, and data analytics to streamline operations and build high-performance teams.
Her work has earned her multiple accolades, including the Empire State Award of Excellence in healthcare.
Dr Gary Wadhwa
Dr. Gary Wadhwa is a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with extensive experience in the field. He completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and has served as an Attending at prestigious institutions like St. Peters Hospitals, Ellis Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in NY. With a career spanning over two decades, he was the former CEO and President of a group specialty practice in NY from 1994 to 2015. Dr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from UT at Knoxville, TN, and has undergone additional training in System Dynamics at MIT, Health System Management at Harvard Business School, and Entrepreneurship and healthcare innovations at Columbia Business School. Committed to expanding access to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery care, he is currently engaged in a meaningful project to provide healthcare services to underserved populations in inner city and rural areas through non-profit Community Health Centers.