José Leal Email & Phone Number

Aveiro, Pt

Leading strategic initiatives across critical functions for our European operations, reporting directly to the VP of EMEA. I collaborate closely with corporate leaders to align IT, HR, and Operations (CI and EH&S) strategies with business objectivesCollaborate with senior leadership to drive transformational initiatives, focusing on strategic direction, problem-solving, and cross-functional knowledge sharing to enhance operational excellence and drive change.My role includes overseeing IT infrastructure, optimizing resources, ensuring compliance, and championing cybersecurity measures across Europe.On the HR front, supporting talent acquisition, development, and employee engagement, while also managing employee relations and ensuring compliance with local regulations. I drive initiatives that enhance culture, compensation strategies, and HR technology integration.In EH&S, to ensure safety standards, compliance, and best practices are met, while promoting continuous improvement and knowledge sharing across sites.This role allows me to leverage my cross-functional expertise to deliver value and support the growth of our EMEA footprint.

I led HR and IT across Austria, Poland, and Germany, fostering an environment that empowered individuals to excel and innovate, ensuring SES’s long-term success in Europe. I developed and implemented HR and IT strategies that supported growth and employee engagement. My team managed critical areas such as talent acquisition, training, performance management, succession planning, and employee retention. On the IT side, we oversaw service desk operations, ERP implementation, cybersecurity, IT architecture, and systems management to drive operational efficiency and resilience.

Transformation programs lead to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and enhance operational agility, delivering sustained performance improvements and cost reductions that sharpen our competitive edge. I revitalize sales and commercial operations by leveraging market trends to drive revenue growth, expand market reach, and strengthen customer relationships.Safe workplace priorization, implementing advanced safety programs that have significantly reduced accidents and injuries year-over-year. I also directed the Portugal Business Consolidation project, streamlining operations to meet performance goals while staying on budget and on schedule.Key achievements include: - Saving €0.7M by optimizing the supply chain and preventing freight leakage. - Fostering a continuous improvement culture, achieving $2M in inventory savings and above $3M annual EOI improvement. - Enhancing margins by 10-25% through multiple Kaizen events. - Reducing reliance on major accounts from 18% to 7% while expanding market reach. - Achieving a 98.3% on-time delivery rate by relocating all assets within three weeks.

• Directed a highly motivated team dedicated to developing innovative systems for storing and distributing Sustainable Energy Solutions. • Successfully launched the first new product within eight months, including a new light-duty OEM vehicle H2 storage solution, currently patent pending.

Managed full P&L responsibilities for the Portuguese and Belgian joint venture, deploying advanced solutions that met industry standards and enhanced both product quality and operational efficiency. At JointSteel, fostered a culture of cross-functional collaboration, building a cohesive team to leverage collective expertise and achieve goals efficiently.Streamlined communication between internal teams, suppliers, and customers, while emphasizing safety with robust protocols to ensure stakeholder well-being. Led strategic sales initiatives that drove revenue growth and strengthened market share through critical client partnerships, expanding the company’s presence in the industry.Key Accomplishments: • Enhanced talent acquisition and retention by executing strategic HR initiatives to build and sustain a high-caliber workforce.• Achieved a 20-month order backlog within just 180 days of the company's establishment by demonstrating effective sales and operational strategies.• Maintained a commendable record of 268 safety incident-free days by underscoring a strong commitment to workplace safety and employee well-being.

Worthington, Ohio, Us

Directed local leadership in daily transformation initiatives, focusing on achieving strategic objectives and aligning efforts with company goals for collective success. Managed comprehensive data analysis to drive informed decision-making, identifying areas for improvement and optimization.Led lean training sessions and problem-solving activities to foster continuous improvement, innovation, and efficiency. Conducted regular progress reviews to ensure alignment with company goals, making necessary adjustments to stay on track toward achieving objectives.Key Accomplishments:• Achieved 17% throughput increase in Value Stream Mapping (VSM) on a six-second manufacturing cycle time by optimizing production flow.• Attained 314 incident-free working days by showcasing the effectiveness of safety protocols and commitment to excellence.

Vale Grande, Pt

• Guided teams in product development, emphasizing OEM/OES/IAM catalytic converters, DPFs, mufflers, and tubes/manifolds for vehicles, encompassing product homologation processes.• Led process engineering initiatives, establishing equipment specifications and refining industrial workflows to facilitate the industrialization of new products.

Ílhavo - Aveiro, Pt

Engineering Department Management: - Project Management - Industrialization of new products; - Head of Continuous Improvement - Lean/Kaizen tools implmentation; - Cooperation with the R&D on product development; - Project managing of the plastic moulds, transfer and progressive dies; - Supervision of the tool shop; - Plan and supervise the activities of the Engineering Department staff;

Madrid, Es

Maintenance Management: - Mechanical, electrical and auto - (three plants) - Budgeting Planning and Oversight all maintenance activities; - External Resources Outsourcing; - Technical Support on continuous improvement activities; - Managing outsources on the jobs inside the facilities; - Managing Project "Miniplant-B" – ergonomics and accessibility

Ílhavo - Aveiro, Pt

Process Engineer – Engineering Department - Development of the production process, cost savings and increasing productivity; - Head of Continuous Improvement Process - plant layout/workflow… - Production instructions, security good practices and machine parameters; - Technical Specifications for new equipment - Pressing, welding, robots, press brakes,... ; - Managing activities of MTM team;Manager of the H&S

Braga, Norte, Pt

Multiaxial Textil Testing Machine - Final Course Project

Focused Program, Digital Transformation

Executive Education

High Impact Leadership Program, General Management, Leadership & Strategy

Theory Of Constraints For Operations

Project Management - Open Executive Programme

Executive Education, Business Administration And Management

Engineer'S Degree, Mechanical Engineering

Secundary Education, Industrial Mechanics And Maintenance Technology