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Michael Saunders

Senior Consultant

Mobile: (+44) 7740196021

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: in/michaelsxunders

Bio

Fuelled by a passion for turning data into decisive action, I am a Senior Consultant at Randstad UK specialising in large-scale, data-driven transformation. Over the past decade I have steered cross-functional teams across EMEA and North America, helping more than 25 organisations—spanning finance, technology, government and defence—re-imagine their processes, unlock automation opportunities and embed a culture of continuous improvement. Previously, as BI & Kaizen Lead at Target Group, I pioneered a first-in-class operational-excellence framework that became the benchmark for the firm’s global delivery teams. I’m a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, but I try to keep the jargon to a minimum. I mix design-thinking is solid data analysis and actionable intelligence to convert practical wins. Most days I’m side-by-side with business leaders, pinning down data strategy and rolling out data-driven automations that cut waste and makes life easier for customers and staff. When I’m off-project, I coach up-and-coming analysts and generally discuss lean and AI at meet-ups. I also obsessively tinker with new tech.

Skills

Data Analysis, Continuous Improvement, Automation, Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, AI-ML, Project Management, Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma, BPMN, Statistical Modelling, RPA, Workshop Design, Requirements Gathering, SQL, User-Story Mapping, SAP

Certifications

Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Practitioner, Project Management Institute (2021)

Experience

Senior Consultant (Data & Business Analysis), Randstad Enterprise

June 2023 - Current

Working in-house with a strategic client within the defence sector. Responsibility is focused on providing advisory support for statistical analysis initiatives to improve quality, cost, delivery and experience.

Highlighted Project - Joint - Defence: Operating as a technical business consultant supporting the delivery of a large-scale rationalisation project. Identification, Consolidation and Optimisation of internal systems with the aim to reduce technical debt and streamline processes.

Senior Consultant (Continuous Improvement & Transformation), Randstad UK

Sep 2022 - Jun 2023

A strategic role, responsible for driving impactful outcomes for a fintech client through intelligence design. Focused on improving problem solving capability through focused training and coaching (Leaders, Analysts, Graduates).

Highlighted Project - Barclays UK - Finance: Led a pioneering transformation initiative that revolutionised the onboarding process for >15,000 candidates per quarter internationally. Resulting in a 46% increase in candidate-to-hire conversion setting a new benchmark for the business.

BI & Kaizen Lead, Target Group

Feb 2022 - Sep 2022

Leading a team of 12 in driving transformative initiatives and advancing data maturity across the business. Designed & Implemented a new operational excellence framework centered around Lean Culture & Automation.

Highlighted Project - TargetGroup - Finance: Designed, Implemented and Coached an internal "Kaizen" program. Guiding 6 Junior Analysts to achieve Lean Six Sigma Green & Black Belt Certifications.

Senior Continuous Improvement Analyst, Target Group

Mar 2020 - Feb 2022

Acting as principal analyst of a specialist team tasked with the identification, definition and delivery of process improvements business-wide. Led a team of 6 Analysts, focused on automating and optimising business processes through data-driven analysis. Documented detailed process maps (BPMN & AL), User stories, configuration requirements to streamline operational processes and facilitate a continuous improvement culture.

Highlighted Project - Shawbrook Bank - Finance: Led the delivery of a full-scale process overhaul focused on asset recovery frameworks and workflows. Resulting in >£800k cost avoidance over a 2Y period.

Root Cause Analyst, Target Group

Mar 2019 - Mar 2020

Dedicated to conducting fair and consistent analysis into the long-term impacts of both consumer and regulatory complaints. Designed and implemented refined brand guidelines and direction measures to the Analysis-department. Credited with a significant increase in client satisfaction. Developed new and existing BI dashboards (PowerBI; SSRS; SSIS) and reports to provide actionable insights to decision-makers.

Highlighted Project - General Electric (GE) - Aerospace: Designed & Implemented an automation utility to reduce manual process lead time from 10-Minutes to 25-Seconds. Saving >£2.3m over a 5Y period.

Data Subject Rights Specialist, Target Group

Jun 2016 - Mar 2019

Working as part of a specialist team responsible for the regulatory assurance; due diligence in Data Privacy and Data Protection. I contributed to delivering a critical regulatory transformation programme for newly emerging General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).