Leah Gettens: Business Consultancy & Lean Six Sigma Leadership

Every business story has its turning points. For Leah Gettens, those turning points were never about the spotlight but about the impact she left behind. Colleagues often describe her as the person who can walk into a complex situation and quietly untangle the knots.

She uses leaving teams with clarity and a renewed sense of direction. Her journey did not begin in boardrooms or training sessions. It started with an early interest in how things worked and a belief that every process, no matter how small could be made better.

Over the years, that belief became a guiding principle, shaping the way she approached challenges and inspired others around her. What makes Leah’s story different is the mix of resilience and precision she brings to her work. 

She is not the type to rely on slogans or quick fixes. Instead, she builds lasting improvements by listening closely, finding patterns others miss and translating them into strategies that deliver measurable results.

Today, she is recognized as a trusted consultant with a strong command of Lean Six Sigma. Her work has supported industries where efficiency and reliability are non-negotiable. And her ability to combine technical expertise with a human touch sets her apart. Whether she is helping an organization cut waste, boost performance or guide teams through change she leads with quiet confidence.

This is more than a professional profile. It is a look at the values, expertise and results that define Leah Gettens — and why her approach matters for businesses aiming for real, lasting growth.

Career Timeline & Proven Achievements

For the past four years, Leah has worked as an independent consultant, bringing her expertise in Lean Six Sigma, software implementation, program management and business innovation to a variety of industries. In this role she partners with organizations to improve processes, manage large-scale implementations and design programs that deliver measurable business outcomes.

Her independence has allowed her to apply her skills across different sectors. By adapting methods to client needs while maintaining a strong results focus. She spent over a decade at General Dynamics Electric Boat, holding progressive roles that showcased both her technical ability and leadership skills.

• Program Manager – Oracle ERP (2018 – 2021): Oversaw enterprise-level ERP implementation, ensuring alignment between technology and business needs. Her work improved integration across departments and strengthened decision-making through better data visibility.
• Process Engineering Supervisor (2016 – 2021): Led engineering teams through process improvement projects and balancing technical precision with team development.
• Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (2015 – 2021): Certified at the highest level, Leah coached others in advanced problem-solving methods while leading organization-wide Lean Six Sigma initiatives.

• Innovation Expert (2011 – 2021): Recognized as a driver of new ideas, she helped develop innovative approaches to supply chain and production challenges, enabling the company to remain competitive in a high-stakes industry.
• Senior Process Engineer – Supply Chain Management (2011 – 2015): Applied Lean Six Sigma to supply chain processes and improving efficiency and reducing delays in critical projects.
• Senior Process Engineer (2009 – 2011): Laid the foundation of her career at Electric Boat, working directly on process improvements that introduced her to the complexity of large-scale engineering operations.

Leah’s career shows a steady rise from hands-on roles to senior consultancy. In this accomplishment, each stage is marked by a measurable impact. She began as a Process Improvement Specialist. She applied  Lean Six Sigma tools to daily operations. Her early projects included introducing quality checkpoints that reduced rework by 12% and streamlining approvals that cut turnaround times by 20%.

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These early wins built her reputation for precision and efficiency. After becoming  Project Lead, Leah guided larger initiatives. One standout success was a Lean Six Sigma project that lowered defect rates by 18% within nine months. This resulted in an annual savings of over $ 2 M. Alongside results, she invested in people by training more than 150 employees and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.

Moving into Senior Consultancy, she expanded across industries. In manufacturing, she improved throughput by 22% without new hires. In the financial services industry, she redesigned processes to reduce customer wait times by 30%. Healthcare projects delivered annual cost reductions of 15%, proving her versatility.

Today, as a Strategic Advisor in aerospace and defense, Leah designs quality frameworks that reduce audit preparation by 25% . And advises on risk reduction strategies that have prevented delays worth $1.8M. She also mentors future Lean Six Sigma leaders, ensuring capability lasts long after her projects end. Her career reflects the theme:

Sustainable results, delivered with both technical expertise and people-focused leadership.

Expertise in Lean Six Sigma & Business Consultancy

Leah’s expertise combines structured problem-solving with practical business impact. Through Lean Six Sigma and consultancy projects, she has consistently shown how the right methods can transform inefficiencies into measurable gains. At its core, Lean Six Sigma is about simplicity: reducing waste, removing errors and improving quality.

Leah often explains it as tuning an engine so every part works smoothly with less friction and better fuel efficiency. For businesses, this means faster processes, lower costs and more reliable outcomes. Her professional training reflects years of applied practice. Leah is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Master Black Belt, credentials that highlight both her ability to lead complex projects and mentor others.

These qualifications are backed by hands-on experience in industries where mistakes carry significant costs. Unlike competitors who stop at broad claims, Leah demonstrates real results. In aerospace, she standardized inspection processes that reduced testing errors by 21%. In defense, she streamlined supply chain approvals, cutting project delays by 17%.

In manufacturing, she led value-stream mapping that increased throughput by 22% without additional expense. These examples show how adaptable Lean Six Sigma can be across sectors. Leah’s consultancy goes beyond one-off fixes. Executives benefit from clear, data-backed decisions, teams gain the tools to solve problems independently and customers enjoy faster service with fewer errors.

She often compares her approach to redesigning plumbing instead of patching leaks — ensuring problems stay solved. Every project she leads is tracked with clear KPIs, turning efficiency from a concept into a measurable business result. Her expertise is not just technical but grounded in creating change that lasts.

Client-Centric Approach

Working with Leah is not about applying a standard formula — it’s about building a partnership that feels tailored to each organization. Her process is structured, but always flexible enough to adapt to unique challenges and goals.

Every collaboration begins with discovery where Leah focuses on listening. She takes time to understand the client’s objectives, existing workflows and pain points. This ensures that her solutions are grounded in the reality of how the organization operates, rather than based on assumptions.

From there, she moves into process mapping, creating a clear picture of how work flows from start to finish. This stage often highlights bottlenecks, duplicated tasks, or gaps that aren’t always visible from within the business. By making the process visible, teams gain immediate clarity on where change is needed.

The next stage is implementation, where practical improvements are introduced. Leah uses Lean Six Sigma tools with targeted training or system adjustments to bring about meaningful change. She avoids overwhelming teams with unnecessary complexity. Instead focus on achievable improvements that integrate smoothly into daily work.

With improvements in place, attention shifts to results. Leah measures every project against clear KPIs. Such as reduced cycle times, lower error rates or cost savings. This makes success tangible for both leaders and teams, turning improvement into something that can be tracked and celebrated.

The final stage is continuous improvement  which ensures the progress doesn’t stop when the project ends. Leah equips teams with the skills and mindset to keep identifying and solving problems, creating a culture where efficiency becomes second nature. Clients describe the experience of working with Leah as structured yet personal — a process that delivers measurable outcomes while empowering people to carry the improvements forward.

Case Studies & Results

Leah’s work is best understood through outcomes. The following case studies highlight how her consultancy delivers measurable impact across different industries. Each example demonstrates her ability to identify inefficiencies, apply structured problem-solving and achieve results that last.

These case studies show a consistent pattern: Leah approaches each challenge by first making processes visible, then simplifying and strengthening them with Lean Six Sigma tools. The results are not abstract improvements but concrete gains in cost savings, efficiency and reliability.

Leah’s ability to adapt the methodology across sectors — from high-stakes aerospace projects to customer-facing services — demonstrates the versatility of her consultancy. Clients not only see immediate benefits but also gain confidence that improvements will hold under real-world pressure.

By focusing on measurable KPIs, Leah gives leaders data-backed assurance that change is working. At the same time, teams gain smoother workflows and customers enjoy faster more reliable service. This balance of technical precision and human impact sets her results apart from generic consultancy claims.

Thought Leadership & Tools

Leah is not only a consultant but also a teacher who makes Lean Six Sigma practical and accessible. She takes complex methods and translates them into tools that leaders and teams can apply with confidence. One of her main frameworks is DMAIC — Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control.

She calls it the backbone of Lean Six Sigma because it guides teams from identifying a problem to securing a lasting solution. She also uses SIPOC — Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs and Customers to give organizations a top-level view of their processes before making changes. Also she encourages a mindset of Kaizen — where small, consistent improvements build into long-term gains.

These tools are not applied in theory but in practice. In aerospace, she used DMAIC to uncover the root causes of costly testing errors. In manufacturing, SIPOC helped simplify workflows and cut waste. With defense clients Kaizen created a culture where teams continuously seek efficiency, rather than waiting for periodic reviews.

The outcome is predictability and clarity. Executives get reliable data while teams gain structure. And customers benefit from faster and more consistent service. Leah reinforces this approach through a Starter Lean Six Sigma Toolkit, giving businesses a practical resource to begin their own improvement journey.

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Final Thoughts

Leah Gettens’ story reminds us that true leadership is not just about results, but about the way those results are achieved. Her career shows the power of resilience, empathy and clarity. These are the qualities that turn complex challenges into opportunities for growth.

She has proven that efficiency and innovation don’t need to come at the expense of people. Instead , they thrive when people feel supported, understood and empowered. What we can learn from her is simple yet powerful. Discipline builds trust, humility builds connection and continuous improvement builds lasting impact.

Whether you’re leading a global team or working on personal growth, Leah’s example shows that the blend of structure and humanity is what creates real change. The next step is yours. Reflect on how her approach could shape the way you solve problems, lead people or drive innovation in your own world. Improvement isn’t just a strategy — it’s a mindset, and it begins with choosing to see better as always possible.