Joseph Donnelly has over 31 years of experience driving enterprise-wide operational excellence and cultural transformation across the Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Aerospace, and Defense sectors. Joe has generated more than $1 billion in client-verified ROI by closing the strategy-to-execution gap, embedding performance systems, and coaching executives to lead high-accountability, reliability-focused organizations.

Joe most recently served as Director, Operations Excellence for Cenovus Energy, where he led enterprise continuous improvement across Downstream Manufacturing. In this role, he directed a 30-member team delivering over 100 improvement projects, built competency frameworks for safety-critical roles, implemented cost-optimization initiatives, and embedded structured problem-solving and coaching routines that strengthened asset reliability, margin capture, and operational agility.

Previously, Joe spent 15 years with RLG International and RLG Defense, advancing from Project Manager to Senior Management Consultant. He directed cross-functional consulting teams for clients including BP, Enbridge, Hess, Boeing, and GKN Aerospace, implementing sustainable CI systems, safety frameworks, and leadership development programs in high-risk environments. Highlights include delivering $300M+ in impact across BP Gulf of Mexico operations, introducing leader-standard-work systems at Enbridge that reduced schedule risk by 10%, and doubling Boeing Chinook helicopter output to secure a $15B U.S. Defense contract.

Earlier in his career, Joe held multiple leadership positions at Ford Motor Company, where he managed cross-functional manufacturing, engineering, and customer service teams of more than 250 employees. He spearheaded new-model launches, executed large-scale workforce optimizations, and achieved significant cost reductions while improving quality and customer satisfaction.

Joe is passionate about leadership coaching and talent development, partnering with C-suite and frontline leaders to build scalable systems, strengthen safety cultures, and embed behaviors that deliver sustainable results. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University, an executive coaching certification (ILM, London), and is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.