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About Chris O’Toole

I’ve run the floor.
Now I build the
tools that fix it.

Thirty years running global operations across manufacturing, life sciences, and industrial PE. Retired from the corporate world in March 2026 to do this full-time: build AI tools that eliminate operational waste for manufacturers and service businesses — and work hands-on until the results are real.

Chris O'Toole — Founder, Ikigai OS
Chris O’Toole
Principal · AI Builder & Operator · Ikigai OS
30+
Years of senior operations leadership
13
Manufacturing sites led simultaneously
3
PE-backed turnarounds with full P&L accountability
40%
Safety improvement at PLZ Aeroscience
8 yrs
Building Ikigai OS — full-time since 2026
The Background

Thirty years inside operations.
Not observing them.

I started my career on the floor. Not in a strategy role — in operations, where the work is physical, the problems are immediate, and the accountability is real. Nine years at Nike, building Lean and supply chain discipline across global manufacturing. Then Danaher, where I learned what a world-class operating system actually looks like. Then a decade of PE-backed turnarounds — Rexnord, Bodycote, Veritas Steel, Abrasive Form, PLZ Aeroscience — each one a mandate to stabilize, transform, and perform.

I spent my last four years in the corporate world at Bio-Techne as Senior Director of Strategic Supply Chain and EHS — leading global operations and supply chain transformation for a public life sciences company through significant expansion and post-COVID disruption. I retired from that role in March 2026.

Throughout that corporate career, I had been building Ikigai OS on the side since 2018. The gap I kept seeing was the same one everywhere: consultants who understand operations but can’t build software, and developers who build software but have never run a P&L. I bridge that gap. I can walk into a manufacturing operation, identify where it’s losing money, and build the specific AI tools to fix it — without outsourcing, without six-month implementations, and without requiring an internal technical team.

“The businesses that perform are not the ones with the best strategy decks. They are the ones with the best operating systems — and the leadership to run them.”

Now I do this full-time. I work with 2–3 clients at a time to maintain focus and quality. The engagement ends when your team can operate without me. That is the only outcome I am interested in.

Operating Principles
The floor is the source of truth.
Every assessment starts on the floor — in the data, in the process, in the conversations with the people who run the operation every day. Not in the boardroom. Not in a survey.
Systems beat heroics. Every time.
A business that runs on the heroics of a few talented people is fragile. A business that runs on a well-designed operating system is scalable, resilient, and transferable.
Build it, don’t just advise on it.
I don’t hand over a recommendations deck. I build the tools, deploy them in your environment, and work hands-on with your team until they’re running independently. The deliverable is a working system, not a slide.
Accountability is non-negotiable.
If the engagement is not producing measurable improvement in the metrics that matter, we adjust the approach — not the target.
The goal is to make myself unnecessary.
Every tool, process, and system I build is designed for your team to own and run without me. Dependency is not a business model — it is a failure mode.

Career Record

The same operating system.
Proven across every type of business.

2026 — Present
Ikigai OS
AI BuilderOperatorFull-Time
Principal · AI Builder & Operator · Manufacturers ($10M–$75M)

AI-powered operational solutions for mid-market manufacturers and service businesses. Combines executive-level operational expertise with hands-on AI development — identifying where a business is losing money and building the specific tools to fix it. Three service lines: AI Builder & Operator for manufacturers; fixed-scope AI applications delivered in 1–3 weeks; and a white-label AI platform for independent consultants.

2–3
Clients at a time
90 days
To measurable results
2022 — 2026
Bio-Techne Corporation
Life SciencesPublicGlobal
Senior Director, Strategic Supply Chain & EHS · Life Sciences · Public · Global

Led global operations and supply chain transformation during significant expansion and post-COVID disruption. Rebuilt and consolidated EMEA distribution into a high-reliability footprint. Established global planning, visibility, and execution systems across EMEA, US, and APAC. Created new leadership structures including a global data & analytics function. Installed operating cadences that increased accountability, transparency, and decision-making speed across a 70+ person global team.

3
Continents
70+
Person global team
4 yrs
Tenure
2019 — 2023
Dependence Energy
Private InvestmentRenewablesIndustrial
Partner · Private Investment · Renewable & Industrial Ventures · Austin, TX

Evaluated opportunities, supported operational due diligence, strengthened leadership systems, and drove early-stage value creation across renewable and industrial ventures. Work included execution assessment, value-creation planning, and operational risk translation for private investors and founders.

2014 — 2019
PLZ Aeroscience · Abrasive Form · Veritas Steel
PE-BackedTurnaroundMulti-Industry
VP Operations / COO / General Manager · Chemicals · Aerospace · Structural Steel

Three consecutive PE-backed operating roles across three distinct industries — each a turnaround or transformation mandate with full P&L accountability. At PLZ Aeroscience, directed 13 plants and 5 distribution centers with 2,800+ employees — delivering 40% safety improvement and 20% unit-cost reduction. At Abrasive Form, increased throughput 30% and restored OEM confidence. At Veritas Steel (Atlas Holdings), stabilized a distressed bridge fabrication operation and transformed it into one of the strongest performers in the portfolio.

13
Sites at PLZ
40%
Safety improvement
20%
Unit cost reduction
2007 — 2014
Danaher (Videojet) · Rexnord · Bodycote
DanaherIndustrialMulti-Site
Corporate Director / GM / DBS Manager · Industrial · Bearings · Heat Treatment

Seven years building and deploying world-class operating systems across three industrial companies. At Danaher (Videojet), deployed DBS methodology across quality, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain. At Rexnord, led Lean and operational system deployment across a $300M business unit. At Bodycote, supported a network of North American plants in a $500M aerospace, defense & energy business.

$300M
Business unit at Rexnord
$500M
Business at Bodycote
DBS
Danaher certified
1995 — 2007
Nike · DRS Tactical Systems · State Motor & Control
NikeDefenseGlobal
Director / Manager · Global Manufacturing · Supply Chain · Defense Electronics

Nine years at Nike building Lean and supply chain discipline across global manufacturing operations. Developed deep expertise in global sourcing, supplier development, and operational systems at scale. Followed by roles in defense electronics (DRS Tactical Systems) and industrial distribution (State Motor & Control), building a foundation in multi-site operations, technical procurement, and operational leadership.

9 yrs
At Nike
Global
Supply chain scope

Areas of Expertise

Where the experience
runs deepest.

AI Tool Development for Operations
Building and deploying AI tools that solve real operational problems — automated reporting, knowledge bases, workflow optimization, and decision-support dashboards. Delivered in weeks, not months.
AI BuildsWorkflow Auto.Dashboards1–3 Week Delivery
Fractional COO & Embedded Operator
Embedded fractional executive work for manufacturers $10M–$75M — identifying and eliminating $50K–$200K in operational waste within 90 days, with hands-on deployment, not just advisory.
Fractional COOP&L OwnershipWaste Elimination90-Day Results
Supply Chain & Strategic Sourcing
Supply chain design, S&OP, inventory optimization, and strategic sourcing across domestic and global supplier bases — from Nike’s global manufacturing network to Bio-Techne’s EMEA distribution rebuild.
S&OP DesignGlobal SourcingInventory Opt.Network Design
Lean Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement
Lean Six Sigma deployment as an operating discipline — value stream mapping, tiered daily management, DMAIC, and the CI culture that makes improvement self-sustaining. Trained in Danaher Business System (DBS).
Lean Six SigmaDBSKaizenDMAIC
PE-Backed Transformation
100-day planning, EBITDA improvement mandates, sponsor reporting, and the pace of change that PE ownership requires — across three consecutive PE-backed operating roles in three different industries.
100-Day PlansEBITDA ImprovementPE ReportingTurnaround
Leadership Development & Change Management
Building leadership capability alongside operational transformation — structured change management embedded in every engagement, because that is what makes the change stick.
Leader Std WorkChange MgmtTeam DevelopmentCapability Transfer

Industry & Business Type Experience

The framework works because
it has been tested across all of them.

Industries
  • Life Sciences & Diagnostics
  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Industrial Manufacturing
  • Specialty Chemicals
  • Structural Steel / Construction
  • Consumer Products (Nike)
  • Industrial Heat Treatment
  • Energy / Renewables
  • Electronics / Defense Tech
  • Distribution & Logistics
Business Type
  • Public Company
  • PE-Backed Portfolio Co.
  • Family-Owned Business
  • Founder-Led Scale-Up
  • Multi-Site Operations
  • Turnaround / Distressed
  • Greenfield Build
  • Post-Acquisition Integration
  • Fortune 500 Division
  • Mid-Market ($10M–$75M)
Geographies
  • North America
  • EMEA
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Global Supply Chain
  • Multi-Site Domestic
  • Cross-Border Trade
When an operator has seen the same problem in six different industries, the diagnosis is faster, the solution is more robust, and the confidence in the outcome is grounded in evidence — not theory.
Work Together

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