Richard Ash-Simpson

Amazon — Director of Operations / Executive General Manager (2020 – Present)

The Challenge: Advanced from single-site leader to executive oversight of a 6-site sortation and transportation network — consistently assigned the network's most challenged operations because of a proven record of turning them around.

What Richard Built:

• Structured the cost program around four simultaneous levers — fixed cost ($11.8M), facilities ($8.0M), asset reliability ($4.0M), and labor ($5.9M) — rather than the typical single-variable approach
• Delivered $8.3M under budget on a $260.5M operating plan while processing 306.4M units
• Compressed unit cost 4.9% by redesigning labor models and embedding fixed-cost discipline into standard work — ensuring gains held after the improvement period
• Resolved a structural throughput gap: 3.8% network growth YoY, 9.3% improvement in complex non-standard operations, 11.5% productivity gains in cross-dock

The Result: $8.3M budget beat. $29M+ in measurable gains. The leader Amazon calls when an operation needs to be fixed.

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TechnipFMC — VP, Global Operations, Products, QHSE & Lean Transformation (2017 – 2020)

The Challenge: Inherited a $350M industrial operation constrained by unreliable execution, long lead times, and capacity ceilings.

What Richard Built:

• Redesigned the operating model — network flows, capacity allocation, intercompany logistics, and production planning — creating the structural conditions for revenue doubling without proportional cost growth
• Compressed procurement lead times from several months to 2 months through integrated planning and supplier management
• Built a global operating system across 3,500+ employees to improve execution, visibility, and accountability across every site

The Result: Revenue doubled from $350M to $750M+. 15%+ EBIT improvement through operating leverage — not cost-cutting.

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Earlier: From Startup to Scale

Scaled a growth operation from approximately $10M to $350M+. Restored profitability within six months. Sustained 15–18% month-over-month growth through complete operational build-out — P&L accountability, team structure, and operating systems built from scratch.

1. He fixes what others won't touch
Richard is consistently assigned the network's most challenged operations — not because he's the last option, but because he's the proven one. At Amazon, that meant inheriting broken sites and delivering results above plan. At TechnipFMC, it meant doubling revenue in an operation others had written off.

2. Four levers at once — not one
Most operators pull one cost lever at a time. Richard runs four simultaneously: fixed costs, facilities, asset reliability, and labor. That's what separates $29M in gains from an ordinary cost program — and why the gains hold after the improvement period instead of eroding.

3. Safety as an operating system — not a compliance checkbox
–31% serious injuries. –44% lost-time injuries. First-aid injury rates from 18% to under 3% in turnaround environments. Zero-incident benchmarks across multiple sites. Richard treats safety transformation the same way he treats any operational problem: diagnose the system, redesign the standard work, hold it accountable.

4. Credentials and community

• MBA, International Operations Management — Indiana Wesleyan University
• BBA, Accounting & Business Administration — Tennessee State University
• Six Sigma Green Belt | Lean Transformation Practitioner | Dale Carnegie Leadership Training
• Board Member — Tennessee State University, School of Supply Chain
• Industry Consultant — Guidepoint Global