NEW YORK, September 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — from the Columbia Business School Announcing the W. Edwards Deming Center for Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness Timo SteinerCEO and co-founder of the Ocado Group, and Kathy WardenNorthrop Grumman Chairman, CEO and President will receive his 2022 Deming Cup for Operational Excellence Award at a ceremony in Those of Columbia University Low library rotunda on October 25.
The 2022 Deming Cup winners are Tim Steiner, CEO and Co-Founder of the Ocado Group, and Kathy Warden, Chair, CEO and President of Northrop Grumman
Since 2010, the Deming Cup has recognized leaders for operational excellence and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within their organizations. The 2022 award recognizes Steiner and Warden for driving operational excellence and continuous improvement across their organizations and positioning their companies for growth and long-term success.
The co-chairs of the award’s 41-strong jury committee, made up of eminent figures from industry and academia, are Terry LundgrenFounder of TJL Advisors, retired Chairman of the Board, past President and CEO of Macy’s, Inc. and recipient of the 2012 Deming Cup, and Sam Palmisanoformer Chairman, President and CEO of IBM and recipient of the 2010 Deming Cup.
In his congratulations to Steiner and Warden, Professor Nelson Fraiman, director of the Deming Center, praised them for “exemplifying Deming principles in leading breakthrough solutions in their industries.” By honoring Steiner and Warden, “we not only honor the spirit of W. Edwards Deming, but also celebrate his legacy as we pass it on to our students, the next generation of industry leaders.”
Steiner’s founding goal for the Ocado Group was to transform the way people shop for groceries by developing an unrivaled online consumer offering through a model that promotes hyper-efficiency and profitability. To achieve this, he drove the company to develop unique and cutting-edge technologies, solve some of the most complex challenges faced by grocery retailers in the e-commerce era and develop new approaches to logistics in a sector, who had previously resisted change for decades.
Nothing epitomizes Steiner’s approach to inspiring and leading people more than the quote from W. Edwards Deming; “It’s not enough to do your best; you have to know what to do and then do your best.”
After receiving the news of the award, Timo Steiner said: “I am very happy about the Deming Cup. This award is a recognition of the extraordinary journey that the Ocado Group has taken and the spirit of innovation that colleagues across our organization embody every day.” He added: “When we started Ocado two decades ago, we were a small one and determined start-up in an industry that has been highly resilient to change. Today, we’re a global technology and logistics leader, working with some of the largest retailers in the world’s largest grocery markets. I’m honored that our commitment to quality and providing new solutions to old challenges has been recognized by the Deming Center.”
Warden has always been passionate about fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. Even before she became Chair, CEO and President of Northrop Grumman in 2019, Warden launched Operational Excellence as a company-wide call to action for new ways to enable continuous quality improvement at every level. With these processes, Warden motivates his employees to provide mission-critical solutions that advance human discovery, like the James Webb Space Telescope designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman, and those that protect national security, like the B-21 aircraft. Warden illustrates what it means to be a leader and a role model through four core company values she launched in 2021: “We do what is right, we do what we promise, we commit to succeed together, we lead .”
Upon receiving news of the award, Warden thanked the selection committee. “I am honored to accept the Deming Cup on behalf of the entire Northrop Grumman team. Our culture values people, innovation and operational excellence. We strive for continuous improvement and challenge the status quo to give our customers the edge needed to support their most valuable missions. This award is a significant recognition of our team’s achievements and a powerful motivator to keep moving forward,” she said.
Founded in 1993 at Columbia Business SchoolThe W. Edwards Deming Center promotes operational excellence in science and business by sponsoring applied research and curriculum development, disseminating best practices, and providing career development opportunities for practitioners.
Past Deming Cup winners include*: David Abney, UPS Chairman and CEO; Juan Ramon Alaix, CEO of Zoetis; Douglas BakerChairman and CEO of Ecolab; Maria BarraChairman and CEO of General Motors; David Cote, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell; Kenneth Chenault, Chairman and CEO of American Express Company; Toby Cosgrove, President and CEO of the Cleveland Clinic; Janet DiFiore, Chief Justice of the State of New York; Michael DowlingPresident and CEO of Northwell Health; Ken FrazierChairman and former President and CEO of Merck; Jeffrey ImmeltChairman and CEO of GE; Brent James, Chief Quality Officer of Intermountain Healthcare; H. Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson & Son, Inc.; Hubert Joly, CEO of Best Buy; Ellen Kullman, Chairman and CEO of DuPont; Terry Lundgren, Chairman, President and CEO of Macy’s, Inc.; Sergio Marchionne, Chairman and CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles; Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; Samuel Palmisano, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM; Paul RoccaPresident and CEO of Tenaris SA; Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott International; Kevin Sowers, President of Johns Hopkins Health System; Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons; Craig Thompson, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Stephen WertheimerFounder of ISCAR, Ltd.
*Winner titles reflect the year they won the Deming Cup.
Media contact: Keshi Mark, [email protected]
SOURCE Columbia Business School
