The future of continuous improvement is human

What if the greatest untapped lever for continuous improvement isn’t in your process — but in your people?

Join us as we explore the next frontier in performance and transformation: unlocking human potential as a core driver of operational excellence. Go beyond tools, systems and frameworks to focus on the human side of performance. Dr. Rachel Ingel-Champion, an organizational psychologist and transformation strategist, challenges the traditional emphasis on operational efficiency by highlighting the often-overlooked human inefficiencies that erode even the most well-designed systems.

Drawing on insights from organizational psychology, leadership development and large-scale transformation, Ingel-Champion confirms the bold shift that a continuous improvement transformation requires isn’t just a technical discipline — it’s a leadership practice.

While many organizations have mastered process improvement frameworks, few have systematically addressed the people systems that power them. Ingel-Champion introduces the concept of “human waste” — including burnout, disengagement, unclear roles and misaligned leadership — as a critical barrier to long-term performance and sustainability.

This session reframes performance through a human-centered lens, demonstrating how clarity, empowered teams and intentional leadership behaviors accelerate improvement and sustain results. Participants will walk away with research-backed insights and practical leadership strategies to improve not just their processes — but their organizations’ capacity to grow, adapt and thrive.

In a time when efficiency is demanded and human capital is often deprioritized, this keynote calls leaders to see what’s really driving — or blocking — performance. Because when people thrive, business thrives.

Dr. Rachel Ingel-Champion is an organizational psychologist, transformation consultant and ICF-certified executive coach with over 20 years of experience helping leaders and organizations thrive through change. With a Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology and a career spanning global Fortune 500 companies, Ingel-Champion brings a rare blend of strategic insight and human-centered expertise. She specializes in organizational effectiveness, operating model design, leadership development and organizational change. As the founder of LūmaGo, she empowers leaders to unlock performance by aligning people, process and purpose.