Principals

Brian Anstey joined Stroud in 2009 after completing his MBA at MIT. Prior to that, Brian spent 5 years within General Motors' Industrial Engineering organization, leading various productivity improvements. He also spent 6 months at ABB Switzerland leading the design of a 10,000 m2 Polish Greenfield facility. At Stroud, Brian's achievements include working with private equity portfolio companies to drive improvement in their distribution networks, as well as delivering significant capacity improvements for clients in paints & polymers and the beverage industry. Brian is currently helping an energy-sector client build their internal improvement organization. In his free time, Brian is an avid skier, skiing 30 plus days a year. In addition to his MBA, Brian holds an SM in Engineering from MIT, a MS in Engineering from Northwestern, and a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Cornell University.

Gaurav Gupta joined Stroud in 2003. His broad client experience includes helping a multi-billion dollar food & beverage company save over $50 million in manufacturing costs, pre-acquisition operational due diligence for a multinational automotive supplier, improving a pulp and paper manufacturer's costs by 7%, helping a post-merger finance group establish operations and improvement systems, and working with a hospital network to attract more patients. Gupta also leads the development of Stroud's pharmaceutical practice. He has been a guest speaker at MIT's Sloan School of Management, written white papers, published articles, and spoken at trade conferences on improvement methodologies, prioritizing opportunities and aligning leadership teams. Gupta received a bachelor's degree in Physics from Middlebury College and a master's in Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University. Outside of work Gupta enjoys tennis, golf and travel.

Ryan Hale joined Stroud Consulting in 2001 and has worked with a number of clients across North America and Europe. He has helped clients to achieve significant business change well beyond technical operational improvements. His experiences include tripling the throughput of a chemical slurry transport system, cutting waste in half for a folding carton converter, and cutting outpatient clinic wait times by a third. He is currently leading an energy sector engagement generating hundreds of millions of dollars in value. Hale is also responsible for advancing the firm's media presence and raising the quality of client delivery. He has published several articles and often serves as a source for knowledge and commentary on improvement in industry. When not consulting, Hale cooks and runs marathons/triathlons. He received a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Cornell University.

Neil Heffernan manages Stroud Consulting's London office. He joined the firm in 2001 and has consulted across a variety of industries in many European countries. Some of his largest engagements have been in the paper, chemicals and coatings sectors where he has helped clients achieve significant output increases and multi-million-euro cost savings, including increasing the output of a tissue facility by more than 20% without capital or additional labor cost. He strongly believes that sustainable change comes from rolling up his sleeves and working alongside client people, as reflected in his collaborative working style. Heffernan holds a Masters degree from Cambridge, where he studied Engineering. Outside of work he enjoys racing sailboats.

Mark Rosenbaum joined Stroud from BHP Steel, where his management role included line rotations in production and R&D. At Stroud, he has led a team that increased profit by 10% across five manufacturing sites, improving throughput and reducing costs. For a pulp and paper industry client he increased productivity by 20% to meet growing demand. He is currently leading a transformation across a major US beverage company, delivering $20 million in annual savings and building a lasting improvement culture. Rosenbaum has demonstrated a talent for helping companies navigate through many "flavors" of improvement to develop a simple, common sense approach that works for them. Internally, he manages development and training for Stroud. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering with a University Medal from the University of New South Wales.

Scott Whitbread joined Stroud in 2002 after being an operations improvement consultant in Australia, the US and Europe. He has a track record of delivering substantial improvements in manufacturing output, yield and labor efficiency. These include a 10% increase in a packaging division's output and a $6 million annual cost reduction for a frozen food producer, both delivered in 6-8 months. Whitbread leads the management of the firm's intellectual property and has spearheaded Stroud's understanding of the mindsets that shape leaders' effectiveness. He believes that the attitudes and behaviors we bring to our organizations closely govern their success - and that there is always opportunity to improve them. He received a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of New South Wales with first class honors, and has published several articles.