Dermot Freeman's career has been defined by one consistent thread: getting things done. Not theorising about improvement, not building frameworks for their own sake — but rolling up his sleeves and making businesses measurably better. That practical, engineering mindset is what he brings to every training programme and every consultancy engagement he takes on.
As a qualified engineer with 47 years of experience — 39 of them in senior management — Dermot has operated at every level of business, from the shop floor to the boardroom. He has worked for Irish, German, Japanese and American organisations across the food, medical device, engineering, aerospace, FMCG and public sectors. He has led major capital expansions of up to $10 million in both engineering and operational roles.
His understanding of operations at all levels leaves him uniquely capable of being more than just a trainer and mentor. His experience and knowledge allow him to contribute to many other aspects of any business.
Dermot is a Master Black Belt Lean practitioner, a Certified Scrum Master, and a Certified ISO Lead Auditor. He is a recognised trainer whose practical experience brings every topic to life for participants. He was the trainer and project mentor for the UCC Lean Black Belt programme from 2010 to 2024 — one of Ireland's most rigorous post-graduate Lean qualifications — and has worked with both UCC and the University of Ontario in developing and delivering practical post-graduate Lean programmes.
He developed and delivered the Business Processes Pillar of the SFA-MentorsWork programme — a national initiative supporting Irish SMEs to build operational improvement capability — until the programme concluded. He also served as the Lean for Micro practitioner for the Dublin City LEOs in 2016 and 2017, leading a multitude of SMEs through their associated improvement projects.
Today, through Dermot Freeman & Associates, Dermot provides 121 support to Opex leaders in a range of companies as a Sensei and resource to their internal programmes. He is currently working with organisations across manufacturing, finance and service in sectors including pharma, medical device, food, consulting, banking, insurance, IT, and public healthcare.
What sets Dermot apart is the combination of breadth and depth — the ability to move fluently between the technical rigour of statistical process control and the human realities of change management, between the strategic clarity of Hoshin Kanri and the practical detail of a Kaizen event. He doesn't just teach tools. He builds capability.
