Holly Blair
Holly Blair
Professional Engineer registered in Alberta, LSSMBB, Certified Executive Coach, Certified Business Analysis Professional, Certified Change Management Practitioner
Languages
In the utilities and renewables sector, Holly has five years of hands-on experience in water treatment for boiler feed water and cooling water applications. She has successfully led process improvement initiatives to enhance plant operations and ensure reliability. Her expertise in optimizing water treatment systems has contributed to significant improvements in efficiency, cost reduction, and overall operational performance.
Holly’s comprehensive knowledge extends beyond utilities, encompassing process safety, plant reliability, and Lean transformations. She has also worked as a business analyst in downstream oil and gas, where she optimized processes and coordinated IT improvements.
Holly’s ability to guide organizations through complex operational challenges has earned her a reputation as a trusted leader in the field. She is passionate about delivering measurable results, enhancing quality, and eliminating waste. Holly’s commitment to excellence makes her an invaluable asset to any organization seeking transformative success in the utilities industry and beyond.
Manufacturing
10+ Years of Experience
Plastics & Mold Making
Holly has worked with multiple clients in the plastics industry, including blown film extrusion and injection molding operations. She has led Lean process improvement initiatives to optimize production efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance overall operational performance. Additionally, Holly has provided Yellow Belt training, equipping teams with foundational Lean Six Sigma tools to drive continuous improvement within their organizations.
Chemicals
Holly spent 10 years at a leading agri-chemical company specializing in nitrogen-based fertilizers, where she held various engineering and leadership roles. Her experience includes process engineering, process hazard analysis, process optimization, turnaround planning and execution, and plant reliability optimization. She also played a key role in process safety initiatives, ensuring compliance and risk mitigation. Additionally, Holly led several successful Black Belt projects, focusing on minimizing plant downtime and enhancing the efficiency of the cooling water system, resulting in significant operational improvements.
Machinery & Equipment
Holly has extensive experience in the machinery and equipment industry, leading Lean training and process improvement projects for a diverse range of clients, including a CNC machine manufacturer, sawmill manufacturer, switchgear manufacturer, and a manufacturer of electrical industrial equipment. Her projects have focused on process optimization, quality improvement, and Lean layout design, helping clients enhance operational efficiency, reduce waste, and improve product quality.
Food & Beverages
Holly has led several process improvement projects in the food industry, working with facilities such as a chocolate factory and breweries. She has developed process dashboards to track Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and led a 5S implementation project in a mid-size brewery, improving organization, efficiency, and workflow. Therefore, her work with Lean initiatives to reduce waste and optimize production processes has helped companies enhance quality and throughput.
Service/Transactional
10+ Years of Experience
Healthcare
Holly worked for the provincial health authority in Alberta for two years, focusing on streamlining processes, improving quality, and enhancing patient safety. She led process optimization projects for the endoscopy unit, bone marrow transplant clinic, and a family doctor practice, identifying inefficiencies and implementing solutions to improve patient flow and service delivery. Additionally, Holly developed and led Yellow and Green Belt training programs, incorporating interactive Lean simulation exercises to engage and educate over 200 participants, equipping healthcare professionals with the tools to drive continuous improvement in their organizations.
Energy & Natural Resources
5+ Years of Experience
Metal & Mining
Holly worked at the mill of a large nickel mine in northern Manitoba, focusing on optimizing nickel recovery and improving process efficiency. She conducted laboratory tests to analyze and enhance recovery rates, identifying key variables that impacted performance. Her work contributed to refining operational parameters and implementing data-driven improvements to maximize yield and resource utilization.
Oil & Gas
Holly worked as a business analyst for a major Canadian oil company, focusing on process optimization and coordinating IT improvements for downstream oil and gas plants. She collaborated with operations teams and IT specialists to streamline workflows, enhance data management systems, and improve process efficiency. Her work contributed to better integration of technology with plant operations, leading to increased reliability, reduced downtime, and improved decision-making.
Utilities & Renewables
Holly has five years of extensive experience in the utilities and renewables sector, focusing on water treatment systems for boiler feed water and cooling water applications.
Her expertise includes hands-on operations management and process improvement, where she has optimized systems to enhance plant reliability and performance. Holly has led initiatives aimed at improving water treatment efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring sustainable operations.
Additionally, her work involved developing and implementing best practices for maintenance and system optimization, contributing to significant improvements in overall plant efficiency. With a strong background in chemical engineering and Lean Six Sigma methodologies, Holly’s contributions have driven measurable results in operational excellence within the utilities industry.