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Season 2, Episode 1: Integrating Purpose, People, Processes and Practices for Operational Excellence and Lasting Impact

Carlos de Castro | May 2025

Featuring Carlos de Castro, Vice President of Continuous Improvement, ABB E-Mobility

Join us for an engaging conversation with Carlos de Castro, a strategic and operational excellence leader known for driving transformation across global teams and industries. In this episode, Carlos unpacks how leaders can effectively integrate purpose, people, processes, and practices to build a high-performance culture and deliver lasting impact.

Carlos explains why culture is the “secret sauce” that connects these four pillars and how leaders must design and actively drive that culture to avoid misalignment and regress into old habits. Drawing on years of experience, he shares strategies for balancing short-term performance with long-term transformation and explains the critical role of leadership in embedding purpose into everyday operations.

Watch this episode to explore how to maintain momentum in operational excellence initiatives, the importance of being present on the frontline, and why best practices must continuously evolve to stay relevant in a changing environment.

Carlos de Castro

Vice President- Continuous Improvement, ABB E-Mobility

Carlos de Castro is the Vice President of Continuous Improvement of ABB E-Mobility, a global leader in EV (electric vehicles) charging technology. He is passionate about connecting and aligning the business purpose, processes, and practices to achieve higher levels of performance through a lean operating model, a robust quality system, and a continuous learning mindset. He previously worked at Honeywell and had global and regional leadership roles in consumer electronics, home automation, and automotive, for companies like Philips and ZF. He is a member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and an assessor for the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management).

Key Highlights:

  • Actionable tips to integrate purpose, people, processes, and practices.
  • How to overcome common pitfalls leaders face and the tendency to revert to old habits.
  • The importance of balancing “perform” and “transform” to achieve sustainable success.
  • How leadership must go beyond involvement to actively drive cultural and operational change.
  • Why best practices must evolve with market and workforce dynamics.

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Recap: Dive Back into Previous Episodes

BPM RealTalk - Episode 1

In the debut episode of BPM RealTalk, host Mark Khabe converses with Sharon Paulson, Head of Digital Workplace Services at ECH. With over 20 years of experience in BPM, Operational Excellence, and Digital Transformation, Sharon discusses the key challenges faced by the not-for-profit sector, such as funding constraints, regulatory compliance, and workforce shortages.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 2

In this episode of BPM RealTalk, host Mark Khabe talks with Brenda Stonehouse, Manager of Strategy and Innovation at Kawartha Lakes. Brenda shares insights on creating a culture of Continuous Improvement and strategies for maintaining momentum. She discusses the wins, learnings, and the importance of flexibility in the improvement journey.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 3

In the third episode of BPM RealTalk, host Mark Khabe interviews Innes Smith, an expert in operational excellence. Innes discusses securing leadership commitment, differentiating passive and active support, and aligning business pain points with company goals to secure executive buy-in.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 4

In the fourth episode of BPM RealTalk, host Mark Khabe interviews Kersty Christensen, an expert with over 20 years of experience across various sectors. Kersty shares insights on calculating ROI for BPM initiatives in business cost centers, emphasizing that ROI includes role transparency, compliance, and regulatory requirements.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 5

In this episode of BPM RealTalk, host Mark Khabe interviews Amine Ayad, a retail industry expert with experience at brands like Walmart, Home Depot, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Amine shares insights on process improvement in retail, discusses the top three industry challenges, and highlights the importance of adapting Lean Six Sigma methodologies to each organisation.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 6

In the sixth episode of BPM RealTalk, host Mark Khabe interviews Augusto Romero, a transformation leader. Augusto discusses implementing target operating models, emphasizing empathy, co-creation, and engaging employees. He shares practical insights and examples for achieving sustainable change through collaboration and focusing on outcomes.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 7

In the seventh episode of BPM RealTalk, our host Mark Khabe engages in a compelling discussion with Claire Grosjean, a leader in financial and operational management with extensive experience in continuous process improvement and implementing intelligent automation tools.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 8

In the eighth episode of BPM Real Talk, our host Mark Khabe engages in an enlightening discussion with Christopher Smith, an expert in process improvement with over two decades of experience, particularly in the healthcare sector. Christopher underscores the significance of involving frontline staff early in BPM projects, emphasising their crucial role in day-to-day operations

BPM RealTalk - Episode 9

In this episode of BPM RealTalk, our host Mark Khabe engages in an enlightening conversation with Andy Willums, a seasoned expert with over 20 years of experience in project, program, and portfolio management. Andy delves into the critical shift from focusing solely on cost-related metrics to fostering a people-centred approach in process improvement initiatives.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 10

In this episode of BPM RealTalk, Antionette highlights the key qualities of a transformative leader—vision, adaptability, empathy, strong communication skills, resilience, and inspiration. Antionette also shares a real-world example from a midsize tech company where transformative leadership revitalised an outdated product development process, boosting customer satisfaction by 30% and reducing time to market by 20%.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 11

Tune into this insightful episode where Azeeza Sunmonu, a leader in commercial operations and business process management with a strong background in law, economics, and finance across multiple industries, explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging laws are reshaping BPM practices. She focuses on the transformative impact of AI in automating repetitive tasks, enhancing decision-making with predictive analytics, and optimising workflow management.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 12

In this episode of BPM RealTalk, we dive into the transformative power of leadership and cultural alignment in driving business success. Our guest, Jose Vivar, brings over 30 years of experience in business transformation, having worked with leading global financial institutions across multiple sectors including consumer, business, corporate, and international banking. He focusses on how leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture, and how aligning culture with your business’s mission and goals is essential for sustained success.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 13

In this episode of BPM RealTalk, Hardeep Kaur unpacks the misconceptions surrounding change management and reveals what truly drives its success. With over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Hardeep brings a wealth of knowledge in business transformation, agility, and change leadership. Known for inspiring teams and tackling complex challenges, she shares practical insights and strategies to navigate and lead impactful change effectively.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 14

In this episode, Eimantas Sinkevicius, an organisational transformation expert with 15+ years of experience in operational excellence, process maturity, and leadership coaching. Drawing from his extensive experience, Eimantas shares practical strategies to future-proof operational excellence, focusing on simplicity, leadership adaptability, and BPM-driven transformation.

BPM RealTalk - Episode 15

In this impactful episode of BPM RealTalk, our host engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Jennifer Bryk, founder of Rebel Edge Consulting and a transformation leader with over 25 years of experience across nine industries. Jennifer unpacks how a holistic approach—centered on accountability, autonomy, and ground-level empowerment—can reignite engagement and drive sustainable change. Drawing on real-world experiences, she highlights the importance of early intervention, fostering psychological safety, and creating shared accountability across teams.

BPM RealTalk - Season 2, Episode 1

In this episode, Carlos unpacks how leaders can effectively integrate purpose, people, processes, and practices to build a high-performance culture and deliver lasting impact. Carlos explains why culture is the “secret sauce” that connects these four pillars and how leaders must design and actively drive that culture to avoid misalignment and regress into old habits.

BPM RealTalk- Season 2, Episode 2

In this conversation with Sundeep Thusoo, a global transformation leader with deep expertise in global business operations and strategy, shares how organisations can thrive in today’s AI-driven era by reimagining transformation through the lens of complex adaptive systems.

BPM RealTalk- Season 2, Episode 3

In this powerful episode of BPM RealTalk, host Bianca Kruger is joined by Marta Prewett, a seasoned transformation leader driving global business process excellence at NORMA Group. Marta shares her journey of building a high-performing BPM function from the ground up, and how her team successfully supported a multi-year global ERP rollout across a highly complex, M&A-driven organisation.

BPM RealTalk- Season 2, Episode 4

Join us for an insightful conversation with Maurizio Tessarotto, a digital transformation leader with over 15 years of experience in bridging technology and business. In this episode, Maurizio shares valuable perspectives on how organizations can unite business and IT teams to drive growth, optimize operations, and elevate the customer journey through strategic innovation.

Upcoming Episodes

Get ready for a thrilling lineup! Check out the exciting themes of our upcoming interactions.