CHRIS ELLIOTT

“Be a sponge. Use every opportunity to learn something new. The valuable knowledge, skills, and experiences you gain belong to you for life.”

My career began in a small family-owned auto repair shop in Yorkshire, England.

From the age of four, I spent countless hours helping my father in the business. I swept floors, organized the workshop, greeted customers, and learned to repair cars. To many, it was simply a father teaching his son. To me, it was the beginning of an education in people, life, and business.

While cars were being repaired, conversations unfolded around me. Customers, suppliers, friends, and neighbors brought stories, challenges, and different perspectives. At the time, I thought I was helping to fix cars. In reality, I was learning how people, teams, and businesses work and discovering that what people do not say is often just as important as what they do. That early experience shaped the path I would follow, beginning as a UK engineering apprentice and eventually leading global manufacturing organizations, building international teams, and fulfilling a lifelong desire to experience the world.

I am naturally hands-on. At school, I was never a natural academic, and earning a Bachelor's degree was something I never imagined possible. However, the skills and confidence I gained through my apprenticeship reinforced a belief that remains with me today: determination, perseverance, and a willingness to learn can take you further than you think possible.

I will always be an engineer. Engineering taught me how to think critically, identify root causes, simplify complexity, and solve problems in a practical way. Leadership and management allowed me to extend that impact by developing people, building strong teams, and helping organizations achieve more than they thought possible

Over the years, I have been fortunate to experience every aspect of business. Spending more than twenty-five years owning and leading a global manufacturing group gave me firsthand experience of the opportunities, pressures, and responsibilities that come with business ownership. It reinforced a lesson I have seen repeatedly throughout my career: customer experience, financial health, operational effectiveness, and committed people are inseparable.

Like many business leaders, I have experienced successes, setbacks, difficult decisions, and periods of uncertainty. Some of life's most valuable lessons came from situations that tested my resilience and challenged my thinking.

Today, I help business owners identify what is limiting performance, strengthen leadership, align teams, improve execution, and unlock opportunities within their organizations. I take a practical approach, helping leaders understand how leadership, people, culture, and process influence performance, profitability, and long-term success.

I remain grateful for the people who invested their time, shared their experiences, challenged my thinking, and offered guidance throughout my journey. Their influence shaped both my career and my belief that we all have a responsibility to help others learn, grow, and succeed.

Outside of work, I am a proud husband and father of four, a lifelong football (soccer) enthusiast, and an occasional golfer. Having grown up in England, my love of football has never faded, although living in the United States has given me an appreciation for American Football as well! Above all, family, friendships, and meaningful relationships remain at the center of who I am.