Marco Antonio Ramirez Argumedo

About Marco Antonio Ramirez Argumedo

I am deeply passionate about learning and teaching by doing. Throughout my career in Lean and Transformation, I’ve learned that true change goes far beyond training or applying tools such as Value Stream Mapping, SQDC, TWI, SMED, or A3 Problem Solving. Sustainable transformation is driven by people, leadership behaviors, and mindset change.I currently serve as Lean Director at APM Terminals Port Elizabeth (USA), where my focus is on embedding the Lean Business System while cultivating Lean Leadership at every level of the organization. My role is not about doing Lean to the organization, but about helping the organization own Lean—from senior leaders to frontline colleagues.My professional foundation is as a Civil Engineer, with more than 10 years of international experience in project and construction management, working with global contractors, consultants, and clients. Leading projects end-to-end—from concept and design to execution and completion—gave me strong discipline, systems thinking, and a strategic mindset. More importantly, it taught me that results are only sustainable when people are developed alongside processes.Over the last years, my journey evolved into organizational and operational transformation across ports in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Americas Region, and now the United States. In highly complex, high-variability, unionized, and high-pressure environments, I have focused on one core mission:Develop leaders into enablers and Groups into Problem Solvers Teams.I strongly believe our frontline teams are the true owners of performance—the people who interact with our customers every day on the water and land side. As leaders, our responsibility is to create the conditions for them to succeed: clarity of purpose, clear standards, coaching, and trust.Lean, for me, is first and foremost a leadership system, not a technical one. That is why my work centers on capability building, leadership development, and cultural sustainability, ensuring improvement is owned by the business and driven by empowered people who take pride in the value they deliver.Because real standardization and continuous improvement start with our people. ¡Busquemos el cómo sí!

Experience

1. Lean Director Apm Terminals Port Elizabeth (Usa) People Development & Lean Leadership

   APM Terminals

   Sep 2025 — Present · NJ, US

   Develop leaders at all levels to embed Lean Leadership as a daily way of working, not as a program or function- Enable frontline teams by strengthening daily management, problem solving, and coaching routines- Partner with senior leadership to align transformation efforts with people development and business priorities- Coach cross-functional teams (Operations, Maintenance, Finance, Procurement, Commercial, HSSE) to build ownership and accountability- Ensure Lean is sustained as a people-driven system, owned by the business and embedded in leadership behaviors.

Education

• Universidad La Salle, A.C.

  Civil Eng., Ingeniería civil

  1997 — 2001

• APMT Lean Academy

  Lean Practitioner Advance, Lean

  2019 — 2023

• St. Mary’s High School

  High School Diploma

  1995 — 1997

• World Smart Leadership Program

  Leadership program, Educational Leadership and Administration, General

  2004 — 2005