Reinforcing the commitment to independent, rigorous evaluation at the heart of the Operational Excellence Awards, Dr Alessandro Laureani, Lecturer at the University of Buckingham, has been appointed to the judging panel for the Operational Excellence Awards 2026, bringing over 20 years of combined practice, industry, and academic experience to the role.

Laureani's career spans operational leadership, business transformation, and higher education, with a sustained focus on process improvement, customer experience, and product operations. 

He holds a bachelor's degree in Statistics from the University of Rome La Sapienza, an Executive MBA from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Dublin, and a PhD in Engineering Management from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, where his doctoral research examined the impact of leadership on Lean Six Sigma deployment. 

He has published across a number of peer-reviewed, internationally recognised journals on leadership, operational excellence, and quality management.

As a panel member, Laureani will evaluate entries across award categories, bringing analytical depth and alignment with the programme's standards for innovation, measurable impact, and strategic leadership. 

His assessment approach draws on two decades of leading business transformation programmes, applying the same rigour to judging that he brings to his academic research and industry practice.

Laureani is also a committed advocate for the discipline of operational excellence, collaborating across academic and professional communities to address evolving skill requirements, particularly in continuous improvement, quality management, and the leadership capabilities required to sustain large-scale change.

With finalists to be announced on 25 March 2026, attention turns to the awards gala on 27 May 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, where Laureani will be among the panel recognising the individuals and organisations setting new benchmarks for excellence across Ireland's business transformation community.

For more information, visit the official Operational Excellence Awards website and explore the full judging panel.