Meet the Speaker: Aaron Borchers of NiSource

Aaron is speaking on NiSource’s Transformation Journey Plan at the Process Excellence for Utilities conference, February 28-March 1, 2018 in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Question: Name, title, Company
Aaron Borchers, VP, Transformation, NiSource

Question: Family, hometown, where you live?
I’m an Ohio native who’s worked as much on the road as in the capital of the buckeye state that I call home -Columbus, OH!

Question: Utility/Process Excellence experience?
My exposure to utilities began when I joined Accenture in 2005. I’ve stuck with it ever since. I joined NiSource in 2009, knowing I could have a lasting impact at a strong company with a vision for change and improvement. I’ve had a variety of positions and project assignments at the forefront of change – mobilizing teams to align and activate business strategy. I’ve led teams in talent and organization effectiveness, change management, process improvement, project management and governance. I’m passionate about our business – and even more passionate about integrating these services to more effectively and efficiently enable our sustainability and growth.

Question: What do you like to do when you’re not working? Hobbies?
I’m an avid traveler and home improvement junkie. On the weekends, I can be found working on renovation projects around my 1895 Victorian home. I have a soft spot for experiencing new restaurants, festivals and entertaining friends and family.

Question: Notable achievements?
I’m most proud of the experience I gained leading a segment of our separation of the Columbia Pipeline Group in 2015.

Question: Where do you see Process Excellence/Continuous Improvement in utilities in two years?
It takes continued hard work to deliver and sustain the level of performance our customers expect. Continuous improvement is a strategic enabler to deliver more value for our customers and can help employees do their best possible work every day. Moving forward, I anticipate organizations will more clearly see the link between long-term sustainability, performance, and building a culture of continuous improvement.

Question: Who are a couple of your role models (and why?)
My first supervisor of my professional career continues to serve as an inspirational role model. Her impact and drive, strategic thinking, influence, and focus on developing others will always be admired and is a constant reminder for me to balance my focus on the business and my team.

Question: What is one of your biggest goals?
Continuing to check destinations off my travel map!

Question: What’s the biggest misconception you run into in your role (or what people seem to think about Process Excellence)?
Ownership & Accountability – Continuous improvement is part of everyone’s job – and most effective when owned by the front line – not the center of excellence. Our role is to engage and activate those closest to the work in building mind sets and capabilities to drive improvement as part of their day-to-day work.