The lead consultant at WhiteWater Consulting is Sean Ryan. Sean Ryan is a
world-class speaker, consultant, trainer and executive coach. For nearly 20 years, he has helped build sustainable organizations
that thrive in constantly changing circumstances. He has helped clients build lasting, loyal relations
with their customers and helped them unleash the passion and capabilities of their employees.
Ryan believes that every organization today faces “perpetual whitewater”
in its competitive environment. In 2001, he founded the WhiteWater Consulting Group to help organizations
achieve and sustain outstanding performance through unleashing the passion and capabilities of its people.
Ryan brings a unique, “real world”
approach to his consulting efforts gleaned from his years as a practicing leader. During his 20 years as
a consultant, Ryan has taken two significant “sabbaticals” to apply what he has learned and practice what he preaches.
Most recently,
Ryan acted as the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer at Callaway Gardens and Resort near Atlanta. At
Callaway, he led the turnaround of the business, dramatically improving operating performance, guest service and employee
morale, commitment and performance.
During an earlier sabbatical, Ryan was Vice President of Learning and Organizational Development at the Perrier
Group of America. At Perrier, he led a large-scale change process to dramatically alter the values and
culture, improve individual and team performance, improve leadership capabilities, and build effective measurement systems
and management tools. His efforts helped the company to more than quadruple its revenues and enabled it
to effectively compete in the rapidly growing and changing bottled water industry.
Ryan’s many clients include Walt Disney
World Resorts, McDonnell-Douglas, Nucor, IBM, Countrywide Financial, Fannie Mae, the University of California, Manpower and
Princess Resorts along with Advance Bank and Radio Rentals in Australia.
Ryan earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree at Georgia Tech and a Master of Business Administration
at California State University at Fresno. He previously served on the board of directors of Captain Hope’s Kids in Dallas,
a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the critical needs of homeless children. He is also a member of the Society
of Human Resource Managers, the American Society for Training and Development and the American Management Association.
When his knees and time allow, Sean enjoys
mountain biking and whitewater canoeing and playing tennis, basketball and golf.
