WHO WE ARE
Co-Founder & CEO
STEPHEN G. SMITH
Steve is the Chief Executive Officer of BrightFlare Performance Solutions. He believes an open and entrepreneurial mindset, along with discipline and passion, deliver exceptional results.
Steve has extensive experience working with a vast range of companies. He has met executives in the trenches and has taken their companies to new heights. He has helped highly successful companies refine and transform their leadership and culture. He is a coach, a mentor, a strategist, a visionary, an analyst, and ultimately, a doer who understands what it takes to get companies to the next level achieving their highest potential. A seasoned executive, Steve’s primary industry background centers on general and operations management experience in the corporate environment. He understands the nuts and bolts of operations, what makes things work and how to make them work best; he understands vision and the importance of creating the right long-term goals that companies have the real potential to achieve. He helps executives and organizations to clearly see how to achieve the goals and supports companies to implement any change necessary.
Prior to founding BrightFlare Performance Solutions, his career focused on operations excellence in the Automotive, High Tech, and Consumer Goods industries. He has held positions including Chief Operations Officer, Managing Director, Executive Vice President of Operations, General Manager, Plant Manager, and Controller. He managed the design, development and implementation of new product lines and plant start-ups in both the manufacturing and distribution arenas. Steve has managed, through acquisition and divestiture, initiatives in the Fortune 200 and High-Tech start-up environments, providing him with experience in Business Transformation, Change Acceleration, and High Performing Teams. Additionally, Steve’s industry experience also includes assignments in the Automotive, Chemical, Construction, Energy, Financial, High Technology, Insurance, Logistics, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Software, and Telecommunications industries. He has worked on many global projects and advised numerous Global 100 clients such as Abbott Labs, AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, ConocoPhillips, EDS, Eli Lilly, Federal Reserve, Faurecia, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Hyundai, Intel, IBM, John Deere, Johnson Controls, Michelin, McAfee, Oceaneering, PEMEX, Safeco, Solvay, and Verizon.
Steve believes that respect, integrity, and candor guide you to do the right thing, and instills those values in all his work. He is a highly motivational, energetic speaker and an accomplished author and communicator. His ability to stay ahead of the latest trends in performance improvement and business transformation has Steve frequently asked to deliver keynote addresses to business leaders and professional associations.
Steve holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a M.S. in Operations Management.
Co-Founder & CLO
ANA SMITH
Ana believes we all have the power to change the world, and the best leaders always keep in mind what gives their lives meaning. She is a highly sought-after talent strategist and executive coach noted for her passion for clients and her energetic, inclusive, and interactive style.
Ana is the Chief Learning Officer (CLO) of BrightFlare Performance Solutions. Throughout her global career, she has been extremely curious about the impact and relationship between humans and technology and how it can be humanized. She’s been part of executive teams in organizations such as Microsoft, GE, HP, and American Express and has developed deep expertise in the people business, helping organizations with their digital transformations and major organizational changes. She understands people: what it takes to have a thriving team inspiring the best in each other and reaching new heights as a cohesive whole.
Anna’s coaching is centered on embracing a growth mindset, aligning with personal purpose, and teaching how to inspire excellence. She helps leaders, teams, and individuals elevate their performance and productivity while optimizing their well-being and energizing them to make necessary behavioral changes. She encourages innovation and forward-thinking so that leaders, managers, and employees cultivate excellence and find fulfillment and personal meaning in their work. Ultimately, Anna coaches leaders to inspire themselves and their teams to bring their best and whole selves each and every day.
She has worked for Fortune 50 organizations and possesses a vast multilingual and bicultural background, including experiences implementing global initiatives in People Operations, Sales, Finance, and Marketing – originating in the US, Mexico, Asia, South America, Europe, and Canada.
