Jim Ashford
Jim Ashford is an operating executive, director, investor, CEO coach, and board advisor. A former CEO of public and private companies, he recently launched a consulting, investment and development company (WOWdevelopment) to bring his passions to life. He is particularly interested in working with young people as they imagine, develop and deliver solutions to solve society’s problems. Jim spent over 30 years building a small tightly held public company, Scientific Technologies Inc., with three other principal owners into the US market leader for Automation Safety. Customers included fortune 50 and 100 companies in the automotive, technology, semiconductor, aerospace, power management, food processing, and pharmaceutical sectors to name a few. Safety is most always on the agenda of these large global companies board meetings. Leveraging his entrepreneurial and operating skills he successfully expanded the capability and market reach of the company by forging strategic alliances with leading global automation companies. His experience also includes founding manufacturing companies in Singapore and China, founding a global machine safety service company and building sales companies in China and Germany. Further, Jim has extensive knowledge in product development, design, engineering management, manufacturing systems and management. He holds 13 patents. In 2006 the company was successfully sold to the OMRON Company of Japan. Jim continued as the President/COO of the combined global safety business and in 2012 assumed the role of CEO. Jim retired from OMRON in 2014 to pursue other passions.