Ian Hessel is the President of Highlands Diversified Services and a lifelong leader in the global manufacturing industry. He began his career in the world of finance, and is a certified public accountant with extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions. Eventually, he migrated to the operational side of manufacturing, and hasn’t looked back since.

Ian was born in South Africa, where he lived for 21 years. During the course of his career, he has lived and worked in a number of European and Asian countries. This global perspective – combined with his fiscal background – is key to Ian’s success in working with Highlands’ many multinational customers.

Ian has served as a leader for businesses ranging from entrepreneurial tech development start-ups to large-scale global manufacturing corporations. His ultimate goal in working with Highlands customers is to help them boost production efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure that they meet their tight production deadlines using just-in-time manufacturing.

Ian’s favorite part of his role as president is helping both Highlands’ employees and Highlands’ customers rise to new opportunities. His commitment to continuous improvement and adapting new ways of reporting and accountability creates the right atmosphere for his team to grow and succeed.

Ian received his bachelor’s degree from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Society of CPAs and the Ohio Society of CPAs. Ian is also a father of three, and is an avid golfer and IronMan triathlete. His most recent adventure was learning to sail a yacht in the British Virgin Islands.