Timothy Noble is the president & managing partner of The Avery Point Group. Mr. Noble is a transformation driven recruiter with over 30 years of executive leadership experience in business transformation, manufacturing operations, supply chain management, distribution, and executive search.
Noble earned his B.S. in Management / Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he graduated with Highest Distinction and received the Salisbury Prize, one of the university’s oldest and most prestigious academic achievement awards. The Salisbury Prize honors graduating seniors who have made truly exceptional academic and leadership contributions to the university.
After graduation, Noble was recruited into General Electric’s highly selective Manufacturing Management Program (GE MMP), with assignments in GE Transportation and GE Government Electronics divisions. This program combined intensive leadership development with rotational assignments across various GE businesses.
Noble’s career includes senior executive roles in Fortune 500 companies such as GE and The Stanley Works (now Stanley Black & Decker), with leadership responsibilities across business transformation, manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution.
He is a GE-trained Master Black Belt and Shingijutsu-trained Lean executive, having led large-scale Lean Six Sigma deployments and plant operations supporting billions in revenue. His past transformation experience combines strategic oversight with hands-on leadership in union and non-union environments, consistently delivering results in safety, quality, cost and delivery (SQDC) with global operational responsibility and impact.
In 2004, Noble founded The Avery Point Group with a mission to elevate executive search with a focus on transformation leadership talent. Drawing on his strong operational background, he built a firm trusted by over 100 clients across 18 industry sectors. His extensive experience leading complex global operations positioned him to understand the distinct talent needs of this diverse client base.
Before launching the firm, Noble was the Global Operations Executive for Stanley-Bostitch, where he led eight manufacturing plants and over 1,900 employees across North America, Europe, and Asia. His leadership supported nearly $1 billion in revenue. He also led Stanley’s North American distribution operations for the Hand Tool and Hardware Group, supporting another $1 billion in revenue, driving record-setting productivity gains.
His search practice focuses on executive roles in Lean & Six Sigma, Supply Chain Management, Operations & Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Business Intelligence, and Private Equity —placing leaders who not only fit the role but elevate it through transformational impact. His deep experience also includes working closely with multi-generational family businesses, helping them scale, professionalize, and adapt through strong leadership and modern business practices.
Throughout his career, Noble has consistently delivered operational results through a disciplined transformation approach to process improvement and team leadership.
At The Stanley Works, he led initiatives that drove a 15.4% year-over-year productivity gain, including an 18.8% improvement in labor productivity. His work applying Lean and Six Sigma principles earned direct recognition from the CEO for advancing revenue, service, and fulfillment goals.
As plant manager for GE Quartz, he led over 300 employees supporting $250 million in revenue, achieving 9% annual productivity even during a major industry downturn. In union environments, he implemented forward-thinking labor strategies that improved operational efficiency.
In his Six Sigma leadership role at GE Lighting, Tim supported $3B+ in revenue across 26 plants in North America, driving throughput gains in partnership with GE’s Chief Quality Officer. He also pioneered early integration of Lean Six Sigma with digital transformation initiatives, to deliver a 9.8% machine efficiency improvement on extremely complex integrated equipment and drove record-setting process performance results with a 20% DPM reduction, a 36% reduction in material efficiency shrinkage, and a 47% reduction in OSHA recordables.
Noble’s approach to executive search is built on the same principles that defined his operational career: disciplined execution, measurable outcomes, and strategic alignment.
As a Predictive Index (PI) Strategist—one of the rarest behavioral profiles found in less than 3% of the workforce —Noble brings a unique blend of vision, analytical rigor, and a strong bias for action to each search engagement. This profile enables him to assess leadership potential deeply and quickly, delivering executive talent precisely aligned with a company’s transformation objectives and culture.
His firm’s proprietary Lean Sigma Search™ methodology further enhances this approach, applying the DMAIC framework of Lean Six Sigma to drive efficiency, eliminate waste, and ensure the highest quality of fit between candidate and client. The result is a highly targeted, data-driven search experience that consistently exceeds client expectations.
Noble also actively engages with both corporate and academic communities, offering insights shaped by decades of hands-on leadership and executive recruitment.
He welcomes opportunities to serve on corporate boards—particularly those undergoing growth, succession planning, or operational transformation—where his expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, and value creation can support strategic business transformation.
In academia, Noble is a frequent speaker at institutions like NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering and currently serves on IndustryWeek Magazine’s Talent Advisory Board. Personally invited by the publication’s leadership, he contributes alongside fellow thought leaders on trends in manufacturing leadership and workforce strategy.
Noble also enjoys mentoring future leaders and welcomes university speaking engagements on topics ranging from executive leadership and organizational transformation.
Raised in a values-centered household as the son of a Presbyterian minister and theology professor, Noble spent his early years in Basel, Switzerland before moving to Westchester County, New York. This international perspective and moral grounding continue to shape his leadership and business transformation approach to executive search.
After numerous relocations and promotions throughout his corporate career, Noble now resides in the Greenville, South Carolina area near Clemson University, where he and his wife enjoy being close to family and the dynamic Upstate business community.
Back in 2004, I saw an unmet need in executive search and recruiting. The lack of a true subject matter expert-based approach to candidate and client engagement concerning transformation leadership talent recruitment.
This has been the foundation for The Avery Point Group ever since and has ultimately driven our specialization in Lean, Six Sigma, Industry 4.0, operations, manufacturing, supply chain management, private equity, and transformation leadership talent recruitment.
Nearly twenty years later, we are still focused on adding value for clients and candidates, leveraging our deep industry knowledge and hands-on executive experience that is unmatched by other firms.
We are true transformation thought leaders and industry experts!
At The Avery Point Group, we are executive search catalysts of change with a deep history of recruiting transformation leadership talent for organizations across 18 diverse industry sectors. As a trusted transformation partner to over 100 clients, we have established ourselves as true thought leaders and industry experts in our recruitment for Lean & Six Sigma, supply chain management, operations & manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Business Intelligence, and private equity leadership talent. These recent placements are a testament to our commitment to helping our clients drive toward world-class performance and transformative change with the right leadership talent.