Ryan Mayes is a transformation specialist with a distinguished track record of industrializing high-risk operations for Fortune 500 companies and PE-backed growth firms. As the Founder of Business Leaders Field Guide, he serves as an industry-recognized and trusted bridge between boardroom strategy and field execution, architecting the P&L rigor and scalable operating systems required to drive predictable, double-digit growth. Ryan is passionate about future-proofing organizations, diagnosing like a consultant but operating like a COO. He delivers a practitioner’s perspective to every challenge, aiming for mutually beneficial, high-velocity solutions.
Ryan leverages three decades of executive leadership, most recently serving as a Vice President at Corpay. During his tenure, he served as General Manager for a key SaaS business unit, where he architected the industrialization of the entire value chain, encompassing go-to-market strategy, sales, supply chain, and customer support, to drive a remarkable 40% growth over five years. A seasoned operator, Ryan specializes in architecting scalable operating frames and driving P&L rigor across the enterprise. His leadership is rooted in a "founder’s mindset" applied to corporate scale, with a career-long focus on transforming underperforming business units and professionalizing organizational structures to maximize shareholder value.
Before Corpay, Ryan held corporate leadership roles at Tractor Supply Company, where he was recognized for repositioning service operations and transforming supply chain departments into benchmarked, industry-leading performers. Earlier, he served in management consulting and engineering leadership roles at IBM Global Services, Johnson & Johnson, and Unifi, Inc. His background in both elite consulting and "in-the-trenches" operations forms the basis for his proprietary scale frameworks, transforming operational chaos into industrial performance that enables businesses to run at scale.
Ryan holds an MBA and a Master's in Engineering from Vanderbilt University, and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, a Project Management Professional, and a Six-Sigma Black Belt.
For expert insights and leadership perspectives that empower today's professionals to find their way through the chaos, follow Ryan on LinkedIn and subscribe to his newsletter, “Field Notes.” Explore his strategic resources and "Field Manual" blog at BusinessLeadersFieldGuide.com.
