Head of Theeo | System Whisperer | Change & Transformation Strategy
Kathryn Maloney, M.A. ABS
Nature continually invites you to design change. Are you accepting the invitation or are you letting change design you?
Vedic View
Why Change?
Standing up companies, verticals and functions, and leading teams of humans are callings far larger than ourselves. You know this deeply when you are in it. You also know if you've ventured the terrain, it can feel disheartening at times.
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We serve as thresholders — bringing ideas, businesses, industries and people from here to there. To do this fluently, we have to hold dimensional lenses and work myriad levers simultaneously, keeping the elevation, sets of potentials, and long view in the foreground. We have to normalise the return to the zero point of trying anew, again and again, while also grounding the new that proves out.
Undoing, composting, revising, and redesigning system-centered leadership, communication, structures, and power balances connected to a clear vision and vertical identity are challenging phenomena to work exclusively, consistently, and adaptively from within. They are also the rubicons that need to be crossed for progressive change to occur with more ease, and to operate comfortably in the flow of change.
Undoing (different than destroying) creates freedom. Freedom to create, be, and do more and better on behalf of the shared vision and evolutionary demand. The undoing and that unlocked freedom (paired with discernment, rigor, and systems designing) is where you buy health, joy, and tangible results. The journeying into these spaces are matterful. They are your levers and unlocks.
The business of change is an ongoing pursuit and generative practice. Mastery is both art and science.
You've got this. x
Skills
Kathryn is an advisor, strategist, systems design consultant, and master facilitator working with organizations large and small to nurture and advance progressive change and innovations, team functioning, and novel approaches to leading that enable fluency and fluidity.
In a world that can feel deeply disconnected in its connectivity, a quickening pace that meets so much headwind, and the greatest access to intelligence in human history, she spends much of her time working with leaders to bridge organizational worlds, design companies and functions that will thrive in a 4th industrial revolution landscape, learn new org and leadership languages, and transition from former leadership paradigms to become more comfortable, adaptable, and resilient in current ones.
Understanding and applying methodologies and technologies without holding too tightly to them and projecting unreasonable expectations onto them is a large part of her professional charm.
Having worked for over twenty years in the spaces of strategy, transformation and change, leadership, org design, and culture with companies as large as Boeing, Boston Consulting Group, Edelman, and GE; government agencies and NGOs like the United Nations (World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator, UNFPA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Reserve, IRS, and Health and Human Services; educational and research companies like Kaplan and Rand Corporation plus start-ups and female-founded businesses, Kathryn is excited by and cautious about this moment in time.
Kathryn has an academic background in the Applied Behavioral Sciences, is conditioned with a systems thinking lens, influenced by the org development and systems pioneers of the 20th century, and trained as a process and systems design consultant for organizational (as opposed to family) systems.
She has deep research and data analysis chops and the rare experience of designing and executing large-scale, rigorous qualitative (human-centered, user-centered design) studies and facilitating the application of grounded results into organizational and public policy changes.
She is trained and practiced as an executive/systems coach and master facilitator.
Kathryn did her undergraduate work in Italian Language, Literature, and Art History. The blessing of studying art history, language, and culture as an undergrad is a bedrock of her practice and teaching today.
Her graduate work in Applied Behavioral Science (applied practice of consulting on leadership and change in organizational systems) through an experiential program (Leadership Institute of Seattle, LIOS) within a naturopathic college (Bastyr University) also gave her a practitioner tapestry far beyond a traditional theory education.
A student of Vedic meditation, yoga, and eastern philosophy for well over a decade, Kathryn blends many minds - to include the one in her own belly - to bring wisdom and insight to all the moments.
Easy fixes are few and far between.
Focus, presence, and a committed and applied progressive change approach will always win the race.
One of her favorite places is silence. Another is the sound of brilliant - and loud - music.
Travel, beautiful food and wine, art, design, sunshine, the beach, sunsets, good people, grappling with ideas, solving riddles, and enjoying the moments by not taking it all too seriously make her days feel like good ones.
And while the education, professional and life experiences have taught her plenty, Kathryn's best motivation and most favorite teacher has always been her son, Sean Simonds. He is a kind, deeply insightful, and passionate human who dabbles at the intersections of strategy, the financial markets, research, and writing for UBS in NYC.
Skills, Focus, and Interests
Behavioral Sciences Applied
Leading Change
Organisation Design
Qualitative Research, Usability + Assessment
Systems Thinking
Master Facilitation
Coaching + Consulting in Organisations
Team + Group Dynamics
Neurosciences
System Energetics
Strategic Communications + Technology
Simplification
Information Design
Future of Work
Modern Ways of Working
Change Storytelling
Message + Positioning
Organisation Effectiveness
Human Systems Designing
Partnerships + Builds
Change, Strategy, and System Design embeds, projects, builds, and offsites I have led over the years.
Streamline - A family office providing integrated infrastructure for UHNW families since 2011. (2013-2023, Multi-year Strategy, Leadership, and Organisation Growth Advisory and Consulting)
Allstate - American Insurance Company. (2021, Multi-day Organisation Effectiveness Division Vision + Strategy Days)
UN World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator - A global social impact accelerator within UN World Food Programme. (2021-2022, Multi-year Modern Ways of Working, Strategy, Leadership, and Organisation Change, Growth embed)
UN WFP INKA Division - WFP Innovation and Knowledge Division. (2022, Led global, remote, Division offsite session during the Division's Offsite days to introduce and share horizontally the modern ways of working work being done within the Accelerator)
Omidyar - A philanthropic investment firm. (2020, Multi-day Organisation Strategy Offsites for Global Leadership and Systems + Complexity Teams)
UNFPA - An agency of the United Nations focused on sexual and reproductive health. (2019, Multi-day Global HR Leadership Offsite)
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Global Marketing. Global Marketing Division within Boston Consulting Group. (2017-2019, Multi-year Modern Ways of Working, Strategy, Leadership, and Organisation Change Embed)
BCG Global Finance. Global Finance Division within Boston Consulting Group. (2018-2019, Multi-year Modern Ways of Working, Strategy, Leadership, and Organisation Vision Embed)
BCG Corporate Development. Corporate Deal Team within Boston Consulting Group. (2018, Multi-year Modern Ways of Working, Strategy)
Macy's. Clothing Retailer. (2019, Strategy Offsite for HR Directors)
The Boeing Company. Global Aviation. (2019-2020, Multi-year Organisation Design, Strategy, Modern Ways of Working embed and Internal Change Team Build for Culture + Performance Division, serving internal HR, IT, and Manufacturing Customers)
The Boeing Company. Culture Alliance. (2020, Multi-day Organisation Vision + Strategy Executive Leadership Offsite and Metrics Plan focused on amplifying broad outcomes and efforts around safety, quality, and integrity for brand recovery.)
Edelman. Global PR + Marketing Company. (2017, 10-month assessment process on Org Structure, Leadership, and Modern Ways potential for a globally distributed, localised ecosystem within US, private ownership structure embed)
Kaplan Test Prep (KTP) - Education and Training Services Company. (2017-2018, Year-long Organisation Strategy, Leadership, and Modern Ways of Working Change embed)
General Electric (GE) - Manufacturing. (2016-2018, Multiple Organisation Leadership and Design projects within Core Technology Division embed)
The Ready - Organisation Design, Ways of Working Consulting Company. (2016-2020, Multi-year company build from start up)
Kleimann Communication Group. Simplification, Information Design, and Org Strategy Consultancy. (2005-2010, Multi-year company build from 5 years on)Language Dept - Design Practice. (2015-2017, Multi-year founding partners advisory, coaching, and growth strategy consulting)
Fannie Mae - Federal National Mortgage Association, a U.S. Gov't sponsored enterprise and publicly traded company. (2008-2009, Viability and Product Positioning Strategy project on alternative mortgage instruments, ending in a "no-go" based on the research embed)
SEC - Securities and Exchange Commission of U.S. Government. (2006-2008, Cross-Agency Strategy on early privacy and security legislation and communication changes embed)
IRS - Internal Revenue Services of U.S. Government. (2005-2010, Multi-year Organisation Strategy, Design, Ways of Working, Leadership across IRS embed)
FTC - Federal Trade Commission. (2006-2008, Cross-Agency Strategy on early privacy and security legislation and communication changes embed)
HHS - Health and Human Services of U.S. Government. (2008-2010, Organisation Strategy on early Health Privacy legislation and communication embed)
Rand Corp - Global Policy Think Tank. (2007, Communication Information Strategy + Design Project on Health research strategy )
Ally Bank - American Bank. (2008, Integrating Across Divisions (Finance, Legal, Marketing, Sales, etc.) intent, strategy, communication/information design project to align corporate privacy and security practices)
Freshy's West Seattle - Coffee and Cafe. (2015, Founder advisory, organisation design, growth prospecting)
Hotel Particulier - Fine Art Event Space. (2013, Advisory on start-up plan and proof of concept)
Home Grown Books - Early Readers + Fine Art Book Publisher. (2011-2015, Multi-year advisory on business start-up concept, early business phase iterating, funding strategy)
Bija Kids - Yoga School for Kids. (2010-2014, Multi-year advisory on next phase of growth, organisation design, operating model consulting)
Mala Yoga - Yoga Business (2010-2012, Co-Founder advising on partnership, growth, operating model, organisation design consulting)
Pochron Studios - (Museum/Gallery) Fine Art Print Studio (2012-2015, Co-Founder advising on partnership, Sandy crisis, services diversification consulting)
Ici Restaurant - Farm-to-Table Restaurant + Event Space (2012-2014, Founder advising on growth, services diversification, Sandy crisis, operating model consulting)
Benson Educational Consulting - Tutoring Practice (2011-2013, Founder consulting and advising on start-up elementary-middle school tutoring business after an earlier career in NYC public education system consulting)
Rapid River Company. Retail and Wholesale. (1994-1998, Multi-year retail company build from start up)
Fixes, Co-competes, Sub-contracts, and Co-projects with:
Accenture
Deloitte
Booz
Oliver Wyman
Hay Group
Studies
M.A., Applied Behavioral Science; Organisation Change + Leadership in Human Systems)
B.A. Italian Language and Art History; Sociology Minor
Vedic Philosophy + Meditation, Yoga, Eastern Religions, Neurosciences
Things I Love
riddles to solve
travel adventures
the beach
laughter
learning
research + analysis
clean sound
art + design
beautiful food + wine
textiles
a hot bath
trees and sky
good system minds
choiceful words
being upside down
my kid
a well-made americano
quiet
the intricacies of this humbling and complex world