Throughout her 10-year tenure at Bridge Partners, Kate Macartney has exemplified leadership since her start. Bringing experience in change management, talent management, and workforce effectiveness, she joined the team as an eager, dedicated mid-level consultant and grew into a people management and business development role.
She is a strategic thinker and hands-on builder. Part of Kate’s experience includes assisting organizations with change strategies, including developing training tools, audience engagement methods, and communication design. She enjoys working hand in hand with the client to understand their organizational needs, design a tailored approach, and collaboratively implement their customized strategies. Her can-do attitude helps clients turn thoughts into action and create effective results.
Now as an Account Director, Kate’s team develops solutions to obstacles and leads initiatives to support client projects. Kate shines as a leader through her people-first approach. Whether it’s with clients or her team, she always leads with empathy.
Kate Macartney recognized as a Future Leader by Consulting Magazine
In September 2022, Bridge Partners proudly celebrated Kate as she was named a winner of Consulting Magazine’s Women Leaders in Consulting award. She was specifically recognized in the “Future Leader” category, which identifies those whose leadership is exhibited above the call of specified rank or normal expectations of one’s position and displays the promise of increased responsibility and results to benefit the organization and future peers.
We talked with Kate about her career journey, how she grew through hardships, and how she applies empathy in her leadership style.
Photos courtesy of Consulting Magazine.
What does being honored as a Woman Leader in Consulting mean to you?
I am incredibly appreciative to be recognized as a woman leader in consulting—to me it honors the years of hard work in our dynamic, every changing profession. Receiving this high-caliber industry award gives me such pride and gratitude.
What do you enjoy most about your consulting career?
When I first started in business consulting, I saw it as a great way to gain experience on how companies work across a variety of business topics. I started in the talent management and change management spaces where I was exposed to the interdependencies of strong talent and positive business results.
Even today, business consulting continues to be a great way to be exposed to a variety of business needs, new challenges, and technologies. It is a pleasure to work with clients, understand their business challenges, and work together on solutions that best fit their needs based on business goals, market restrictions, and their talent.
What advice would you give to a female consultant just beginning her career?
Use every opportunity to expand your skill set and your perspective. Give yourself grace when you make mistakes—learn from them and continue forward.
Find mentors whom you can trust to help you gain new perspectives and spot opportunities for where you want to go with your career. These mentors may be friends, family, colleagues, managers, or coaches. Don’t hesitate to hear the perspectives of others—it really helps to expand your point of view and reflect on what you already know.
As a member of the official “Future Leaders” club, describe your perspective on leadership.
Give people empathy and the respect of being a human when they come to work. When people go through tough times, that affects their mental state. That affects their physical state, their ability to focus and hold conversations, their ability to remember things. We’ve all been through tough times, and mine enhanced this perspective.
You must treat people as people and treat people as humans. Everybody has something going on that you don’t know about. You have to be able to respect the whole person in order to help them shine in the workforce and in their in their careers.
What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?
My greatest achievement is having built a deep reservoir of resilience, having endured and grown stronger from trials in both my career and personal life. I am proud of my strength to dig deep and move through these challenges, reach out for help when needed, and persevere with grace, empathy, and a positive attitude. Doing this while also being honest about what is and is not realistic.
I am also profoundly proud of seeing my consultant team step up to challenges, grow, and gain new perspectives in their opportunities. Seeing them dive in, push themselves, and learn is a significant motivator for me.
Celebrating Women Leaders in Consulting
Kate was honored at an awards gala in New York City in November 2022. Accompanied by her husband, she accepted her award and enjoyed meeting many other inspiring female leaders.
See all the 2022 Women Leaders in Consulting award winners
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Bridge Partners delivers real results for the world’s largest tech and cloud companies—but our work starts with a commitment to each other and our communities. Our flexible, people-centered modern workplace attracts purpose-driven professionals looking for work that integrates with their lives while making a recognizable impact for top-tier clients. As a respected collaborator in the tech industry for 15 years, we win by developing consultants who care—about our work, our clients, our communities, and each other. Whether we’re meeting in person or across time zones, people make our workplace. And our workplace helps make our work better.
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