In the fast-moving world of startups, it’s easy to focus on ideas, growth, and the hustle- sometimes forgetting the people behind it all. At Founders500, we’re proud to be part of a community of creative founders who are not only building businesses but shaping a more inclusive and supportive startup ecosystem. Our Founder Spotlight is designed to go beyond the pitch decks and products, giving you a chance to get to know the humans behind the ventures- their journeys, challenges, and perspectives. By sharing these stories, we aim to strengthen connections, spark new ideas, and remind every founder in our community that they’re not building alone. Read the mini interview below!
A bit about Katherine:
Katherine is the Founder of Talentology Ltd and an experienced HR, Talent and Leadership specialist with over 19 years of experience across FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 organisations.
An accredited executive leadership coach, she specialises in talent management, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, coaching, and mentoring. Katherine is particularly recognised for designing Unilever’s award-winning global mentoring programme, which has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Coaching at Work, and Management Today.
Today, she works with organisations across a range of sectors, helping them develop their people through talent, leadership, coaching and mentoring initiatives.
What do you do today- and what’s the story of how you got here?
What I do today:
When something isn’t working in an organisation, it rarely announces itself clearly. It shows up as friction, underperformance, a leadership team that isn’t gelling, or a culture slowly drifting in the wrong direction.
My job is to see it before it becomes costly.
I work with founders, MDs and senior leadership teams to establish what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change in their leadership and culture. I listen carefully, challenge directly and find a way forward on their hardest leadership decisions.
Clients bring me in during growth, transitions, succession planning, or when something in their leadership or culture is quietly costing them. I work as a fractional leadership partner on a retainer basis, or on specific projects and executive coaching engagements, depending on what’s needed.
A founder recently described me as “a stabilising presence – someone who builds trust quickly, brings clear experienced judgment to complex situations and strengthens the capability of the team while reducing pressure on senior leadership.”
As a fractional partner I work embedded in your business for a defined period – bringing senior-level thinking and practical action without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. For organisations that need an experienced leadership presence during a critical period, this is often the most commercially intelligent option.
The story of how I got here:
Having graduated with a BSc Joint Honours in Psychology and Sociology and a MA in Human Resources Management, her career to date spans 23 years in a variety of senior HR, Learning & Development and Talent roles within market leading FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 organisations. It is this blend of Psychology, HR experience and expertise that drives her interest, curiosity and passion for people development as well as helping organisations know and grow their people.
Katherine’s background has enabled her to experience the entire employee lifecycle, but her specific areas of interest are: Talent Management, People Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Mentoring and Coaching.
Katherine has been coaching managers, leaders and individuals at all levels for many years, and is a trained and accredited executive leadership coach. Katherine is well known for her work in the mentoring space and the award winning global mentoring programme that she designed and created whilst at Unilever, which has been featured in the Harvard Business Review in September 2010, Coaching at Work magazine in May 2012 and Management Today in November 2012.
Since founding Talentology Ltd, Katherine has been working with a number of different organisations in different sectors on a number of different initiatives ranging from talent management, leadership development, diversity, coaching and mentoring.
What problem do you help solve, and why does it matter to you personally?
I work with founders, MDs and senior leadership teams to establish what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change in their leadership and culture. I listen carefully, challenge directly and find a way forward on their hardest leadership decisions.
Clients bring me in during growth, transitions, succession planning, or when something in their leadership or culture is quietly costing them. I work as a fractional leadership partner on a retainer basis, or on specific projects and executive coaching engagements, depending on what’s needed.
It matters, because I strongly believe that an organisations’ success depends on its people and an organisation is only as good as it’s people and how happy and engaged they are. Plus let’s face it – people spend more time at work than anywhere else, so we need to create strong and happy workplaces where people can thrive and companies grow.
Often Founders and leaders can’t read the label from inside the jar which is where I come in. I help them see what’s not working before it becomes too costly.
What was the moment you knew you had to build this (even before you knew how?)
When I left the corporate world, I had a choice to make. Go and get another corporate senior role or try something different. I’d always wanted to start my own business and really believed with my experience and skills that I could make a difference. So I started off with the best of both worlds – did some part-time consulting and the rest of the time started building up Talentology.
What is the biggest lesson you learned in your first year of building?
Running your own business is hard – I think it’s been over glamourised. You need more skills than you think you need. After all you wear “all” the hats and have to learn quickly.
What is a mistake you made that taught you something that you still use today?
Pricing – be very clear on your pricing and don’t under-estimate a job or project otherwise you’ll be working for free.
What is one decision or change that had the biggest impact on your growth?
Joining a community of solo-business owners called The Inspiration Space and having business mentoring support and the support of fellow peers.
What is something people think is the reason you succeeded, but the real reason is different?
I think people think the reason I’ve succeeded is because of the companies I’ve worked for but the real reason is my network. I always invested in building my network and it’s something I continue to do today. The majority of my work has come from my network and without a strong network I wouldn’t have succeeded.
When things get hard, what keeps you going?
When you’ve experienced the highs and lows of running your own business you come to realise that there are trends and when it’s hard, it always gets better. Plus if you believe in the value you add this help enormously. I know I help leaders, people and organisations and do great work, so this keeps me going.
What is one belief or mindset shift that made everything easier (or clearer)?
To constantly remind myself that I’m good at what I do and good people always attract the right opportunities as well as doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome is stupid. Learn to pivot, re-invent, try new approaches and put yourself out there.
Is there anything or anyone who has inspired you that has shaped your journey?
There are too many people, books and podcasts to call out just one, but my lesson is to learn from others, read, go to events, listen and keep learning.
What did you enjoy the most about the Founders500 event?
I really enjoyed speaking about the people space, especially in start-ups and sharing years of lessons and experiences with a room full of founders. It’s the benefit of years of experience to be able to share what works and what doesn’t with others in the hope they don’t make the same mistakes you’ve seen multiple times.
What advice would you give someone who is one chapter behind you?
Plan your exit, don’t leap in – have a plan, talk to people who’ve done it already and figure out who your target audience is and what your strengths are and what you’ll need help with.
Anything final to add?
I launched my Seven Virtues of Leadership Assessment at the Founders 500 event, so if there are any leaders in the community who would like to take the assessment I’d be grateful as this is something I’ve developed drawing on years of working with founders and leadership teams. I’m going to be writing about it on Substack and potentially writing a book. The more people that complete it will enable me to have a data-set to draw upon.
Thank you to all of our wonderful speakers for taking part in our Speaker Spotlight!
You can watch Katherine’s session here.
Would you like to become a F500 Speaker? Apply here!