Hi! I'm Kat Richards.

Strategy catalyst and leader, turning complexity into clarity, purpose into progress.

With 13+ years in healthcare, finance, and CPG, I turn cultural insight and research into strategies that bring complexity to clarity and connect people to purpose.  At Digitas, I lead CX strategy in high-stakes, regulated industries, aligning executives, strengthening trust, and championing overlooked voices. I’m now ready to scale that impact in a VP/Strategy Director role, aligning purpose, people, and progress to drive lasting change.

Hire me for

- Evangelize agile mindset and way of working
- Nurture team growth through ongoing learning and coaching
- Streamline operations through scalable solutions and frameworks
- Build psychology safety in teams I lead to share perspectives
- Advocate for users through research and behavioral insights for a holistic experience
- Bridging silos across departments with a strategic vision/roadmap
- Aligning senior leaders, and stakeholders, influencing impactful change
- Build emotional connections to consumer needs
- Spark consumer engagement to build brand loyalty and trust
- Ensure brand consistency and accessibility across digital and physical spaces
I’m always looking for an opportunity to share my knowledge and thinking, through thought leadership and speaking engagements. See my speaking page for details.

See my work

Let's connect

Some clients I’ve partnered with:

Community Involvement

MSOE University

Advising the UX program on industry trends and driving industry needs into their 4 year curriculum. Assisting in networking events and co-authoring a scholarly article on AI’s impact on future students.
Disability:In

Mentor emerging leaders with disabilities through Disability:IN’s NextGen program to support their career growth for the past year.
Asians in Advertising

As Co-Lead of Partnerships at Asians in Advertising, I build community, foster opportunity in highlighting our culture, in an industry where we’re often excluded.
FoXX Health

Women's Health Advisory Committee, supporting Foxx Health's mission to advocate for women's health by providing strategic guidance on their soon-to-be-released app, giving every woman the tools, knowledge, and confidence to be heard in every healthcare setting.

What others say

Silhouette of mountain ranges at sunset with misty atmosphere and warm sky.

Angela (SVP - Account)

“Kat is really good at listening and wrangling people to deliver on the work. I saw her actively listen and engage our leadership client, and it was reassuring to see her defend her thinking.”

Ali (CSO)

“The GOAT. Kat is walking the talk. Way to freaking go! Thank you for facilitating and having a great discussion on Asian Representation in Media.”

“The amount of details in this research, leading into the strategy. This is great stuff. Thank you to you and your team for the diligence.”

Amy (CXO - Global Markets and Global Research at BofA)
"This is really smart thinking. I love that you guys are showing us aspirational goals to achieve."

Jessica (SVP Small Business Digital Tools)
“These personas are well-rounded to depict the enterprise as a whole. Appreciates that they all come from different points vs one forced and centralized gated experience on this Women’s Ecosystem”

Rachel (SVP Business Marketing at BofA)
“This is awesome. Thanks again for pulling together this accessibility x strategy playbook. Super impressive, comprehensive and important thinking!”

Josh (Head of Experience Strategy)
“So impressed with your team’s thinking about this massive undertaking! I’m seeing a lot of change recommendations from all our conversations, so thank you… thank you for listening and hearing us.”

Antonio (Client Lead on MSK)
“Great job on the discovery workshop. The findings and presentation were smart and well received by the clients, but the real surprise was how engaged the client team was with the prioritization investing game. In the two years I’ve worked on the wealth team, this is the most engaged client call I’ve been a part of.”

Ashley O. (VP, Account Director)
“So fantastic! Thank you so much. This is exactly what we need. It’s so insightful to help us move forward. It’s really impressive to see how on point the pain points are visualized. I’m jumping out of my skin with excitement. ”

Karli (BofA Marketing Chief Executive)
“You are a super great partner. I think others would be watching designers design by now, but you’re in there pitching in. Always helpful when you have a collaborator with a POV!”

Michael (VP/ Director of UX & CS)
“Left brain? Right brain? Kat is ambidextrous. She flawlessly balances strategic, analytic and methodical thinking with inspiring, creative and experiential ideas. She brings order to chaos and innovation to the norm. I thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity I’ve had to collaborate with Kat.”

Tyler (Account Director)
“Thanks for great work and for all the great discussion. Your research, professional approach and frankly, awesome work transformed our product.”

RC (Microsoft Product Owner)
"I’m very impressed... at how you turned my hours-long ramble into a cohesive presentation, backed with credible and quantitative research. Absolutely love this work.”

Joe (Napoleon Marketing Director)

Illustration of a person with question marks

Fearless Curiosity

A safe space to ask hard questions and embrace bold play.

I thrive in spaces that embrace:

Illustration of four hands of different skin tones holding each other's wrists to form a square, symbolizing unity and diversity.

Diverse Perspectives

An inclusive place that champions diverse ideas, cultures, and voices.

Illustration of an iceberg with a visible underwater section.

Strategic Growth

A complex challenge to navigate, with a team to elevate & empower.

Let's build something together

Strategy catalyst and leader, turning complexity into clarity, purpose into progress.

Hire me for

Leadership & Operations

CX Strategy & Account Planning

Brand Marketing

Speaking

Some clients I’ve partnered with:

MSOE University

Disability:In

Asians in Advertising

FoXX Health

What others say

“Kat is really good at listening and wrangling people to deliver on the work. I saw her actively listen and engage our leadership client, and it was reassuring to see her defend her thinking.”

“The GOAT. Kat is walking the talk. Way to freaking go! Thank you for facilitating and having a great discussion on Asian Representation in Media.”

“The amount of details in this research, leading into the strategy. This is great stuff. Thank you to you and your team for the diligence.”

"This is really smart thinking. I love that you guys are showing us aspirational goals to achieve."

“These personas are well-rounded to depict the enterprise as a whole. Appreciates that they all come from different points vs one forced and centralized gated experience on this Women’s Ecosystem”

“This is awesome. Thanks again for pulling together this accessibility x strategy playbook. Super impressive, comprehensive and important thinking!”

“So impressed with your team’s thinking about this massive undertaking! I’m seeing a lot of change recommendations from all our conversations, so thank you… thank you for listening and hearing us.”

“So fantastic! Thank you so much. This is exactly what we need. It’s so insightful to help us move forward. It’s really impressive to see how on point the pain points are visualized. I’m jumping out of my skin with excitement. ”

“You are a super great partner. I think others would be watching designers design by now, but you’re in there pitching in. Always helpful when you have a collaborator with a POV!”

“Left brain? Right brain? Kat is ambidextrous. She flawlessly balances strategic, analytic and methodical thinking with inspiring, creative and experiential ideas. She brings order to chaos and innovation to the norm. I thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity I’ve had to collaborate with Kat.”

“Thanks for great work and for all the great discussion. Your research, professional approach and frankly, awesome work transformed our product.”

"I’m very impressed... at how you turned my hours-long ramble into a cohesive presentation, backed with credible and quantitative research. Absolutely love this work.”

Fearless Curiosity

I thrive in spaces that embrace:

Diverse Perspectives

Strategic Growth