Hi, I’m Kate
I help leaders turn strategy into change people believe in.
What I do
Most people make up their minds about a change in the fortnight after it’s announced. They’re deciding whether they trust what leaders have said. That gap, between what gets announced and what people believe, is where I work.
Organisations bring me in when something significant is happening. A restructure. A relocation. A new leadership team that needs to build trust quickly. A set of values that has been written down and changed nothing. A staff survey that came back worse than expected. My job is to make sure the people inside understand it, believe it, and do something differently because of it.
I learned what that really means at Royal Papworth Hospital. We moved an entire hospital into a new building, and then the pandemic arrived and we became the largest intensive care unit in the country.
It taught me what people respond to when nobody can promise them anything: leaders who are honest, visible and consistent, and a reason to keep going that everyone shares.
At the University of Cambridge I did the same work across 13,000 colleagues and more than 100 departments. I set up structured listening between leaders and staff, and the proportion of people who felt their views were valued went up 39 per cent. I ran the first conference for professional services staff, and belonging went up 22 per cent. I relaunched an internal channel almost nobody was using, and weekly users went from 3,500 to 10,000 in six months.
I took an MA in Internal Communication Management alongside that job, because after fifteen years I wanted to understand why some of it worked and some of it didn’t. It’s the UK’s only master’s in the strategic practice of internal communication, and my research was on how communication drives behaviour change. It’s why I can tell you what will shift how people behave and what’s just noise.
I’m also a Chartered PR practitioner and a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communication. And I started out as a journalist, so I can craft the strategy and the stories.
I work with organisations that need senior internal communication leadership for a period rather than permanently. That might be an interim or fractional role, a fixed-term contract, or one-off consultation.
If something big is coming and you want people with you, book a call or email kate@katewaters.uk
What I offer
Internal communications strategy
Culture assessments to understand your current culture and drivers of/barriers to desired behaviours
Change communication
Employee listening
Developing new values and behaviours
Mentoring for leaders and communication professionals
Co-creating new organisational strategies
My approach
In today’s fast-paced world, organisations have to be able to adapt in order to thrive.
But too often, ambitious change plans fail to achieve their objectives. And usually, it’s because they’ve underestimated what it takes to drive lasting change in the way their people think, feel and behave.
I believe that two things are necessary for successful change: clarity about the organisation’s purpose, direction and desired behaviours, and a culture based on trust, connection and psychological safety.
If you get this right, your employees don’t just know what they need to do. They believe in where the organisation is heading, and feel supported and motivated to help you get there.
I’ve spent fifteen years working in large, complex organisations, leading communication and employee engagement through high-pressure change. I know what it takes to make change succeed, and I’ve seen what happens when it isn’t designed with real people, and real organisations, in mind.
I understand the theory behind successful change. But what I really care about is making it happen.
Because when change is done well, it doesn’t just deliver a strategy. It creates organisations where people feel clearer, more confident, and able to do their best work—and that’s what leads to real, lasting impact.
Education
BA (First Class Honours), French with German – University of Exeter
MA (Distinction), Internal Communication Management – University of Solent / Institute of Internal Communication.
Professional memberships
Fellow – Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC)
Board Member – IoIC Standards and Skills Board
Chartered Practitioner – Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Life outside of work
I live in a lovely town called Saffron Walden near Cambridge and have two children aged 7 and 10.
I’m passionate about travel, interior design, learning and spending time with friends and family. I appreciate the little things in life, like good coffee, wild saunas, great books and a glass of fizz. I believe in always having something to look forward to in the diary!
