Consulting Magazine - April 2020

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Getting into technology and consulting was an accident, but something Kate Jones believes she was born todo. Starting as a child, she alwaysbelieved she would be a scientist.After getting a degree in Zoologyand a brief stint working in a lab,she came to realize that she craveda faster paced environment andswitched careers. Once she “stumbled into consulting,” she quicklyrecognized that this is the careerthat allows her to bring her wholeself to the table, combining dataanalysis, critical thinking, insightsynthesis, and creativity, storytelling, and relationship managementall at the same time! “For me it’s theperfect combination that makes thework so fulfilling,” Jones says.

Today Jones is a Director with the
Concentrix CX Consulting practices
where she is responsible for design-
ing and overseeing CX consulting
engagements that deliver against
clients’ strategic goals of improving
customer experience, by leveraging
a proven, data-driven methodology.

What does she enjoy most about
the work that she does? There are
two, she says. First, is building trust-
ed relationships with clients who val-
ue an unbiased, data-first perspective
on business challenges. “This makes
the work impactful, and I love the
feeling of knowing my time and en-
ergy is resulting in the best custom-
er experiences for top brands,” she
says. “Second, the camaraderie and
sense of shared accomplishment that
comes from working on a team with
smart, interesting, creative people
who aren’t afraid to put in the hard
work needed to deliver great results.
Watching my team grow and be suc-
cessful brings me enormous joy.”
Jones’ greatest achievement, she
says, has been learning to be bold
and take risks even when the path
forward is initially ambiguous, she
says. “It is more comfortable to stick
with the things you already know but
tackling new challenges and pav-
ing a new way forward is so much
more rewarding in the end,” she
says. “Creating the opportunity and
circumstance for junior team mem-
bers to ‘fail with a safety net’ allows
others to learn this lesson as well.”

Meanwhile, Jones says it’s suchan exciting time to be in this fieldbecause of the rapidly changinglandscape. “I’m looking forward towatching new digital capabilitiesemerge that I can help clients leverage in creative, meaningful ways,”she says. “It will be fun to look back 12 months from now and realize thatwhat has become commonplace wasunheard of the year before.”

Have you experienced unique challenges being a woman consultant in
the technology field?

JONES: “Several years ago I led a consulting engagement for a high-techB2B company. I was the only woman on the floor with the sole exception of a female custodian who cleaned at night. It was intimidating tolook around and not see anyone who looked like me. I felt insecure andhesitated to assert myself. I later learned that one of the key influencerswithin the organization was also a woman working at a different location.Knowing there was another woman out there who commanded respectwas incredibly empowering. It changed the way I thought of myself, andchanged the way I worked which ultimately led to a successful project. Itis so important that diversity be visible because it gives unspoken permission for other under-represented people to be present and heard.”