Karen Walls Associates Ltd - Realising potential through insight

Realising potential through insight

Creating value through evidence led investment in your people

KWA Value Proposition

Let’s start with our values

Be Curious
Be Inclusive
Be Kind
Be Honest

2021 marks our 20th anniversary. In that time we have worked in more than 200 organisations, in 30 countries on five continents.

We have a profound understanding of people and organisations. We work at three levels:

The organisation – ensuring you have the right organisation design and development to deliver your strategic intent. This includes interventions to build capability and expertise in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

The Team – ensuring you work together with clarity, purpose and engagement. This includes working from board to floor, developing an understanding of self and others and knowing how to get the best from each other.

The individual – ensuring each person can be at their best through coaching and support.

Change happens in a system. KWA provides an assured framework at 3 levels (organisation, team and individual) to help today’s leaders develop and thrive. Our focus is aligning strategy and values to key people processes and building the expertise, mindset and behaviours to deliver long term success. Our approach combines strong business acumen with a profound understanding of human behaviour, built over many years experience.

Our Triple A approach – Appreciate, Align and Apply – provides clear recommendations for purposeful, forensic investment in those areas that will make the greatest, lasting difference.

how we work

Who we are

Context matters – your vision, strategy, competitive landscape and ambition drives your people needs for today and tomorrow. We get that.

We have deep expertise in understanding the context and your people.

We are:

Expert and Agnostic (We know our stuff, we learn your stuff and we pick the right approach)

Open and Transparent (We don’t have subs and we don’t hide fees)

Challenging and Supportive (We tell the truth and we tell it well)

And meet the whole team while you are at it.

meet the whole team

Who we work with

We have some great partners. They cover the globe and pretty much every sector.

find out more

If you think we could help your leaders to thrive and develop then we would love to hear from you. Click here to leave us a message and we’ll get back to you.

Helping the British Council to understand and develop its global leadership population in an increasingly uncertain world

Appreciate

Profiles of top 90 global leaders generated
1:1 feedback, reports and development plans completed
Sector analysis & internal review conducted

Align

Data synthesis
Heatmap and meta theme narrative
Feedback to Board/ Executive/ leaders
Recommendations on development focus and next stage of investment

Apply

Learning framework for leadership development
2 day leadership module with optional deep dive modules
Suite of on-line learning resources
Train the trainer resource for roll out

“The KWA team were excellent partners in our work to build the leadership capability, collaboration and confidence of our most senior cadre. They demonstrated strong business empathy and understanding, cultural flexibility, and a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ so that each individual felt truly supported in their personal development.”
Helen Murley
Global HRD (until October 2017), British Council

Helping Virgin Care to identify and grow its talent and build an effective executive team

Appreciate

Profiles of Executive diagnostics and feedback produced
Levelled behaviour model created aligned to Values
Internal assessment approach developed for internal talent – engage, sift, assess, feedback

Align

All assessment data synthesised
Heatmap and meta themes produced and narrative shared
Key talent identified invited to leadership journey

Apply

Design and delivery of 12 month Inspire Leadership Programme aligned to operating model
Blended learning – on-line, 1-2-1, peer support, workshops, service visits and projects
Conversion rate of Inspire graduates into leadership team positions

“The things that stand out for me is the closeness and flexibility of a smaller organisation, with the professionalism and quality of a large one - it’s the perfect balance and makes for a successful and long term partnership.”
Bart Johnson
CEO, Virgin Care

“I think of Karen as a human ‘generator’…when the energy, commitment and passion has temporarily left the room, she is capable of flicking the switch which turns the lights back on for both our team and the individuals within it, with a few carefully timed interventions. Karen’s support and observations have enabled us to achieve more than we thought possible as a team, and that has made a measurable difference to both the effectiveness and efficiency of the services we provide as a business.”

Dr. Vivienne McVey
CEO, Virgin Care

Karen’s strengths : credible, experienced, trusted advisor and partner. Listens carefully and gets to the heart of the matter very quickly. Commercial and strategy expertise is key; genuinely understands the business issues surrounding her appointments. Never just ‘HR fluff’.

Dramatically different from the many development charlatans and change management gurus that flood the sector. Straightforward and down to earth; takes a common sense approach. Doesn’t try to turn everything into jargon, a model or a chart. Doesn’t treat it like rocket science.’

Paul McAvoy, Global HRD TMF

Genuine rigor of intellect. Ability to listen, learn and deliver a wholly bespoke solution based on client needs. Refreshingly agnostic approach to tools and methodologies. Unusually broad knowledge of proven approaches, and always willing to explore something new. Deep understanding of the real issues facing corporate leaders .Acts as a neutral supporter; a sounding board without creating pressure. Develops real relationships with key clients. Informal coaching is a hidden value. Knows how to apply the right kind of learnings to help people self-develop.

Stephen Robson, European HRD TK Maxx

Extremely capable around the development of senior executives and how they operate as a team. Best I have worked with, and frequently recommends to others. Builds strong relationships, gets on with people. Unusual ability to get people to be honest and admit their vulnerabilities. Very empathetic and human in her approach. Feels like one of the team. Always intellectually up to the task. Unusual in people consultancy. Huge range of contacts, always able to recommend someone who can help even when she can’t. This adds unexpected value.

Bart Johnson, CEO, Linnaeus, Mars Pet Foods

Integrity: KW always tells you the truth, never afraid to challenge. Unlike many consultants, never says what she thinks you want to hear, even if it limits commercial opportunity.

She has a deep understanding of people; holistic approach, far more than just professional assessment and coaching. Unusual emotional intelligence; great at dealing with sensitivities. Helps people share their fears and vulnerabilities. Actually can teach old dogs new tricks. Manages to tell the unvarnished truth, with a varnish. Always willing to recognise and accept when she’s wrong – rare in consultants. Very purposeful; nothing KW says is ever without consideration and purpose.

Pays attention to, and delivers on, the brief. Very conscious of the commercial objectives. Provides uniquely tailored solutions, rooted in the context of the client’s objectives. Never imposes a pre-determined approach. Data driven and evidential – provide real targets and measures around performance.

Huge added value in the relationship. Continuous informal coaching; excellent sounding board. Introduces you to a fascinating network of people.

With CGL, in an unusual sector, KW could see past the obvious differences vs. a more corporate environment, to the similarities - and then make her experience relevant.

Enormous breadth of knowledge. Allows a more agnostic approach to programme design.

Mark Moody, CEO, CGL