& WHO WE WORK WITH
&co. has been lucky to work with great partners along the way.
STEPHANIE HAWKINS
Senior Director, Business Development
Pathfinder International
"Cate's wealth of experience and deep knowledge base at the intersection of international development and the corporate sector are a huge asset. Cate worked with Pathfinder over the course of two years to build out a detailed landscape analysis, a global corporate partnerships strategy and database, a training curriculum that was delivered in both English and French, and multiple country-level corporate partnership engagement plans.
During her work with Pathfinder, Cate was flexible to evolving needs and was sought out as a trusted partner by colleagues across the organization. She was always pragmatic in her approach, understanding the real challenges in our field, while pushing us to think creatively and plan for the long-term. The tools and resources she created will serve the organization well into the future. And personally, our teams appreciated her approachable and collaborative style that allowed for open dialogue and partnership at all levels."
DR. SIMON JAMES
Project Director, Global Book Alliance in Action
Education Development Center
"The Global Book Alliance is a partnership of donors, multilateral agencies, and non-government organizations which aims to increase access to quality books for children around the world.
Over a period of 4 years Cate provided the vision and drive to identify a diverse range of potential partnerships across multiple sectors, including the International Publishing Association, translation agency Ulatus, and Google.
Cate's work with the partners, as well as implementing wider outreach such as the GBA's "Open Book" series of webinars, and supporting the GBA Secretariat, has been highly valued in the effort to improve the provision of appropriate reading materials."
KATHY VIZAS
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer
TogetHer for Health
"Cate brings a wealth of knowledge about the social impact sector, including huge experience and expertise working in partnership, both with private sector players and with governments. She is committed and passionate about the work to improve lives. She was instrumental in guiding our young organization through its start-up phase. Cate is easy to work with and injects an upbeat and positive energy to a project. I have always thoroughly enjoyed working with her."
MEREDITH SLATER
Director of Development,
ActionAid USA
"Cate was an absolute pleasure to work with and gave generously of her time and expertise. After a different consultant concluded that our organization would not be able to successfully launch a corporate engagement program that would allow us to remain values-driven in our fundraising, we hired Cate O'Kane. Cate not only worked with us to build a strategy and materials grounded in our values and ethics, but also supported us to successfully gain full buy-in from staff and Board. Just a few months later, we closed our first grant from a corporation that aligns with our standards. I couldn't recommend Cate more highly!"
AMBASSADOR KARL HOFMANN
President and CEO,
PSI
"Cate knew who we should best partner with to achieve our strategic goals, and how best to do it; she helped bring non-traditional donors into the center of our strategic framework for growth.
Cate also spearheaded PSI's foray into new communities: shared value collaborators, impact investors, and long-term corporate partners. She married tactical genius with long-term thinking to yield effective and impactful relationships that are helping to further our mission.
Her pioneering work for us has built corporate relationships that are built to last, steered a Fortune 500 leader onto PSI's board of directors, and personally unlocked millions in financial and in-kind support for PSI's work. Plus, she's a delight to work with!"
DARREN BACK
Vice President, Strategy and Partnerships
Executive Director, Pfizer Foundation
Pfizer
"Cate has the unique ability to address challenges through the lens of multiple sectors due to her strong background and in-depth understanding of the business and non-profit worlds.
She is able to marry this expertise to deliver strategic solutions that are not only strong, but that also challenge her clients to think more boldly and creatively for even greater impact. She is a consummate professional and able to effectively work with senior executives and mid-level leaders alike.
Cate works hard to build strong and lasting relationships - her warm approach and style means that she is a safe and trusted partner, even in the most challenging of situations. Through Cate's counsel and expertise, we have been able to deliver strong programming and evolve our approach to better address unmet needs."
DEIRDRE WHITE
CEO
PYXERA Global
"At PYXERA Global, we believe that with collaboration, innovation and dedication, we can make audacious ideas a reality.
We so enjoy working with Cate. She listens to learn, and then questions to build. She focuses on the immediate needs and tasks, while also helping us to reconsider or redesign long-held practices. We greatly appreciate that she seeks to find a balance between existing practice and innovation.
Plus she always adds an important dose of humor to the team."
RICHARD CRESIPN
CEO
CollaborateUp
"Cate is one of the sharpest, most effective people I know when it comes to finding the shared value in any relationship. She is incisive, goes right to the heart of the matter and knows how to bring the right parties to the table to get real stuff done.
In creating &co. she combines a unique set of skills and understanding of so many different perspectives to create value and impact."
JUSTIN BAKULE
Former Executive Director, Shared Value Initiative
"Moving effectively between sectors is a critical element to solving today's most pressing challenges and Cate does it with both intelligence and grace.
Her voice was key in ensuring that international NGOs had a clear role within the Shared Value Initiative community, whilst her knowledge of the for-profit world helped ensure that partnerships could focus on measurable goals, that satisfied shareholders and communities alike."