Kathleen Karich
Kathy Karich is an accomplished executive leader and trusted advisor, currently serving as Executive Partner at Gartner. With a distinguished 30-year career in Big Four consulting, she has consistently focused on serving state and local government and higher education clients, helping mission-driven organizations operate more effectively and deliver greater impact. After retiring from Deloitte Consulting in June 2024, she transitioned into her current role, where she serves as a one-on-one advisor to C-suite leaders including CIOs, Chief Operating Officers, and university presidents—bringing together her deep industry expertise and Gartner’s research to help organizations tackle their most complex strategic challenges.
Prior to joining Gartner, Kathy spent 15 years at Deloitte Consulting as a Principal, where she held multiple leadership roles across technology, risk, and talent development while managing major client accounts such as the State of Michigan and Yale University. Earlier in her career, she served as Vice President and Managing Director at BearingPoint, following foundational roles with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget and the Children’s Health Fund. Throughout her career, she has led large-scale technology modernization and business process transformation initiatives for clients including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the State and City of New York, the Port Authority, the New York City Housing Authority, the State of Michigan, and leading universities such as Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Rochester, Washington State University, LSU, and Texas A&M. Among her most impactful achievements is leading the implementation of an integrated justice system for New York City, enabling real-time communication across criminal justice agencies and significantly improving coordination and public safety outcomes. In recognition of her leadership and impact, she was honored by Crain's New York Business in 2018.
Kathy holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston College. Known for her commitment to excellence and passion for empowering organizations, she has built a reputation for guiding clients through complex change with clarity and purpose. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys golfing, traveling, and spending time with her family, reflecting a well-rounded approach to leadership grounded in both personal and professional fulfillment.
• Boston College - BSBA
• Columbia | SIPA - MPA
• Featured in Crane's New York Business Notable Women in Accounting and Consulting (2018)
• New York Athletic Club
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success first and foremost to my parents, who really supported me and put such importance on education - my dad was an educator himself. Having a really supportive husband throughout my career has been absolutely critical, especially as a working mom. And I've had really, really strong sponsors in my career, both male and female, who made a huge difference. One sponsor in particular was the chairman of our public services industry at KPMG - even though he was a thousand levels above me when I was just a senior consultant, we happened to both come in really early to the office, so I got to know him. God bless him, because this was back in 1995 when nobody was really talking about any of this, but he really did believe in supporting and joining women. He became one of my primary sponsors and put in a good word for me to get a role in New Zealand that completely transformed my career. I really think his taking an interest in supporting me was a big part of my success.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say seek out sponsors that's absolutely critical. Speak up and don't be afraid to take calculated risks in your career. One of the smartest things I ever did was take a big risk when I had an 18-month-old son. I saw an opportunity to go to New Zealand for 18 months to work on a Y2K technology project, even though I hadn't really done technology work before. My husband quit his job, and we moved there with our baby. People told me I was crazy, but I knew it would get me out from under a partner who was taking advantage of me and give me valuable SAP technology experience. When I came back, I was completely refreshed with a new skill set. Within three months, I sold a major SAP project to the Port Authority and another big technology project to the Housing Authority. That calculated risk really launched my career. So my advice is: take calculated risks, get good sponsors, and don't be afraid. Those calculated risks will help your career.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It was amazing to me that in 2024, when I spoke on a women's empowerment panel at Deloitte's 30 Rockefeller Center office, it was the same conversation we were having 30 years before. Women still don't raise their hand when they want to speak up. Women don't apply for jobs unless they're overqualified, while men will apply for jobs they're underqualified for. Women will say something and nobody will listen, and then a man will say the same thing and it gets listened to. I still think the biggest barrier is that once you get above a certain level, it's still predominantly men in positions of power, and men promote men people are comfortable with people like themselves. A friend of mine just published a book called 'Only Woman in the Room' about being a technologist, and I experienced that too since I mainly did large technology projects. I'd go in a room and look around, and it's a lot of men. That just works against you. I still think finding the right sponsor is a huge barrier for women, and there is still a huge gap once you get above a certain level.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and integrity are absolutely most important to me being honest and living with integrity. Helping other people and thinking about other people, not just thinking about yourself all the time, is really important too. I've seen people in the firms I've worked with who almost made a career out of pointing out when somebody else is screwing up, rather than positively contributing on their own. They can almost make a career out of tearing others down as opposed to making their own positive impact. So I'd say making a positive impact and having integrity building people up rather than tearing people down. It's so much more fulfilling when you build people up versus tearing them down.