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Kate Vitasek

Kate Vitasek

Kate Vitasek

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Kate Vitasek

International authority on highly collaborative win-win relationships

My mission is to educate, inspire, and empower organizations and individuals on the art, science, and practice of highly collaborative win-win relationships that will forever change the way organizations and individuals approach strategic business relationships.

Over 250 organizations have unlocked the power of highly collaborative win-win business relationships by adopting my award-winning research.

Kate Vitasek

International authority on highly collaborative win-win relationships

My mission is to educate, inspire, and empower organizations on how to create an engaged collaborative culture that creates true win-win relationships.

Over 250 organizations have unlocked the power of highly collaborative win-win business relationships by adopting my award-winning research.

Who am I?

  • An Educator:  Leader of the University of Tennessee research on strategic partnerships and developed UT’s Certified Deal Architect Program
  • An Author: Written 7 books and over 300 articles including 4 in Harvard Business Review
  • An International Authority: Featured on Fox Business News, CNN International, NPR, and Bloomberg’s Taking Stock
  • A Keynote Speaker: Shared her insights with hundreds of audiences around the world
  • A Former Business Executive and Consultant:  An alum of P&G, Microsoft, Stream International, and Accenture, and has been in the trenches and seen the practice of business relationships from the buy-side, sell-side, and consulting perspective
  • A Wife and Mom: Married to a firefighter and has a son who is a budding artist who wants to change the world through community-focused art

My Story

I have a unique perspective on collaboration and how to create an engaged collaborative culture because I have been in the trenches with a front-row seat looking at how organizations work from all angles. I’ve worked on the development / buy-side (Microsoft), the supplier / sell side (Stream International) and the manufacturing / marketing side (P&G) of business. I’ve also spent time as a consultant (Accenture), so I have seen how easy it is to create fancy presentations and a pretty vinyl binder report that gets stuck on someone’s shelf or lost on their hard drive. 

When the University of Tennessee asked me to lead a large research project funded by the United States Air Force and Department of Defense to study complex business relationships, I found my calling; I could transcend being in the trenches on a transactional treadmill and unpack how to make strategic business relationships work.

The result of my research – The Vested Way –harnesses five simple rules to transform a “What’s-in-it-for-Me” culture into a highly collaborative and engaged “What’s-in-it-for-We” culture.

Over 250 organizations have unlocked the power of highly collaborative win-win business relationships by adopting my award-winning research.

International Authority on highly collaborative
win-win relationships

From Research…

20+ years of research

  • 9 books from the University of Tennessee faculty
  • 25 white papers (all in open source)
  • 10 courses
    • 7 online
    • 2 “live” (onsite or virtual)
    • 1 distance learning
  • 300 + articles including 4 in Harvard Business Review

To Relevance

600 companies…

  • sending over 10,000 people to our courses
  • completing 134 initiatives and 150 Compatibility and Trust Assessments
  • producing 20 formal case studies featuring the journeys of 36 organizations with another 32 other organizations being open/public about their success
  • resulting in 161 Certified Deal Architects around the world

Kate is a Recognized Thought Leader

  • Supply Chain Council’s “Academic Advancement Award”
  • World Financial Review “Power Influencer”
  • Sourcing Industry Group’s “Supernova Hall of Fame”
  • World Commerce and Contracting “Fellow”
  • International Association for Outsourcing Professionals “Hall of Fame”
  • Global Sourcing Association’s “A-List”
  • Global Executive Women “Woman of International Influence”
  • Journal of Commerce “Woman on the Move in Trade and Transportation”
  • World Trade Magazine’s “Fabulous 50+1 People Influencing Global Commerce”
  • Institute for Dispute Prevention and Resolution “Conflict Prevention Leadership” award
  • DC Velocity “Rainmaker”
  • Stevie Award finalist for best business under 100 people
  • ARC Advisory Group as one of the “10 coolest boutique-consulting firms”

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