Kate North
Vice President, Workplace Strategy

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About
Professional Summary
I believe in the “power of place” and know how the workplace can be an incredible strategic asset when aligned with business objectives, culture and the people of an organization. I have spent my entire career exploring the “future of work” globally and understanding the implications of emerging disruptors stemming from new technologies and workforce. The workplace landscape continues to rapidly change as we strive to create environments that support “how we work best.” Successful companies now think about the workplace as an integrated set of actions and designs that together create a productive and engaging employee experience. I combine my passion – workplace strategy – and 25 years’ global experience to help leading organizations understand the impact the workplace can have on their overall business strategy. My expertise lies in workplace strategy, research, design and transformational change. By aligning workplace and business strategy, I have seen first-hand companies realize a workplace that fosters collaboration, innovation and sparks creativity.
The profession of a Workplace Strategist is emerging, and for more than a decade, I have been actively involved (globally) in creating two Workplace Communities of Practices. In 2012, I co-founded “Workplace Evolutionaries (WE),” a vibrant community within the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Today, I serve as Global Chair of WE, comprised of 1,500+ members globally and growing. I frequently speak at industry events across the world and have co-authored the IFMA Foundation best-selling book “Work on the Move” in 2011, which is used extensively by IFMA members and associated academic institutions. In 2016, we co-authored a new version, “Work on the Move 2.” In 2014, I was honored to receive the prestigious International Associate Award for my contributions within IFMA. In 2017, I was awarded the IFMA Global Chair Citation from the Chairman of the Board for the impact the Workplace Evolutionaries has had on IFMA and the profession.
I was a founding leader of the CoreNet Workplace Community of Practice, the CoreNet Chapter Chair for New Zealand, and served as an Advisory Board Member for New Ways of Working and the New Zealand Green Building Council.
I am also an active member of the Executive Women in Corporate Real Estate and speak at numerous workplace and human capital conferences globally.
Prior to joining Colliers International, I led global development for e-Work.com, helping organizations prepare their workforces for “new ways of working” using highly interactive e-learning. I was also the director of Ideation, a workplace consultancy and research group within Haworth Inc.; and vice president of the Strategic Business Group within Herman Miller Inc., supporting organizational workplace transformation.
Services:
- Corporate Solutions
Property Type:
- Office
Skills:
- Change Management
- Workplace and Interior Design
Education:
- BS, Design, Utah State University (ASID accredidated)
- Numerous ongoing educational courses specific to Organizational Design, Change Management, Positive Psychology and Well-Being
Memberships & Involvements:
- Global Chair, Workplace Evolutionaries, IFMA
- Chicago Workplace Evolutionaries Hub
- CoreNet Global
- DisruptHR
- WorkTech
- Future Workplace
- WorkShift
- Work Design Magazine
- World@Work
- Society of Human Resources
My Team
Keith Perske
Senior Vice President, Workplace Innovation
New York
As Executive Managing Director of Workplace Innovation, Corporate Solutions | Americas, Keith leads Colliers’ expertise in this rapidly evolving field, helping our clients use the workplace as a competitive advantage to advance their business objectives through innovative and insightful workplace solutions.
Additionally, Keith brings more than 30 years of experience to Colliers International, including his previous role as Senior Director, Global Workplace Innovation at Johnson & Johnson. There he was responsible for program design and deployment of a set of new workplace principles for J&J’s global office portfolio of 60 million square feet and more than 900 locations.
Chris Zlocki
Executive Vice President, CS Strategy and Innovation
Denver - Downtown
I am responsible for leading innovation that will generate increased value to our clients and internal service lines within Occupier Services. My role includes the oversight of the Technology Services Group including accountability for our flexible, fast and non-proprietary business analytics platform - Colliers360. I also oversee our consulting services group focused on advisory services for portfolio strategy, workplace, supply chain and data centers. The services are delivered through a highly collaborative model that stresses best-in-class results through a "strong client model" - partner on delivering services, not replace them. I lead the development of new service offerings for us to leverage with our clients and find ways to improve service delivery across all areas of Corporate Solutions including the evaluation of strategic alliances with other 3rd party providers that add to our offering.
Specialties:
Executive Oversight & Governance for Outsourced Account Solutions for Tech Sector Clients
Footprint & Real Estate Portfolio Planning
Business Intelligence Platform & KPI Development
M&A Integration Roadmaps & Operational Playbooks
CRE Organizational Effectiveness & Design
Capital Planning & Forecasting
Martha O'Mara
Senior Vice President, CS Strategy & Innovation
Boston
An authority on the integration of corporate real estate planning with core business strategy, Martha O’Mara, PhD, heads Colliers’ Corporate Solutions service line in an executive leadership role as Executive Managing Director, Head of Consulting, Corporate Solutions | Americas. In this role, Martha leads client advisory services in the disciplines of management consulting, portfolio optimization and location strategy.
Prior to joining Colliers, Martha co-founded Corporate Portfolio Analytics (CPA), where she supported the strategy development for nearly two billion square feet of corporate occupancy, including AT&T, Bank of America, Verizon, American Express, GE, and the US government, typically in multi-year engagements.
Scott Nelson
President, Occupier Services and Corporate Solutions | Americas
Atlanta
Scott Nelson is President, Occupier Services and Corporate Solutions | Americas at Colliers International and is responsible for strategy and leadership of these business units. Occupier Services makes up the entire platform of tools and talent (including Corporate Solutions) that supports our Occupier client relationships, and our Colliers brokerage and other professionals that manage these relationships. Corporate Solutions houses the service lines that are typically offered to multi-market and/or multi-service Occupier Clients. These service lines include Strategy and Innovation (consulting and technology services and lease administration), Account Management, Solutions Development, Transaction Management, Project Management, and Facilities Management. Scott also works actively with some clients to develop an in-depth understanding of their key business strategies, create a customized real estate solution to meet their objectives and then deploy a team for the execution of that strategy on an on-going basis. Occupier Services has organized globally with Scott playing a key leadership role, to provide seamless account management that integrates Colliers services and technology for the client.
Ron Zappile
Vice President, CS Strategy & Innovation
Denver
Over the course of his consulting career, Ron Zappile has focused on delivering high quality portfolio and workplace optimization plans for corporate and institutional clients. His professional experience encompasses the financial services, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors. During his career, Ron has developed expertise in portfolio strategy, footprint optimization, mergers and acquisitions consolidations, KPI and metrics implementations, and financial planning.
Thea Hahn
Vice President, Consulting
Boston
With over 20 years of commercial real estate experience, Thea brings broad experience in strategic planning, portfolio optimization, and workplace. She develops actionable recommendations and solutions for public and private sector clients using a data-driven approach to documenting, analyzing and integrating multiple business drivers.
Prior to joining Colliers International, Thea served as Strategic Planning Manager at MITRE Corp, where she was responsible for planning, workplace, and change management. Previously, with Corporate Portfolio Analytics, Thea led portfolio planning and optimization projects for clients including the American Red Cross, AT&T, Bank of America, the General Services Administration, and ServiceMaster.
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