Kate Ross

Kate Ross is a co-founder of the CRE8 Collective and leads the Advisory and Emerging Talent divisions. She works with businesses to strengthen leadership, develop practical growth strategies and build capable workforces that are ready for the future.

With an extensive background in business development, strategic growth and workforce planning, Kate partners with business owners and leadership teams to identify opportunities, solve challenges and create clear, practical plans for growth. Her approach is collaborative, commercially minded and grounded in real business experience, helping clients make informed decisions that support both their people and their business.

Through CRE8 Advisory, Kate works across business strategy, workforce planning, succession, leadership development and organisational capability. She enjoys helping businesses step back from the day-to-day, identify where they want to go and put the right people, structure and strategy in place to get there.

Kate also leads the Emerging Talent division, where she is passionate about building stronger connections between business, education and industry. She works with employers, schools, tertiary providers and community partners to create meaningful pathways into employment, helping businesses develop future talent while giving students, graduates and early-career professionals opportunities to build successful careers.

As part of the leadership team at CRE8, Kate plays a key role in shaping the Collective's growth, developing new partnerships and identifying opportunities to expand the services offered to clients across New Zealand. She believes the best businesses invest not only in the people they need today, but also in the leaders and workforce they will need tomorrow.

Known for her energy, commercial thinking and ability to see the bigger picture, Kate brings people together, challenges ideas constructively and helps turn strategy into action. She believes the strongest businesses invest not only in today's workforce but in the people and opportunities that will shape tomorrow.