Karen holds a masters in organisational psychology and master’s in counselling from Monash University, and is currently completing the MRes in professional practice component of a professional doctorate in occupational psychology at Birkbeck University. She draws upon her academic and professional practice skills to support organisations and consulting partners seeking to develop workplace and people solutions backed with empirical evidence. She is known for her commitment to standards of excellence, innovation, resourcefulness, consultative approach, and tenacity for getting the best out of others to get things done!

Karen’s experience spans business development, client relationship management, consultancy, solution design, and delivery across a broad array of organisational, culture, talent and people related projects:

• Targeted assessment and development centre exercises for hiring process, selection and development including simulated exercises, competency-based interviews, and psychometrics.
• Emerging leader or senior level leadership development projects (both volume and individualised), including diagnostics, development planning and coaching.
• Career development and transitioning for professionals and executives aspiring to pivot career direction or facing market changes and redundancies.
• Third party investigative reviews employing quantitative and qualitative research methods to drive data informed recommendations and interventions, aimed at addressing workplace conditions impacting on employee experience.
• Design and pilot of organisational surveys underpinned with stakeholders input, review of relevant scientific literature, contextual factors, piloting and validation processes.
• Design of evidence informed bespoke and culturally adapted learning or training content.
• Executive coaching focused on building leadership capabilities, emotional intelligence, wellbeing, and inspiring individuals to take the next step in their career.
• Review and update of evidence informed positioning paper, policy and guidelines.

Passionate and committed to drive continuous education and learning, since 2012, Karen has established international partnerships aimed at providing access to high quality therapist and coaching training events in Hong Kong, having hosted multiple training events in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Transactional Analysis and applied neuroscience for executive coaching. Since 2021, she has been appointed a Director and Chair of Continuing Education Committee on the Hong Kong Psychological Society’s Council.

As an advocate for affirmative and inclusive practices across all workplace settings, since 2020 Karen has sat in the role of Hong Kong Co-Representative for the American Psychology Association’s (APA) International Psychology Network for LGBTI issues (IPsyNet), in which she convened a cross-specialisation work group tasked with researching, drafting and seeking Council endorsement to publish the HKPS’s Position Paper for Psychologists working with Gender and Sexually Diverse Individuals (HKPS, 2023), recently translated into traditional Chinese. She is currently involved in IPsyNet’s international policy group collaborating to develop a global statement on SOGIE Change Efforts.

Karen has lived in Hong Kong for 13 years and is a proud mother of two primary aged boys and one oversized street cat! Her favoured activities to unwind, reset or prepare for the day, include hiking mountain trails, bootcamp, waking up early to go for a run and chasing the sunrise.

Languages: English and fluent Spanish (native), however having grown up in Melbourne, Australia, this may be best described as ’Spanglish’.