For more than two decades, I've worked at the intersection of commercial thinking and social impact.
I work with a small number of organisations at any one time, because the work I do is close, and it matters. Foundations large and small. Corporate partners and government funders. The CEOs, boards and founders of purpose-driven organisations. Different people, different pressures, but the same underlying question.
Is this organisation as strong as it looks, and how do we make it stronger?
I've answered that question from the inside, as a founder, CEO and adviser. Most advisers come from one world or the other. They understand business, or they understand purpose. Few have spent their careers moving between both, and that ability to translate between them is one of the most valuable things I bring.
Over time, I realised something more important. The challenge people presented was rarely the challenge that mattered most.
A fundraising problem revealed deeper structural weaknesses.
A stalled strategy uncovered untapped organisational capability.
A promising commercial opportunity highlighted both what was possible and what needed to change before growth could be sustained.
Again and again, I found the same pattern. The answers organisations were looking for were rarely on the surface.
That observation shapes how I work today.
I don't begin with recommendations. I begin by understanding what already exists: the capabilities, relationships, assets and opportunities that get overlooked because everyone's attention is fixed on the immediate problem. Most organisations don't need more advice. They need someone who can distinguish between what's urgent and what's important, and recognise the patterns that are difficult to see from the inside.
SecondBite taught me that social impact grows when you recognise value that others discard. Yume taught me that commercial value can be unlocked in exactly the same way. The through-line was never food. It was recognising value that others couldn't yet see.
Barfield Advisory brings that same approach to purpose-driven organisations. Sometimes the work is strategic advisory. Sometimes interim leadership through a period of change. Sometimes a structured, evidence-based assessment using the Organisational Capability Index (OCI) or the Social Enterprise Opportunity Index (SEOI).
The work changes. The objective never does: to help leaders see what others overlook, make better decisions, and leave their organisations stronger than they found them.
Credentials
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), for service to business and the environment.
Telstra Business Women's Awards, For Purpose and Social Enterprise (Victoria).
Banksia Sustainability Award, for environmental leadership through Yume.
Victorian Premier's Sustainability Award.
Founding CEO of SecondBite. Founder of Yume.
Graduate, Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship.
AFR 100 Women of Influence.
"What sets Katy apart is her judgement. She has an unusual ability to look beyond the presenting problem and identify the decision that actually needs to be made. More than once I've watched her reframe a conversation in a way that changed the direction of an organisation. She is remarkable."
"Katy has the ability to see what others have missed and turn that missed opportunity into a reality. Katy can see through organisational distraction and complexity to find clarity, extracting opportunities that deliver sustainable benefit. Her commercial sensibility is partnered with her purpose driven approach, which in turn delivers better sustainable community outcomes."
Start with a conversation
Whether you're facing a complex challenge, a significant opportunity or a pivotal decision, the first step is gaining clarity. That's where we begin. One conversation, no obligation.
Talk to Katy