Kate Vitasek

World’s Authority on Highly Collaborative Relationships That Drive Innovation; Author of Seven Books on Vested, Win-Win Relationships; Faculty University of Tennessee

Kate Vitasek is an international authority for her award-winning research and Vested® business model for highly collaborative relationships. Author of 7 books and a Faculty member at the University of Tennessee, she has been lauded by World Trade Magazine as one of the “Fabulous 50+1” most influential people impacting global commerce.

  • Kate Vitasek Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    Please Inquire

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    Washington, USA

  • Kate Vitasek Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    Please Inquire

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    Washington, USA

Suggested Keynote Speaker Programs

The Vested Way: Redefining Winning in Business Relationships

“Nothing personal—it’s just business.” This outdated attitude is the foundation that most business relationships are built on—a zero-sum game where one party wins at the expense of the other. Organizations say things like “valued employee,” “...

“Nothing personal—it’s just business.”
This outdated attitude is the foundation that most business relationships are built on—a zero-sum
game where one party wins at the expense of the other. Organizations say things like “valued
employee,” “strategic partnership,” and “healthcare system,” but the reality is they are stuck on a
transactional treadmill focusing on this task, this time, this deal, and under these terms. The
relationships they create are static and the results are status quo.
Author, educator, and business consultant Kate Vitasek has cracked the code on how to truly create
successful win-win relationships. Kate’s evocative and edutaining Vested Way® keynote unpacks
Five Rules that turn transactional relationships into transformational relationships. Her keynote
takes attendees beyond the theory of “win-win” and is packed with real stories from real
organizations getting real results by applying the Five Rules.

You can trust Kate for her expertise. Kate Vitasek is an international authority on how to build
better business relationships. Her award-winning research is the subject of seven books and she
has been featured as an international authority on how to build better business relationships
on CNN International, NPR, Bloomberg, and Fox Business News. Kate regularly shares her insights
as a Forbes contributor in her column on the art, science, and practice of highly collaborative
relationships.

Attendees walk away:

  • Challenging the game they are playing in their existing relationships
  • Armed with the Vested Five Rules to help them transform their relationships
  • Inspired by real-world examples of how the Vested Way has worked in practice,
    creating value far beyond traditional us-vs-them transactional approaches

Learn More

Getting to We: Five Steps for Creating an Engaged, Collaborative Culture

The vast majority of business relationships operate with an “us vs. them” mindset: management vs. union, buyer vs. supplier, health care providers vs. payers, boss vs. employee and functional silo vs. functional silo. Organizations say things like “...

The vast majority of business relationships operate with an “us vs. them” mindset: management vs.
union, buyer vs. supplier, health care providers vs. payers, boss vs. employee and functional silo vs.
functional silo.

Organizations say things like “valued employee,” “strategic partnership,” and “healthcare system,”
but the reality is they are often stuck with policies and practices and functional metrics that pit
organizations, departments, and even team members against each other. The result is a culture
that feels like a virtual tug-of-war with team members pulling against each other rather than
collaborating for mutual success.

Kate’s Getting to We ®  keynote shares five proven steps for creating an engaged, collaborative
culture. Her keynote inspires audiences with behind-the-scenes stories of how organizations such
as Island Health and their hospitalists transformed their culture from a tense, troubled, and toxic
relationship to one team members proudly call trusting, collaborative, and innovative. Kate will
leave you with tangible advice, tips, and tools for making the shift from a What’s-in-it-for-
Me culture to a What’s-in-it-for-We culture.

You can trust Kate for her expertise. Kate Vitasek is an international authority for her award-
winning work on how to build better business relationships. She has been featured on CNN
International, NPR, Bloomberg, and Fox Business News. She is the author of seven books. Kate
regularly shares her insights as a Forbes contributor in her column on the art, science, and practice
of highly collaborative relationships.

Attendees walk away:

  • Understanding why “getting to yes” is no longer enough
  • Learning a proven five-step approach for creating a highly engaged and collaborative
    culture
  • Inspired by real-world examples of how organizations such as Island Health and their
    hospitalists transformed their culture
  • Gaining access to proven tools to facilitate teams in transitioning from a “Me” to “We”
    mindset

Learn More

The Power of T: Choosing Transparency and Trust to Enable High-Performing Teams

In our fast-paced and interconnected world, the success of any organization hinges on the strength and productivity of its teams. High-performing teams are not merely a result of chance or luck; they are cultivated by fostering an environment built on transparency ...

In our fast-paced and interconnected world, the success of any organization hinges on the strength
and productivity of its teams. High-performing teams are not merely a result of chance or luck; they
are cultivated by fostering an environment built on transparency and trust. But all too often
individuals and organizations have a mantra that trust must be earned. What if we shifted our
mindset and chose to lead by trusting?

Join Kate in her evocative and edutaining Power of T keynote speech as she shares profound
insights from her groundbreaking research. Kate’s inspiring and interactive presentation will help
you challenge traditional notions of how to build trust and demonstrate how viewing transparency
and trust through a new lens can unleash the full potential of teams.

You can trust Kate for her expertise. University of Tennessee supply chain professor Kate Vitasek
has been researching the power of choosing to lead with transparency and trust for over 20 years.
Her work has led to seven books and she has been featured as an international authority on how to
build better business relationships on CNN International, NPR, Bloomberg, and Fox Business News.

Attendees walk away:

  • Valuable insights that will empower their organization to thrive in today’s competitive
    landscape
  • Five pillars for building trust and transparency in teams
  • Real-world examples of real organizations getting real results by choosing to lead with
    transparency and trust
  • Tangible tips and tools to foster a culture of trust and boost team performance

Learn More

Vested Outsourcing: Five Rules that Transform Outsourcing Relationships

Many outsourcing deals are structured with fundamental flaws in the business model that prevent transformational results. The problem is not outsourcing itself, but rather the outsourcing business model. The vast majority of outsourcing deals are structured using a...

Many outsourcing deals are structured with fundamental flaws in the business model that prevent
transformational results. The problem is not outsourcing itself, but rather the outsourcing business
model. The vast majority of outsourcing deals are structured using a conventional transactional
business model. This buy-sell transactional mindset pits buyers and suppliers across the table in a
virtual tug-of-war when business needs change.

Join Kate in her evocative and edutaining Vested Outsourcing keynote where she will share how to
flip the conventional outsourcing approach on its head with her award-winning Vested Outsourcing
business model. You will learn how to align the interest between a buyer and supplier with Five
Rules. The result? A highly collaborative win-win outsourcing relationship where the parties
are vested in each other’s success. Walk away inspired by the art of the possible when outsourcing
and learn from real case studies from those making the switch to Vested Outsourcing

You can trust Kate for her expertise. University of Tennessee supply chain professor Kate Vitasek
—lauded by World Trade Magazine as one of the Fabulous 50+1 most influential people impacting
global commerce—is an international authority on outsourcing. Her pioneering research on Vested
Outsourcing has sparked a movement to flip conventional outsourcing on its head with over 10,000
people from over 500 companies taking her Executive Education courses with dozens who have
gone on to achieve award-winning results from their outsourcing partners.

Attendees walk away:

  • Knowing what Vested Outsourcing is—and why outsourcing does not have to be a dirty word
  • Understanding the Five Rules of Vested Outsourcing and how they help organizations shift from transactional to transformational outsourcing
  • Inspired by real stories from real companies with real results
  • Motivated to rethink how they are working with outsourcing partners

Learn More

About Keynote Speaker Kate Vitasek

Lauded by World Trade Magazine as one of the “Fabulous 50+1” most influential people impacting global commerce, Kate Vitasek is an international authority for her award- winning research and Vested® business model for highly-collaborative relationships. Vitasek, an author, educator, and business consultant, offers practical and research-based advice for driving transformation and innovation through highly-collaborative and strategic partnerships. She has written seven books, including: Vested: How P&G, McDonald’s and Microsoft Are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships, Contracting in the New Economy, Vested Outsourcing: Five Rules that Transform
Outsourcing and Getting to We: Negotiating Agreements for Highly Collaborative Relationships.

Vitasek has been featured on CNN International, Bloomberg, NPR, Fox Business News, and Forbes. She also has been featured in over 300 articles in publications including Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive Magazine, Information Week, CIO Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Journal of Commerce, and World Financial Review. She is the lead faculty and researcher for Vested and has launched the University of Tennessee’s Certified Deal Architect program.

Vitasek is passionate in her quest to help companies transform their business relationships. She inspires and motivates business leaders in University courses (both onsite and virtually), and gives her popular keynote addresses at major industry events and conferences around the world.

Prior to joining the University of Tennessee, Vitasek’s storied career includes positions with P&G, Microsoft, Accenture, Stream International and Supply Chain Visions—a boutique-consulting firm she founded, which was recognized by ARC Advisory Group as one of the “10 Coolest” boutique consulting firms.

Testimonials

“Kate Vitasek has an exciting message that she conveys in a dramatically interactive way – not only does everyone ‘get it’ but they remember her key points for a long time – a very unique result.  She cleverly wove our conference theme and other speakers’ topics into her presentation, helping to make our Spring Conference a wonderfully connected and mission-driven event! Kate has spoken to our group twice and we hope to have her back again!”

Louise O'Sullivan

President & CEO, Prime Advantage

“Kate Vitasek is a brilliant speaker.  She has worked with some incredible organizations that have afforded her the opportunity to gain insight on how powerful the relationships in businesses are and how it directly ties to success.  Kate challenged HR Professionals to leverage their relationships within their organizations to add more value to the bottom line.  I highly recommend Kate as a keynote!”

Teri Harrell

Dancik International

“Transformational growth is no longer just for companies in need of a turnaround.  Innovation and collaboration are the only way to not only survive, but thrive, in a constantly changing business world.  Any company that hopes to endure in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace should consider adopting the Vested approach to its business relationships.”

James B. Adamson

Former CEO, Burger King, Kmart, and Denny's

“Kate, the recent Logistics & Supply Chain Forum received excellent reviews from its attendees, thanks in huge part to your hard work providing the Forum with an enlightening and provocative conference session.”

Chyai Mulberg

Conference Producer, Richmond Events

“Kate Vitasek has been voted the most popular speaker by the delegates at our event for two year’s running.  When I need content that will that will impress and inspire, I know who to call.”

Katharine O'Reilly

Executive Director, eyefortransport

“Great content – great presenter! Expert advice from someone with experience at all sides of the purchasing relationships.”

Aberdeen Supply Chain Management Summit

 

“It’s rare in any industry that you find a speaker as passionate, thought- provoking, and as engaging as Kate Vitasek. The feedback from the attendees at our conference was stellar, so much so that we had her speak again 6 months later.”

Supply Chain Forum Executive Conference Organizer

 

Media

Article

Jan 29, 2015

PPV (Purchase Price Variance) is a Stupid Metric

Purchase Price Variance (PPV) is a procurement metric that’s designed to measure a procurement organization’s (or an individual procurement professional’s)...

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Article

Dec 2, 2014

Going “All-In” on Innovation

Questions? Contact Us Any Time: 805.965.1400 info@bigspeak.com Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube

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Article

Dec 2, 2014

High-level Collaboration And Micromanagement Don’t Mix

Questions? Contact Us Any Time: 805.965.1400 info@bigspeak.com Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube

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