We invited ACMP member Julie Kothlow to share a little about herself with our change management community.
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| Julie Kothlow |
Tell us about yourself.
I am one of the few native Vancouver-ites having grown up in North Vancouver. Our family was very active outdoors and all things BC and that remains with me.
I went to university at UBC in Fine Arts, and then during a summer job got hooked on business. I have however revitalized my interest in the arts and am now an active oil painter.
How did you get into Change Management?
Early in my career I seemed to be attracted to companies that were just starting out or going through change. Primarily in the high tech industry. So I seemed to be attracted to change personally.
Professionally, when I got into consulting it was for service delivery and customer relationship management (CRM). While CRM is a technology, more so than any other technology it touched on everything to do with customers from marketing through to support and billing. In order for CRM to be successful, it required wholesale change, and a rigorous change management approach.
What are you working on? Currently I work at KPMG, and I’m able to work on client engagements that require a wide variety of skills to address. From strategic planning, to change management, and operational improvements. I believe that having a good foundation of business skills and knowledge makes you a better CM practitioner as everything connects.
Do you have any recommended change management books/resources to share? I love VitalSmarts Influencer. It provides the soft skills that I feel augment the heavy lifting of some of the traditional CM methodologies.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work? I rarely sit still for long. I love running, biking, skiing, golfing and even better when its combined with travel with friends and family.