Kait Gillen
Passionate communicator, storyteller, and change manager for remote & hybrid cultures
kait.b.gillen@gmail.com
760-809-5852
About Me (she/her)
I'm a corporate comms professional who specializes in remote and hybrid employee engagement. Through my work, I drive key business metrics like revenue per employee and gross profit growth by helping employees understand where the company is going, why, and what their role in it is. I have a decade of experience across internal, external, and digital communications. And, I genuinely love what I do.
How I Support Companies, Leaders, & Cultures
leveragE diverse mediums & PLATFORMS, like: SLACK, NEWSLETTERS, podcasts, audio visual, live programming, design, and more
to Simplify complex ideas into digestible narratives
leading to:INCREASED EMPLOYEE ALIGNMENT AND ENGAGEMENT, WHICH
TRANSLATes TO TANGIBLE BUSINESS RESULTS FOR THE COMPANY
Education & Relevant Experience
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN MARCOS
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Magna Cum Laude graduate
MARCH 2022- Present
HEAD OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
THE MOTLEY FOOL
I partner closely with executives to create and lead the execution of a purpose-driven, globally-focused internal communications strategy, supporting the needs of a rapidly growing remote employee base in order to drive key business metrics. I bring a strategic emphasis to driving change management, employee engagement, and amplifying the leadership brand and overall culture. To get this done, I lead a small but mighty team. And on the side, I serve as a Coach in our peer-to-peer Coaching program.
2019-2022
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
THE MOTLEY FOOL
From my early days at The Motley Fool, I worked closely with our senior leaders, developing invaluable partnerships along the way. I was responsible for coordinating company-wide communications on the company's highest priorities, purpose, and strategy, alongside updates to HR policies, benefits, DE&I initiatives, and more. I became the lead on our quarterly All Hands meetings, Slack channels strategy, the company intranet, internal newsletter, audio-visual content, and more to accomplish this. I also partnered closely with our Head of Public Relations to provide external communications support through press releases, network development, and media outreach.
2017 - 2018
public relations account manager
SCOUTCOMMS, INC.
At ScoutComms, I provided support to clients through traditional public relations and brand-driven storytelling, social media content curation and management, corporate social responsibility counsel, basic graphic design, planning, execution, and live event support.
2016 - 2017
ACCOUNTS ADVISOR
Therm-con, lcc
Here I launched and oversaw the execution of all company social media accounts content creation and management -- this led to increased visibility and improved sales. I also led the company rebranding efforts, including the project management of our marketing content and logo redesign efforts.
2013 - 2016
Assistant manager / social media manager
CCSD, INC.
In my role at CCSD, I was at the forefront of our social media efforts, launching and overseeing the execution of all company social media accounts content creation and management. I also managed the front office to include supervisory work, development of training materials, and other internal office communications needs.
Work Sample: Projects & Events
Produced the company’s largest-ever internal event in 2023, hosting nearly 500 employees from across the globe.
This included:
- Executive presentation messaging, programming, and prep
- Breakout session design, logistics, and facilitation
- Logistics communication
- Pre and post-event messaging
- Stage and branding design oversight
- Multimedia development, including, videos, slides, music, an employee band, a 100+-person flash mob, and more!
Work Sample: Projects & Events
Led the ideation, strategy, and execution for the launch of the company’s social intranet on Happeo.
This included:
- Assessment and redesign of holding’s level information infrastructure
- Development of the site’s UX design
- Oversight of the site’s UI design
- User experience testing
- Change management and user adoption strategic comms campaigns
- Content curation, ongoing site management, and design optimization
Work Sample: Projects & Events
Revised the strategy and cadence of company-wide meetings to meet the growing appetite for information during a season of change.
This resulted in rising engagement metrics, including an increase of 8% (over six months) on the question, “I feel kept-up-to-date with what’s happening at The Fool.”
These monthly meetings include:
- Executive presentation messaging, programming, and prep
- Logistics communication
- Pre and post-event messaging
- Multimedia and unique celebration content for rotating teams
Work Sample: Copywriting
LEADERSHIP NOTE FOR ALL-COMPANY EVENT, published and mailed to all employees, GHOSTWRITTEN FOR senior executive – October 2021.
Fools,
In the two years since we last gathered in person for Foolapalooza, the world has changed and so have we.
Roughly half of our company has never had the traditional Looza experience. Some of us work have worked together for more than a year without ever meeting face-to-face. And while part of us may lament this and lament the world that was, we must celebrate the world that is.
We must celebrate all that we have achieved — the innovation, the bravery, and the relentless fierceness with which our Foolishness has shone during a difficult season. Together, we’ve rallied around our members — and each other — to meaningfully and profitably pursue our purpose of making the world smarter, happier, and richer.
Despite the challenges of this season, Foolishness prevails. And virtual Looza is proof of that.
Thank you for joining me in this great, Foolish adventure. I’ll see you on zoom for Foolapalooza 2021.
REDACTED CONTENT TO PROTECT COMPANY PRIVACY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF of the weekly, internal newsletter
Work Sample: External
PAID AND ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT CURATION AND MANAGEMENT, plus traditional pr outreach FOR MULTIPLE CLIENTS
ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGN & COPYWRITING FOR CLIENT, JOYRUN
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP PRESS RELEASE FOR CLIENT, VETTIX
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP PRESS RELEASE FOR CLIENT, VETTIX
MEDIA HITS FOR CLIENT GORUCK, ON GQ & NowThis
Recommendations
"She arrived at The Fool to contribute to internal communications as a manager and now she runs it. I can say with confidence that she balances being a team player and leader. She’s inclusive and collaborative while possessing the confidence to make a decision and run with it. She’s inquisitive and seeks to understand all angles before approaching any communication. And most importantly, she’s passionate about her purpose-driven work."
Maggie Dorn (Colleague)
Chief Network Officer,
The Motley Fool
"Strategic communications is in Kait’s DNA. Her instincts are at a level you’d expect from someone with twice her years of experience. She is able to quickly assess a situation and rally people across the org structure to improve alignment, remove confusion, and motivate everyone to action. She is incredibly hard working, always looking to go above and beyond and is highly empathetic. I can’t say enough good things about working with her and what she brings to the table."
Alison Southwick (Colleague)
Brand and Public Relations,
The Motley Fool
Recommendations
"In addition to having a solid grasp of strategic communication principles and the practical approaches that accompany those, Kait is an incredibly astute and savvy project manager. She has demonstrated time and time again that she can deliver highly polished work, even under tight time constraints."
Chance Browning
(Former Supervisor)
Growth Manager, CFO Services Group