Sarah Kirkby

Learning & Organisational Development Partner

I help leaders and teams turn strategy into action by creating the conditions for people to grow through culture, capability and connection. Clients describe working with me as energising, thoughtful and grounded, with a focus on clarity, curiosity and making meaningful change sustainable.

When organisations hit roadblocks in change or execution, it's often not because the strategy is wrong. It's because behaviours, systems and leadership practices are not aligned with that strategy.

I help organisations close that gap.

With 18 years of experience across technology, learning and organisational development, I work with People and Culture leaders, L&D managers and transformation leads to build the leadership, team dynamics and culture needed for people to thrive and strategy to succeed.

My approach is people-positive and complexity-conscious. I combine human-centred design, adult learning, organisational agility and positive psychology to design programs and experiences that shift mindsets, embed new behaviours and make change sustainable.

I have partnered with medium sized organisations experiencing growth, transformation or strategic shifts, co-creating solutions that strengthen capability, clarify direction and connect people to purpose.

What I bring

  • Capability and skills analysis: Identify critical gaps to guide investment, workforce planning and strategic focus.
  • Learning design and facilitation: Create engaging, evidence-based learning experiences that build the mindsets and skills that matter most.
  • Leadership and team development: Strengthen alignment, trust and communication to enable high performance and support change.
  • Culture strategy: Shift the systems, stories and symbols that shape how people think, behave and perform.

If you are building a more adaptable, values-aligned and performance-ready organisation, I would love to connect.

“Working with Sarah changed how we worked together at APNIC. She helped us pause, reflect, and make sense of what was holding us back. Together, we co-designed ways of working that built more collaborative, cohesive teams.

Sarah doesn’t bring a one-size-fits-all solution. She listens closely, asks thoughtful and sometimes challenging questions, and works with you to shape meaningful change that fits your culture. Her background in innovation and business agility gave her deep insight into the dynamics at play. She also created the psychological safety we needed to overcome resistance and build lasting capability.” 

-  Louise Tromp, People and Productivity Director at APNIC

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Sarah Kirkby

Blogs

Marketing in the fast lane: Your guide to Scrum

In today's fast paced marketing landscape, teams need to be agile, adaptable, and able to deliver results quickly. Scrum offers a structured approach to project management that can help marketing teams achieve these goals.

So, you've got a working agreement. Now what?

So you have a beautiful, shiny new working agreement that outlines your shared values and how you’ll work together. But now what? We share how do you turn those words on paper into everyday actions. 

What is a working agreement and why your team needs one

Why working agreements are the foundation for collaboration, providing a shared understanding of how team members interact, communicate, and work together.

How to create workplace culture that encourages learning & experimentation

Building a culture of continuous learning fosters a more engaged, adaptable workforce, giving your organisation a competitive edge.

What is marketing agility

In today's marketing landscape, customers' needs and preferences shift quickly. Marketing agility is a way of working that empowers your team to focus on the customer and improve how they plan and prioritise work to achieve sustained.

Predictions for the year ahead

This article covers key predictions for the year ahead. It explores strategies to navigate these changes effectively, from reorganising around value to prioritising strategic projects.

Inspiring events for leaders in 2024

These events are catalysts for reimagining the way your organisation operates! We highlight some of the standout events for each category throughout the year.

Is your team creating the right thing?

You know the story, your team has been beavering away for months on a new product release. Marketing and PR are on board, the execs are excited, the team is pumped… but low and behold it’s a flop. Customers respond negatively (or not at all).

3 conditions teams need to thrive

We all want our teams to be performing at their best and delivering value quickly and effectively. But even high performing teams can wane when the conditions aren’t right.

The rest of the Organa Team