Culture in Mergers & Acquisitions
When it comes to Mergers and Acquisitions, one major contributor to the valuation process often gets overlooked: company culture.
If you’re familiar with Kinesis, you know that we believe in the power of people – which is why we’re excited to introduce you to an integral member of our team. Anna Holowetzki is one of our Kinesis Brand Strategists. In this role, she helps clients to grow their business by transforming how they approach their marketing.
I love coaching my clients every step of the way — from setting goals, to defining strategies, to celebrating results. I’m always looking for ways to help our clients stand out in their industry, grow their business, and be downright remarkable.
Specifically, as a Brand Strategist Anna:
Anna joined Kinesis in early 2016, bringing a wealth of experience to Kinesis. Her background is in economics and public health. Get to know Anna in our latest Kinesis Team Spotlight!
Tell us a little more about your background before joining Kinesis:
My interest in economics was spurred by an interest in people and understanding what motivates them. I started my career by applying this interest to the health care sector, where I worked in marketing and consumer research.
Most recently, I was part of a team called the Innovation Force at Cambia Health Solutions. Their mission is to create innovation as a value in the company. They do that by acting as an internal incubator (think Shark Tank) – collecting ideas from employees, identifying new business/product opportunities, and then building these businesses/products from the ground up and launching them into the market.
I loved this process – particularly understanding customers and markets, and creating go-to-market strategies for new ideas based on this understanding. I joined Kinesis to continue this love of bringing businesses to market, finding unique angles of opportunity, and helping companies find their voice and tell their story.
Wow, what a fascinating path you’ve been on! Tell us how this experience helps you as a Strategist at Kinesis.
I think what has helped me most in my new role has been my experience in developing new ideas and identifying opportunities.
I’ve spent a lot of time in white space and am most comfortable there. I thrive in ambiguity and have a keen ability to take disparate inputs and translate them into a clear vision and strategic direction.
My passion for people has also served me well. Whether its understanding my clients or customers, I love to uncover insights and use them to guide strategy and create a vision for what could be.
Love that! What’s been your most memorable project at Kinesis so far?
While I love all of the work that I do, one of our clients is a life sciences company. I originally left healthcare to work with a wider variety of industries, but I’ve found that the marriage between my previous experience in healthcare and my experience as a strategist at Kinesis have positioned me well to help accelerate this client. Plus, it gives me a great opportunity to stay current on the trends in healthcare.
So, tell us your superpower! What’s your personal approach to tackling projects?
I think my superpower is being able to take my work seriously without taking myself too seriously!
Like all of us at Kinesis, I’m a hard worker. I like to always do right by my clients and exceed their expectations. But I try to make sure I have fun with it too.
I think the combination of hard work and a sense of humor can be a difficult balance to strike, and it’s one I’m constantly working on. I do my best work when I keep it fun and make people laugh along the way.
Why do you like this type of work?
I am energized by new ideas and I love helping my clients find and create opportunities.
Fun fact: I also recently had my aura read, and was told that I like to be inspired and inspire others. Kinesis gives me the opportunity to constantly be inspired. I love working with and learning from the team and seeing the impact we’re delivering to our clients.
My position also gives me the opportunity to inspire my clients. I love bringing new ideas to the table or helping them see something in a new light. A lot of times all the pieces the business needs for success are there; they just need to be adjusted or highlighted or arranged in a different way. I like being the person who can deliver that “A-ha!” moment when everything just seems to fall into place.
Tell us something interesting about yourself!
Before starting at Kinesis, I took a year off work to travel (and wander). It was a scary decision to leave a comfortable job and my family and friends in Portland behind, but I wanted to spend some time exploring, learning, and growing.
The time off is what propelled me to consider a career change. I spent a lot of time pursuing creative hobbies during this time – creative writing, stand-up comedy, photography – and realized my passion was telling stories in creative ways.
I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to reflect on what really excites me and where I can offer the most value – then pursue that in my role at Kinesis.
And we are so fortunate to have you here. You are such a great addition to our team! Thank you, Anna!
Are you interested in joining the Kinesis team? Visit our online Career Center!
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