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John Kay

Client solutions in strategy, governance, leadership, and finance

  • Organizational transformation
  • Strategic governance
  • Business model innovation
  • Cross-sector leadership
  • Sustainable change management
  • Culture development
  • Executive advisory
  • Board governance
  • People-centered leadership
  • Team empowerment

Over the last twenty years, John Kay has held senior and executive positions in both the private and public sectors, and supported projects spanning social services, real estate, insurance, finance, food and beverage, education, arts, tourism, and more. As a Principal Consultant at Realize Solutions, John assists executive clients in driving sustainable, transformative organizational change through strategy, governance, culture, and business model innovation. As CEO of Realize Solutions, he supports and empowers his team in unlocking their potential and creativity to strengthen and support their clients. John serves as chair on several nonprofit and co-op boards across the country, and seeks inspiration in people-centred businesses locally and abroad.

My opinions

"Who leads your organization? The board chair? The CEO? The answer is both. In today’s rapidly changing environment, your organization depends on having your Board Chair and CEO work as trusted partners who are inspired to build long-term value for your customers and challenge your employees to perform like Olympic athletes."

"The board chair and the CEO are the heart and lungs of any organization. Without a shared vision and an effective working relationship, your organization will flounder on life-support. It won’t be able to excite customers, inspire employees or make the tough decisions that will enable it to thrive in competitive markets in an ever-changing world."

"Is your board and management team doing the right things, or doing things right? Doing the right things means building an organization that excites customers, inspires employees and creates long-term value. Doing things right means you’re following a checklist of activities designed to ensure compliance. It’s not the playbook for an organization that drives constantly for gold-medal performance."

"Here’s a challenge: are you ready to make the leap from good governance to great governance? Good governance ensures you’re complying with rules and regulations. Great governance ensures you’re creating long-term value for your customers."

"A lot of what you’ve been told about governance is dead wrong. It’s not about adhering to rules and regulations. It’s about aligning your board and your management team to create long-term value for your customers and community partners."

Thought leadership

Our team

Meet your team of Client Solutions specialists.

Who we are

Mark Roseland

Client solutions in sustainability, climate, and development

John Kay

Client solutions in strategy, governance, leadership, and finance

Alison Marshall

Client solutions in strategy and leadership

Michael Cook

Client solutions in technology and product innovation

Laurie Wilson

Client solutions in culture and risk management

Brad Boyce

Client solutions in finance and accounting

Lisa Zentner

Client solutions in business development and marketing

Samantha Lee

Client solutions in communications and content

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