Kristi McLachlan

Kristi exemplifies integrity, honesty, and respect across all aspects of her work. A true believer and advocate for diversity and inclusion, Kristi understands “that diversity of thought can only be harnessed in a culture of inclusivity—where those different thoughts are heard with the same level of value, respect and curiosity as the traditional or majority views.”

Colleagues of Kristi note her empowering demeanor as she encourages opportunities for women colleagues to “lean forward in meetings and have their views heard and respected,” believing “the more often it happens, the more others will follow and it will be the norm, not the exception.”

Always available to lend a hand, Kristi proactively encourages women participation in all aspects of the business and challenges her colleagues to do the same. She recognizes unconscious biases and addresses it in a positive manner. This practice sets the tone by encouraging others to be more considered and inclusive.

Why do you believe in diversity and inclusion?

It’s been a lifetime interest. Even as a child I was deeply affected when people were excluded from groups, teams or events. Exclusion affected me as a young girl because I felt drawn to the more traditionally “male” activities and toys but struggled because I was expected to want to play with dolls and wear dresses, but I really wanted to race my bike and play with action figures! I think what people who live in the majority often take for granted is the extra energy required for people outside of their group to participate in what they might consider natural, easy, or mainstream.

There’s no arguing the research that more diverse streams of thought solve problems more effectively than a group of “sames”. That diversity of thought can only be harnessed in a culture of inclusivity – where those different thoughts are heard with the same level of value, respect and curiosity as the traditional or majority views.

That applies to all aspects of diversity, and that is an environment and culture I want to be a part of.

What does positive change mean to you?

Positive change is when people are open to their challenges and start to recognize their biases, and put in place their own plans. From this, we start to drop defensive attitudes when our biases or non-inclusive behaviors are challenged. I love to see curiosity and genuine care for the employees that feel challenged in certain environments developing across the board, even in my own family.

It also means recognizing and improving the environment for those in minority represented groups to retain critical employees and team members that are fundamental to the success of our business. It’s good for business but it’s also the right thing to do.

What are you most proud of?

Impossible question to answer! I’m proud that I continually take on new challenges. That’s yielded successful and less-than-ideal outcomes but always a learning opportunity.

What do you like most about working at Hatch? How do you think the Hatch culture is different from other companies?

I love that “entrepreneurs with a technical soul” is an absolute part of how we deliver for our clients. There’s an agility and responsiveness that living up to our personality requires and that’s a refreshing part of working at Hatch.