Cat Colella-Graham is a innovative employee engagement professional who has held multiple leadership positions at both start up’s and top agencies. In 2017, Cat founded Cheer Partners, an award-winning employee experience agency that helps companies transform their culture, resulting in a more connected and engaged workforce. She assembled a team of seasoned professionals with a wide breadth of Human Resources, Learning and Development, Talent, Employee Communications and Diversity and Inclusion expertise. Cat also co-founded the Diverstiy Marketing Consortium in partnership with Harlem Capital Advisors which is a pro-bono group donating services to diverse and women owned start-ups. 

Cat is known for being a trusted C-Suite advisor to fortune 100 leaders. Her specialty is building and growing diverse, high performing teams. Cheer Partners has been brought into several transformative organizations to influence the employee experience and employer brand of the organization, and redefine and reposition the leader voice to align and differentiate the brand and purpose. 

Previously, Cat was Executive Vice President Global Head of People and Acquisitions, responsible to the talent, engagement, retention strategies and acquisition opportunities for one of the largest independent global agencies, Ruder Finn. She was instrumental in the success of Ruder Finn, and started their first internal communications practice in 2004. Cat was Chief People Officer of Clever Devices, a transit technology software company, where she oversaw market leading growth, led two acquisitions, and raised the visibility of the brand as an employer of choice on Long Island, including Long Island’s first Hackathon. She was also SVP/ Global Director of Human Resources and Recruiting at Cohn & Wolfe, a WPP company, Rubenstein Public Relations first HR Director, a Management Consultant in the Change Management Division of Accenture, and a Team Leader at Bank of Boston. 

Cat is a member of Forbes Human Resources Council, Chief and a mentor with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. She frequently guest lectures at Georgetown and NYU and is a volunteer TED translator. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston College, a Master’s Degree from Cornell, and is a Harvard Business School Executive education alum. She is known for her expertise in employee engagement, culture, communications and gender parity. She has won several awards, including Internal Communications Professional of the Year, and speaks several languages. She lives in Locust Valley, New York and has two children, Olivia and Harrison.