Catherine LongCo Founder

Australia - Sydney, New South Wales

Experiential marketer --> Management consultant --> Design Thinking practitioner --> Entrepreneur.

I am engaging and energetic, described by clients as "makes things happen" and "collaborative and impactful." I balance deep analytical skills with strategic thinking, empathy and curiosity to solve problems and drive change. My approachable communication style enables me to build rapport and credibility with stakeholders quickly.

In 2020 I joined the Antler startup generator program where we launched Trace - the online subscription to offset your personal carbon footprint. My cofounder and I received pre-seed funding in April this year and currently working hard to build a trusted consumer brand.

I started my career in London at a rapidly growing company, where I was part of an entrepreneurial environment and gained experience in product development, experiential marketing and team management. I subsequently moved into strategy consulting, specialising in Financial Services projects predominantly for investment banks.

I relocated to Sydney in 2015 to pursue my career within Macquarie's internal consulting team, where I have worked on projects ranging from integrating a newly acquired software company, driving front to back operational efficiencies in trading and helping a number of businesses define their strategic ambitions and implementation plans.

I am passionate about adopting human-centred design to solve problems and identify new opportunities. At Macquarie, I helped build the Design Thinking and Innovation capability at Macquarie through training delivery and bespoke workshops.

In 2017 I co-founded 2026 (www.est2026.com.au), a premium fashion brand that designs lifelong, affordable handbags in the fight against fast fashion. Our products are available online but we have put marketing on hold while we focus on Trace.

Skills: Partnerships, Go to market, financial management, fundraising, business strategy, Design Thinking, data analysis, implementation, stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, programme / project management, customer services, experiential marketing.