Build Culture That Performs. Grow Leaders Who Stay.
How We Deliver Our Purpose (and What it Means For You)
Cultivate doesn’t deliver programs. We build leadership systems inside your business, so growth becomes part of how work gets done. Every workshop, Lab, mentoring match or sponsorship track we design serves your business goals and your people’s potential at once. When leadership is visible, opportunity feels possible. When development is embedded, performance improves without the push. We help you grow leaders who stay. Not because they have to, but because they see where they’re going.
What Problems Cultivate Solves
Most businesses don’t lack potential. They lack structure to grow it. Cultivate solves the real problems holding back your people: stalled careers, invisible talent, low trust in leadership, and a lack of strategic capability in the middle. We help teams reset through workshops and training. We help emerging leaders get unstuck through coaching and mentoring. We shift culture with executive Labs. And we change careers (and pipelines) with strategic sponsorship. Our approach is structured, relational, and built to scale inside the system, not around it. We don’t just build programs. We unlock pathways that move people and culture at the same time.
Why Growing Leaders Inside Your Business Matters
Hiring talent is hard. Retaining it is harder. Growing it, when done well, changes everything. Internal leaders already know your culture, your customers, and your challenges. Cultivate helps you grow them with purpose and clarity. We make it easier to invest in your people without losing momentum. Whether you’re nurturing diverse voices or preparing for succession, we give you the tools to create opportunity where it didn’t exist, and capability where it’s needed most. Culture shifts when people see themselves in the future.
What Happens When You Do (And Don't) Invest In Growth
When you don’t grow your people, you lose them. or worse, they stay and stagnate. Without visible pathways and support, potential goes quiet, culture becomes shallow, and your leadership bench thins out. But when you invest with intention, everything changes. Teams take ownership. People lean into leadership. Diverse voices rise. You stop scrambling to fill roles and start developing people ready to take them on. The difference is felt in retention, trust, and momentum.
Meet the FOUNDER & TEAM
Katriina Tahka
Katriina is a strategic leadership advisor, DEI expert, and culture transformation specialist who has worked with Australia’s largest employers across infrastructure, government, health, and corporate sectors. With over two decades of experience, Katriina founded Cultivate to embed leadership development into everyday business; not as an afterthought, but as a strategic imperative. Her ability to blend systemic change with human insight makes her a trusted partner to executives and HR leaders alike. She believes leadership isn’t about titles; it’s about visibility, belief, and the systems that support both.
Carlyn Waters
Carlyn is a Kamilaroi woman who has connections to both NSW and Queensland.
Her passion has always been ensuring that there are First Nations people in all levels within her organisation and the public sector. She is known for her ability to identify and grow talented individuals to reach their full potential inside and outside the Australian Public Service.
Carlyn has held senior positions in the Australian Government as well as operated a side hustle as a business consultant. She is currently the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AITSIS) and a director of the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife..
Melissa Woodley
Melissa is our dedicated and thoughtful Program Manager, leading the day-to-day delivery of the Cultivate Sponsorship program. With a background in learning and development, she creates engaging content, facilitates insightful webinars, and drives program engagement from start to finish. Her sharp eye for detail and human-centred approach ensure every participant’s journey is smooth, impactful and supported. Whether coordinating logistics, refining strategy, or delivering impact reports, Melissa brings structure, heart and clarity to everything she does.
Sofia Zorbas
Sofia is our dynamic Marketing and Business Development Coordinator. She brings creativity and strategic thinking to everything she does, from crafting compelling campaigns to driving business growth opportunities. Sofia keeps our brand voice strong and consistent, while supporting the team and our clients to deliver impactful outcomes.
Ashlyn Radford
Yaama my name is Ashlyn and I’m a Kamilaroi woman currently based in Canberra.
I am studying a Bachelors in Business Administration and Biotechnology, and have been working for the Cultivate team since early 2023. I’m the Program Officer for the Warra Indigenous Sponsorship Program.
Our Memberships
Australian HR Institute
Katriina and Carlyn are members of the Australian HR Institute. The Australian HR Institute (AHRI) is the professional body that supports HR in Australia. AHRI sets HR standards and certifies HR professionals across Australia.
The Australian Institute of Company Directors
Katriina is a member of AICD. The Australian Institute of Company Directors is Australia’s independent and trusted organization for directors and business leaders, dedicated to improving the quality of governance and directorship.
Australian Gender Equality Council
Responding to the unacceptably slow pace of change towards gender equality in Australia, leading organizations have come together to form the Australian Gender Equality Council (AGEC), a national not-for-profit organization.
The National Association of Women in Construction
Katriina is a member of NAWIC. The National Association of Women in Construction vision is to create an equitable construction industry where women fullay participate. They help the industry do this by identifying and creating clear pathways for women to have a career in construction, and encouraging all industry sectors increasing women in leadership positions.
Explore More
Explore how real sponsorship differs from mentoring and why it works faster.
Real-world implementations and the business outcomes that followed.
Cultivate exists to engineer leadership systems that help people grow, stay, and lead.
We Don't Guess. We Pinpoint.
We don’t guess. We pinpoint. In this free 45-minute session, we’ll:
- Scan your current leadership pathways and pain points
- Map your people needs to real Cultivate solutions
- Recommend the next steps for capability, culture, and succession