Structure with soul: Kasia Joniec on designing organisations that don't lose their culture

In this edition of our Women in Leadership series, we speak with Kasia Joniec, Head of Organisational Design at team.blue. Kasia joined the group in 2025 to lead the design and transition to team.blue's new divisional structure, translating strategy into an organisation that works, without losing the culture along the way. Her story is one of bold career choices, integrity-driven leadership and a determination to keep creativity and people at the heart of change.  

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I'm third-generation Polish, and proud of it, but I was born and raised in the UK. I live in the countryside in England with my husband, two young girls, a labrador, and one more child on the way. I joined team.blue in January 2025 as Head of Organisational Design, to lead the design and transition to the new divisional org structure. Before that I was just over the fence at private equity firm Hg, one of team.blue’s shareholders, scaling and running operations for the Portfolio team, and running engagement, comms and events for the firm.  

What brought you to team.blue? 

It was the exciting opportunity of the upcoming transformation that drew me, and the chance to roll my sleeves up, get stuck in and make a difference. That combined with the people: meeting my now manager Gaia Zampaglione, who I knew straight away I would get on well with, the Group CEO Claudio Corbetta, who I had met on several occasions previously, and Dawn Marriott, our Chair, who I've been fortunate to work for in the past. I also knew several other faces; people with great integrity and a real team ethic, and they all told me how great the culture here is. I couldn't resist. 

What does your role involve, day to day, and what's the biggest challenge in it? 

It's incredibly varied. My job is to take our strategy and translate it into a structure that works for team.blue, then aid that transition without killing the democratic culture along the way. My days move between liaising with people at every level of the business, giving presentations, working with data, and managing projects. 

Given the complexity and size of team.blue (we are a group of over 4,000 employees), there are a lot of stakeholders who need to be consulted or informed if you want to drive change well. The challenge is implementing change at pace while still leaving space for people to feel properly engaged. I enjoy that part, but it's an ongoing puzzle: working out who needs to know what, and when. Even at this scale, I'm still amazed at how well team.blue has held onto its family feel and I feel it is important to preserve and respect that. 

Can you share a bit about your path to leadership? 

A few defining moments stand out. One was choosing a graduate scheme over a job I loved in the sports sector and had just been promoted in. It meant moving away from where I was living too, but it was the right call. It widened my horizons and gave me great exposure. 

Another was taking a role working for our Group COO at the time, still on the graduate scheme in a company of c80,000 people. Her mentorship and sponsorship have defined my career ever since, and it's a reminder of how important mentors are for younger people at work. 

A third was moving into a leadership role on a very challenging contract within the same group, working under real pressure and away from home. I progressed quickly to a senior level at a young age. It was intense, but it taught me a huge amount and became a springboard for everything that followed. 

What does leadership mean to you, and how does team.blue support you as a woman in leadership? 

A great leader, to me, is authentic, has real integrity, and is clear, consistent and communicative. They lead from the front. Integrity matters most to me. Everything else, including respect, follows from that. 

In terms of how team.blue supports me as a women, I work directly for a woman: Gaia Zampaglione, our CHRO, is a brilliant role model, career-driven and also a mother, and she understands what it takes to balance work and family. I also bring together a monthly network of senior women at team.blue, which provides a wonderful community of connections across the group. Most recently, I found out I'm expecting my third child, and the leaders here have been incredibly supportive about what's ahead. It makes me proud to work for them. 

What advice would you give to women aspiring to grow into leadership roles? 

Be yourself and be confident in that. Love what you do and go after it. 

How do you maintain work-life balance? 

Being a working mum to two young kids, and doing a part-time PhD, means life is a constant negotiation of priorities. My rule is that whatever I'm doing, I give it my full attention: work when I'm working, my children have my focus when I'm with them, and I protect our time together. When work gets busy, I'll pick things back up after the children are in bed, then readdress the balance once things settle. I do have red lines, though: I never miss putting my girls to bed if I'm at home. 

How do you see AI shaping your industry, and can it help level the playing field for women in leadership? 

AI is transforming the software industry, changing what we build and how we work. It will take care of routine tasks, but the real opportunity is using it to boost human creativity, so people can spend more time on the work that matters. So, it puts the focus back on what makes us human: empathy, curiosity, collaboration and emotional intelligence. AI means any ideas or long-term projects you've shelved can now happen quickly. I was desperate for an org structure design tool, so with team.blue brand Macaly, our vibe-coding app, I designed one myself, overnight. 

These are strengths I believe are undervalued in leadership today, so I see AI as a chance to broaden our definition of leadership to make more room for them. We're fortunate at team.blue to have solid guidelines and guardrails, plus our own internal AI to experiment with, so I stick to what I've been told there and go wild with my own ideas within those parameters. Beyond my own experiments, I think the bigger opportunity is transforming how we support customers and employees alike. Doing that well could open up real opportunity across the workforce. 

What do you like to do in your free time, and is there a quote or fun fact you'd like to share? 

Free time is scarce right now, between two young kids and a part-time PhD, but I am most often found outdoors doing something active, or with family and friends. Hiking, sports, Polish dancing, music, food, wine and travel. 

A piece of advice that has stuck with me: you'll always be at your best when you simply are yourself. Never compromise your morals; be guided by doing the right thing and be strong about that. A role model once told me that, and it's stayed with me ever since. 

And a fun fact: I have performed Polish dancing live on Polish TV. 

What would you say to someone considering applying to team.blue? 

Do it. It is a great place to be and only getting better every day!

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