Irene Martinez came from a culture where leaders never asked for help. Then an executive did—and changed everything she thought she knew about leadership.
Early in her Kenway career, Irene Martinez experienced something that reshaped her understanding of leadership.
Sarah Welch, Managing Director of Capability Leadership, asked her for help.
"I came from organizations where my prior job was not this type of culture at all," Irene recalls. "Leaders did not ask for help. The first time Sarah did, it was humbling—sure, it's important to help others, but having that mentality when you're in a leadership position? That was different."
At the time, Kenway was preparing for significant growth. Sarah was leading her organization largely on her own and needed to strengthen operations and strategy to scale effectively. She asked Irene to help build structure—clarifying processes, supporting annual planning, and reducing key-person risk.
"She wasn’t just delegating," Irene says. "She was opening the door for collaboration and modeling what shared leadership looks like."
That moment became Irene’s blueprint for leadership. "Sarah was the first person I saw truly embody 'help and be helped,'" she says. "That’s the role model I’ve adopted. It’s not about me—it’s about the team and opening doors for others."
As Kenway’s Director of Strategy & Operations, Irene brings a unique perspective. Trained as an industrial engineer, she naturally gravitates toward structure, process, and problem-solving.
But at Kenway, she’s found something more.
"Operations isn’t purely tactical," Irene explains. "It’s deeply strategic—aligning people, technology, and execution to help the business thrive. Operations drives innovation, connects strategy to delivery, and ensures both client and employee experiences are optimized. It’s where structure meets creativity, turning vision into measurable, repeatable success."
For Irene, this balance is essential. "In operations, efficiency and empathy are two sides of the same coin—sustainable success depends on both."
She grounds every process improvement in its human impact: how it affects workloads, engagement, and development. "In Supply & Demand management, I work to optimize utilization while aligning opportunities to each consultant's growth path—ensuring we meet business goals and foster professional fulfillment."
The key? Communication. "I always share the 'why' behind process changes, helping teams see value beyond metrics and encouraging buy-in. That balance drives better outcomes—both operationally and culturally."
In consulting, Irene is clear about what matters most.
"People are our only asset," she says simply. "If you think about our services business and our consulting business, we need to ensure that we are investing in the people we have and fostering that alignment on where people want to go and what they want to do with where we are going as a company."
The goal? "Ensuring that people are happy and motivated and have the combination of skill and motivation—so that our clients at the very end get the best out of it."
This philosophy shows up when someone wants to move to a new team or industry.
"There's always hesitancy from others," Irene acknowledges. "If you're performing great and the client doesn't want you to move—and this happens frequently with enterprise clients—people ask, 'Why can't this person just stay?'"
Her approach? Transparency.
"Every time I try to approach those conversations as: This is not something that's coming from a staffing perspective only. This is an effort to align this person to what they want to be doing," she explains. "That always makes people think about it differently. They start thinking about supporting their peer on the journey towards what they want to do next and that development."
When people understand the 'why,' hesitancy transforms into support. "People are way more willing to understand and support that change when they know there's a tie-in with whoever is moving to the next role."
Right now, Irene is living out “help and be helped” in real time.
She’s preparing for maternity leave—building transition plans, identifying who will handle what, and ensuring continuity for her team and clients.
"I’ve been showcasing vulnerability," she says. "Saying things like, ‘I’m drowning on this, do you mind taking it?’ Not only does it encourage others to offer assistance, but it empowers rising leaders by giving them ownership and visibility."
The response? Immediate offers to help. Colleagues stepping up. People asking what she needs.
"That’s help and be helped in action," Irene notes. "You lead by example. You normalize asking for help. And you create space for others to contribute and grow."
Irene’s engineering background might seem at odds with her people-focused approach—but for her, it’s the perfect blend.
"Most people don’t know I’m actually an engineer by training—which probably explains my love for structure and problem-solving," she says. "But Kenway’s culture teaches consulting skills to individuals with the right traits, cultural alignment, and motivation. That allowed me to flourish."
She sees operations as "a blend of structure, problem-solving, and process paired with an organization that relies 100% on its people. It’s a good combo for me."
That combination—of IQ and EQ, structure and empathy, process and people—is what makes Irene’s leadership distinctive. "Regular check-ins and transparent communication help normalize vulnerability and collaboration," she explains. "Recognizing and celebrating when team members support one another reinforces this behavior and builds trust across functions."
Outside of work, Irene’s approach to life mirrors her leadership philosophy: continuous learning, shared accountability, and intentional growth.
"I love having a couple of new goals every year, not just professionally but personally," she says. "I always say I have too much energy, so I need to spend it doing something or learning something."
Recently, that’s meant learning golf with her husband.
"We both wanted to start something new—a sport or something that allowed us to learn together," Irene says. "We wanted to start from the same level so we could focus on just spending time together on weekends."
Accountability makes it stick. "When you do this with someone, it helps with that accountability. Someone pulls or pushes depending on the day and how you feel, and it makes it a little bit easier."
Each year, she and her husband set family goals. "What do we want to do as individuals and together? What do we want to learn?" Irene loves having something new each year. "There’s so much to learn in this world. You need to have a plan."
Her philosophy? "I don’t know how to do it yet. I will learn." It’s a mindset that applies to golf, operations, and leadership alike.
"We always said this is a good investment in our retirement," she laughs. "At that point, we’ll be very good."
When asked what keeps her at Kenway, Irene doesn’t hesitate.
"Help and be helped isn’t just something we put on our website," she says. "You see it every single day—there are so many small examples. When you start living the culture, you really realize it’s not like other companies that maybe say they do this. It’s actually part of every action."
That’s what makes the difference. "It doesn’t matter who you are—you always get that from others. That’s why I want to stay at Kenway. That’s one of my big 'whys.'"
For Irene, leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating space for others to contribute theirs. It’s about balancing efficiency with empathy—and asking for help as readily as you offer it.
And it's about recognizing that in consulting, people truly are the only asset—everything else is just structure to help them thrive.
Help & Be Helped isn’t just a philosophy — it’s how we lead at Kenway. Connect with Irene Martinez on LinkedIn or read more stories of how Kenway brings Help & Be Helped to life on our Insights page.