Cat Searby
Fractional Operations Leader for Creative Agencies.
I’m your behind-the-scenes secret weapon. When things get messy, slow, or stuck, I step in—and help get your business moving like a well-oiled machine.
I have a passion for scaling creative, remote-first teams. I’ve helped companies grow from £2M to £24M in revenue and expanded teams from 21 to 270+ globally.
With hands-on experience across HR, finance, systems, and commercial strategy, I help businesses run better and scale faster. Without the commitment of a full time hire.
Ways We Can Work Together
Project Based
Need an HR system set up? A centralised knowledge hub? No idea on your operating costs or margins are? For focused, high-impact needs, I’ll step in, sort it out and hand it over - no bloated scope, no long-term engagement.
Discovery & Action Sprints
A deep dive into how your business really runs - and how it can run better. I’ll come in, map what’s working (and what’s not, audit your tools, structure, and workflows — then give you a clear plan, and help you make real change, fast.
Retainer
A flexible bucket of hours you can draw down as needed — whether it’s refining a process, setting up a tool, jumping into delivery or tackling whatever needs attention. Or just being your sounding board when you need focus, perspective and practical and advice.
Testimonials
“Cat is an exceptionally talented, diligent and hard-working Operations Director. She brings a heavy dose of kindness and charm to every project, puts the team and the business at the centre of her thinking, and is as comfortable setting a strategic vision for the future as she is executing the plan and delivering against it. Her impact on our business was significant.”
- Chris Johns (Founder) MakeBttr
“I can't wait for you to blow them away with your tenacity to get actions done, your ability to collaborate with literally anyone and your magic problem solving skills. You will raise the bar for all of them, just like you did with ustwo.”
- Abbe Bigelow (CFO/COO) ustwo
“Thank you for answering every question I've ever had with a huge smile on your face and all the knowledge I always needed “
- Natasha Grujić (CPO) ustwo
About Me
I bring operational expertise, creative agency know-how, and a serious love for making work actually work.
I've spent 20 years working in operations for creative agencies and studios. I care. About your work, your people, and leaving things better than I found them. Want to know more? Have questions? Feeling stuck or just curious if we’re a good fit? Get in touch and we can jump on a quick call to say hello.
