the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), which helped me gain my voice in becoming a leader. Unlike foodservice, it is female dominant. At an SMPS event there might be 10 men there out of 300 – which is an interesting contrast.” But foodservice still needs
Telling fun and compelling new stories is at the core of the Cini-Little team’s strategy
HR is an important part of running a consulting firm. You need to retain good talent. I am so proud of the people we have at Cini-Little – they should get the credit for our creativity, ideas and the work we do.”
SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE
Becoming CEO within months of the outbreak of a global pandemic was no picnic for Held, but it did allow her to “take a different perspective and look at the company through a different lens. I went from being a backseat driver to really being able to make changes.” Although being a female CEO in a still very male- dominated business has had its challenges, she believes that some perspective is required. “On the marketing and business development side, I belong to another association, called
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to level up, says Held, if women are to feel truly validated in senior leadership positions. “I often feel that I’m an imposter, that I’m not capable of being in this role in this industry, because I’m so completely opposite to my predecessors. Tey were formal and professional. Tey studied at Cornell… Here I am, this girl from a little country town who went to a small liberal arts university... It can be intimidating,” she adds. “But, when I do something,
it’s because I know it’s right for the company. I’ve had emails from my team telling me how proud they are to work for this firm and for me, and that I inspire them. People I talk to from other companies have told me that they follow my lead. I find that hugely flattering. I talk to [fellow consultancy leaders] like Lenny [Condenzio FCSI] and Tarah [Shroeder FCSI] at Ricca Design Studios,
“There’s enough work for all of us. If we talk to one another, we can make the improvements that are needed”
Christine [Guyott FCSI] and Steve [Carlson FCSI] of Rippe Associates and Bob [Doland FCSI] of Jacobs Doland Beer, frequently. Tey might give me some advice on the foodservice side and offer me an outside perspective. And they might ask me for advice on the business side, which I’m happy to give,” she says. “Tere’s enough work
for all of us. If we talk to one another as an industry, we can make the improvements that are needed on the business side of foodservice consulting and advocate for one another.” Te FCSI network is one that Held has been happy to connect with since she attended her first FCSI Te Americas event in 2016. She joined a TAD conference planning committee, which “embraced and adopted her” immediately.
“Tey introduced me to people, they gave me the lay of the land, and they still do that,” she says. “I love this industry and
can’t imagine working in any other. So many memories are tied to food, and we get to create the spaces for those memories,” she adds.
STOKING THE FIRES
Tis has further motivated Held’s passion to educate and mentor young people on foodservice consulting as a career. Having become president of the FCSI EF she was instrumental in selecting Western Kentucky University to help shape its Foodservice Design Certificate Program, launched in 2024. “Honestly, it’s one of my
greatest sources of pride, being able to give back to the consulting industry,” she says. “When Bill Eaton created the Foundation in 1995, it was his dream to create this certificate. I’m so pleased we were able to make it happen before he passed earlier this year.” Held is even taking the
program herself. “Now, I can see if it’s the right mixture for what we want to do,” she says. “We’re already talking
about creating a specific book to be geared more towards the professional studies aspect of it. Being able to talk knowledgeably about the contents will be hugely beneficial too,” she adds. For Held, the desire to keep
Kathleen Held joined Cini-Little International, Inc. as a marketing coordinator in 1995
learning, improving, and weaving those wonderful stories into something compelling remains undimmed. Tose fires burn brightly. It’s in the DNA.
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