Dr. Kirsti Samuels

Kirsti is the founder and CEO of KS Insight, where she works with senior leaders and teams who are operating under pressure and leading through uncertainty. Her consulting and advisory work focuses on helping organizations read the systems they are part of, identify leverage points for change, and build the leadership capacity to act with clarity when the stakes are high.

She has advised presidents, ministers, and senior executives across sectors including government, global health, philanthropy, and research. Her clients have included the President of the Comoros Islands, the leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, among others.

At Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Kirsti teaches graduate courses on leadership and management in moments of adversity and opportunity. Her teaching draws on decades of real-world experience in conflict-affected and politically complex environments, and on a body of original frameworks developed through practice.

She created the Insight 4D Framework and the Leadership Challenge Framework, which together provide leaders with a practical way to integrate self-awareness, systems thinking, and disciplined action. These tools underpin many of KS Insight’s leadership programs and are used by partners across sectors.

Kirsti holds a Doctorate in Law from Oxford University, a Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, and a Bachelor of Science and Law from Sydney University. She has also completed mediation training with the Swiss Government and coaching studies at NYU.

Kirsti is a published scholar on peacebuilding and state-building. Her book Political Violence and the International Community: Developments in International Law and Policy (Brill, 2007) grew out of her doctoral work at Oxford. She led the Constitution Building Processes Programme at International IDEA and contributed to The Dilemmas of Statebuilding (Routledge), and her writing includes "Post-Conflict Peace-Building and Constitution-Making" (Chicago Journal of International Law) and "Rule of Law Reform in Post-Conflict Countries" (World Bank).

Before founding KS Insight, she served as the Executive Director of the Adaptive Leadership Network during its start-up years, building a global community of leaders experimenting with adaptive approaches to change. Her earlier roles included positions with the United Nations and other international organizations working on governance, peacebuilding, and institutional reform.

Having lived and worked in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and North America, Kirsti brings a global perspective to questions of power, systems, and change. Her work is grounded in the belief that leadership is about creating the conditions for people to think clearly, act courageously, and stay human in the midst of pressure.

Areas of focus

• Leading through crisis, uncertainty, and high-stakes change.
• Adaptive leadership and systems thinking in practice.
• Designing cohort-based leadership journeys for senior and mid-level leaders.
• Building leadership cultures in research, academic, and mission-driven organizations.

Selected roles & affiliations

• Founder & CEO - KS Insight.
• Adjunct Professor - Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs.
• Former Executive Director - Adaptive Leadership Network.
• Founding board member - Harlem Wellness Center.