Changemaker Series: Shilvi Leinwand

Welcome to Changemaker Stories from LOCAL - an ongoing series of personal interviews with leaders driving change across every industry and discipline. Because change shouldn’t mean going it alone.

This week, we sat down with Shilvi Leinwand, a passionate leader whose background in consulting and marketing with organizations like the CDC, Coca-Cola, and IHG led her to found Satya Advisors. We discussed the thrill of tackling new challenges, the value of external consultants, and the simple joy of sitting peacefully in her backyard.

I started my career in management consulting, focused primarily on the public sector, consulting with the CDC and other HHS agencies. It was a lot of dynamic problem-solving, which is what I love to do.

I moved to a different consulting company called Slalom that was much smaller. When I joined, there were fewer than 40 people in the Atlanta office. I took on a lot of responsibility helping them grow as a company and culture. 

From there, I had the opportunity to take on Coca-Cola as a client. It was a great shift to the industry side, where I focused on driving operational improvements and implementing new programs.

I then joined Coca-Cola as an employee and I had the chance to dive deeper into technical projects and implementations. I enjoyed collaborating with diverse teams across the globe, working on a variety of products, and gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to be part of such a massive, iconic brand.

I thrive in environments where things are still being figured out. I enjoy jumping in, tackling challenges, and helping to shape and develop new solutions.

As my career progressed, I found myself increasingly driving change at the company level, rather than just within individual departments or teams.

I genuinely enjoy helping people and companies improve. It drives me crazy to see waste, especially when there's so much opportunity to work more efficiently, stay organized, and communicate clearly. With that mindset, I realized I could make the most impact as a consultant.

I reached a point where I didn't want to go back to a big company, where things are already established. That desire to make an impact led me to my current role.

So I founded Satya Advisors. Satya means ‘truth’ in Sanskrit. From my experiences on both the consulting and client sides, I noticed how often people sugarcoat things instead of being as honest as they need to be. I believe there's a respectful way to collaborate with clients and address issues head-on.

It’s been an exciting journey building out a company of business advisors. We specialize in modernizing back-office operations for corporate functions such as HR, legal, finance, marketing, procurement, sales, and other enablement organizations.

In my experience, every company is trying to squeeze out as much cost savings as possible, especially in non-revenue generating areas. Often, these changes are made without much consideration, leaving the remaining team to manage the fallout. This creates chaos—there are fewer people, but the processes stay the same, which leads to a really challenging work environment.

I believe there’s a better, more intentional way to introduce change—one that takes a holistic approach. It’s not just about reducing headcount; it’s about examining how your people work and finding ways to improve those processes as well.

I don’t believe in wasting time. For me, it’s all about ensuring that wherever I’m investing my time, we’re driving meaningful results.

As a consultant, I’ve been able to have a greater impact in helping clients achieve their goals. On the client side, you can sometimes get bogged down by internal politics and other obstacles that slow progress.

“You have to consider human emotion in the way you approach work.”

In theory, it's easy to look at a list of roles and start crossing things off or to glance at a process and say, 'Let’s just automate this.' But it doesn’t work that way. You really have to consider the full end-to-end experience of a person’s day.

I recently came across a stat showing that only 18% of people are satisfied with their jobs. I don’t think it’s about salary or the return to the office. I believe it’s largely because, especially over the last five years since Covid, companies have been making changes based on what seems logical without truly considering how those changes impact other aspects of their employees’ roles.

Great change leaders are both thoughtful and decisive. Many leaders struggle with implementing change because they hesitate to take a strong stance on the issues.

It could stem from fear, uncertainty, or a desire to involve everyone in decision-making. While it's important to include people in the journey, when leaders fail to make clear decisions about what a role will entail moving forward, it leads to confusion—and even mistrust.

Oftentimes, people don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing. The best change leaders I’ve encountered have a clear vision and aren’t afraid to articulate what that vision means.

At the start of any project, I make sure to thoroughly understand the problem. I always conduct a diagnostic, whether the transformational effort is already underway, about to begin, or moving closer to implementation.

I ask how leaders are supporting the change. If they’ve been at it for a year, why is there still uncertainty? Who are the additional stakeholders involved in the process?

“Companies invest heavily in transformation efforts, so it’s crucial to ensure those changes actually stick.”

Change is hard, especially when you're directly impacted and have to alter something you've been doing a certain way for decades.

That's why I believe transformational initiatives can't succeed if they’re only driven by internal resources—they’re too close to the work. This proximity can lead to sabotaging behavior, indecisiveness, and a tendency to only address the loudest complaints.

So many companies overlook their back-office functions because they’re not as exciting as something like launching a new product. But when these core functions aren’t intentionally nurtured, it creates a mess downstream.

I believe in humility. As a female business leader, I want to ensure it’s not misconstrued as weakness. But I think it’s essential to be empathetic and truly understand what’s going on, so we can offer meaningful help.

A changemaker I admire is Tyler Perry. He revolutionized the way movies are produced, giving a voice to a population that lacked strong representation. He stays true to his values—hiring locally and bringing his unique perspective into an industry historically dominated by people who don't look like him. Through his work, he not only made a mark on the film industry but also helped establish Atlanta as a major hub for film production.

As an immigrant, coming from a different background, I have a deep appreciation for culture. My love for people has been a driving force in ensuring that things are done the right way throughout my career.

I love sitting in my backyard, stepping away from a meeting with a cocktail in hand, and talking to my kids. It’s my happy place—where I can enjoy the safety of home while still being outdoors. It’s where I go when I need a peaceful change of pace.

Are you a Changemaker? We want to hear your story. Let's talk.

‍