Kate Schardt is a global business leader with over 18 years of insights and analytics experience. Currently a Senior Director of Global Insights at PepsiCo, Kate is focused on raising the bar on creative and brand excellence through digital partnerships. Kate’s career has centered on using an understanding human behavior to help organizations like PepsiCo thrive by putting the consumer at the heart of decision making. She previously worked on Unilever’s global brands at Nielsen, leading consumer product testing and sales forecasting to drive innovation development.

Kate has lived in Ridgefield, CT for over 9 years with her husband and their twin daughters and their cat. Originally from Cincinnati, Kate pursued her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Ohio University and later an MBA from Xavier University before relocating to the Northeast for professional opportunities. In addition to her love of theatre and the arts, Kate is also an avid reader and has recently taking up painting as a new hobby.

“The first time I saw a Thrown Stone production, Milk, I was completely blown away by the quality of the writing, the acting and overall experience.  The years since have not let me down and so I am thrilled to be joining the Thrown Stone board.  In particular, I am excited to be joining at this time – as the prolonged pandemic has tried and tested us all – when driving connections within our community and helping people make sense of our new normal is more vital than ever. Thrown Stone has a critical role to play in bringing our community together and driving engaging and thought-provoking conversations.”