We are a purpose-driven consulting firm, through and through.
CiTTA’s reason for existence is to contribute towards the co-creation of a more just, equitable, and compassionate world for all. And we do so by supporting leaders of purpose-driven organizations so that they can continue to sustain and scale their social impact.
To paint a fuller picture of the essence of CiTTA, and how she came to be, let’s turn to the journey of our founder, Belinda Li…
I believe in the inherent goodness of humanity. And the ingenuity of the human mind.
As an Asian American, I have been profoundly impacted by the Buddhist teaching of interdependence. Not only do our daily actions affect one another, we also all have a role to play. Everyone can make a difference by contributing their small part. When all of our efforts are combined, amazing things are possible.
It was this sense of interdependence and an urgent desire to make an impact in the world that first drove me into consulting work for the environmental field, and then, ultimately, into starting my own impact consulting firm, CiTTA Partnership.
My professional journey at multinational corporations and large companies were invaluable. I learned so much and am eternally grateful for those experiences. They opened my eyes to the power and potential of businesses to do good, while seeing how that potential could be completely lost when financial bottom line is the sole focus.
a wake up call
I remember once, before CiTTA, when I was consulting for a pharmaceutical company, I was asked to conduct research into how much they could charge for a new drug with the goal of making as much profit as possible. As part of that research, I was reading community sites where patients were chatting with each other about how desperate they were – this drug was their last hope for a truly debilitating disease where they had tried everything else possible but were still not getting better.
This really made me pause.
Here I was, trying to help a client find the highest price the market would bear even if that meant many patients could not afford it. Not that I blamed the pharmaceutical company – their job was to maximize shareholders’ value, after all. But what would happen to the many patients who couldn’t afford the price, when this drug was truly their last hope?
I was heart-broken even thinking about that. I saw the failure of us as a society and of the current economic system – why can’t we do better?
This was when I reminded myself of my reason for being – the impact that I wanted to make in the world. And realized I needed to return to that reason.
Soon after that job, I founded CiTTA Partnership – and I have been focusing all my efforts on helping purpose-driven organizations, businesses and initiatives to create and grow social impact ever since.
Our Name . Our Promise
“Citta” is an ancient Sanskrit word that means “the mind as associated with the heart.” We are committed to providing the highest level of intellectual pursuit to solving our clients’ challenges and to do so with a strong sense of passion and belief that, together, we can make this world a better place for all.
“Partnership” signifies our commitment to work in partnership with all stakeholders – clients, employees, and other consultants.
to all our clients, we offer:
- Authentic passion for positive change
- A mission-focused intention in all that we do
- Senior-level consultants with deep experiences across sectors – corporate, not-for-profit, public, academic, social enterprise
- The dedication and attention of a small, boutique consultancy, with direct access to those senior-level consultants
- A bias towards action – because CiTTA exists to do good, and thus there is no point in creating a strategy or plan if no real impact happens from it!
- Diversity of thoughts, and inclusivity
- Disciplined methodology and rigor in our data-driven approach – a somewhat nerdy bunch if you like: getting it right matters to us
- A true partner who will work alongside you to scale social impact in a financially sustainable way
“ What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide
what kind of difference you want to make. ”
Dr. Jane Goodall
