Kate Vitasek

Kate Vitasek is an international authority for her award-winning research and Vested® business model for highly collaborative relationships. Vitasek, a Faculty member at the University of Tennessee, is the 2025 Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award Recipient, and lauded by World Trade Magazine as one of the “Fabulous 50+1” most influential people impacting global commerce. Her work has led to 8 books, including: Vested: How P&G, McDonald’s and Microsoft Are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships, Getting to We: Negotiating Agreements for Highly Collaborative Relationships, Contracting in the New Economy, and Preventing the Dispute Before it Begins. Vitasek is known for her practical and research-based advice for driving transformation and innovation through highly-collaborative and strategic partnerships. She has appeared on CNN International, Bloomberg, NPR, and on Fox Business News. Her work has been featured in over 400 articles in publications including Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive Magazine, The Economist, FAST Company, Information Week, CIO Magazine and World Financial Review.