🌀 Hello I’m Irene Jena Karthik — a strategist and explorer of systems, both human and organisational.

My journey has been anything but linear. From studying zoology to leading client operations for global insurers, from roles at Deloitte, GE, Infosys, and HCL to partnering with Fortune 500 clients, I’ve always been guided by one question:

How do systems really work — and how can they work better?

🌿 My Work Today

Through Shikumi, I help organizations redesign their operating models so they can adapt, evolve, and thrive.

I bridge strategy and practice by surfacing the invisible patterns within teams and organizations — and shaping structures that bring coherence without losing creativity.

Sometimes this means mapping ecosystems and decision flows.
Sometimes it’s redesigning governance and rhythms.
Sometimes it’s reimagining the entire operating model.

Whatever the form, my role is to bring regenerative clarity — the kind that simplifies complexity without reducing it.

🌱 My Belief Ecology

• Simple is often better than complex

• Every team and system has unique needs

• Small changes can have big effects

• Good systems help people do their best work

🌙 My Approach

• Build on existing strengths

• Surface and remove systemic friction

• Co-create adaptive, thoughtful solutions

• Weave strategy and sensing into every step

• Use combinatorial curiosity — drawing from both strategy and my creative lens as an artist

✨ Why Shikumi you may wonder ?

I’m not here to impose frameworks.
I’m here to listen, sense, and shape containers that allow intentional change and mindful emergence.

If you’re seeking a partner who can see the big picture and the fine-grained detail, who values both people and systems as parts of a living whole — I’d love to connect.