Who?

The Systems Studio was founded by Rachel Sinha. Rachel works in collaboration with a wider team to meet the needs of different projects or to build new programs in partnership together.

Rachel Sinha

Rachel Sinha partners with leaders spearheading transformative change initiatives, offering expert guidance in systems leadership and strategic direction. She has over a decade of experience co-leading innovative platforms and multi-stakeholder networks and a proven track record of creating the conditions for systemic change.

Rachel co-founded The Systems Sanctuary, teaching and training leaders on systems leadership and strategy for systemic change. Based in St Louis and Montreal, the Sanctuary Team works with individuals, teams and ecosystems to support learning and coach next steps. They taught a Masterclass in Systems Practice for 5 years and hosted peer-learning communities for people leading social and environmental change in everything from refugee action, to climate change, gender based violence and beyond. They use an intersectional feminist lens in all they do and are champions of women leading systemic change. 

She has a long track record of starting-up and co-leading ecosystems, multi-stakeholder platforms and networks that create the conditions for systems change.

Rachel co-founded The Finance Innovation Lab in London, a collaboration between WWF and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 2008. This award-winning systems change initiative became a key case study in the early years of Innovation Labs and has been shared at Yale, Harvard and Stanford amongst others. Rachel was chosen to sit on the European Commission panel for Social Business as a result of her work on the Lab and received a ‘person of exceptional ability’ Green Card, to move to the US with her young family.

She co-founded spin-off initiatives from the Lab including the Capitals Coalition and Audit Futures. Most recently, with a core group of other systems change leaders, The Sanctuary team became the start-up crew for Illuminate - designed to cultivate the field of systems change practice internationally with partners including Academy of Systems Change, CoCreative, Garfield, Lankelly Chase and School of Systems Change.  

Rachel began her career in Marketing (MA), working both agency and client side and still holds that strategic mindset. She has always had an interest in Psychology (BA) and knows the value of creating clear punchy comms that cuts through the noise to shift hearts and minds and bring people in.

Rachel frequently speaks at webinars and conferences on systems change and has co-authored a series of articles in Harvard Business Review and Fast Company and publications including Labcraft: How Social Labs Cultivate Change Through Collaboration and The Finance Innovation Lab: A Strategy For Systems Change and Building Ecosystems for Positive Change. Collaborating with Oxford Said Business School, she also led an inquiry into the language of systems change and launched the publication Keywords.

Rachel has taught strategy for systems change at Harvard, The New School, The US Federal Government. 
She has worked on Sustainability issues at the think tank of ICAEW and facilitated more multi-stakeholder gatherings than she can count, with the International Federation of Accountants in New York and has facilitated social innovation processes with senior post secondary leaders in Canada with McConnell, on the Opioid Crisis in California, with systems change funders and beyond.

Rachel is British and has lived in the US for 9 years. She has lived in New York, San Francisco and now lives in St Louis in Missouri in the US with her young family.

Our unique approach

We pride ourselves in using a the combination of strategic depth with a creative and experimental methodology. We don't just offer practical solutions to complex problems—we make the process of addressing these challenges fun, engaging, and inspiring.

Specifically we focus on:

  1. Creative Experimentation: We approach problem-solving in an innovative, flexible way. By encouraging creativity and experimentation, providing a fresh take on tackling systemic issues. This makes the work feel less daunting and more dynamic for clients.

  2. Holistic Support for Change Leaders: We are more than just consultants; we’re trusted guides and a "secret weapon." We have a personal investment in your success and look to build a deep, ongoing partnership that’s not just about giving advice but about co-owning the change process, while letting you shine.

  3. Building Momentum: We emphasize building momentum and accountability. We’re not just there for the strategy sessions—we stick around, meeting weekly to ensure clients maintain progress, overcome roadblocks, and stay motivated.

  4. Engaging Collaborations: We facilitate collaborative gatherings that aren't just meetings but action-focused spaces. This ability to convene stakeholders in a way that drives real, tangible outcomes is a powerful part of our offering.

  5. Systems Thinking Expertise: Our grounding in systems thinking allows us to bring a deeper level of strategic insight into complex, multifaceted problems. We go beyond surface-level advice and help clients develop frameworks that can create lasting change within their organizations.

  6. Human-Centered Coaching: Our coaching model is designed around the human experience of leading change. We recognize the emotional, mental, and practical challenges leaders face, and we help them navigate these pressures with confidence.

Our unique approach blends strategic rigor, creative freedom, and deep personal support, transforming the often overwhelming process of leading change into something actionable, inspiring, and enjoyable.