Katie Bach

Katie Bach is an expert in job quality and low-wage work. She has a particular interest in disabled Americans’ access to jobs, and the incentives and structures that impact company investment in workers. Bach has worked with dozens of companies, ranging from Fortune 50 to start-ups, on improving frontline jobs.

Bach is currently at Amazon, as Director of Employee Experience. Previously, Bach was the Chief Business Officer at &pizza, a 60-location fast casual chain known for investing in quality jobs. There, she oversaw the finance, HR, and strategy functions. Prior to that, Bach was the Managing Director of the Good Jobs Institute, a non-profit founded by MIT Sloan professor Zeynep Ton. There, she helped companies build systems to maximize the motivation, productivity, and contribution of employees in ways that led to better business results. Previously she was the Director of Corporate Strategy at Starbucks, and a management consult, primarily at McKinsey & Company. There, in addition to advising clients on strategy and organizational effectiveness, she developed and launched McKinsey’s non-profit workforce development program.

Bach has published numerous articles in Harvard Business Review, Politico, Forbes, and elsewhere discussing the financial case for higher wages, why we need more than a $15 wage, and the need for corporate disclosure requirements on worker pay. Her Brookings research on long Covid’s labor market impact has been cited by the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the New York Times, NPR, and more.

Bach has an MBA from MIT Sloan, where she was a Forte Fellow, McKinsey Scholar, and Siebel Scholar, all recognizing outstanding leadership and academic achievements. She has an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics, where she was valedictorian of her class, and a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford University. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and dog.