Polar Bear — People Ops for agencies
Polar Bear was launched in 2026 by two practitioners with 25+ combined years inside McKinsey's people function: Pauline Bertry and Alexey Lobachev. Based in Toronto, working globally.
We build rigorous people ops systems for creative agencies, design studios, digital boutiques, and product teams of 20 to 200 people. Career frameworks, review cycles, onboarding design, handbooks, upskilling workshops, and engagement surveys. We build the system, run the first cycle, train the team, and leave you owning it.
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Take the free People Ops Index — a 25-question diagnostic that takes 7 minutes, gives you a score out of 100, a named diagnosis, and one clear next action. If you are not sure whether you need this kind of help, take the People Ops Index, get a score, then decide.
The problems we solve
- The team has grown, but no one really knows what "Senior" means here
- People are asking about career progression and you don't have a clear answer
- Performance decisions are inconsistent and leadership is not aligned on the path forward
- There's no dedicated HR yet and the founder is carrying all of the weight
How we work
- We build, not just advise. We run the first cycles with you and train the team along the way. You own it when we're done.
- We design for real life. Frameworks that make sense for how your team operates day to day.
- We automate what we can. Everything that can run without manual effort, will.
- We start small on purpose. Pilots first. So your team builds confidence before it builds habits.
Services
Career frameworks
Clear progression with 5 to 7 levels, real behaviour examples, manager training. Delivered in 4 to 5 weeks. Best for agencies of 20 to 100 people.
Review cycles
Evaluation criteria, calibration process, manager templates. End-to-end support for the first cycle. Delivered in 4 to 5 weeks.
Handbooks
Structured around your actual career framework and review process. Delivered in 4 weeks.
Workshops
Feedback skills, AI in workflows, ownership and self-reflection. Interactive, discussion-based sessions.
Onboarding design
Structured 30/60/90 day framework connected to career levels. Delivered in 4 to 5 weeks.
Engagement and pulse surveys
5 to 7 focused questions tied to the growth framework, with response logic for managers.
Tools
Growth Hub
A bespoke, semi-custom review cycle platform built for agencies. 7 modules: Exposure List, Self-Reflection Memo with AI coaching, Growth Advisor Dashboard, Growth Memo, Growth Committee, Progress Dashboard, and Employee Results. Saves up to 6 hours per advisor per cycle. Learn more.
People Ops Index
Free 25-question diagnostic. Score out of 100 in 7 minutes. Take it now.
Team
Pauline Bertry, co-founder
Product Growth and CX Design. 10+ years leading product and design teams. Built and led Design Hubs at McKinsey Moscow and Budapest. Created career frameworks tested with 100+ person cross-functional product teams. LinkedIn
Alexey Lobachev, co-founder
People Strategy and Engagement. 15+ years inside top professional services organisations. At McKinsey led Employee Engagement and Talent Management programmes, including DEI transformation and Top Talent Retention. LinkedIn
Case study
A distributed digital agency of approximately 35 people across the US, Brazil, and India. In 8 weeks: built a behaviour-driven career framework, ran an end-to-end review cycle with 89+ feedback conversations, trained 18 Growth Advisors, and created full org-wide visibility on skills and growth areas. Read the full case study.
Contact
Book a discovery call: cal.com/pauline-bertry/people-ops. No pitch-talk, just a conversation.