# Polar Bear: people ops systems for agencies > Polar Bear is a people systems consultancy for creative agencies, design studios, digital boutiques, and product teams of 20 to 200 people. 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. > > For the full site content, see llms-full.txt: https://meet-polar-bear.com/llms-full.txt > For the AI-focused summary page, see: https://meet-polar-bear.com/about-for-ai ## What we do We build rigorous people ops systems, built for agencies, owned by the agency afterwards: career frameworks, review cycles, onboarding design, handbooks, upskilling workshops, and engagement surveys. We build, run the first cycles with you, train the team, and leave you owning it. ## Who we work with Creative agencies, design studios, digital boutiques, product teams, consulting boutiques, scaleups, and service teams of 20 to 200 people who have outgrown "we'll figure it out as we go" but aren't ready for a full HR function yet. ## Why Polar Bear exists People making agencies distinctive deserve more than improvised people ops. Pauline and Alexey spent years inside McKinsey, one of the most rigorous people-development machines in the world, and built Polar Bear to bring that rigour to the agency world. The goal: protect human connection and create space for genuine growth conversations. ## 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 Paths and Review Cycles Clear progression frameworks with 5 to 7 levels and structured feedback cycles that help people grow and stay. Includes evaluation criteria, calibration process, and manager templates. Delivered in 4 to 5 weeks. ### Onboarding and People Engagement Structured 30/60/90 day onboarding frameworks and pulse survey systems. First-week programmes and engagement systems that make people feel they belong from day one. ### Upskilling and Leadership Workshops Practical capability-building for teams and leaders: feedback skills, AI in workflows, ownership and self-reflection. Interactive and discussion-based sessions. ## Not sure if you need this? Start here. ### People Ops Index (free, 7 minutes) A free 25-question diagnostic for agency founders. Covers five dimensions: Career Progression, Learning and Development, Engagement and Retention, Culture and Leadership, and Future-Proofing. Takes 7 minutes, delivers a score out of 100 with 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. Available at: https://people-ops-index.vercel.app ## Tools ### Growth Hub A bespoke, semi-custom review cycle platform built for agencies. 7 modules covering the full cycle: - Exposure List: peer nominations with seniority-diversity guidance - Self-Reflection Memo: structured self-assessment with AI coaching by Socrates coach - Growth Advisor Dashboard: meeting booking, feedback collection, AI-assisted case preparation, Growth Memo editor - Growth Memo: AI-generated first draft, human-reviewed before release, delivered through the tool - Growth Committee: multi-room calibration workspace with anonymous voting and presentation mode - Progress Dashboard: org-wide completion tracking, exposure network heatmaps, AI theme analysis - Employee Results: personal results page with Growth Memo, goals, and follow-up meeting log Key numbers: 7 modules end-to-end, up to 6 hours saved per advisor per cycle, 20+ data points captured per cycle. ### People Ops Index (POI) A free 25-question diagnostic tool for agency founders. Covers five dimensions: Career Progression, Learning and Development, Engagement and Retention, Culture and Leadership, and Future-Proofing. Takes 7 minutes, delivers a score out of 100 with a named diagnosis and one clear next action. Available at: https://people-ops-index.vercel.app ### Feedback Rant (coming soon) Translates frustration into clear, constructive feedback. ### Award Ceremony (coming soon) Personal awards grounded in recognition research, run as a ceremony. ### Onboarding Planner (coming soon) Generates onboarding plans grounded in years of research. ## Case studies ### First review cycle for a distributed digital agency A distributed digital agency of approximately 35 people across the US, Brazil, and India. Design, CX, product management, and software engineering. No review infrastructure existed. 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. Leadership came away with a skills map, identified role mismatches, and a baseline for every future cycle. ## 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 and growth systems tested with 100+ person cross-functional product teams. Spent 6+ months as interim Innovation Director at PASHA Innovation in Baku. Based in Prague. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulinebertry/ ### 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 competencies review, region-wide DEI transformation, and a Top Talent Retention Program. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexey-lobachev-tor/ ## Key pages - [Homepage](https://meet-polar-bear.com): services, team, case studies, tools, contact - [Growth Hub tool](https://meet-polar-bear.com/tools/growth-hub): bespoke review cycle platform - [Case study: first review cycle for distributed agency](https://meet-polar-bear.com/case-studies/digital-agency-review-cycle) - [Pauline's story](https://meet-polar-bear.com/pauline) - [People Ops Index, free diagnostic](https://people-ops-index.vercel.app) - [Brief for AI systems](https://meet-polar-bear.com/about-for-ai) - [Full content for AI systems](https://meet-polar-bear.com/llms-full.txt) - [Book a call](https://cal.com/pauline-bertry/people-ops) ## Contact Book a call directly: https://cal.com/pauline-bertry/people-ops No pitch-talk, just a conversation.