Catey Josephine Palmer founded DuraSuite to fix what she saw everywhere – disconnected teams and unclear governance. With two decades of experience across payroll, HR, and compliance, she leads with integrity, resilience, and a people-first philosophy. DuraSuite is where stability meets scale.
Purpose Turns Obstacles into Opportunities
Catey’s entrepreneurial spirit was shaped long before she founded DuraSuite. Growing up, hard work, integrity, and accountability were non-negotiable. Her father, in telecommunications, and her London solicitor mother modeled professionalism and doing the right thing, even when difficult.
“They taught my sister and me to challenge situations that felt wrong, question assumptions, and speak up,” she recalls. “Honesty and integrity weren’t just discussed; they were lived. Those lessons still guide how I lead.”
Since childhood, Catey’s health challenges have helped her build resilience and taught her that limitations don’t define potential.“In my corporate career, I often saw opportunities beyond my role and felt I had more to contribute than traditional structures allowed. Instead of frustration, I felt motivated,” she shares.
Her values, resilience, curiosity, and desire for change led Catey to entrepreneurship – not just to build a business, but to challenge convention, empower people, and turn obstacles into opportunities with courage and purpose.
Connective Tissue Replaces Functional Silos
Across payroll, HR, finance, and operations, Catey saw isolated functions and unclear responsibilities – operating model problems, not technology issues – costing time that a better structure could have prevented.
“The best-performing organizations aren’t those with the most sophisticated tech, but with the greatest clarity – documented processes, well-defined operating models, robust risk frameworks, and transparent RACI structures so everyone understands their role and how it contributes to broader goals,” she explains.
Genuine partnership across functions drives effectiveness – payroll impacts HR, finance, compliance, risk, and talent impacts all. Operational excellence follows alignment – clear responsibilities, trusted information, and collaborative tools – delivering better outcomes, compliance, accuracy, and a culture of accountability, integrity, and trust.
“At DuraSuite, I help organizations build that connective tissue – creating compliant, scalable operating models with clear governance, meaningful controls, and technology that enhances collaboration instead of creating silos,” Catey says.
The Courage to Keep Showing Up
For Catey, the hardest challenge as a founder wasn’t technology or strategy – it was building self-belief while living with long-term health conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, ME, fibromyalgia, and osteoarthritis.
“There were days I woke up after very little sleep due to severe pain and exhaustion, knowing that running a business didn’t pause just because my circumstances had,” she recalls. “I learned that success isn’t always about intensity; it’s about consistency. The question shifted from how much I could achieve in a day to what meaningful progress I could make despite the challenges.”
While building DuraSuite, Catey worked as Chief Technical Advisor for a global software provider, supporting a UK payroll engine – strengthening her financial stability, expertise, and shaping her vision.
“The biggest shift was realizing resilience doesn’t mean doing everything alone,” she reflects. “Resilience isn’t invincibility – it’s moving forward with purpose, self-management, and belief when progress feels slow. Sustainable success is built not on perfection, but on consistency, support, and the courage to keep showing up,” she affirms.
Mentors Who Shaped Her Leadership Journey
Catey shares her experience with several mentors who helped shape her leadership philosophy. Working with business coach and mentor, Laura Wheatley, helped her navigate entrepreneurship, challenge her thinking, celebrate progress, and maintain perspective. “Her support was key to developing consistency, confidence, and self-awareness. I learned the importance of strong relationships and asking for help. Leadership can feel isolating, but strength comes from saying, ‘Today is difficult,’ and letting trusted people support you,” she observes.
Mike Hibberd was one of Catey’s first ever leaders at 22, when she worked for E&Y. He listened to her as a young graduate and inspired her to grow her expat tax career. “He was a leader who respected everyone. He motivated and encouraged me,” she says. Mike started Global Expat Pay and offered her a job, but she declined due to location. So, he offered to guide her grow her own business – reminding her of his encouragement and inspiration from 20 years before.
Catey recalls the deep empathy and respect of Wendy Drinkwater, an exemplary payroll leader and dear friend, who supported her during a stressful period of self-doubt, low confidence, and very bad health, due to her long-term disabilities. “She always gave me a push when I needed it and wouldn’t allow me to fall into a deeper hole,” she reflects.
Nick Day and his JGA team helped Catey find great roles within the payroll industry and hire high-calibre candidates when she needed them. His podcasts and book, The Payroll Pivot, helped her reflect on how incredible payroll is and the power it has to shape a business strategy.
Catey is also grateful for Claire Osullivan, a “genuinely inspiring, courageous, kind, loving friend, and payroll and HR leader” who overcame several recent professional and personal hurdles. “I’m truly inspired by her ability to never quit and always stay true to what she loves,” she says. “Millwall is very lucky to have such a leader as she loves this company and the people that define its culture and success. She reminded me of my own strength in life.”
When Governance and Humanity Coexist
For Catey, values aren’t separate from leadership or business – they’re the foundation. “Integrity, honesty, transparency, accountability, and fairness guide every decision as a founder and every aspect of what DuraSuite aims to achieve. I see these values as the standard operating procedure for both my leadership and the business. Without them, trust can’t exist – and without trust, sustainable success is impossible,” she insists.
Catey embeds these principles throughout DuraSuite – RACI frameworks, transparent procedures, governance, risk controls, and business intelligence – all for clarity that enables better decisions. She believes sustainable success requires stability, accountability, and employee empowerment, not just growth or efficiency.
Leaders often focus on deadlines but overlook capacity. Transparency around time, priorities, and support drives engagement, productivity, and collective success. “Employee experience is central to my vision. Organizations should measure not just business performance, but how people feel, how teams collaborate, and whether the intended culture shows up daily,” she insists.
At DuraSuite, Catey builds a culture where governance and humanity coexist – accountability with empowerment, transparency driving trust, and people supported to do their best. “When individuals succeed, teams succeed, and organizations achieve far more than any process or technology alone,” she affirms.
Manage Energy, Not Just Time
Catey rejects work-life balance, choosing work-life integration instead – an equilibrium where career, wellbeing, relationships, and goals coexist through structure, planning, and self-awareness. Meeting-free Fridays and themed days leave space for reflection, exercise, and focused work. When work demands more, she rebalances quickly.
“Integration starts with putting myself at the center. If we don’t look after ourselves, we can’t support our teams or families,” she insists. “Letting work dominate for too long hurts performance, well-being, and productivity.”
Exercise is non‑negotiable. Catey pre‑books powerlifting training sessions, prioritizes hydration, nutrition, movement, and regular breaks. “Because I live with long‑term health conditions, managing energy, not just time, is essential. Sustainable performance depends on it,” she shares.
As a female founder in tech, Catey values the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs for connecting her with women who understand building businesses while balancing family and wellbeing. Their honesty helped her set boundaries, put herself first, and build a business that supports her life – not consumes it.
Success, for her, includes wellbeing, relationships, and enjoying the journey, not just achievements. “I’m not aiming for perfection, but a sustainable rhythm that lets me perform at my best while staying healthy, present, and fulfilled,” she affirms.
A Voice That Shapes Industry Thinking
Being invited to the first All-Party Parliamentary Group for Innovators was a defining moment. Catey recognized her voice had value beyond any single organization. Over twenty years across payroll, HR, tax, and compliance, she learned these functions deserve a seat at the table, shaping industry and government thinking.
“They sit at the heart of organizational stability – underpinning employee experience, compliance, governance, and reputation. When they work well, trust follows – accurate pay, met obligations, and sustainable scale,” she explains.
Mounting complexity – regulatory change, technology, vendor management, global expectations – brings pressure. Without strong structures and governance, failures harm trust, reputation, and performance. “Contributing at the parliamentary level lets me advocate for recognizing these challenges and championing these critical roles,” Catey states.
Other achievements built Catey’s confidence – trademarking DuraSuite independently, securing SEIS/EIS approval, and receiving strong feedback on an Innovate UK female founder grant – validating her vision.
“What unites these moments is that each required stepping outside my comfort zone, embracing scrutiny, and trusting my capability. They demanded persistence, self-belief, and a willingness to put my ideas forward to be challenged,” she reflects. Entrepreneurship, for Catey, is the courage to believe your ideas can create meaningful change and working to make them real.
Putting People at the Heart of Success
Catey’s leadership style will evolve as DuraSuite grows, but the principles behind it won’t change. “What shifts is scale,” she notes. She expects her role to move from doing and directing to enabling and empowering – creating the conditions for others to succeed.
Future leadership balances technology, governance, and humanity. Systems and controls matter, but never at the expense of people. “One thing will never change – my commitment to honesty, integrity, transparency, and empathy. I want every DuraSuite employee to know their value and impact. People are not resources, they’re individuals with ambitions, talents, and potential,” she emphasizes.
Catey aims to create an environment where employees feel trusted, empowered, and supported – through development, wellbeing, and meaningful contribution. Every decision is guided by a simple principle – people succeed alongside the business.
“In the strongest organizations, people feel connected to a shared purpose, know they matter, and are trusted to thrive. My leadership may evolve, but my belief in putting people at the heart of success never will,” she declares.
More Than a Technology Platform
Catey wants DuraSuite to improve operations, governance, and risk – because disconnected systems make teams fight problems instead of driving value. “I want DuraSuite to change that,” she says. Her ambition is to build the go‑to ecosystem for HR, payroll, and workforce management – enabling clear, accountable, scalable operating models.
DuraSuite creates clarity, removes complexity, and is trusted for smarter collaboration. AI amplifies expertise, automating tasks so teams focus on strategy and growth. Catey also aims to transform vendor relationships through transparent assessment frameworks built on shared success, not just procurement.
“Ultimately, I want DuraSuite to be the operating framework organizations rely on to answer: How do we improve, reduce risk, build better employee experiences, create stronger partnerships, and scale sustainably?” she states. “If DuraSuite helps organizations answer key questions with confidence, it will shape the future of workforce management, governance, and global business performance.”
Inspiring Curiosity, Shaping Futures
For Catey, a leader’s greatest responsibility is sharing knowledge with the next generation. She supports Young Enterprise because entrepreneurship teaches resilience, accountability, and leadership. She helps students discover careers in payroll, HR, and compliance – functions often misunderstood yet central to every organization. With AI, payroll is shifting from transactions to innovation. Catey starts with simple questions about pay slips and rights to build confidence, financial awareness, and curiosity.
“Technical skills can be taught, but curiosity drives learning, innovation, and growth. Future shapers ask questions, challenge assumptions, seek understanding, and think differently. If I can help even a few people recognize their potential and realize they can have a meaningful impact, then I’ve made a worthwhile contribution,” she explains.
Catey’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to find a problem they’re passionate about. Validate with low-cost surveys before building. Start small, test, gather feedback, improve – progress beats perfection. Be realistic about finances and maintain income. Build marketing early with consistent content. Expect the emotional rollercoaster – setbacks build resilience. Success comes from confidence to keep moving forward despite challenges.
Innovation As A Mindset
For Catey, innovation is a mindset, not a department – focused not on the latest tools, but on how technology drives better decisions, governance, accountability, and employee experience. “I keep innovation central by staying close to new thinking,” she shares. She stays current via the Google Founders Programme, tech events, and industry discussions, while ensuring her team has the right tools and uses AI-driven platforms like Reveela for marketing.
“A founder must remain curious – you can’t build a future-facing business with yesterday’s thinking. Innovation is a responsibility. It supports my team. It isn’t chasing trends, but choosing the right technology, asking better questions, and building solutions that improve how people and organizations work,” she says.
As she grows the business, Catey is committed to ensuring her team has the right tools and systems to perform and contribute meaningfully. “If we expect performance, we must enable it. If DuraSuite helps organizations become more efficient, transparent, accountable, and human, I must lead that way,” she affirms.
No Single Blueprint for Success
Catey wants leaders to know that businesses can be ambitious without aggression, profitable without compromising values, and growth-focused while caring about people. For women especially, her journey shows you don’t need to mirror anyone else – your voice and experiences matter.
“Entrepreneurship rarely offers a perfect path. What counts is the courage to keep learning and adapting. Building a business uncovers hidden capabilities, becoming a catalyst for both personal and professional growth. Success isn’t about fitting someone else’s definition, but creating something meaningful and making a positive difference,” she observes.
Catey is excited by leadership’s shift from authority to influence, collaboration, and service. Through networks like CIPP and BAWE, she sees that a title isn’t impactful – sharing knowledge is. She’s encouraged by leaders stepping up to help young people not in education or training discover opportunities and build skills.
She notes that the best leaders don’t create followers – they create future leaders. By shaping education around digital skills, critical thinking, and entrepreneurship, and championing fairness and inclusion, the next era of leadership will inspire through authenticity and purpose, building better workplaces and society for generations.
“I think about people,” Catey reflects. “I hope that future business leaders see my journey and realize there’s no single blueprint for success. You don’t have to build a business just to sell it or chase growth at all costs. Build around what you believe in – deliver value, empower people, prioritize integrity, and still achieve commercial success. That’s DuraSuite.”
Conclusion
For Catey Josephine Palmer, success isn’t revenue, valuations, or even technology – it’s building with authenticity, empowering people, and proving that obstacles become opportunities. Her legacy is helping people build with integrity, lead authentically, create opportunities, and succeed on their own terms.
