Both founders started in industry with environments defined by precision, pace, and consequence. Decisions mattered. Execution carried weight. Systems were engineered to perform. But inside those systems, deeper tensions surfaced.
For Khushboo Jogani, the question was structural: How do we design systems that create value without exhausting the ecosystems they depend on?
Her work across global product development and manufacturing environments gradually shifted toward sustainability instead of it being a compliance exercise, but as a systems problem. Circularity, regeneration, long-horizon thinking. The inquiry moved from product to process, from output to architecture.
And eventually, to education because sustainable systems require sustainable thinking.
For Lakshmi Srinivasan, the question was relational: Who shapes the system?
Who is heard within it? What happens when intelligence is distributed unevenly?
Her early experience in applied design contexts evolved into a deeper exploration of inclusivity as structural participation. Through academia and research across institutions, she worked at the intersection of pedagogy, governance, and socio-spatial justice.
The focus became coherence ensuring curriculum, culture, and institutional identity reinforced one another rather than drifted apart.
Over time, these inquiries began to intersect.
What endures is systems that integrate both.
KLEST emerged at that convergence.
Industrial discipline.
Educational depth.
Sustainability as long-horizon design.
Inclusivity as structural intelligence.
Today, that convergence defines how we work.
We approach institutions as living systems under pressure.
We begin with research.
We align ambition with structure.
We embed capability that compounds.
Because durable strength does not come from disruption alone.
It comes from systems designed to think clearly, adapt responsibly, and evolve with integrity.
- Technology accelerates.
- Expectations shift.
- Decision cycles compress.
- Expertise evolves.
In such conditions, advantage does not arise from reaction alone. It arises from design.
KLEST approaches enterprises and academic institutions as complex systems shaped by incentives, decision pathways, governance structures, culture, and human capability.
Our work rests on a simple premise:
Strength under pressure depends on how a system distributes risk, integrates intelligence, and learns over time.
An enterprise under market acceleration carries different pressures than an academic institution navigating technological transformation and generational transition.
The following short films illustrate how our approach adapts across these environments.
Advisors & Mentors
Senior leaders and thinkers who provide perspective across governance, long-horizon strategy, and institutional design.
Experts &
Associates
Specialists engaged for focused system design, facilitation, and domain-specific depth.
Research & Academic Collaborators
Scholars and institutional partners contributing to inquiry, pedagogy, and research depth.
JPMorgan Chase, 2019
www.jpmorgan.com
Berkshire Hathaway, 2019
www.bhathaway.com
Royal Dutch Shell, 2018
www.shell.com
Mastercard, 2018
www.mastercard.com
HSBC Holdings, 2018
www.hsbc.com
Anheuser-Busch InBev, 2018
www.anheuserbusch.com
Procter & Gamble, 2017
www.pg.com
Merck & Co., 2017
www.merck.com
Unilever, 2017
www.uniliver.com
L’Oréal Group, 2016
www.loreal.com
Novo Nordisk, 2016
www.novonordisk.com
Naspers, 2016
www.naspers.com
Allianz, 2016
www.allianz.com
When our team provides design and digital marketing. Applied arts can include industrial design, graphic design, fashion design, and the decorative arts which traditionally includes craft objects.
3x Site of the Day
2x Best Website
5x Mobile of the Day
2x Best Homepage
-
Stephanie is a creative artist and founding partner, providing smart & flexible digital services.
-
-
Alex is a creative artist and founding partner, providing smart & flexible digital services.
-
-
Stacey is a creative artist and founding partner, providing smart & flexible digital services.
-
We’re a team of creatives who are excited about unique ideas and help fin-tech companies to create amazing identity by crafting top-notch UI/UX.