Interview with Maria Protasova: Creating Meaningful Impact Across Functions, Industries, and Regions

Maria Protasova is a strategy leader with over eight years of experience across consulting and industry. A Big Three management consultant based in New York, she has led large-scale transformation projects for Fortune 500 clients, spanning sectors from oil and gas to consumer goods and education. Maria’s superpower lies in her ability to navigate complexity, bring cross-functional teams together, and create lasting, real-world impact – no matter the industry, topic, or geography.

Before entering consulting, Maria was selected for the Mars Leadership Experience – a global development program designed to prepare future CEOs. Her journey, marked by curiosity, adaptability, and a desire to go beyond the surface, reflects what it means to be a modern strategic leader: grounded in business fundamentals, fluent in human dynamics, and unafraid to step outside her comfort zone.

Maria, you’ve worked across industries and functions—what draws you to this kind of variety? 

Variety, for me, is what keeps my work meaningful and dynamic. I’ve always been driven by real impact. Whether it’s optimizing supply chains or improving national education strategy, I’m most engaged when I can see the connection between high-level decisions and what’s happening on the ground. That’s why I’ve intentionally built a career that spans sectors, geographies, and functions. The problems may look different on the surface, but the skill set—breaking things down, listening to the right people, structuring complexity—remains the same.

Let’s talk about your experience at Mars. What was the Mars Leadership Experience, and what did it teach you? 

The Mars Leadership Experience is a rotational program designed to develop future general managers and CEOs. It’s highly selective and focused on providing real business leadership experience from day one. The philosophy is simple but powerful: a true leader needs to understand the entire business—not just one function. That means stepping into very different roles and environments, often outside your comfort zone.

In my second year, I relocated to a factory in another city to work on-site. That meant shifting from office life—strategy decks, stakeholder alignment—to working with operators and engineers, understanding production lines, quality assurance, and the day-to-day rhythm of manufacturing. It was challenging, but incredibly powerful. It taught me that leadership isn’t just about having a vision—it’s about truly understanding the people and systems that bring that vision to life.

How does that experience influence your consulting work today? 

It set the foundation for how I approach problems today. At Mars, I learned to see an organization as a system of interconnected parts—and to respect every link in that system. Consulting took that perspective even further. It pushed me to look not just across functions, but across industries. In this field, especially at the Big Three level, you’re expected to quickly get up to speed in entirely new contexts, business models, and teams. One day I might be developing a national education strategy; two weeks later, I’m optimizing spare parts inventory for a manufacturing client. It’s a wild shift—but the muscle you build through those experiences helps you adapt fast.

That’s where my background makes a real difference. I know how to ask the right questions, identify the operational core of a challenge, and bring together cross-functional perspectives to design solutions that work in the real world—not just on paper.

What has been most important in building an international career? 

For me, the key has been learning how to quickly understand the “rules of the game” in different cultures—not just in terms of processes, but in how people communicate, build trust, and make decisions. When I moved from Russia to the U.S., I noticed a subtle but important shift: communication here tends to be framed more positively and collaboratively, with a strong focus on encouragement and alignment—especially in group settings. Direct feedback still exists, of course, but it’s often delivered in a more nuanced way. That means learning to read between the lines becomes just as important as hearing what’s said.

In consulting especially, it’s essential to understand how to communicate your value, how to read the room, and how to navigate informal dynamics in a culture where relationships often speak louder than titles. It’s not just about business logic; it’s about people dynamics. And the core approach stays the same: observe, listen, adapt, and build trust quickly.

What has consulting taught you about solving complex problems? 

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in consulting is that almost any problem becomes solvable once you break it down the right way. You don’t need to have all the answers from the start—but you do need a structure, a clear set of questions, and the discipline to follow the logic.

Consulting taught me how to navigate ambiguity with confidence. When faced with a challenge in a completely new industry or function, I don’t panic—I step back, identify the core drivers, talk to the people closest to the issue, and build a solution piece by piece. That toolkit—structured thinking, active listening, rapid synthesis—is something I now carry into every part of my work.

What do you think is more important today—specialization or breadth? 

Both are valuable, but if you aspire to executive leadership, breadth becomes essential. You don’t need to be the deepest expert in every field, but you do need to know how to understand a new topic quickly, ask the right questions, and guide experts toward a common goal. My own journey has always been about learning to see the whole picture. And that perspective is what makes a strategist not just insightful, but impactful.

What advice would you give to someone who aspires to become a CEO one day? 

1. Step outside your lane early and often. The strongest leaders I’ve worked with didn’t stay confined to their function—they deliberately sought out experiences across the business. Whether in operations, commercial, or supply chain, understanding how different parts of an organization connect gives you the system-level thinking every CEO needs.
2. Learn to lead through others. As your scope grows, success becomes less about your own expertise and more about how effectively you empower and align others. That requires building trust, creating clarity, and communicating with intent. Influence—not control—is your most powerful tool.
3. Stay curious, especially when you’re confident. The most effective CEOs I’ve seen don’t pretend to know everything. They ask sharp questions, seek out dissenting views, and stay open to new perspectives. Curiosity, especially at the top, is what keeps leadership relevant—and keeps organizations moving forward. The path to the top isn’t just about climbing — it’s about seeing more, listening better, and thinking broader.

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