Operations Talent: Maryana
Maryana has a proven track record in leading major global companies and early-stage startups through process and technology improvement initiatives focused on reducing costs, increasing revenue and optimizing shareholders value. She is a strategic thinker with top-tier consulting background and 15+ years of industry experience in sourcing, supply chain, and operational performance improvement. Whether it is developing new suppliers, redesigning processes, or launching new products, Maryana partners with CPOs and Procurement executives to lead their teams to success.
Q. When you’re at a networking event, how do you describe your independent career status, and the value your expertise brings?
Maximizing portfolio value with strategic procurement: driving operational excellence and cost efficiency in PE and across portfolios.
Q. Why do you think there is increasing demand for independent expertise with PE operating teams?
The demand for independent expertise in PE is growing due to:
- Flexibility: Independents like me swiftly adapt to the dynamic needs of PE portfolio companies.
- Expertise: My journey from industry to MBB consulting equips me with a rare blend of operational insight and strategic acumen.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Offering top-tier expertise at a more attractive price point.-Customization: I deliver personalized strategies, ensuring solutions are directly aligned with specific challenges.
- Credibility: With a background in both industry roles and consulting, I offer advice that’s grounded and actionable, bridging the gap between operational needs and strategic goals.
This unique mix of flexibility, expertise, and tailored engagement makes independent professionals like me valuable partners for PE firms aiming for efficient, impactful portfolio management.
Q. Describe a recent or successful assignment in terms of scope, duration and any particular highlights in the outcomes.
Comprehensive Organizational Transformation Through Strategic Procurement
Scope & Duration: In a dynamic 6-month project for a thermoforming leader, recently acquired by a PE firm, I've embarked on a transformative journey to redefine procurement and its strategic role across the organization's four locations.
Challenge: With ambitions to double its $25M revenue within three years, the company faced a critical bottleneck: an outdated, tactical procurement system. This system was misaligned with the strategic expansion goals, necessitating a comprehensive overhaul to streamline operations and reduce liabilities.
Approach:
- Conducted an Organizational Assessment, identifying inefficiencies and opportunities for digital transformation within procurement and its interfacing departments (inventory, supply chain, manufacturing, AP/AR).
- Redesigned Procurement Governance, implementing a new framework to enhance decision-making, align procurement activities with strategic goals, and significantly reduce organizational liabilities.
- Fostered Cross-Functional Collaboration, ensuring the procurement transformation was integrally supported and beneficial across the entire organization.
Results:
- Procurement Centralization: Shifted from managing 20% to 80% of spending through strategic procurement, vastly improving oversight and efficiency.
- Operational Efficiency: Reduced procurement staffing needs by 150%, from 2.5 to 1 FTE, demonstrating significant process optimization without compromising growth capacity.
- Cost Savings: achieved 15% cost savings as a result of the implemented changes.
- Strategic Supplier Relationships: Streamlined PO processing by 50% and achieved a 98% on-time delivery rate, meeting stringent ISO standards.
Highlights: This project exemplified the power of strategic procurement in driving comprehensive organizational change. The revamped governance framework not only aligned procurement with the company’s expansion ambitions but also played a pivotal role in reducing company liabilities and fostering a culture of strategic thinking and accountability.
By transforming procurement from a tactical necessity to a strategic asset, we laid a robust foundation for the company's aggressive growth plans, ensuring it is well-positioned to double its revenue as targeted. This case demonstrates the critical value add of strategic procurement expertise in a PE context, emphasizing efficiency, scalability, and risk mitigation.
Q. What advice would you give to anyone about to embark on an independent career as to how they can provide the best results for a client, while fulfilling their own career path?
Embrace a dual-focused approach that combines deep industry expertise with a genuine understanding of your clients' strategic objectives.
Q. What's your favourite thing to do when you're not on the clock?
Mountaineering. I've summitted Kilimanjaro, hiked the Himalayas, Patagonia, Carpathians, Alps. Training to summit Mont Blanc and Matterhorn this summer.
Q. What aspects do you enjoy about working in a PE environment?
The PE environment is unique, combining high stakes with the thrill of transforming potential into success. For me, this world is about blending the intensity of strategic decision-making with the creativity of turning challenges into opportunities. I revel in the dynamic pace where no two projects are alike, allowing me to apply my deep industry and consulting expertise in fresh contexts.
It’s the mix of collaborating closely with ambitious teams, driving impactful changes, and witnessing the direct fruits of our labor that excites me the most. Each project is a new narrative of growth, innovation, and enhanced performance, making my work not just a job, but a passion for excellence and transformation .
Are you in need of procurement and supply chain expertise to help achieve operational excellence and innovation? Engage with talent like Maryana by posting a project now, or by talking to us about how to build up a pool of similar talent in the field.