Consulting Magazine - December 2015

OF THE WOMEN LEADERS
IN CONSULTING
MARIA WHITMAN

MANAGING PRINCIPAL / ZS ASSOCIATES / FUTURE LEADER AWARD

Maria Whitman is the Managing Principal of ZS Associates’ Philadelphia office and she leads the firm’s Oncology and Specialty Therapeutics practice.

When Whitman started her MBA at Wharton, she was certain she wanted to transition out of professional services to industry. She enjoyed an internship at a large pharmaceutical company, but says there was something missing.

“Several colleagues at Wharton
suggested I consider consulting.
Knowing me well, they emphasized
the fast pace, continuous learning,
and the variety of problems—struc-
tured and unstructured—to solve,”
Whitman says. “I adapted my search
and interviewed with several com-
panies, and knew somehow from the
first interaction with ZS I belonged
there, so I joined in 2005.”
ZS was growing in the strategic
and marketing spaces she enjoyed
the most, and she felt instantly the
academic roots and entrepreneurial
spirit. “I will admit I entered con-
sulting thinking I would re-evaluate
in a few years and look to start some-
thing myself, but I was hooked,” she
says. “This is exactly where I was
meant to be.”
She has advised established and
emerging companies on strategic
marketing and sales issues, includ-
ing launch excellence, brand and
portfolio strategy, customer experi-
ence, customer journey and insight,
scenario planning, effectiveness
and medical affairs strategy.

“I love my job. Every day brings
a new challenge, and this career has
given me the chance to reinvent my-
self and grow in more ways than I
would have thought,” Whitman
says. “Throughout my career, I have
truly enjoyed working closely with
my clients and seeing solutions we
develop together make an impact.”
But the thing that makes her
smile the most at the end of the day
is working with her teams around
the world. “Their energy, intellect,
and commitment challenges and in-
spires me. Seeing them succeed is
my biggest reward,” Whitman says.
“And I know I could not be where I
am without them.”
Building and shaping ZS’s work in
Oncology and Specialty Therapeutics
with her core team has, by far, been
the most rewarding experience and
accomplishment of her career, she
says. “I feel our efforts in Oncology
in a deeper way than the business
growth,” Whitman says. “I look for-
ward to continuing the journey with
an amazingly passionate and dedicat-
ed team in an area we love.”
As far as the award, Whitman
says it’s a testament to the tradition
of quality, excellence, and impact
the firm demonstrates and she con-
tinuously strives for personally,”
she says. “Winning this award is a
call to action to continue to bring the
same excellence to the work I do,
the clients I serve, and the amazing
team I am fortunate enough to work
with every day.”

Maria Whitman says: “Your career can be whatever you want it to be. You need to work hard, and be voraciously curious. And while it is your personal journey, you must have the confidence to ask questions when you need to. Invest in building a personal network and team that complements what you bring, because none of us have all the skills and answers on our own. At the end of the day, remember to be who you are—your authentic self. Because your mark will not just be the work you do, but the way you do it and the relationships you build.”