Oliver Wyman partner Maria T. Blanco joins Marakon
Management consultancy firm Marakon has bolstered its team with the addition of Oliver Wyman partner Maria Teresa Blanco. The new partner, who will operate from New York, will focus on clients in the Financial Services sector.
Maria Teresa Blanco has roughly 20 years’ experience, of which more than 10 years in the consulting industry. Most recently, she was a Partner in the Corporate and Institutional Banking practice at Oliver Wyman. Prior to that, she was a Managing Director at Banc of America Securities and served in a variety of roles, such as Chief Operating Officer for Global Markets, Head of New Product Development, and banker responsible for insurers and re-insurers in debt capital markets. Previously, she was a member of the North American Wholesale and Investment Banking practice at McKinsey & Company. Blanco started her career at Procter & Gamble.
Over the past two decades, she has specialised in the banking industry, and gained extensive experience in among others Investment Banking, Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking, as well as Transaction Banking, Risk, and Regulation. In addition, she co-authored ‘Dangerous Markets’, a book on financial crises, with specific authorship of chapters on crises causes and banking in emerging markets.
At Marakon, a management consulting practice at Charles River Associates*, Blanco will bolster the Financial Services team, and be based in the firm’s New York office. “It is a pleasure to welcome Maria Teresa Blanco to CRA and Marakon,” says CRA’s Chief Executive Officer Paul Maleh. “Maria’s expertise in banking is a great addition, and she is the latest hire to support our vision of a comprehensive and expanded Financial Services offering at Marakon.” Mason Kissell, who leads Marakon, adds: “As banks get back to the business of growth, value disciplines are more relevant than ever. We are focused on building a Financial Services offering with leaders who collectively understand the diverse needs of the sector and are highly regarded for their insights. Maria Teresa Blanco brings a new dimension to our banking practice and we are excited to welcome her to the team.”
“The banking industry is at a critical juncture. Banks are facing pressing strategic issues, trying to fundamentally change their business models to adapt to greater regulation while seeking new ways to grow in a challenging environment. The timing is right to help expand Marakon’s Financial Services offering, and I’m excited to join this growing team and build a banking practice,” comments Blanco.
Maria Teresa Blanco holds a Master of Business Administration from Yale University, where she specialised in Financial Theory, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Caracas, Venezuela).
Last month Marakon also boosted its Financial Services team with the addition of John Rolander and Srini Venkateswaran, two former partners of Booz & Company (currently Strategy&) – both consulting veterans decided to leave Booz early this year following the firm’s decision to sell the business to Big 4 firm PwC.
* In June 2009 Charles River Associates (CRA), an international consulting with 13 offices across the globe, acquired substantially all of Marakon Associates. Since, Marakon operates as an independent brand within CRA.
