Transformation that Sticks

Complex change is where execution fails.

I partner with executives as a strategic Chief of Staff and operating partner — aligning strategy, operations, and leadership systems so transformation delivers and sustains.

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About Me

I am a Chief of Staff–caliber strategic operator with 20+ years leading enterprise transformation, operating model design, and governance inside global, matrixed, highly regulated organizations.

I partner with CEOs, CIOs, COOs, CHROs, and executive teams to translate strategy into execution—designing the operating cadence, governance, and decision systems required to move complex organizations forward.

My background spans:

  • Enterprise transformation and PMO leadership in Fortune 100 financial institutions

  • Workforce and operating model redesign at 50,000+ employee scale

  • Practice-building and executive operations in top-tier consulting firms

I work fractionally, interim, or as a trusted advisor, depending on what the moment requires—but the mandate is always the same:
clarity, execution, and sustained impact.

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Learn More About Mary Schaub

How I Partner

From Fortune 500 enterprises to high-growth firms, I work with leaders who are navigating complexity, urgency, and the very real risk of stalled transformation.

If you’ve stepped into a new role in a chaotic organization, are steering high-stakes change, or are facing a major professional shift with personal implications, I help you:

  • Cut through the noise and focus on what matters most

  • Align your leadership team around clear priorities

  • Keep your people engaged, motivated, and delivering from start to finish

Your toughest challenge is the starting point for your next success.

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How I’ve Helped Organizations

  • A forest fire with flaming trees and thick smoke over a river.

    When It’s High-Stakes

    At a major U.S. bank, I designed a transformation strategy impacting 50,000+ employees. The result: a scalable workforce model, $30M+ in annual savings, and a set of roadmaps that kept execution on track long after launch.

  • An old, black classic car parked on the side of a long, empty road under dark, cloudy skies in a rural area with fields on either side.

    When Execution Stalls

    For the merger of a large multinational technology firm with a global engineering company, I rebuilt the post-merger operating model, unified the executive team, and introduced new operating procedures to keep the business running at full strength during integration.

  • Three orange ants are working together to move a small stick or branch in a green, mossy environment.

    When Alignment is Critical

    Developed an enterprise-wide customer relationship management strategy for a leading professional services firm, including technical specifications, training programs, and performance metrics. The initiative connected sales, marketing, finance, and legal functions across 30 countries.

  • A jaguar and a porcupine facing each other on the ground.

    When Failure Isn’t an Option

    For a U.S. financial institution, built and embedded a transformation function and PMO that surpassed regulatory standards. Standardized enterprise procedures and instituting Board and ExCo-level reporting. Reduced risk and increased ROI for a $2B+ change portfolio.

  • A garden with withered and dead plants alongside vibrant, blooming pink and red flowers, with yellow flowers scattered throughout.

    When Change Fatigue Sets In

    For a global consultancy, restructured roles, career paths, and succession plans—elevating the enterprise support service model, reducing operating costs by $12M and creating a future-ready talent model to strengthen the firm’s skills pipeline.

  • A group of deer, including adult and fawn, crossing a two-lane road with cars approaching from behind, surrounded by trees.

    When Priorities Compete

    For a global marketing organization managing multiple high-visibility initiatives, built a governance framework that clarified decision rights, streamlined workflows, and eliminated project overlap—cutting delivery time by 25% with no increase in headcount.

Services I Offer

Chief of Staff, Transformation & Strategic Operations

A trusted partner to support your most critical growth and execution priorities.

  • Strategy & Operational Alignment

  • Operating Model Optimization

  • Transformation Maturity

  • Cultural-Operations

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Advisory & Coaching

For high-performers looking to utilize their innate personal strengths and authentic nature for professional impact.

  • Leading with EQ in a cultural context

  • Aligning personal/professional values and personas

  • Inspiring high performing cultures

  • Work/life balance and resiliency-building

Woman with glasses speaking at a podium with a microphone and a laptop.

Working with Me

I don’t just advise from the sidelines—I get in the trenches with you. Whether you need an embedded executive to steer transformation and operations, or a trusted executive coach to sharpen your leadership edge, I bring the clarity, discipline, and momentum that high-stakes change demands.

My approach is simple, but powerful:

  1. Find the real barriers.

  2. Get alignment.

  3. Execute with precision.

If you’re ready for change that sticks—and a partner who will help you achieve your planned outcomes—let’s get to work.

Fractals of Change

It starts with a simple truth found throughout nature: patterns repeat. From galaxies to nervous systems to organizational cultures, the same underlying structures shape how things grow, adapt, and evolve. The podcast explores these patterns through systems theory, fractal geometry, psychology, Walter Russell’s metaphysics, and lived executive experience.

Hosted by Mary Schaub, the show moves fluidly between the personal and the organizational—identity, leadership, culture, creativity, complexity—revealing how transformation at any level follows the same deep architecture. Through dialogues with thinkers, researchers, executives, and creators, each episode illuminates the emotional, relational, and structural forces that influence human potential and collective change.

Both practical and philosophical, Fractals of Change is a space where complexity becomes navigable and the hidden order of change comes into view.

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