Member since February 2026
Marianne Bachynski is a visionary executive, board member, and author who thrives at the intersection of technology and business, guiding organizations through uncertainty with speed, precision, and a deep commitment to innovation. She is known for her adaptive leadership, strategic foresight, and ability to navigate complexity with purpose.
Passionate about empowering others, Marianne develops talent through authentic and adaptive leadership, fostering cultures of collaboration, transparency, and resilience. Her motivation to help people reach their full potential is the driving force behind her leadership.
Leadership is not a transaction—it’s a service. As a leader, helping people fill a gap, moving them to a role where they can succeed and, in the best case, providing them with a platform where they can achieve their potential is one of my biggest passions. I always clear the field when I start a project. I think about what game we’re playing, assessing talent, finding a way to fill the gaps, and positioning people on the field to win. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing people step up, grow, collaborate, innovate, and cross the finish line, leaving it all on the field.
STAY FOCUSED ON BOTH THE BIG PICTURE AND THE TACTICAL EXECUTION: When I was the CIO of the Investment Management business at Morgan Stanley, they acquired four companies in rapid succession, and we had to simultaneously integrate all the technology platforms into one global platform. Our integration plans entailed blending cultures, respecting different ways of working, and making real decisions about what would remain, what would change, and what would be integrated. The deal of the merger was at the macro level; making it work was at the micro level. Strategy happens both at thirty thousand feet and at ground level. As such, our strategy wasn’t just about markets or margins—it was about people. We quickly learned it is impossible to operate efficiently without one common company culture.
I know how rare it is, when asked the question “Would you choose your mother and father again if you had the choice?”, to answer with a definitive yes and yes. They taught me the three Cs: confidence, compassion, and courage. My dad instilled in me the power of adaptive leadership, the importance of committing to a lifetime of learning, and a passion for helping people achieve their potential. He also guided me to pursue a career in technology with its endless possibilities and limitless expansion. My mother was an extraordinary female mentor and way ahead of her time. She was fearless, fiercely independent, and never hesitated to fall forward. She taught me to establish my identity, find my voice, and always bet on myself.
Leadership approaches that are fundamentally misaligned with volatile business environments persist. I saw this happening in real time on Wall Street, and I knew I had to decide what kind of leader I was going to be. And as the only woman in the room nearly all the time, I did not really have a road map for what kind of leader I could be. Except that was not quite true. I have always been an authentic leader at heart—and I learned that philosophy by following my father around his office when I was a young woman working a summer job before going off to university. His approach to leadership laid the very foundation for what I now understand as authentic, adaptive leadership.
STAY FOCUSED ON BOTH THE BIG PICTURE AND THE TACTICAL EXECUTION: When I was the CIO of the Investment Management business at Morgan Stanley, they acquired four companies in rapid succession, and we had to simultaneously integrate all the technology platforms into one global platform. Our integration plans entailed blending cultures, respecting different ways of working, and making real decisions about what would remain, what would change, and what would be integrated. The deal of the merger was at the macro level; making it work was at the micro level. Strategy happens both at thirty thousand feet and at ground level. As such, our strategy wasn’t just about markets or margins—it was about people. We quickly learned it is impossible to operate efficiently without one common company culture.
I know how rare it is, when asked the question “Would you choose your mother and father again if you had the choice?”, to answer with a definitive yes and yes. They taught me the three Cs: confidence, compassion, and courage. My dad instilled in me the power of adaptive leadership, the importance of committing to a lifetime of learning, and a passion for helping people achieve their potential. He also guided me to pursue a career in technology with its endless possibilities and limitless expansion. My mother was an extraordinary female mentor and way ahead of her time. She was fearless, fiercely independent, and never hesitated to fall forward. She taught me to establish my identity, find my voice, and always bet on myself.
Leadership approaches that are fundamentally misaligned with volatile business environments persist. I saw this happening in real time on Wall Street, and I knew I had to decide what kind of leader I was going to be. And as the only woman in the room nearly all the time, I did not really have a road map for what kind of leader I could be. Except that was not quite true. I have always been an authentic leader at heart—and I learned that philosophy by following my father around his office when I was a young woman working a summer job before going off to university. His approach to leadership laid the very foundation for what I now understand as authentic, adaptive leadership.