The Business Leader of the Future: what skills and approaches define success today
How can top managers adapt to rapidly changing market conditions, what underlies the effective implementation of innovative projects, and why do experienced professionals choose to return to learning? Maria Petrova, Vice President of Sales at Health & Nutrition, spoke about this in an interview with Andrey Sharomov, PR Director and Associate Professor at the HSE Graduate School of Business.
Maria, what challenges is your company facing today, and what are your goals as Vice President of Sales?
I don’t think I’ll surprise anyone by saying that the main goal of the Vice President of Sales—and the entire team—is, of course, to sell more. This is how we fulfill the company’s mission: “To care for the health and happiness of generations every day.”
To achieve this goal and fulfill our mission, it’s important for us to present our product wherever the customer is—whether it’s a physical store shelf, an online platform, a social network, a café, or a restaurant. And of course, we need to build strong partnerships with retailers.
There are many challenges on the way to achieving these goals. I would highlight two main ones.
The first is the need to keep up with the dynamic channel landscape, which is developing rapidly. Not just to keep up, but to anticipate it. New retail formats are emerging, along with new tools for operating within them. The buying and selling process is no longer linear—everyone is selling to everyone. We need to understand how it all works now, understand the needs of both customers and retail partners, figure out what exactly needs to be done, and adapt the company to those needs and changes.
The second challenge is building strong, long-term partnerships. At the moment, we’re still operating within the framework of annual negotiations, where both sides agree on how much one will produce and the other will sell over the course of a year—or even a quarter.
You mentioned partnerships—what do they mean in this context?
A partnership approach is about creating joint value: when we don’t divide an existing profit or revenue pool, but create a new one. When we collaborate not just within the limits of annual contracts but think long-term. This is a big challenge—for us, for retailers, and for manufacturers. We still have a lot to learn in this area.
You and a large group of your colleagues completed the Business Leader of the Future program at HSE GSB. What led you to seek out this training?
Yes, I was a participant in the program and a member of the expert commission that evaluated the final projects. Our company has undergone massive transformation over the past two years—and it’s still ongoing. We moved from being part of a global business to becoming a powerful local company that is now fully independent. We now define our own strategy, set our own goals, choose the tools to achieve them, and are responsible for the results.
During this transformation, we realized that our leadership team needed a unified understanding of the main drivers of managing such a large company. It was important that our employees be able to see business opportunities, turn those opportunities into concrete projects measurable in financial or other metrics, and present these projects to stakeholders to eventually get the green light for implementation.
Additionally, our company is large—we have over 5,000 employees. We deliver products across the entire country, from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka. So, we also wanted our colleagues to be able to work cross-functionally and interact more with one another. The feedback after the training showed that we succeeded.
What can you say about the skills and competencies that participants of the Business Leader of the Future program developed?
First is the overall business perspective and foresight—the ability to look ahead and plan the present and near future accordingly. Second is design thinking and working with uncertainty. That was one of the most significant and, in my opinion, successful parts of the program. Third—cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder engagement, communication, and the ability to present and defend your ideas or project within a very short time frame. That’s also a key skill. There were other important modules as well, including financial management, leadership, and taking responsibility.
And I’ll separately mention risk management—it was, if I’m not mistaken, the topic of the program’s third module. Taking on risk is a really important aspect. Over the past 2–2.5 years, our company has made it part of our routine: we try to assess risks, anticipate them, and find scenarios for effective responses.
Have the knowledge and skills acquired in the program been applied in the participants’ professional work within the company?
I would divide this into two areas: the implementation of specific projects, which we may discuss further, and the behavioral changes and habits I’ve observed as a leader.
Now they prepare for presentations much more thoroughly, communicate their ideas more clearly, and have a better understanding of the business as a whole. That’s the business acumen we’re talking about—a broader business perspective. In addition, employees have begun striving for more productive cross-functional collaboration, no longer staying siloed when making decisions and taking into account the KPIs of different departments.
Could you say a few words about the final project defenses? Which ones have moved forward, and what were they about?
The project defense was a story in itself. The entire management committee genuinely enjoyed it. Normally you go into such events thinking, “I’ll have to sit here for six hours listening,” but this time everyone agreed it flew by. After the presentations, the organizers brought us into a separate room and asked us to pick three winners. We started the discussion and within the first three minutes someone asked, “Are there any projects here we’re not ready to say yes to?” And everyone said no. We were ready to give the green light to all of them. So we decided collectively that rather than choose just one winner, it made more sense to give all the teams detailed feedback to help improve their solutions. When we returned to the room, we announced that all the projects would move forward.
Can you share more about a couple of the projects, if they don’t involve confidential business information?
We had several initiatives focused on developing new products and modifying production facilities accordingly. I don’t think I’ll reveal any secrets by saying that there’s a trend in the dairy category toward high-protein products. There’s also a trend toward ready-to-eat meals and out-of-home consumption. We, of course, focus on directions that are interesting to consumers.
There were also projects aimed at operational efficiency—optimizing various processes and reducing costs, including through partnership solutions in logistics and supply chains. For example, how to better serve remote areas. These were primarily operations and logistics projects. In addition, there were initiatives aimed at developing specific sales channels and collaborating with new partners.
Could you briefly describe the key features and advantages of the program at our business school?
First is the willingness—or even the deliberate effort—to truly understand the client. Not just for form’s sake, but to identify real needs and offer a solution that is tailored—or, as we say now, customized—to those needs. Second is the very high level of the teaching staff, with excellent knowledge and materials that they are ready to adapt to the audience.
Also worth noting is the overall commitment to results throughout the program. From the development phase to the final stage, we could feel the desire to achieve—not just any result, but to help the participants achieve specific results. That’s how we measure the program’s success, not just by how many lectures were attended.
Were there any courses or topics in the program that you personally liked most?
Personally, I especially liked two areas: the block on strategy and foresight, and the part on design thinking. As a leader of an organization, I’m responsible for its future, its independence, and its ability to chart its own development as a large, stand-alone business. Now we create our own products and business directions, implement them ourselves, and learn from our own mistakes. Design thinking is one of the key methods that helps us see business opportunities and turn ideas into real solutions.
Did your expectations at the beginning of the program align with the final result?
As you can probably tell, I had a very positive experience. And here’s why: I’m a results-driven person, and seeing those results makes me happy. When the result is not only visible but tangible—“on the table,” so to speak—it’s especially satisfying. You know, when you start a program and see that there’s going to be project work, you sometimes think, “Okay, this will just be a learning exercise, the point is to learn.” And yes, the point is to learn. If the project doesn’t succeed, you can at least say you tried out new methods. But this was one of those cases where we not only learned, but achieved real business outcomes.