The 2023 Rising Stars of the Profession: Marek Kosmowski

Marek Kosmowski is a director with Protiviti's Digital and Innovation practice in Southeast Asia, where he oversees projects across the region and is responsible for driving business development, Protiviti's partner ecosystem, and adoption of new technologies both for clients and internally. Working closely with other Protiviti practice leaders, Kosmowski leads multidisciplinary teams to deliver a broad range of client offerings related to AI, blockchain, design thinking, digital banking, machine learning, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and UX/UI along with digital transformation, business and change management, and customer experience.

Kosmowski combines a mix of experience from the financial service industry, having worked directly for some of the leading banks in Europe and Asia, with extensive and well-rounded consulting expertise. Before joining Protiviti, he served as a director at UBS, where he led a team focused on driving implementations of RPA, AI and other digital technologies and initiatives. Prior to that, Kosmowski headed up business consulting and digital initiatives at Capco, a global management consultancy with a core focus in financial services, and he also served in management and consulting roles at KPMG and NatWest Group.

Kosmowski, based in Singapore, holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in business management from Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales. He is a Design Thinking Practitioner, Agile Project Management Practitioner, PRINCE2 Practitioner, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and is ITIL certified in IT Service Management. He recently authored an article on the importance of RPA to the banking industry in Indonesia

What would you say has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

First – being active, open and collaborative, and especially in the context of Southeast Asia, where I live and work – being respectful toward people, different cultures and their customs. Second – the people and teams I work with and the relationships I've built. Nothing happens without people and any success is determined by the relationships we build over our lifetime.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

The ability to be entrepreneurial – taking on new challenges, learning new things and interacting with different people, different cultures and locations.

Having worked for a few consulting companies in various locations around the world, I can clearly say that being part of Protiviti provides a very different and positive experience, which makes my career in the consulting industry much more rewarding.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

My proudest achievement to date is being recognized and remembered by my clients, partners, and colleagues in a very positive way. When clients, partners and colleagues across Singapore, ASEAN and beyond are genuinely happy to see me, provide positive feedback, and request my support on a regular basis – that is when I know I'm doing the right things for our clients, partners, colleagues and Protiviti. This has exactly been the case and I see this as my proudest achievement to date – being trusted and sought after for things that matter and when things get tough.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

It sounds very simple, but the best advice I ever received was: "Never give up, never surrender."

What does this recognition mean to you?

This recognition is a confirmation that my work is recognized by our clients and colleagues and the industry – a constantly changing and accelerating industry. I see it as a vote of confidence in my capabilities and relationship management skills, things that are crucial in the consulting industry in one of the most dynamically evolving regions of the world – ASEAN, where I operate.