maarja-liis.ee

I like making sense of complicated things.

Especially when there is no obvious answer.

I am a strategist, marketer and facilitator with 15+ years of experience helping organisations figure out where they are going, what matters and what to do next.

My background is in marketing, but my work has gradually moved closer to the questions behind marketing – strategy, growth, leadership, change and the choices that shape a business.

Today, I work with leadership teams, companies and organisations on exactly those questions. I help create strategy, challenge thinking, facilitate difficult conversations and turn ideas into something people can actually use.

I have worked in both local and international organisations, across different industries and at different stages of growth. I have led teams, built brands, launched businesses, developed strategies and worked through the less glamorous part that comes afterwards – getting people to actually make it happen.

That experience has taught me something I find myself coming back to again and again:

Most organisations do not suffer from a lack of ideas. They suffer from a lack of clarity about which ideas matter.

That is usually where I can help.

A little more about me

I hold a Master’s degree in Strategic Management from the University of Tartu, where I graduated cum laude. My thesis looked at the barriers to growth in Estonian companies – and, unsurprisingly, many of them had less to do with markets and more to do with ambition, strategy and leadership.

I currently lead Group-level marketing and strategy creation at Magnum, working across multiple businesses, markets and teams. Before that, I have worked in retail, hospitality, branding, communications and marketing – from leading large teams to building a fully digitalised hotel brand from the ground up.

Along the way, some of the work has been recognised with industry awards. More importantly, it has taught me how to move between the big picture and the details without losing sight of either.

I am also a certified workshopper and have a particular interest in how people think and make decisions together. Because even the smartest strategy is not worth much if the people responsible for making it happen do not understand it, believe in it or know what to do with it.

How I work

I am curious, direct and pragmatic.

I like good questions more than impressive answers. I will challenge assumptions when they need challenging, but I am equally interested in understanding why something has become the way it is before trying to change it.

I do not believe in adding complexity to make something look strategic.

The best work usually makes things simpler – clearer choices, sharper priorities and a better understanding of what happens next.

That is what I try to bring to the table.