Maria Bista

Background

About Maria Bista

COO / Chief Operating Officer | Operational Transformation | Cost Optimisation | Governance & Scale-Ups I am a seasoned COO and Transformation Leader with 20+ years driving large-scale change, cost discipline, and operational excellence across Financial Services, Technology, Media, and PE-backed environments. At Barclays, I managed a £3.6bn global cost base across the Corporate & Investment Bank, delivered £200m+ in savings, and led a 170-strong team across 3 continents. At Sky, I directed pan-European planning and delivery across Group Technology, embedding governance and alignment across multiple territories. More recently, I have applied this experience to **start-ups, founder-led businesses, and private boards**, bringing clarity, structure, and commercial discipline to fast-paced environments. I am known for fixing what’s broken, building frameworks that stick, and protecting value in complex, high-pressure settings. Whether it’s governance, operational turnaround, or scaling for growth, I thrive on creating order from complexity and accelerating performance in partnership with boards and C-suite stakeholders. My expertise spans COO leadership, strategic transformation, cost optimisation, cross-functional execution, governance, PE portfolio readiness, and board-level partnership. Operational Transformation & Cost Optimisation (FS & PE-backed Environments)| Private Equity Value Creation, Exit Readiness & Post-Merger Integration (PMI)| Financial Services Operations, Risk & Regulatory Compliance (GRC)| Cross-Border Stakeholder Management & C-Suite / Board-Level Reporting | Digital Transformation, Data-Driven Operating Models & Target Operating Models (TOM)| Enterprise Change Management & Organisational Effectiveness | Cost Reduction, Efficiency Gains & EBITDA Uplift | Commercial Negotiation, Vendor Management & Outsourcing Strategies | Leadership Development, Culture Change & Talent Uplift