🌍 Two Years of Dialogue Between Vinnytsia, Toronto, and San Francisco

Mariana Tataryn is a Ukrainian-Canadian expert who has been a strategic advisor to IT VN for two years in matters of finance, technology, and global approaches.

This connection is not a formality. It's about interaction that shapes vision, opens markets, and helps Vinnytsia's IT community go beyond the local.

On the occasion of the partnership's second anniversary, we are sharing Mariana's story—a story about sustainability, systematicity, and technology with a human face.

Born in the Western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk, just months before Ukraine declared independence, Mariana Tataryn came into the world on the brink of a new national identity—and charted a path of transformation to match. Today, Mariana is a highly accomplished digital transformation leader, CPA, and global advisor supporting some of North America’s most complex institutions in modernizing finance, systems, and strategy. But her journey across continents, cultures, and codes has been anything but linear.

Raised by a determined single mother and deeply grounded grandparents, Mariana learned from an early age that resilience and compassion are not opposing forces—they are twin strengths. “My mother taught me to persist with grace,” she says, “and my grandparents reminded me to never forget where I came from. To lead with heart. To listen.”

Accelerating From the Start

Mariana’s academic path was always ahead of the curve. At just 16, she compressed the final years of high school into a single year—a bold move that earned her early entrance into university-level studies in Finance and Banking. By 21, she had completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics and finance.

Armed with curiosity and ambition, she moved to Canada in 2012 with plans to sharpen her English, get highly south North American experience and return home. But life, and geopolitics, had other plans. As conflict broke out in Ukraine in 2014, Mariana chose to remain in Toronto and build a new life from the ground up—despite having no Canadian credentials, no local experience, and little to no network. Fast forward – now Mariana is proudly Canadian and exited for her next chapter in the US.

Building From the Ground Up

Her first break came that same year when she was hired into the accounting department of a Toronto business. Determined to grow, she balanced full-time work with full-time studies, completing post-graduate diplomas in accounting and later earning recognized professional designations such as CPA and CFE.

By 2019, Mariana was already consulting for multiple companies and was soon recruited by PwC’s Analytics & Automation team in Ottawa. There, she worked on government engagements, developing and scripting an innovative proof of concept that reconciled payroll transactions across financial systems. “That tool is still in use years later,” she notes with quiet pride. “It was my first experience realizing I could create something that lasts.”

Leadership at Deloitte

In 2021, Mariana was tapped by Deloitte Canada’s Enterprise Technology & Performance practice. She quickly became a go-to advisor for ERP strategy, finance transformation, and public sector modernization, leading end-to-end System implementations of platforms like SAP S/4HANA and Workday Financials, particularly in higher education and public sector settings.

Her niche? Grants Management, Budgeting, Financial Data Models, and AI-enhanced forecasting in public healthcare systems.

Now based in San Francisco, Mariana continues to support U.S. clients across sectors—including education, healthcare, and federal agencies—through systems implementation and strategic advisory work with Deloitte.

Beyond Borders: Service, Strategy, and AI for Good

Mariana’s leadership is not confined to boardrooms or consulting sprints. A firm believer in giving back, she has volunteered and mentored over the years with tax clinics, community development groups, women’s support crisis centers, and most recently The Arc in San Francisco, helping adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities navigate systems and gain confidence.

She also maintains her love to Ukraine. As a Board Advisor to R&D Center WINSTARS.AI, she contributes to AI solutions for healthcare (e.g., AI-assisted eye surgeries) and defense (e.g., ideas for software enhancements). She supports ecosystem development through Technopark Crystal and the IT-VN Association, helping Ukrainian innovation thrive even in wartime.

“I never wanted my work to be only for commercial gain,” she says. “Whether it’s in Toronto, Ternopil, or San Francisco—my measure of success is how many lives it improves.”

A Future for Women in Tech

Mariana’s story is proof that brilliance and service can go hand in hand. From skipping grades in a small Ukrainian town to consulting for North America’s most advanced systems in Canada and the US, she’s quietly rewriting what leadership in tech looks like—balancing intellect, intuition, and impact.

Looking ahead, Mariana hopes to inspire the next generation of Ukrainian innovators, female technologists, and cross-border problem solvers. “We’re entering an era where compassion is a competitive advantage. The future of tech must be human-first—and I want to help shape it.”

And for the 18-year-old girl who once boarded a plane to Canada with no job, no contacts, and no map?“She wouldn’t believe where we are now,” Mariana smiles. “But she’d be proud we never stopped moving.”