How Viviane Tschanz Is Rewriting the Consulting Playbook

When Viviane Tschanz was working in corporate banking, she kept seeing the same pattern play out: her team would hire top-tier consulting firms to diagnose problems everyone already understood. The consultants would interview stakeholders, deliver a polished deck, send a six-figure invoice—and leave. Execution still fell to the same internal team, already stretched thin.

Viviane knew there had to be a better way. What if companies could bring in someone with deep institutional expertise who didn’t just advise—but stayed to actually do the work? Someone who could step in alongside leadership and help carry initiatives across the finish line.

When she stepped away from corporate banking, Viviane realized she could be that person. As a longtime right hand to executive leaders, she had built a career scaling operations, launching products, leading cross-functional initiatives, and integrating acquisitions—often under intense pressure.

Her experience in fintech had also sparked a deep interest in bridging financial innovation with traditional banking infrastructure. That intersection became the foundation for Apollo Consulting. Today, the firm partners with founders and forward-thinking bank leaders as strategic operators—delivering risk-aligned execution from vision through implementation. As founder, Viviane is redefining what consulting can look like and building a model rooted not just in insight, but in action.

In what ways has your upbringing or past experiences contributed to how you operate as an entrepreneur?

When I think about how my upbringing and career shaped the way I lead, three formative experiences come to mind. The first was my mother’s career in Brazil, where she worked at the government development bank and was responsible for approving state-funded infrastructure for underserved communities. Watching her was my earliest exposure to how banking can be a force for good in everyday lives. 

The second came early in my career. I was a brand-new manager—maybe 24 years old—and my boss sent me into a contentious meeting with a slightly profane send-off I’ll paraphrase like this: “Go in hard and don't apologize for it.” It taught me early that leadership sometimes means walking into uncomfortable rooms before you feel ready, holding your ground, and not shrinking from hard conversations. 

The third was a performance review later in my career. An executive described me as a thinker, which was meant as both a compliment and a challenge. I do think deeply; I analyze, question assumptions, and want to understand the full picture. But the implicit message was to stop letting the thinking become a substitute for action. Since then, I've learned to pair those instincts by thinking rigorously and moving decisively. 

Together, those experiences define how I operate today. I work in banking because it is essential infrastructure for how societies function. I learned early to stand my ground in difficult rooms. And I've spent a career ensuring that thinking always leads to decisive action.

Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I never envisioned myself as an entrepreneur. I thrive behind the scenes—improving, optimizing, integrating, scaling. During my MBA at UCLA, my classmates were all building pitch decks. I was happy at my corporate banking job, genuinely enjoying the corporate climb through my twenties. 

But a few things happened that changed my mindset. The first was my family. Suddenly, I didn’t want to spend 50 hours a week in an office away from my sons. I didn’t want to explain to my boss why I needed to do school drops-offs. I wanted to be present, and I wanted to structure my career in a way that allowed that.

My last corporate role ended during a period of significant organizational transition. I had to ask myself some questions. What did I want my next chapter to look like? After 20 years in financial services, I decided the moment was right to build something aligned to the way I had always operated: as the execution arm to leadership, bridging innovation and regulated reality.

Have you discovered any underappreciated leadership traits or misconceptions around leadership?

Honesty is one of the most underappreciated leadership traits. In many professional environments, there’s a tendency to soften feedback. But execution depends on clarity. If we aren’t truthful about where things stand, we can’t improve them. The leaders who shaped me most were direct. They told me what I was doing well, where I was falling short, what needed to happen, and what wasn't happening fast enough. That clarity accelerates growth. Veiled feedback and vague encouragement slows it down. Real leaders are willing to tell the truth. They say the hard thing in the room, even when it would be easier not to. They don’t hide behind politeness or postpone difficult conversations. Honesty isn’t harsh. It’s courageous.

How would you describe the journey you’ve had in a few sentences. And would you do it all over again?

Twenty years of scaling things, fixing things, integrating things, and delivering for leaders who needed more than a deck. I challenged the status quo. When there wasn't an open door, I forced my way through a window. I told the truth, even when it was uncomfortable. I said yes to the unglamorous but essential work I was built for. I stayed close to the leaders who trusted me with new challenges and had my back when it mattered. Those relationships shaped everything. This wasn’t a series of random moves, but a steady evolution of who I’ve always been.