Marta Steer ’06’s sense of adventure has led her across continents, up mountains, and, in 2025, to the top of Forbes Women Poland’s women in business list.
Born in Poland and raised in the United States from age four, Steer selected Bryant because the university’s global reach, and the scholarship that made attending possible, gave her the runway she needed to hone her vision for her future. After testing international waters through a study abroad trip to Germany, Steer graduated from Bryant and went on to earn her MBA at the University of Minnesota and the University of Warsaw before going on to consulting work in the Middle East.
“If you are looking to work for a multinational, getting exposure in more competitive markets makes a big difference,” she says. “It shapes your ability to run an organization across different cultures and languages.”
Steer went on to work in project management for a global procurement company, then transitioned to a role with InfoSys when her daughter — who is following in her mother’s footsteps and studying business in college — was young. For the last decade, she’s worked at Marsh McLennan, rising in the ranks to now lead the firm’s European business support services arm.
Steer’s career path has always been driven by motion, and she encourages young professionals to jump when provided the opportunity. “You need to take risks. Say yes to different opportunities. Sometimes you’ll discover what’s for you and what’s not,” she says. “Education can’t stop when you leave your university, especially now with everything changing so quickly. Be flexible and adaptable. Keep learning.”
In her current role as a managing director at Marsh McLennan, Steer partners with universities on embedded, project-based learning experiences where students collaborate directly with industry.
“About 70 percent of their ideas actually get implemented,” she notes. “We learn a lot from them, and they learn a lot from us.”
Steer also gives back to Bryant by serving as a member of the university’s Global Advisory Council, which is charged with elevating Bryant's profile and expanding opportunities for students on an international scale.
Her appetite for challenge extends beyond her career. Steer and her husband recently completed a trekking expedition in Nepal — “hard work, but beautiful,” she says — which mirrors her approach to professional growth: always pushing into new terrain and staying adaptable.