Viktoriia Presnaia: The Executive Who Taught Nightlife How to Think in Numbers

The hospitality and nightlife industry is traditionally associated with emotions, creativity, and atmosphere. Behind the scenes, however, it remains one of the most complex and high-risk sectors to manage—defined by staff turnover, financial leakage, reputational vulnerability, and constant operational pressure. Very few professionals are capable of transforming this environment into a stable, scalable, and financially transparent business. Viktoriia Presnaia is one of them.

An executive hospitality and nightlife manager, operational and financial strategist, and crisis-management expert, Presnaia represents a new generation of leaders for whom success is measured not only by popularity or aesthetics, but by sustainability, predictability, and long-term value creation.

Today, she lives and works in the United States as an independent executive manager and strategic consultant for premium hospitality and nightlife projects on international markets.

From Hands-On Operations to Systemic Leadership

Presnaia’s career began at the operational level—where decisions are made under pressure and mistakes carry immediate financial consequences. This early experience shaped her core philosophy: first understand the business from the inside, then build systems capable of functioning without constant manual intervention.

Over time, her role evolved to the executive level. At Soho Family Group, one of the largest hospitality holdings in Russia, Presnaia became a key architect of financial and operational models for the company’s flagship projects.

Projects That Became Industry Benchmarks

Under Presnaia’s leadership, iconic venues such as Secret Room, Café Druzhba, Zavarka, Rakovarnya, Arena by Soho Family, and River Beach Club were launched, stabilized, and scaled. These projects helped define Moscow’s nightlife scene while simultaneously demonstrating an unusually high level of operational control for the sector.

Individual venues achieved monthly revenues of up to 500 million rubles, while the financial and operational frameworks she designed—including deposit systems, VIP programs, anti-theft protocols, and structured performance control—were later adopted as corporate standards and scaled to international projects, including initiatives in the Middle East.

In her executive roles, Presnaia managed teams of 500 to 1,000 employees, oversaw launches and restructurings, and made key strategic and financial decisions that directly impacted the long-term stability of the business.

Management as Mathematics, Not Improvisation

Presnaia’s approach challenges the traditional perception of nightlife management. For her, leadership is not about constant control or “putting out fires,” but about designing predictable systems where creativity and customer experience are supported by strict financial discipline.

She is known for combining rigorous operational control with concept-driven guest experiences, proving that emotional value and financial logic are not opposites, but mutually reinforcing elements.

“Business sustainability starts with financial transparency and respect for the people who create those numbers,” is a principle that underpins all of her work.

International Recognition and Expert Authority

Presnaia’s expertise has gained recognition beyond operational management. In 2024, she was officially invited to serve on the jury of the ECDMA Global Awards, a UK-based international award recognizing excellence in digital innovation, business transformation, and operational efficiency.

Her appointment reflected her deep experience in digital transformation, multi-site operational systems, and strategic business development within the HoReCa sector.

In 2025, Presnaia became a member of the International Association of Entrepreneurs and Executives, an organization that admits members exclusively through an expert council review based on verified professional achievements, leadership experience, and industry impact.

Contributing to the Industry’s Intellectual Capital

Beyond practice, Presnaia actively contributes to the theoretical development of hospitality management. In 2025, she authored peer-reviewed academic articles published in Financial Business and Innovations and Investments, addressing digital transformation, financial governance, and loss-reduction models in the premium HoReCa segment.

Her work bridges the gap between real-world executive practice and academic research, reinforcing her position as both a practitioner and a thought leader in the field.

Currently, Presnaia is working on a book dedicated to systemic management in hospitality and nightlife—aimed at executives operating in complex, high-risk service environments.

Redefining the Future of Hospitality

Viktoriia Presnaia’s mission is to reshape global hospitality standards by creating businesses that are financially transparent, culturally relevant, and structurally resilient. Her focus is not on short-term profit, but on building operational ecosystems capable of sustainable growth across markets.

In an industry where experiences have become currency, Presnaia demonstrates that true luxury lies not only in design or exclusivity, but in strategy, discipline, and systems that work.