Mary A.

Founder at Insights7

Technology

Education: Rice University, BA Poli Sci - American Graduate School of International Management, MIM
Boston, MA, USA

Biography

In a career spanning high risk finance, strategy consulting and entrepreneurship, Mary Adams has been a leader in the global conversations about the opportunities at the intersection of ESG, sustainability and intangible capital.

She is one of three co-founders of Insights7, a software company that recently re-launched its performance management platform to integrate sustainability information alongside financial and operational data to support both external reporting and internal decision making. She is also a co-founder of two communities: The Exit Planning Exchange, a forum for promoting long-term thinking in private companies, and the Integrated Reporting U.S. Community, a forum for promoting long-term thinking in public companies.

Mary is the co-author of Intangible Capital: Putting Knowledge to Work in the 21st Century Organization. Prior to starting her Smarter-Companies consulting firm in 1999, she spent 14 years as a high-risk lender at Citicorp and Sanwa in the U.S. and Latin America.

Passion

I believe that the solutions to the many challenges facing us--as people, workers and citizens--are hidden in plain sight inside our businesses. My passion is helping people unlock this hidden potential to drive both profits and prosperity. It’s the only way forward.

Fun fact: I was the first person to get a speaking gig through the Innovation Women platform!

Featured Video

I am willing to travel

More than 100 miles

When it comes to payments

I sometimes get paid for speaking

Topics

integrated thinkng integrated reporting intangible capital sustainability holistic business management esg valuation stakeholder management performance measurement sustainable value creation digital capital business growth innovation conscious capitalism systems thinking author

Best Story

An important light bulb moment for me came when I saw a graph of stock market valuations compared to corporate assets. You could see how intangibles grew from 17% to 90% of corporate value in the space of a few decades. The traditional tools I learned as a banker couldn't explain this shift—and lack of good information can make it hard for companies to make the right decisions to build sustainable corporate value that balances the interests of shareholders, stakeholders and the environment.

Origin Story

I started my career in high risk finance. It was a great introduction to business and how markets work. Then I started a consulting firm just as the internet was exploding. I started seeing patterns in my clients' companies and piloted methodologies for unlocking the power of intangible capitals to drive sustainable growth and innovation. It's an exciting time for me because these methodologies have been incorporated into the Insights7 performance management platform to help teams across a company optimize financial, operational AND sustainability results. We're putting the power to solve problems in the hands of teams on the ground in companies who can change the world.

Example talks

Workshops: Driving ESG Innovation

Learn and apply key concepts for using sustainability to drive growth, change and innovation in your organization. Practice systems thinking that balances and connects financial, operational and sustainability performance. Includes exercises for each of four key sections:
1-How do we create value? (value mapping exercise)
2-Do we create value in a sustainable way? (metrics mapping exercise)
3-How can we optimize sustainable value creation? (prioritization heat map exercise)
4-Taking action (improvement business case exercise)

Keynotes and Seminars: Delivering on the Promise of ESG/Sustainability

I have delivered traditional keynotes in venues as varied as Intel and Institute of Management Accountants in the U.S., World Bank and Microsoft conferences in Europe, SWIFT Innotribe meeting in the Middle East, Innovation Club of Santiago Chile, an IC conference in Hong Kong, among many others. I frequently do trainings for the state CPA Societies including in Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, New York and Massachusetts. My topics focus on a combination of:
>What the rise of ESG/Sustainability means for your business and our world
>How to build a sustainable business from the ground up
>Practical steps to embed sustainability in your organization
>How to connect and optimize financial, operational and sustainability performance