Charles Adkins
In the multifaceted landscape of technology and finance, my two-decade-long journey has been characterized by strategic leadership, innovative financial solutions, and a pioneering spirit in embracing nascent technologies.
My tenure at Morgan Stanley, where I raised over $1.4 billion into project-based investments through the innovative EB-5 Visa program, underscores my adeptness in global financial strategies and relationship-building.
My expertise extends to navigating regulated environments, evidenced by my role at the US Department of Treasury. Leading a team of 120, we focused deeply on the then-emerging landscape of online money transfers, analyzing foreign national transfer habits, and ensuring compliance and prudent management on a large scale.
My entrepreneurial spirit shone through with the creation of a food delivery company that witnessed a staggering 1,800% revenue growth and expanded from a one-man operation to 43 employees within a year before being acquired by GrubHub in 2013. This venture, inspired by mobile mapping technology of Uber coupled with a keen sense of market demand was a great introduction to how powerful emerging technologies could be at scale.
Through my consulting firm, I bridged technology, infrastructure, and finance, working on government improvement projects, Fortune 500 initiatives, and created bespoke structured finance products for banking clients. My knack for deciphering motivations and communicating complex ideas in digestible terms has been a constant in my career, whether consulting for giants like Red Bull and Nike in senior roles or navigating innovations in capital markets and during my time at Treasury.
My communication skills have led me to speak at over 50 events in the past 5 years and played a key role in my success in leadership roles as Vice President of Enterprise Programs at Polygon Blockchain and Global Head of Partnerships at Aptos, a Facebook/Meta founded technology spin-out. I have amassed a following of nearly 200,000 people across multiple social media platforms who tune in to my industry insights and executive leadership content.
Along the way, I created a Thought Leadership Council, which held 30 events in 12 countries and amassed 45,000 global members from the world's top companies and governments, has showcased my dedication to the intersection of leadership, technology, finance, and education. This company was acquired by a much larger organization making it my second exit.
My transparent and optimistic approach, especially in eliminating jargon and buzzy talking points in public discourse, has been a cornerstone in my journey. I have always found that speaking simply and relaying complex themes in an easy to understand way has been one of my core superpowers in leadership and business.
