Adam Barrett

Background

About Adam Barrett

I help organizations find solutions to big-picture,"wicked" problems, and to untangle the small-scale logistical challenges in the way of delivering these solutions. My focus through my career so far has been in improving livelihoods, financial inclusion, and economic justice as a means to achieve a more human-centred, humane, and sustainable economy. I currently work as a Senior Policy Advisor with the Strategic Policy Branch of the Office of the Budget in the Ontario Ministry of Finance, after previously working with the Ministry's Financial Institutions Policy Branch. Prior to joining the Ontario Public Service, I have worked with New Power Labs, a "think and do" tank working to expand more equitable access to capital in Canada; Prosper Canada, a national charity dedicated to expanding economic opportunity and improving financial security for Canadians living in poverty; the Mastercard Foundation, where I helped organize the global 2015 Symposium on Financial Inclusion in Kigali, Rwanda; and the Centre for Financial Regulation & Inclusion (Cenfri) in South Africa. Beyond these formal positions, I have also been involved in the Canadian philanthropic and impact investing/social finance ecosystem across different volunteer roles. I am a 2015 Queen Elizabeth Scholar, a graduate of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and a graduate of Dalhousie University (with a Bachelor of Science in Economics & Philosophy). I am a firm believer in listening before leaping to conclusions, in both looking at systems holistically and analyzing their discrete parts, and, above all, in prioritizing the long-term, tangible impact we can have for - and owe to - others around us. Always happy to hear from people with similar mindsets!