About

Adam Smith

Founder / CEO

Adam has held senior roles across the private, political and charitable sectors for more than 25 years. In January 2017, he launched Rise Up Strategies.

Adam is one of the sharpest strategic thinkers I’ve worked with. His ability to understand complex issues and translate them into clear, compelling communications is exceptional. Whether it’s navigating high-stakes stakeholder environments or building long-term public engagement strategies, Adam brings discipline, creativity, and integrity to everything he does. His work ethic is unmatched, and his counsel has been invaluable to me.

Frank Baylis

Executive Chairman, Baylis Medical Technologies

“I worked with Adam on the renewal of a complex $30M account. The client wasn’t happy with the way things were going and it was clear that they were exploring alternatives. Adam was able to step in and reset the discussion, eventually resulting in the renewal of the account with several new concessions made by the client.”

Rob McCulloch

Associate Vice-President, University of Ottawa (retired)

“In the 25 years I’ve known and worked with Adam, I’ve seen him successfully build high-performing teams in the technology, political, non-profit, and financial services sectors. He’s a true high-performing professional.”

Jay Litkey

SVP Cloud Management, Flexera

“I’ve seen Adam diplomatically express a contrary opinion to the consensus in a room of professionals and eloquently convince people that his perspective is the right one. It takes courage to be different than the crowd, but the value it brings is immeasurable.”

John Peters

Partner in the Advocacy Department, Gowlings WLG

“During my time as President of the Liberal Party of Canada, Adam had a very difficult job but he handled it with charm and professionalism. Despite the challenges faced by the Party, he built strong and lasting relationships with many senior officials across the country and ensured the Party had the necessary funds to fight elections.”

Doug Ferguson

Lawyer and Professor

“I asked Adam to be a keynote speaker at the Performance and Planning Exchange Symposium where he delivered an exceptionally well-received presentation on his work with the Shepherds of Good Hope. It couldn’t have gone better.”

Katie Brown

Managing Director at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada

“Adam is a true professional with an exceptional work ethic combined with intelligence, creativity and desire to make a real difference. A significant asset always to our team, it was a pleasure to work with him.”

Rocco Rossi

Former President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce

Adam Smith is a technology and strategy advisor who works at the intersection of AI, data, regulation, and organizational decision-making. Through Rise Up Strategies, he helps companies and other organizations design, build, and govern complex digital systems that actually hold up under real-world constraints.

His work spans AI-enabled product development, data and technology governance, and large-scale change initiatives in regulated environments. Adam has advised technology companies, financial services firms, universities, public institutions, and national associations on how to translate technical complexity into executable strategy, credible roadmaps, and defensible decisions.

Adam operates as a systems-level thinker focused on execution. He brings deep experience in product and project delivery, applied data and AI, and organizational decision-making to help clients turn complex, high-stakes problems into clear, defensible outcomes.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, a Master’s Certificate in Project Management, as well as PMP and ICD.D designations. He is also an active board trustee and frequently works with senior leadership and boards on technology-driven transformation.

Rise Up Strategies operates as a focused, high-trust advisory. Clients gain direct access to senior-level expertise and a curated network of specialists who are brought in only when needed, ensuring speed, precision, and outcomes that stand up to scrutiny.