Elsie Maio is a leading independent identity consultant. I first knew her in the late 1980s when (from McKinsey & Co.) she joined Anspach Grossman Portugal as an account manager. She then served as an SVP at Lippincott, and was later a partner in Dieffenbach Elkins (later FutureBrand). 

Today, at Maio & Company, Elsie is in the business of "Aligning Human Values, Corporate Strategy and Brand Experience." In her work she seeks to find, strengthen and express nothing less than the client institution's soul - understood as the deepest, truest human aspirations at the core of its brand. She calls it "Soulbranding." We welcome Elsie's unique perspective, and her voice, to the Identity Forum. Tony Spaeth 

In her own words: 

"My life so far? That would be more like 'My lives so far.' Drawn to exploring ideas at the edge, I follow threads and see patterns that have moved me from Ancient Greek and Latin to McKinsey to skydiving to a 30-year career as a professional outsider. My work adds value in seeing what's ahead and how the players can benefit at the intersection of stakeholder interests and the forces of change. At various times I have been an observer as a business journalist; an advisor of business leaders; a coach in business strategy and transformation; an inventor of business models; and brand developer in helping blue-chip CEOs across numerous industries (airlines, engineering, IT, mining, education, transportation, the arts) articulate and sustain their enterprise visions. 

"A 'recovering left-brain capitalist,' I have counseled an Emmy-award-winning entertainment company through its quick reinvention as a social-impact enterprise; led a roomful of 700 buttoned-up business professionals through closed-eye journeys to discover their human values; created a model for integrating human values and high-performance business processes (called SoulBrandingSM); and directed workshops to assist high-performing executives dive into their right-brain creativity. I am currently writing a book, the working title of which is: Humanity Incorporated, or How Capitalism Is Finally Serving All of Us."