About Me

  Maryann Fernandez has had an impressive career spanning over 25 years across wealth management and social change. She has utilized her experience from both the private and public sectors to create opportunities for exploration and engagement for a diverse set of clients. Her strengths in relationship building, increasing operational efficiency, and creative problem-solving have allowed her to help make significant contributions in addressing critical global challenges. Her work has not only advanced the missions of families and organizations but also created a positive impact on society.

As a Philanthropic Advisor, Ms. Fernandez empowers her clients to envision significant positive changes they can bring about in their communities and the world. By aligning their values and interests with strategic planning and administration, she ensures their philanthropic efforts are meaningful and impactful. Her approach involves developing customized learning opportunities to engage all family members, thereby fostering a collective commitment towards their mission. She is adept at navigating the intricate dynamics within families and organizations, and with external partners, to create strategies that are practical and considerate of these relationships.

Her specialty lies in simplifying complex and challenging situations into clear, impactful strategies. This ability not only makes the process less daunting for her clients but also ensures their philanthropic efforts are effectively directed for maximum impact. Her work truly embodies the transformative power of strategic philanthropy.

In her role as Senior Partnerships Officer at the UN World Food Programme’s Regional Bureau for Asia & the Pacific, Ms. Fernandez demonstrated exceptional strategic and relationship-building skills. Her focus was on diversifying funding streams and fostering new relationships with key regional entities such as the Asian Development Bank, ASEAN, APEC, and other Multilateral Development Banks. She also sought collaborative opportunities with UN sister agencies like the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). 

Ms. Fernandez played a crucial role in guiding WFP’s participation in high-level international conferences. She was responsible for writing speeches, preparing executives for speaking engagements and meetings, and coaching junior team members in engaging with varied stakeholders. Her facilitation of meetings further underscores her leadership and communication skills.

Her work at the UN World Food Programme exemplifies her commitment to making a positive impact on global food security and her ability to navigate complex organizational and international dynamics.

At Philanthropy Indaba, Ms. Fernandez demonstrated a unique approach to philanthropy. She developed customized journeys that brought donors closer to a deeper understanding of themselves, each other, and the world. Her thoughtful and curated approach to travel and exploration of nature and humanity nurtured her clients’ ability to focus their philanthropy and social investments, thereby strengthening the impact of their engagement both at home and abroad.

Her signature approach emphasized individually tailored outcomes and collaboration. She facilitated expert discussions on the ground, providing her clients with access to thought leaders and multiple stakeholders. This approach also offered the opportunity to identify synergies with and between NGOs seeking to collaborate with others. Ms. Fernandez’s work at Philanthropy Indaba exemplifies her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding of philanthropy and her ability to facilitate meaningful connections and collaborations.

In addition to her philanthropic endeavors, Ms. Fernandez served as Vice President, Family Education Services and Senior Marketing Representative at Harris Private Bank. In this role, she oversaw the development and strategic direction of educational events focused on wealth management issues and opportunities. With Harris Bank’s parent company, Bank of Montreal, she spearheaded one of the first private bank cross-border initiatives. This involved introducing educational wealth management events to the Canadian private bank market.

Since its inception in 2000, Ms. Fernandez is Co-founder and Executive Producer at award-winning Shaking the Tree Interactive Productions: a unique content production company that utilizes professional theater and film to catalyze meaningful discussion in successful families and their close advisors around issues of wealth and purpose. Its impressive roster of clients includes top wealth management firms, industry associations, philanthropic networks, and private families. During the pandemic, STT enabled the broader wealth management community access to its Living Case Studies (films) through an online platform – vibrant and complex content at a reasonable price for a wide array of small and large in-person and virtual private meetings. In 2018, Family Wealth Report awarded STT the prestigious “Outstanding Contribution to Wealth Management Thought Leadership” award.

Ms. Fernandez has her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation and is a member of Collaboration for Families Flourishing and the Purposeful Planning Institute. She was member of the Planning Committee for The Asian Development Bank’s 2016 Food Security Forum, served as a judge from 2008-2011 for the New York University Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Program in Social Entrepreneurship, and was on the Advisory Board for Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy Program at The American College, 2007-2020. 

She has been a speaker at wealth management/family office events and university forums including The DAF Giving Summit, Opal’s Family Office Conference, Campden Publishing’s Family Business Forum, Columbia Business School’s Family Business Conference, and Wharton’s Family Business Program.