Joao Adao has over 30 years of experience leading change across some of the world’s most recognised companies, including Meta, Procter & Gamble, and Boston Consulting Group. He is known for helping organisations unlock sustainable growth by aligning business performance with leadership mindsets and organisational culture.
Currently a Senior Associate Partner at Axialent, Adao advises senior leaders on how to build high-performance teams and foster cultural shifts that enable successful digital transformation. Drawing on deep experience across Latin America and Europe, he supports global businesses in navigating complexity by focusing on what truly drives change: people, mindset, and behaviour.
As Managing Director for Meta in South America, Joao Adao accelerated revenue growth by cultivating a culture of ownership and continuous learning. Earlier, as President of hibu Latin America, he led the turnaround of a legacy Yellow Pages business into an agile digital competitor. Reversing a sharp decline in profitability through a focus on mindset change and strategic execution.
Some of Adao’s clients include Booking.com, Walmart, Procter & Gamble and Cisco. His talks focus on leadership mindsets, culture change, and the human side of transformation. Whether speaking to executives, team leaders, or entire organisations, Joao Adao helps audiences understand that lasting transformation isn’t about new systems but changing how we see and lead.
Educated as a mechanical engineer with an MBA and additional training in organisational development and innovation, Joao Adao brings a global perspective to his work. He is also fluent in five languages including English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Italian.
