Mary Machado-Schammel is an accomplished global finance executive and strategic consultant grounded in collaboration and financial diplomacy. For over 35 years, she has brought extensive cross-sector and functional expertise to her work with Fortune 500 companies, lower-middle-market businesses, financial institutions, sovereign entities, and mission-driven organizations, assisting them in navigating complex global and domestic markets.
As former Head of Standard Chartered Bank’s Western Region, Mary managed a multi-billion-dollar portfolio, guiding Fortune 250 clients in technology, entertainment and media, aerospace, and other industries through corporate finance, cross-border expansion, supply chain, and risk management in high-growth markets across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Today, she serves as Co-Founder and Chairman of Venture Advisors Business Sales and Acquisitions, leading M&A transactions in the lower end of the middle market andconnecting them to private equity and strategic investors. Additionally, she is a Strategic Consultant with Crisil Coalition Greenwich (S&P Global), advising financial institutions on global strategy, market positioning, and governance.
Mary is a trusted board leader who has contributed to organizations such as Georgetown University (“GU”), CFA Society Los Angeles, and The Ann Peppers Foundation, with active roles in finance, audit, and investment oversight. Her public and diplomatic service began as a college student interning for her Hawaiian Congressman and now includes being the Liaison to the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador for GU’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and Senior Advisor to UCSD’s School of Global Policy and Strategy’s Center for Commerce and Diplomacy. She is also an Ambassador for the National Association of Corporate Directors Pacific Southwest and a Pasadena commissioner.
An awarded Georgetown alumna, Mary holds both a Global MBA and a degree in International Economics and International Relations, and is a recipient of the John Carroll Award, the university’s highest alumni honor.
