Tom Adams (entrepreneur)
{{short description|Swedish-American entrepreneur}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Tom Adams
| image = Tom - Headshot.png
| imagesize =
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1972}}
| birth_place = Stockholm, Sweden
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Businessman and entrepreneur
| language = English, Swedish, French, Spanish
| nationality =
| ethnicity =
| citizenship = Sweden, United Kingdom, United States
| education = University of Bristol (A.B.)
INSEAD (M.B.A.)
| alma_mater =
| awards = {{awd |Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award |2009}}
{{awd |Smart CEO of the Year | 2009}}
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| years_active = 1994–present
}}
Tom P.H. Adams (born 1972) is a Swedish-American technology executive.
Early life and education
Adams grew up in Sweden and France before moving to the United Kingdom at the age of 10 with his parents. He learned both French and English through language immersion, which inspired an early passion for language learning and cross-culture communication.{{cite web |url=http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/when-youre-back/entrepreneurship/item/1394-interview-tom-adams-chairman-rosetta-stone.html |title=Interview with Tom Adams, Chairman of the Board for Rosetta Stone |author=Lizzie Fane |publisher=ThirdYearAbroad.com | access-date=21 October 2014}} He holds a B.A. with honors from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom and an M.B.A. from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
Career
In his twenties, Adams worked as a commodities trader of copper at Trafigura. This brought him to live in Mongolia for six years, and to travel to the Philippines, China, Slovakia and D.R. Congo. He also lived in Switzerland and China before moving to Harrisonburg, Virginia in the United States in 2003.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/business/smallbusiness/01public.html?_r=1&%7C |title=Going Public in the Throes of a Recession | author=Lora Kolodny |work=the New York Times |date=30 June 2009 |access-date=3 August 2014}}
After graduating from business school, Adams met the leaders of Rosetta Stone (then Fairfield & Sons Ltd.) and in February 2003 became chief executive of the company. The company went public in 2009, and he left the company for an investment management fund in 2013.{{cite book |last1=Bruner |first1=Robert |last2=Eades |first2=Kenneth |last3=Schill |first3=Michael |date=2013 |title=Case Studies in Finance |publisher=McGraw-Hill/Irwin |page=635-356 }}{{cite web |url=http://investors.rosettastone.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=227935&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1804885 |title=Rosetta Stone Inc. Announces Changes to Board of Directors |publisher=Rosetta Stone Inc. |access-date=21 October 2014}}
He was the president and founder of Workaround, a tech incubator based in Washington, D.C.; co-founder and chairman of Pedago, an educational technology company; and founder and chairman of the board of Bizy, a business management technology company.{{cite web |url=http://www.virginiabusiness.com/news/article/three-directors-to-leave-rosetta-stone|title=Three Directors to Leave Rosetta Stone |author= |date=10 April 2013 | publisher=Virginia Business | access-date=21 October 2014}}
Adams co-founded Quantic School of Business and Technology, an online private business school, based in Washington, D.C., USA.{{cite news |last1=Staton |first1=Bethan |title=Moocs face challenge from new generation of course providers |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6c185bf2-448a-4a6f-8690-d7dd3b387b9b |work=Financial Times |date=13 March 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Madell |first1=Robin |title=An inside look at the first 'mobile-friendly' accelerated MBA program, where aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders can earn their degree from their phones — without paying a cent in tuition |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/quantic-school-business-technology-free-mobile-accelerated-mba-program-2020-9 |work=Business Insider}}
Awards
References
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Category:American people of Swedish descent
Category:American technology chief executives