Market: US
Company: Academy Mortgage Corporation
Job title: CEO, chairman of the board
Adam Kessler began his journey at Academy Mortgage Corporation in 2000 as vice president. Academy began as a family-owned company and remains a family-owned company. It was started by Duane Shaw who had a vision of creating a different kind of mortgage company. Shaw turned over leadership of the company in 2009 to his son-in-law, Kessler. Under Kessler’s leadership, Academy has grown from a small regional provider to one of the top independent lenders in the United States. Last year, when it celebrated 30 years of business, Kessler said: “Academy has accomplished a rare feat in this economy by securing a top lender position among large, publicly owned banks and lenders while remaining independent, and we continue to grow at a record-breaking pace. Our growth is the result of maintaining a sharp focus on our purpose, people, passion, productivity, and performance.”
