Community Involvement, Workplace Environments, and Travel: A Global Conversation with Maggy Wilkinson of Athena Global Advisors

When Maggy Wilkinson founded Athena Global Advisors in 2013, she wasn’t quite sure what opportunities would arise and what impact the company would be able to make. As a change-maker and dedicated businesswoman, it seems there was only ever one location where Wilkinson could find the most success and carry out Athena Global’s missions– Philadelphia.

Today, Athena Global Advisors has a role in so many happenings in our city, from the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the initiatives of City Year Philadelphia, and represents high-profile clients, like Comcast and Subaru. Athena Global also sponsored GPA’s 2025 World Heritage City Celebration, so GPA was excited to interview Wilkinson to recognize this support and learn more about her role with the company.

Following the interview, Wilkinson graciously extended an invitation to GPA to attend a private opening of Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100 at The Philadelphia Art Museum, which Athena is sponsoring. GPA happily accepted and got to witness firsthand how Athena engages with its clients and the broader community.

Madi Costigan: As a Philadelphia-based organization, we love to hear about why our partners are invested in Philadelphia. How has Philadelphia been a valuable location to headquarter your company?

Maggy Wilkinson: We did not start the company in Philadelphia; we moved here. I was in the Greater Boston area when I started Athena, but we were being hired here to do work and we won an early contract with Comcast. We now have many other clients in the region. 

I fell in love with the city, and we needed more staff as we were growing in the region, so it made sense to move the headquarters here. Eventually, I was able to relocate here permanently. What started in my attic in Rhode Island has grown into a company with 137 employees headquartered here in Philadelphia, and probably 125 of those are here in our Philadelphia office.

Philadelphia has been way more than our headquarters. It's really the heartbeat of our growth. The city has everything you would want a major metropolitan area to have. The arts here are unparalleled. I would argue that we have the best symphony orchestra right now in the country. I think our museums are incredible. You can't live here and not be a Philadelphia sports fan.

The business community is very interconnected and people do want to help each other succeed. There's a wonderful talent pool here, but we're also very proud of the fact that we've recruited many people to the Philadelphia region and persuaded them to fall in love with it, too. There's intellectual capital and real authenticity here. I also think this is a city that embraces letting people give something a try, and I like that entrepreneurial spirit that exists here.

MC: Athena Global Advisors sponsored Global Philadelphia Association’s World Heritage City Celebration in September. Why was this event important for the company to support?

Maggy Wilkinson: I think it's deeply aligned with who we are. Our mission has always been about elevating communities and helping cities tell their stories to the world. A common thematic thread through all of our work is community.  

Philadelphia's designation as a World Heritage City recognizes not only our history, but our continued relevance to the global stage. For us, supporting the event was a way to celebrate Philadelphia's culture and civic identity, and a way to reaffirm Athena's belief that local pride and global connection go hand in hand.  

MC: Athena Global Advisors is a recognized top workplace by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Business Journal. As the leader of this company, how do you think your leadership style and your emphasis on community engagement has impacted this positive result?

Maggy Wilkinson: A company's culture starts with how you lead. For us, that's with clarity, transparency, empathy, and purpose. I'm very proud of the fact that collectively, we've succeeded in building an environment where people are trusted, empowered, and encouraged to bring their full selves to work every day.  

Community engagement is truly in our DNA as an organization, and it reminds us that we're part of something bigger than ourselves. We're very involved with City Year Philadelphia, an organization that's near and dear to our hearts. We adopted Edwin Forrest Elementary School and we do a lot with them. We just finished a trunk or treat for Halloween, we're about to start a coat drive, we have hosted breakfast and lunches, and I also serve on the board.  

I was a teacher when I first began my career in New York City, so that's part of why City Year Philadelphia's mission is so important to me. I know firsthand the difference a teacher can make. A girl growing up in the South in the '70s and '80s was perhaps not as encouraged as someone would be today to start a company like this. I think about the important teachers I had along the way that believed in me and encouraged me. When I was in New York, I volunteered with students and could see what just a little effort on somebody's part could do for individuals to help them realize more than they thought possible. 

We participate in the STAR Re-Entry Program, which is a program for formerly incarcerated individuals coming out of the federal prison system. Annually, we try to sponsor an apprentice for a nine-month program, providing them with training and job skills, and then we help them in the interview process as they look for a job. This involvement is really important to us and our employees, so I think that's part of how we ended up being recognized in that way.  

MC: You also recently joined the Board of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. How has this organization been valuable to be a part of? 

Maggy Wilkinson: The Chamber of Commerce position is brand new; I am only a couple of weeks into it, but I'm super excited about it. The Chamber has been incredibly welcoming, which I really appreciate, so it's really been wonderful for me to feel more integrated into the civic and business environment here.  

MC: Athena Global Advisors is deeply ingrained in Philadelphia cultural events, including sponsoring the Philadelphia Art Museum’s brand new Surrealism exhibit. Why is support of cultural experiences such as these important to the company and to yourself?

Maggy Wilkinson: Our art museum has a world class collection. The buildings belong to the city, and the collection belongs to the nonprofit that runs it. Opening worlds to people and showing them what's possible is so easily done through art. I think about all the schoolchildren that the art museum welcomes every year and what that does in terms of opening up the possibilities for them. It's very important to us as an organization to be a part of that.  

The culture here is part of what gives the city its soul. I really enjoy Athena's participation in things that are going on at the art museum. One point of surrealism is to shock you and make you think about something in a different way, and that can be really important, so we are excited to have a role in the new exhibit.

MC: Athena Global Advisors has expanded their reach across the country and even internationally, participating in Liberty Latin America in the Caribbean last year by helping broker public-private partnerships for internet affordability. Can you describe your interest in engaging in the international community, and do you have any future plans to continue doing so?

Maggy Wilkinson:  It's a big desire of ours. Before I started Athena, I did a good bit of work internationally. “Global” is in our title, so it is an important part of our outlook. In the Caribbean, we did work with nine countries within the Caribbean arm of Liberty Latin America called Jump. Jump brings many stakeholders to the table to make the internet accessible to families through subsidies. The digital divide is a complex issue. There is a better understanding today that it’s not just about affordability but access—needing a device like a laptop—and adoption, through digital literacy training. We’re honored to have played a role in this work.  

MC: Where else have you traveled internationally and how was this a positive experience?

Maggy Wilkinson: After college, I lived in Rome and I studied at the Vatican. I actually got to meet Pope John Paul II, which was amazing. I lived with other students in a convent with Lebanese sisters, and that was a culturally fascinating experience. It was so different from anything I had experienced.  

I've been fortunate to travel all over Europe. I was in Tokyo last year for a period of time, and that was an absolutely incredible experience. I've been to Africa; my daughter spent her senior year of high school in Johannesburg. I then ended up being the African Outpost for the students from the African Leadership Academy on the East Coast. A bunch of those kids came to the U.S. for college, and I hosted anywhere from three to seven kids between Thanksgiving and New Year's, because they weren't on campus. They were from all over the African continent and the dinner conversations were fantastic. I've hosted three different French exchange students. I love to spend time in France. I definitely consider myself a citizen of the world, and I think it's so important that we all think that way.  

MC: Why do you think it's important to travel as a young professional or a young student?

Maggy Wilkinson: It completely changes your perspective. You think differently and you have a different lens, and it's a much more open aperture, which is important. We embrace that here as a company culture; we have a public program that allows you to take a 10-week sabbatical after you've been here for five years. We just started this program about four years ago. We pay employees during this time and, so far, everyone who has participated has travelled internationally. The sabbatical doesn't have to be related to exactly what their job is. One employee lived in New Zealand and camped for eight weeks to study the environment. We also had an employee do a sabbatical on artificial intelligence in the wine industry. She traveled to California, France, Spain, and Italy. It's really about expanding their horizons.

MC: What’s one World Heritage Site that’s on your bucket list?

Maggy Wilkinson: I’d love to visit the Taj Mahal.