Having begun her career more than two decades ago, Grace McNamara is deeply committed to health, fitness, positivity, partnership, and preventative care both in her personal and professional life. Her unwavering passion for making a positive impact, acquiring knowledge, being truthful, and taking ownership has guided her towards a career that is in harmony with her values.
Grace is highly dedicated to driving changes that promote population health, and she firmly believes that when people confront life’s obstacles, they develop the confidence, resilience, and skills needed to attain a work-life balance that promotes both individual and family health. Additionally, she sees technology as an invaluable tool that can provide crucial support throughout every stage of our lives.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Grace McNamara:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
I’m a huge sports fan who believes that teamwork translates into every aspect of life, both professionally and personally. I still play sports myself and will continue to contribute to my team as long as I’m adding value. Both on the sports field and in the boardroom, being succeeded by someone better at the role is the goal. I do like to mentor and motivate younger teammates so they can bring all the skills of leadership from sports into the boardroom.
I’d like to believe that I will leave the world in a better place. My network is full of amazing people who are driving change and societal improvements. I get energy from them every day.
Outside of EXI, I’m a co-founder of a not-for-profit organization that is focused on empowering females to reach their potential in the fitness industry: RISE, the Females in Fitness Collective. At the same time, I was the chair of a female sports organization for the past 2 years. Both roles involve facilitating and inspiring females in business to achieve their highest potential and not settle under an imaginary ‘glass ceiling.”
Describe your background and what did you do before you started/joined the company?
I’ve been extremely lucky to have worked alongside people with vast experience and high standards. I started my career in the fitness industry, which overlapped with working for the Irish public health system and driving preventative care programs. When I moved to Apple in 2008, it gave me the opportunity to expand my opportunities like I had never imagined. Leading a team of healthcare and fitness professionals to deliver best-in-class onsite and virtual services was a privilege and a joy. When I changed roles and relocated to London to lead on EMEIA partnerships, I gained insight into the breadth of industry strategies from global leaders to entrepreneurs. Again, an invigorating challenge that enabled significant learning and growth.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
I began assisting start-ups in 2017 as part of the Sport England and London Sport accelerator programs. I met many co-founders, and EXI stood head and shoulders above the others. Due to the nature of exercise being undisputed in its value to healthcare, the idea that we can finally change the implementation to be personalized and globally scalable for all healthcare professionals was evident from the start.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
I’m a very driven y creating the future and believe we can achieve anything if we do two things: 1) work hard to deliver above expectations by being the best you can be; and 2) bring people with you on the journey as no one can achieve anything on their own. The power of relationships and networks can’t be underestimated.
What value-added services does the company provide?
EXI connects people to people through personalization and technology. EXI is classified as a medical device in app form, prescribing intensity based programs designed with multiple conditions in mind (up to 23 conditions). It’s a trusted, evidence-based, automated prescription platform. The EXI platform connects people and professionals seamlessly by making it easy to share and view real-time data from wearables and smartphones in a user-friendly way. Therefore, EXI is the ultimate partner for professionals and digital therapeutics that want to engage people who need to be more active for health reasons. By uniting science with sophisticated motivational systems, care providers can achieve lasting behavioral changes for all, including those who need them the most. By combining science, technology, and incentives, EXI is reversing the trends for long-term conditions, and we won’t stop until every person can control and change their diagnosis. It’s about each person being empowered and having the necessary tools and knowledge.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
I believe every person should give themselves the opportunity for what I call ‘stretch’ projects to show themselves they are capable of more than they might believe. A stretch project means taking “ownership” of a project that they know is outside their comfort zone and will challenge them more than before, e.g., in collaboration, leadership, knowledge, etc. When we have a team of people who want to excel beyond their expectations, we can achieve anything together.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Interestingly, as a team of healthcare professionals and engineers, we focus more on evidence-based best practices and ease of use. The future innovation experience is where we get excited about how we can improve the implementation of best practices globally for every healthcare professional. We look forward to talking more about our clinical trial on AI with Kings College London. Watch this space.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
I believe no-one gets anything significant accomplished when operating as an individual. Teamwork should never be underestimated or undervalued.
What are your responsibilities as the CEO of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
I focus on making sure we’re all driving towards a shared goal, but the division of labor is focused on each person’s expertise and responsibilities. Seeing successful communication and collaboration among the team is a joy to watch, as the energy and positivity are high and we know our purpose is to change people’s lives for the better. It’s exhilarating.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Steve Jobs had two great quotes that I like to remember frequently.
- “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do“. Every team member is better than me in their area of expertise, and I respect them as leaders.
- “A players attract A players”. Therefore each new hire contributes to enhancing the team as a whole.
