Placemaking, Public Art and Culture Board

Chris Sinclair is the Founder and President of The Anthem Group – a collection of highly acclaimed and award-winning entities and the parent organization of all Anthem-related properties. Among the marquee companies are Anthem Production, Anthem Strategy, Anthem Innovation and Anthem Hospitality.

Since founding Anthem with his entire personal savings of $500 while still a teenager, Chris has become an inspiring, accomplished and renowned business leader throughout various industries. He has developed the companies into internationally recognized entities, growing Anthem exponentially from its humble beginnings as a boutique Boston-based events agency to a multi-industry enterprise with activity in over 70 markets across five continents. Chris' and The Anthem Group's inventiveness is routinely showcased throughout numerous local, national and international publications and media outlets.

Chris has obtained an array of academic degrees, certificates and honors. He has studied at La Salle University, Ohio University, Harvard University, University of Massachusetts' Center for Collaborative Leadership, the FBI Citizens Academy and his Alma Mater: The University of Notre Dame. Despite his numerous achievements, Chris attributes Anthem's success to four chief characteristics instilled in the company's core values: ingenuity, determination, focus and leadership.

Chris has actively or previously served as chair, board or committee member for 20+ NGO, philanthropic, academic or community-based organizations. Recent examples include UMass Sports Leadership (bachelors) Degree Advisory Board, Dana Faber UnMask Cancer Campaign Steering Committee, Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Board, Boston's Somali Community and Cultural Association Advisor and Chair of Hoop Dreams, a fundraiser co-hosted by Los Angeles Clippers' coach Doc Rivers and Boston Celtics' coach Brad Stevens.   

With great pride, Chris dedicates his time to mentoring and teaching entrepreneurial and business fundamentals to students, aspiring innovators and emerging companies. He has contributed to various colleges' entrepreneurship programs, career development offices and orchestrated Anthem's career initiatives. In collaboration with external partners, Chris continues to provide guidance, mentorship and facilitate high-level collisions between countless students looking to develop new ventures. Chris is a popular guest lecturer and speaker at numerous colleges, conferences and professional panels, primarily focusing on innovation, entertainment, business strategy, corporate citizenship, philanthropy and, of course, entrepreneurship.

Using his contagious spirit, Chris continues to leverage Anthem's scope to pilot new opportunities, enabling disadvantaged individuals to learn new tools, education and life skills. He encourages any student, child or adult to reach their fullest potential in life – regardless of their goals. Chris devotes time and resources to engage with underprivileged youth and adults by focusing on furthering education, athletic and extracurricular opportunities that facilitate social growth and development.

In South Bend, Indiana, Chris developed an entrepreneurship curriculum to empower underprivileged youth and create professional and entrepreneurial opportunities for local high school students. Chris moved to Cape Town, South Africa, to facilitate the overhaul of a state-funded entrepreneurship program that provided training to underserved township residents. Additionally, Chris directed research showcasing regional housing challenges in the Western Cape to be submitted to the South African Parliament. Chris considers his ability to help and empower the less fortunate as one of his most significant efforts. 

Chris has been honored with numerous awards and accolades for his various achievements, as well as his social initiatives. He has recently received five prestigious national awards that highlight his efforts in philanthropy, public service and drive to create a positive social impact. Bestowed with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, the OM Foundation Award at the National Sports Forum, the Ask More of Business Award from The University of Notre Dame and the Center for Collaborative Leadership's Leading the Way Award. He was also the recipient of the FBI Director's Leadership Award for his efforts to combat violence, crime, terrorism and drug use through prevention education. Chris is among the youngest individuals to receive these esteemed honors.

In the past year, Chris has added two additional companies to The Anthem Group collection and an industry standard-setting new venue. Anthem Innovation focuses on providing resources to assist, mentor and empower entrepreneurs to create large and scalable ventures. The second initiative is Anthem Incubator that concentrates on providing strategic and organizational guidance to spur entrepreneurial growth and kick-start small and Micro Ventures. More recently, as the leading force behind the creation of Anthem’s newest project, The Anchor, Chris put his skills to the test as he reimagined how to utilize open space – both as an entertainment hub and community-centric public gathering space.

His vision to create a multifaceted mix of venue, programming and community structure demonstrates Anthem’s core value of simultaneously doing good and doing well. The Anchor is Boston’s only multi-story public gathering space, performing and visual arts venue, open-air wine and beer garden and special event setting – and one of the largest placemaking programs in the United States. 

Chris continues to focus on creating large-scale properties that also directly dial into communities, making it a priority to leverage Anthem's resources, scope and influence to support worthwhile initiatives whenever possible. Under Chris' direction, Anthem has established an internal three-tier jobs program that provides opportunity and development to inner-city youth, individuals in recovery and adults transitioning from homelessness back into the workforce. The Anthem team also collaborates with multiple CBOs to coordinate youth outings that offer education and opportunity to at-risk pre-teens and teenagers. The primary objective is to introduce the youth to new experiences, people, places and expose them to the world outside of their immediate and daily surroundings.

Anthem's diverse portfolio provides Chris a powerful platform to fuel his passion for philanthropy. Internally, Anthem spearheads its own philanthropic and civic initiatives that serve Anthem's local communities and the global community. The Anthem Group institutionally supports and helps provide entrepreneurial solutions to over 100 different charitable causes and organizations. All of Anthem's team share the philosophy that the decision to do good in addition to doing well is not a decision at all – it is an obligation.

As a loyal Notre Dame alumnus, Chris attributes much of his success and growth to his University. He never misses Fighting Irish football and supports the University whenever he can. A former college athlete, Chris remains very active and enjoys traditional sports and extreme activities such as rappelling, bungee jumping and mountain climbing. He is also passionate about the arts, music, animal welfare, health/fitness and education, which inspire many of Anthem's programs and initiatives.

Organizations

A sample list of organizations that Chris is and has been involved with outside of Anthem:

· Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD)

· Alzheimer's Association

· Big Brothers, Big Sisters

· BostonApp Lab (Art in Public Places)

· Center for Collaborative Leadership

· Cradles to Crayons

· Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

· Easter Seals

· Emerging Leaders Program

· FBI Citizens Academy

· Friends of Boston Homeless

· MassHousing

· Notre Dame Business Council

· Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business

· Project DEEP.

· Reinvent Stockton Foundation

· Somali Community and Cultural Association

· Startup Boston

· Salesian Boys & Girls Club

· The Jimmy Fund

· The Musary  

Academic Accomplishments

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

o Dual major in Strategic Marketing and Organizational Behavior

· Background in Psychology

o Conducted a two-year longitudinal study on improving inner-city experiences for college students and the dynamic between the student body and permanent residents

· NIH certification in the execution of human research studies

o First conducted human research and surveying at 19 years old

Master of Business Administration

o Concentration in Consulting and Entrepreneurship

o Emphasis on corporate social responsibility

Master of Sports Administration

o Graduated Summa Cum Laude from top-ranked Sports Business program· Graduate-level non-degree studies in Public Policy· Graduate-level certificate in Leadership

o Cohort member of invite-only Emerging Leaders Program