Should You Dare to Go There? A Fireside Chat with Meredith Leapley

Recognized as a Most Admired CEO in 2021 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and one of the 2022 Women Making a Mark by Atlanta Magazine, Meredith Leapley is the Founder and CEO of Leapley Construction, a top commercial interior contractor and one of Atlanta’s Best Places to Work. Since founding Leapley Construction in 1999, her business has grown to become one of the largest female-owned interior construction companies in Atlanta with annual revenues exceeding $200 Million. Specializing in corporate, healthcare, and higher education markets, Leapley Construction builds environments where people thrive for well-known organizations like Microsoft, The Coca-Cola Company, and Equifax, while prioritizing operational and community inclusivity.

Through her continuous involvement and board roles with the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, and CREW Atlanta, Meredith has successfully operated her community and business interests in parallel to invest in Atlanta’s economic growth and create positive social impacts throughout the community. Passionate about her responsibility to create professional development opportunities for women and minorities, Meredith supports future community leaders through her work with the Georgia Tech Start to Build Program, the Georgia State University Foundation, and the J. Mack Robinson College of Business WomenLead program, to which she endowed a professorship to support research related to diversity and women business leaders. A corporate sponsor of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC), Meredith’s company, Leapley Construction, prioritizes environmental social governance and employs an expert project management staff that is 42% female – well above the construction industry average of 9%.

Meredith is the current Chair of the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Women’s Foundation. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland. Her recent industry recognition includes:

• Women Making a Mark, Atlanta Magazine, 2022
• Women’s Enterprise Icons & Legends WBE Pacesetter Award, WE USA Magazine, 2022
• “Atlanta 500” Most Powerful Leaders in Atlanta (Real Estate Divisions – Commercial Contracting), Atlanta Magazine, 2022, 2021, 2020
• Woman in Power, Dress For Success Atlanta, 2022
• Most Admired CEO, Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2021
• Outstanding Woman in Construction, Construction Business Owner Magazine, 2021
• Enterprising Women of the Year Award, Enterprising Women Magazine, 2018
• Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, CREW Atlanta, 2017
• Woman of Achievement Award, YWCA, 2016
• Phenomenal Woman Award, Kennesaw State University’s Siegel Institute, 2016
• POW! Award Honoring Purposeful Women, Womenetics, 2015
• Daring to Care for Our Future Award, Care and Counseling Center of Georgia, 2015
• Leadership Atlanta, Class of 2014
• Power Woman in Atlanta Commercial Real Estate, Bisnow, 2014
• Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Women Who Mean Business,” 2014
• #41 in Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies, Women Presidents Organization, 2014
• CREW Career Advancement for Women Award, 2014

Nancy is a results-oriented financial services industry professional with experience spanning commercial, corporate, retail, international, structured finance and asset-based lending.   With her extensive corporate finance and capital markets skills and network, Nancy has been sought after to build de novo teams, launch new financial products, execute a turnaround as well as to originate, underwrite and build new relationships for several financial service companies including PNC, BBVA, United Community Bank, UPS Capital, RBS, Congress Financial/Wachovia Capital Finance, Bank of America, Kredietbank, NV, Citicorp Leveraged Finance, and American National Bank. While her main focus has been on cash flow and asset-based financing for middle market companies, her lending career is unique because it includes nine years as Managing Director with UPS Global Supply Chain Finance, a division of UPS Capital where she was responsible for partnering with financial channel partners to develop complex integrated financial supply chain solutions.

As a self-starter and dynamic leader with high energy and integrity, Nancy has also been recognized for her passion and ability to connect diverse stakeholders by providing forums to build relationships and share thought leadership.  She has served in key leadership roles at the local, national and international levels of several professional associations.  She was the inaugural Chair of an annual event now embarking on its third decade.  Originally known as the Atlanta ACG Capital Connection, the M&A South conference is a magnet that draws over 1,000 diverse professionals in the mergers and acquisitions ecosystem from all over the US.  Nancy has a large network of former corporate clients, private equity firms, turnaround advisors, financial institutions, investments bankers as well as financial service providers in insurance, legal, and accounting. 

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Goucher College, Halwig received a bachelor of arts degree and earned a Masters in Finance and Management from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Nancy has been and continues to remain active in Atlanta business and civic communities.  Beyond ACG where she continues to serve on committees and is a past President and Board member of both the Atlanta and Global ACG boards, Nancy is a Board member of the Atlanta Turnaround Management Association and is Honorary Chair of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Women in Finance – All Women Forward Fundraiser.  She just finished two consecutive terms as a Director of The Atlanta Women’s Foundation and is an Advocate for On Board, a Georgia-based organization working as a catalyst to increase female directors on for-profit public and private company Boards.  She has been a guest lecturer at the university level on M&A and careers in banking.  She is a former board member of the Technology Association of Georgia and The Alliance Theatre Board of Advisors. Halwig is also a former longtime member of the Southern Capital Forum and the United Way’s Cole Women’s Society.  Nancy is a lifetime Elder of Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Nancy is married to a physician who is her high school sweetheart.  They have two grown children, one grandson and a “grand” dog.  Nancy enjoys various fitness activities, travel, cooking, book club, gardening and watercolor painting.