Adara Group
 | |
| Formation | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Type | NGO, Business for Purpose |
| Purpose | Corporate Advisory/International Development |
| Headquarters | Sydney |
| Location | |
Director | Audette Exel |
| Website | http://www.adaragroup.org/ |
The Adara Group is a partnership between an international development organisation Adara Development and two corporate advisory businesses Adara Advisors Pty. Limited and Adara Partners (Australia) Pty Limited. The objective of Adara Advisors and Adara Partners is to fund the core support costs of Adara Development. Adara Development has two streams of work: maternal, newborn and child health, and remote community development. Their work touches the lives of more than 50,000 people directly each year, and many more through their knowledge sharing work.[1]
The organisation was founded in Bermuda in 1998 by New Zealand-born business woman Audette Exel.
History
The Adara Group was founded in 1998 in Bermuda by Audette Exel AO. Exel had just finished a three-year position as the Managing Director of BCB (during which time she was also the chairperson of the BSX).[2]
Exel believed the worlds of power, wealth and business could be used to help people in need[3]. She founded the Adara Group with the view of establishing ‘for purpose’ businesses, which exist for the purpose of supporting Adara Development’s international development work.
In 1998, Adara Development was founded, and their two streams of work established: maternal, newborn and child health, and remote community development.[4]
In 2007, the Adara Group moved its headquarters from Bermuda to Sydney, Australia.[4]
In 2015, Adara Partners was launched, representing the Adara Group’s second ‘for purpose’ business. [4]
The Adara model
The Adara model is a business/not-for-profit partnership. Profits made by Adara Partners and Adara Advisors are donated to Adara Development, covering their core support, administration and emergency project costs.[5] This allows all other donations to go directly to Adara Development's project work. The Adara Group is credited with being 'one of the earliest examples of "Business-for-Purpose"'.[6]
Since launch to September 2019, the Adara Group businesses have donated AUD $15 million to Adara Development, with an additional AUD $30 million contributed by other donors.
Adara Development
Adara Development is an international development organisation with streams of work in maternal, newborn and child health, as well as remote community development.[1] They have worked in Nepal and Uganda since 1998. [1] Adara directly reaches more than 50,000 people living in poverty each year, and many more through knowledge sharing. [1]
Adara Development encompasses trusts and registered charities in Australia, the United States, Uganda, Bermuda and Nepal.
Adara Advisors
Adara Advisors is a corporate advisory and private placement business. Adara Advisors provides financial services to fund managers, raising capital from wholesale clients (mainly superannuation funds and other institutional bodies) and high-net-worth individuals. Adara Advisors is a certified B Corporation.[7]
Adara Partners
Launched in 2015, Adara Partners is a boutique corporate advisory firm providing wise counsel, independent financial and strategic advice, and complex commercial problem-solving services to public and private companies and high net worth families. The advisory services are provided by a Panel of high-profile investment bankers, commercial lawyers and senior non-executive directors who work on engagements under a Panel Member structure. The Panel Members work for Adara Partners on a pro bono basis.[8] Profits made by Adara Partners are donated to Adara Development. Adara Partners is a certified B Corporation. [9]
Panel Members for Adara Partners include Ilana Atlas, Catherine Brenner, Tim Burroughs, Guy Fowlers, David Friedlander, Graham Goldsmith, David Gonski AC, Matthew Grounds, Christian Johnston, Diccon Loxton, Peter Mason AM, Tony Osmond, Mike Roche, Philippa Stone and Cynthia Whelan.[10]
Streams of work
Remote community development
Adara Development’s remote community development work supports people living in isolated communities and encompasses service delivery across health, education and child protection. Their work reaches three key areas of Nepal: the district of Humla in the Himalayas, the region of Ghyangfedi and the capital, Kathmandu.
Adara’s education work centres on maintaining and developing model schools by partnering with local organisations, schools and communities in Humla and Ghyangfedi. Adara has helped develop the Yalbang School in the Humla region as a centre of excellence in remote education.[11] Adara partners with seven other schools in Humli villages, helping to develop them in line with the Yalbang model. Adara also rebuilt the central Shree Ghyangfedi School in the Nuwakot district after the 2015 Nepal earthquake and continues to support the school and its 300+ students. In addition to Ghyangfedi School, Adara also works with seven other surrounding primary schools.
Adara also implements significant health projects. They work to improve access to local health services, working with existing services that often severely lack facilities, personnel and medicines. They also work to improve nutrition, hygiene, and health awareness.
Adara is also a specialist in child protection. Their work in this area began when they rescued 136 trafficked children in 2004. Adara gained custody of the children and since then has worked to provide them with a stable environment, residential care, education, healthcare, reconnection to family of origin and help with independent living.[12]
Maternal, newborn and child health
Since 1998 Adara Development has worked in maternal, newborn and child health. During this time, their work has primarily focused on strengthening services by supporting health programmes that ensure women and children – particularly low-birthweight and premature infants – have access to critical services.
With their partner, Kiwoko Hospital in Central Uganda, they have implemented a model of care that encompasses training and ensures the hospital is equipped with adequate facilities, staffing, equipment and supplies. Their work has included establishing a neonatal intensive care unit in the hospital, providing support for community healthcare, maternal healthcare and people living with HIV/AIDS. Their projects also include newborn follow-up and early intervention for at-risk infants, and a Safe Bubble continuous positive airway pressure kit which blends air and oxygen without electricity for premature babies in respiratory distress. This device could save tens of thousands of lives every year.[13]
The neonatal intensive care unit at Kiwoko Hospital, which Adara funded and continues to work with, was named a centre of excellence by the Ugandan Ministry of Health in 2018.[14]
Adara is now working with the Ministry of Health to share their knowledge. They are working with nearby Nakaseke Hospital – a government facility which serves an area of 1.7 million people. Based on learnings from this work, Adara plan to build their work with other newborn health partners, including the Ministry of Health.
References
- ^ a b c d Fox, Catherine (December 2017). "Partners for Purpose" (PDF). Australian Institute of Company Directors. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Mellor, William (30 July 2013). "Banker Saves 20,000 From Nepal to Uganda With Her Profits". Bloomberg.
- ^ "Exel, Audette, (AO) (1963-) - People and organisations". Trove. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ a b c "The Adara Group Story - Our History | Adara Group". Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Take the money and fund a good cause". Australian Financial Review. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ Noted. "Helping the poor – a Kiwi woman's dedication - The Listener". Noted. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ "Adara Advisors | Certified B Corporation". bcorporation.net. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ McDonald, Sarah (2 June 2015). "Bankers Bury Hatchet Down Under to Work for Free, Help Poorest". Bloomberg.
- ^ "Adara Partners (Australia) Pty Limited | Certified B Corporation". bcorporation.net. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Adara Partners | Our People". Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Bridging Worlds: Why Audette Exel Is A Global Leader for Tomorrow". YPO. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Roberts, Brian; millennials, ContributorThe voice of high achieving (9 June 2017). "The Intersection of Profit and Purpose: The Audette Exel Story". HuffPost. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
{{cite web}}:|first2=has generic name (help) - ^ "This oxygen blender could save thousands of newborn babies". www.path.org. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "Bridging Worlds: Why Audette Exel Is A Global Leader for Tomorrow". YPO. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.