Adara Partners has generated $10 million in fees for lifting education and health standards in poverty-stricken countries.

Adara’s panel of 15 bankers, lawyers and corporate advisers is impressive. It includes ANZ Banking Group chairman David Gonski, Coca-Cola Amatil chairman Ilana Atlas, former UBS CEO Matthew Grounds, Herbert Smith Freehills joint global head of equity capital markets Philippa Stone, and Goldman Sachs Australia head of investment banking Christian Johnston.
Osmond says each Adara mandate has to be cleared for possible conflicts of interest at each bank or law firm but once that occurs, rival bankers and lawyers can work alongside each other in the common interests of a client.
Cynthia Whelan, who has held senior executive positions at Scentre Group and Telstra, joined the Adara panel last year. She says she has worked on corporate transactions and also been called in to provide counsel to a board.
Stone says she had always wanted to do something for a good cause but giving free legal advice hardly seemed very helpful. Now she can her use her specialist legal skills in the knowledge the funds are going to support the most disadvantaged.
The founder and chair of Adara, Audette Exel, says the panel of volunteers has advised several top 100 companies on multiple advisory, commercial problem-solving and equity capital market mandates.
Profits made by Adara Partners are donated to Adara Development, the non-profit arm of the Adara Group.
“I believe that Adara Partners is a great example of how we can use business skills at the highest level to help the most vulnerable,” Exel says.
“Our success to date is something that corporate Australia and the financial services community can be well proud of.”
She says Adara has provided health and education services for more than 20 years to women and children in extreme poverty in the developing world.