Audette Exel

ElEctEd BY the World Economic Forum as a Global Leader of Tomorrow, Audette Exel founded the social impact business Adara Group in 1998, including a not-for-profit development arm supporting communities in Uganda and Nepal. A lawyer who has worked in international finance, she was formerly managing director of Bermuda Commercial Bank and also acted as chair of the Bermuda stock exchange. Exel sits on the board of Suncorp Group Limited. Did you set yourself career goals? I’d love to pretend there was a plan but there wasn’t, just a blinding passion for the poor and a determination to do as best I could to contribute around that. As I was leaving uni, I had a realisation: I needed to learn about the world of finance to really have a shot at social change. My career took me through law, banking and then into social entrepreneurship. Why did you set up the Adara Group? To find a way to bridge the worlds of the most advantaged with the most disadvantaged. It was an evolution of thinking rather than a single moment of clarity. I was struck by the disconnect between the immense, long-term funding needs of non-profits and the precarious reliance on short-term donations. The idea was to use corporate advice businesses as funding engines for great international development work. I don’t just enjoy work – I absolutely, totally love it. Knowing that Adara touches so many people in need gives me energy, joy and inspiration beyond description. What are you most proud of? I am quietly proud and hopeful about our newest business, Adara Partners, which is a corporate advisory firm. It has a panel of some of the most distinguished leaders in the Australian financial services sector: Guy Fowler and Matthew Grounds at UBS, David Gonski and Ilana Atlas [see previous page]. They volunteer for Adara on major transactions for corporate Australia, with all profits going to our work with people living in extreme poverty. How would you describe your leadership? Probably it’s best described as “noisy, passionate”. Our teams are truly diverse. Both inside and outside Australia, appropriate respect and understanding of the people, context and settings you are working in is always a good idea. What advice would you give your younger self? Be brave and never take no for an answer! What’s the main misunderstanding people have about being a leader? There’s this idea that to become a leader you can’t make mistakes. That certainly hasn’t been my experience of leadership. I stand on a mountain of a thousand mistakes and have become a better leader because of them.

I DON’T JUST ENJOY WORK – I ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY LOVE IT. KNOWING THAT ADARA TOUCHES SO MANY PEOPLE IN NEED GIVES ME ENERGY, JOY AND INSPIRATION BEYOND DESCRIPTION.” AUDETTE EXEL