With a very creative background, Adie’s first paid role was acting in a television series. However, it was a decision to go to business school that set her on a path of international postings and working with some of the world’s most revered and recognised leaders.
In her mid-20s, Adie was promoted to senior management roles and has spent the majority of her career managing teams, leading major change and running high-stakes projects in often complex environments.
Adie brings a huge depth of experience to the Twiga team in areas including corporate affairs, marketing communications, stakeholder management, HR, thought leadership and policy development as well as brand and reputation management.
Other skills have been gained through working on large-scale organisational restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, business and growth planning and strategy development.
Adie’s roles have spanned business, government, academia and civil society – with domestic and global remits, including managing significant international programs for leaders of multinational corporations, multilateral organisations, governments, academic institutions and religious and community groups. Her roles have included extensive travel through the US, Europe and Asia and being stationed in London, Rome, Paris, Washington and Beijing.
Working with Twiga is giving her the opportunity to not only design strategies, but to also “muck in” and get back into implementation – something she relishes.
“I love doing delivery. Having been in executive-level roles since I was 26, I’ve spent a large part of my career overseeing other people to achieve delivery.
“I now get to think, create, design and deliver and see how it lands. I’m actively creating something. I get to be hands-on in the creation of the go-to-market strategy, nut it out and then deliver it to a really high standard, taking it to market. One of the most fun parts is analysing the data, reviewing the outcomes and achievements and writing the report at the end”.
Some of Adie’s strengths include being naturally curious and listening with intent to carefully understand what the client needs. “I work with our clients to get them walking the path with us hand in hand.
“If I’m too visible, I’m not really doing a great job. My task is to achieve celebration of our clients and the outcomes I help them to create. I have a deep respect for our clients and their organisations, where they are at in their journey, and in working with them to add value”.
In addition to working with others, Adie has created and taken her own product to market, a lightweight pack for wet and dry gear which helps replace the need for plastic bags. With her passion for end-to-end projects, Adie did everything from sourcing materials, managing production, brand and marketing, and building her own website.
A major career highlight was in 2000 where she facilitated the global announcement in Melbourne between Bill Gates and Sir Gustav Nossal “in amongst the chaos of protestors” around the World Economic Forum. The announcement was for $1billion to be donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fund polio vaccines, the largest ever private donation of its kind.
Adie has completed the AICD course and is currently an advisor on Boards as well as school and sporting committees, including as current President of one of the world’s largest schoolgirls’ rowing clubs.
Adie’s legacy for her clients is that if you can dream it, you can do it. “Anything is possible provided you have focus on your end goal and build something that is fit for purpose”.
And when it comes to her life outside of work? “I have a passion for making the most of the precious time we have”.