Adapa Advisory
Adapa Advisory is a boutique advisory firm founded in 2020 providing strategic consulting and executive resourcing to banks, asset managers, pension funds, and market infrastructure providers in post-trade and securities services across the UK and South Africa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersKent, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Adapa Advisory does
Adapa Advisory is a boutique advisory firm founded in January 2020 and headquartered in Orpington, Kent, with a regional office in Bryanston, Johannesburg. It provides strategic insights and consulting services to financial institutions operating in the post-trade and securities services arena, alongside a parallel executive resourcing and search practice that places senior practitioners in short- and long-term mandates, non-executive roles, and Africa-focused executive search engagements. The firm was founded by Mark Kerns (CEO), Richard Barnsdale, and Fiona Green, and has since added four associate partners — Steve Dyson, Anant Barchha, Peter Christmas, and Margaret Delman — each tied to the build-out of a specific capability or client vertical (Wealth Management, Asset Owners and Managers, and Pension Funds respectively).
The firm does not develop proprietary technology platforms. Its core offering comprises professional services delivered by senior practitioners: strategic advisory engagements covering operating model reviews, strategy development, program oversight, technology evaluation, governance frameworks, and executive coaching; and executive resourcing delivered through partnerships, notably a joint venture with HornbyChapman in Africa. The product surface has been extended through distribution partnerships with Raw Knowledge (a Managed Smart Data platform) and Integrum ESG (ESG data and reporting solutions), which Adapa introduces to its financial institution clients without building the underlying technology.
Adapa Advisory makes money through project-based professional services engagements priced via quote-based project fees that vary by scope, duration, and seniority of resources deployed. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, has no disclosed institutional or venture funding, and operates as two legal entities (Adapa Advisory Ltd in the UK and Adapa Advisory (Pty) Ltd in South Africa). It goes to market through direct enterprise engagement with C-suite and senior executives at financial institutions, supplemented by referral channels via TSSAG (where Mark Kerns is inaugural Chairman), HornbyChapman, IAWMC, and GLO Consulting.
Adapa Advisory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Adapa Advisory
- Legal name
- Adapa Advisory Ltd
- Website
- https://adapaadvisory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Adapa Advisory is a boutique advisory firm founded in 2020 providing strategic consulting and executive resourcing to banks, asset managers, pension funds, and market infrastructure providers in post-trade and securities services across the UK and South Africa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Adapa Advisory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Securities Services Advisory
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC), HR Policy, Governance, Compliance & Risk Advisory (BPACAJAF)
Keywords
Where Adapa Advisory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kent
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Adapa Advisory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Strategic Advisory Services: Adapa Advisory provides strategic consulting services to financial institutions on post-trade and securities services matters, including operating model reviews, strategy development, program oversight, and market positioning. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements with senior-level professionals.
- Executive Resourcing and Search: The firm identifies and attracts senior-level talent for clients through its network of industry professionals. Services include placement of executives on short and long-term mandates, non-executive director placements, and executive search services particularly in the Africa region.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Adapa Advisory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Adapa Advisory is a boutique advisory firm providing strategic consulting and executive resourcing services to financial institutions in the post-trade and securities services arena. Its Strategic Advisory service covers operating model reviews, strategy and program oversight, technology evaluation, market positioning, product management, and executive coaching, while its Executive Resourcing service sources senior-level talent for short- and long-term mandates including non-executive placements, with a dedicated Africa focus.
Product overview
Adapa Advisory is a strategic advisory and consulting firm focused on the post trade and securities services industry. Rather than a unified software platform, the company offers two core professional services: Strategic Advisory (consulting engagements covering strategy, operating models, technology reviews, and executive coaching) and Executive Resourcing and Search (talent acquisition and deployment services). The company also distributes third-party products through partnerships, including Raw Knowledge's Managed Smart Data platform for data management and Integrum ESG's data and reporting solutions for ESG compliance. The business model is designed to provide flexible access to industry professionals for focused, action-orientated deliverables.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategic Advisory Consulting service for financial institutions providing access to seasoned professionals with subject matter expertise in post-trade and securities services, including strategic plan assessment, program oversight, operating and technology model reviews, product management strategy, and executive coaching.
- Executive Resourcing and Search Talent acquisition and resourcing service accessing a network of professionals with deep management and subject matter expertise for short- and long-term mandates, including non-executive roles; in Africa, includes executive search for full-time deployment of experienced individuals.
Companies that use Adapa Advisory
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Adapa Advisory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Adapa Advisory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Raw KnowledgecoreRaw Knowledge, a subsidiary of Industrial Thought Ltd, partnered with Adapa Advisory to provide its Managed Smart Data platform to wealth management and financial institution clients. The platform creates a single, validated view of disparate data sources, helping businesses streamline operations, improve data-driven decision-making, and maintain regulatory audit trails with traceable data lineage functionality.
- Integrum ESGcoreIntegrum ESG, a leading provider of ESG data and reporting solutions across public and private markets, partnered with Adapa Advisory to introduce its solutions to Adapa's financial institution clients. The partnership addresses demand for ESG reporting solutions supporting pre and post trading, management information, and regulatory reporting requirements.
- IAWMC (Investment & Wealth Management Consultants Ltd)coreIAWMC partnered with Adapa Advisory to develop presence in the Wealth Management segment globally. Target markets include Wealth Managers, Private Banks, Insurance Companies, Custodian Banks, Technology Companies, and Fintech firms. Steve Dyson serves as Associate Partner within Adapa Advisory.
- GLO ConsultingsecondaryAlliance with GLO Consulting to provide executive and business coaching together with leadership, talent, and performance development programmes for companies in the post-trade and securities services arena.
- TSSAG (The Securities Services Advisory Group)coreAdapa Advisory is a founding member of TSSAG, a member-based trade association providing forum for thought leadership and engagement across Securities Services and Post Trade industry. Mark Kerns serves as inaugural Chairman. TSSAG supports the $100 trillion+ Securities Services Industry.
- HornbyChapmancoreJoint venture between HornbyChapman and Adapa Advisory (Pty) Ltd in Africa focused on senior-level recruitment to financial services companies. Venture initially focuses on South Africa as a base for demand in other African markets. HornbyChapman provides executive recruitment expertise while Adapa contributes post-trade and securities services industry knowledge.
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Adapa Advisory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Capco: Global management and technology consultancy exclusively focused on financial services, including capital markets, post-trade, and custody. Competes with Adapa for the same enterprise mandates but offers end-to-end delivery, proprietary accelerators, and global delivery centers at significantly larger scale.
- Oliver Wyman: Global management consulting firm with a deep financial services practice spanning capital markets, custody, and asset management. Competes for the same operating model and strategy mandates as Adapa but with vastly larger partner bench, global footprint, and balance sheet to absorb multi-year transformation programs.
Direct peers
- AlfaSec Advisors: TSSAG founding member advisory firm serving financial institutions in securities services. Comparable boutique positioning, geographic overlap, and shared client pool in the post-trade advisory market.
- Soterium: TSSAG founding member providing advisory services within the post-trade and securities services ecosystem. Directly comparable boutique peer with overlapping service lines targeting banks, custodians, and market infrastructure.
- Alpha FMC: Larger specialist consultancy focused on asset management, wealth management, and insurance with consulting, projects, and managed services. Closest scaled peer to Adapa in the asset servicing and investment operations advisory space, though materially larger and more global.
- PDH Consult: TSSAG founding member specializing in post-trade and securities services consulting. Closely comparable boutique offering to Adapa, serving similar financial institution client base across custody, fund administration, and asset servicing.
- Citisoft: Asset management and investment operations consultancy where Adapa Associate Partner Steve Dyson previously led European business development. Comparable mid-sized boutique targeting buy-side and asset servicing clients with technology and operating model advisory.
- Araliya Management Consulting: TSSAG founding member delivering management consulting to financial services clients. Comparable boutique-scale peer with shared industry association affiliation and overlapping securities services advisory scope.
- The Value Exchange: Boutique advisory firm co-founding member of TSSAG alongside Adapa Advisory, focused on securities services strategy and post-trade consulting. Comparable niche specialization, similar boutique scale, and overlapping enterprise client base in UK and European financial institutions.
- Pivot Consulting: TSSAG founding member firm providing advisory to the securities services and post-trade industry. Direct peer in scope, client segment, and boutique delivery model, competing for the same operating model and strategy mandates at custodians and asset managers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Adapa Advisory social profiles
Digital presenceAdapa Advisory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Adapa Advisory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Adapa Advisory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Adapa Advisory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Adapa Advisory
What does Adapa Advisory do?
Adapa Advisory is a boutique advisory firm providing strategic consulting and executive resourcing services to financial institutions in the post-trade and securities services arena. Its Strategic Advisory service covers operating model reviews, strategy and program oversight, technology evaluation, market positioning, product management, and executive coaching, while its Executive Resourcing service sources senior-level talent for short- and long-term mandates including non-executive placements, with a dedicated Africa focus.
Is Adapa Advisory a public or private company?
Adapa Advisory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Adapa Advisory founded?
Adapa Advisory was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Adapa Advisory based?
Adapa Advisory is headquartered in Kent, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Adapa Advisory make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Strategic Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are executive Resourcing and Search.
Who are Adapa Advisory's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Capco and Oliver Wyman. Direct peers are AlfaSec Advisors, Soterium, Alpha FMC, PDH Consult, Citisoft, Araliya Management Consulting, The Value Exchange and Pivot Consulting.
Does Adapa Advisory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Adapa Advisory.
What industry is Adapa Advisory in?
Adapa Advisory's product category is Securities Services Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHADAA, Corporate Strategy Advisory, with a secondary code of BPAHAFAC, Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.