Jerry Adams
Best advice ever received:
“Treat others as you wish to be treated”
Chair Since: 2015
Current Executive / Board positions
- Chairman - Berger Paints Bangladesh; Bolix SA (Poland)
- Non-Executive Director - UKPO Ltd (Jersey); The Smart Group (South Australia); Regulus Capital Ltd (plus several companies in which RCL is invested: Dubai)
- Member - Business School Advisory Board and Agribusiness Advisory Board University of Adelaide
Qualifications
- MBA - Harvard Business School
- B.A.- University of Washington
Former Positions
- Directorships: Berger Paints India; MINDA; La Casa Del Formaggio; RSPCA of SA; Sundrop Farms; ZORK; Joint State of SA/Carnegie Mellon University Advisory Board; The Australian Chiropractic College; Axiom Energy
- Interim Dean - Business School University of Adelaide
- MD - Vita Life Sciences
- MD - Orica Consumer Products
- President - Rexam Ltd
- President - Box USA
- CEO - Amcor Fibre Packaging
- VP - Kraft Foods
Jerry’s early career followed a ‘strategy track’, from Harvard MBA to BCG consultant to VP of Strategy at Kraft Foods International for the Asia Pacific region. In that role he moved to Melbourne and shortly thereafter joined Amcor, where he got his first General Management experience, running the fine papers division. He then moved to the top job in the Cartonboard group and later to the CEO role at Amcor Fibre Packaging, the $1 billion; 2000+ employee; 15 plant division of Amcor.
Jerry moved back to the US (1996 - 2000) to be the president of Box USA, returning to Melbourne to be the CEO of Orica Consumer Products, the business comprised of Dulux paints and Selleys handyman products in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
The transition to professional company director and consultant took place in 2004 and continued the heavily international aspect of Jerry’s career with directorships in Bangladesh, India and Poland, and clients in the US and Australia.
Academia first made an appearance in the portfolio in 2004, when Jerry consulted to; and joined the Advisory Board of; the State of SA and Carnegie Mellon University. He later took on the role of Dean of the University of Adelaide School of Business. Presently he sits on two Advisory Boards for the University.