About Adrian Bowden
My work has always taken place where ideals meet practical reality.
A professional path across three countries
Sydney, Australia — legal foundation. BA and LLB with First Class Honours from the University of Sydney, admission as a solicitor in New South Wales, and work in commercial law.
1997–2008 — Norway. Joined the Camphill movement, trained in social therapy and held senior administrative and leadership roles, including leading Camphill Norway from 2002 to 2008.
2008–2020 — Pennsylvania. Served as Executive Director of Camphill Soltane and helped establish and lead Parzival, alongside community, cultural and social-enterprise projects.
Since 2020 — Norway. Returned to Jevnaker and now works as Administration Manager at Camphill Solborg, with responsibility for HMS work across Camphill Norway.
I began my professional life in Australia. I completed a BA and LLB with First Class Honours at the University of Sydney, was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales and worked in commercial law. That training gave me a lasting concern for clear responsibilities, careful reasoning and the difference between what an organisation intends and what its documents and practices actually establish.
In the late 1990s I moved to Norway and joined the Camphill movement. Since then, I have spent nearly thirty years working in intentional communities, social care, nonprofit management and social enterprise in Norway and the United States.
Leadership in Norway and the United States
I have held senior leadership roles in Camphill organisations on both sides of the Atlantic. In Pennsylvania, I served for more than a decade as Executive Director of Camphill Soltane and helped establish Parzival as a licensed human-services provider. The work involved governance, regulation, staffing, budgets, property, fundraising, social care and the daily realities of building organisations around people.
I also helped develop social and cultural initiatives including Soltane Café, Sol Kitchen, Community Arts Phoenixville and Entwine. These projects taught me how much organisational work sits behind something that appears simple and welcoming to the public.
I returned to Norway in 2020. I now work as Administration Manager at Camphill Solborg and as HMS manager for Camphill Norway, with responsibilities spanning governance, compliance, HR, health and care administration, privacy, internal control and practical organisational systems.
How I work
Start with reality
Understand what is actually happening before designing a new policy or structure.
Make responsibility clear
Good organisations depend on people knowing what they can decide, what they must do and when they need help.
Keep systems usable
A policy that nobody understands or follows does not provide much protection.
Based in Jevnaker, Norway. Norwegian and Australian citizen. English is my first language; I also work in Norwegian and German.