Episode summary
Culture Is the Strategy: Christina Adamson of Ares Wealth Management Solutions
Dakota Rainmaker Podcast
· · 1 hr 3 min · Hosts: Gui Costin · Guests: Christina Adamson
Summary
Christina Adamson argues that fundraising and distribution work starts with clear alignment on the client’s three-to-five-year goals, then depends on a disciplined cadence of concise updates that share useful intelligence rather than noise. She says prospects are effectively auditing how responsive and thoughtful you will be after they invest, so every interaction is part of the sale. Her advice to salespeople is simple: outwork everyone, stay curious about what the prospect is trying to solve, and focus relentlessly on building trust.
A major theme is that culture is not a slogan but a competitive advantage. Christina credits Ares CEO Mike Arougheti and the broader leadership team for emphasizing collaboration, transparency, trust, autonomy, and no egos. She says the firm’s growth to roughly $80 billion across eight evergreen funds came from consistent execution, high standards, and hiring people who want to be on a team. Standards matter because they free people to do their jobs well once expectations are clear.
The discussion also turns tactical: Christina says call notes, CRM discipline, and real-time information sharing are essential, especially in a business with hundreds of thousands of advisors to cover. She argues that data and technology should augment relationship management, not replace it, by helping teams decide where to spend their time and what opportunities deserve attention.
Key takeaways
- Christina Adamson says fundraising success depends on aligning early with a manager’s three-to-five-year goals and maintaining a steady, useful communication cadence.
- She argues that a prospect’s experience before an investment is an audition for the post-investment relationship, so responsiveness and clarity matter.
- Christina says Ares treats culture as a competitive advantage, built on collaboration, transparency, trust, autonomy, and no egos.
- She links Ares’s growth to roughly $80 billion across eight evergreen funds to consistent execution and firm-wide standards, not luck.
- Christina says the best salespeople use data and CRM discipline to prioritize effort, surface intelligence, and work smarter every day.
Notable quotes
“you got to outwork everybody. You got to hustle. I love that saying, um, don't don't run, don't walk, just hustle”
“if you cannot answer this question, does this prospect or does this investor trust me? If you can't answer yes, then you're in the wrong business”
“we view culture as a competitive advantage”
“what are our 3 to 5 year goals, right? What do we want to achieve by moving into wealth”
How the episode opens
Welcome to the Rain Maker podcast with your host Geek Cen. The goal of this podcast is to give listeners a unique look into sales strategies from top industry executives. We introduce you to the heads of sales and heads of distribution who will help you understand the inner workings of the successful sales organizations from philosophy to execution.
This podcast is essential for sales professionals seeking wisdom from the best in the field. If you're not familiar with Dakota and their Dakota rain maker content, please check out dakota.com to learn more about their services.
This episode is brought to you by Dakota Marketplace. Are you tired of constantly jumping between multiple databases and channels to find the right investment opportunities? Introducing Dakota Marketplace, the comprehensive institutional and intermediary database built by fundraisers for fundraisers.
With Dakota Marketplace, you'll have access to all channels and asset classes in one place, saving you time and streamlining your fundraising process. Say goodbye to the frustration of searching through multiple databases, websites, form ADVs, and say hello to a seamless and efficient fundraiser experience. Sign up now and see the difference Dakota Marketplace can make for you.
Visit dakota.comdotenarketplace today. What is up everybody? It's Ge Cen, founder and CEO of Dakota.
Welcome to the latest episode of the Rainmaker Podcast. This is going to be a great one. I'm so happy to be be joined by Christina Adamson.
Welcome. Miss Adamson is a partner and co- global chief operating officer within Aries Wealth Management Solutions, which oversees Aries client management activities in the global wealth channel. Prior to joining areas in 2021, she was a managing director, head of institutional sales and investor relations at Black Creek Capital Markets, where she oversaw funding and relationship management for institutional investors, large registered independent adviserss, family offices, and high net worth individuals.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- culture as competitive advantage
- fundraising communication cadence
- crm and ai call reporting
- hiring for eq iq and drive
- leadership focus and discipline
Companies and tickers mentioned
- C
- DB
- Ares Wealth Management Solutions
- Ares Management
- Citigroup
- Deutsche Bank
- Black Creek Capital Markets
Watch the episode
Watch “Culture Is the Strategy: Christina Adamson of Ares Wealth Management Solutions” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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Autonomy with High Expectations: Angela Kay on Leading Without Micromanaging -
The Long Game: Ava Mallin on Building Allocator Relationships That Last -
If You're Explaining, You're Losing: Mark Allen of Royal Oak Realty Trust
Dakota Rainmaker Podcast, this episode and its artwork belong to Dakota Team. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
