How Adrian Campbell approaches community work on Lombok
Campbell's view is simple: a resort only succeeds when the village next door gains from it. On Lombok, that means turning up in the villages around Kinnara Capital's land well before any guest checks in.
That land lies in Buwun Mas, one of the villages of Sekotong. Sekotong is a district in the West Lombok regency, out on the island's south-western peninsula. As a desa, or rural village, Buwun Mas is led by an elected village head, the kepala desa.
Development has come late to this part of the island, held back by poor roads and complicated land titles. That puts more weight, not less, on how a developer behaves with the people already living there. The Sekotong and Buwun Mas page describes the area in more detail.
Community days in Buwun Mas and Sekotong
In the villages near Kinnara Capital's land, community days are a regular fixture. Staff and contractors spend the day with village leaders and local families. They share a meal, meet the team and talk through how the project will change the district.
For residents, it is a chance to put questions straight to the people planning to build next door. For the team, it is a way to hear what local people actually care about, instead of guessing from a distance.
Gatherings like this fit easily into Indonesian village life. Gotong royong, the tradition of neighbours working together for the common good, is a long-standing value across the country.
The Saraya community day at Pengantap beach, June 2026
On 27 June 2026, a Saraya community day was held at Pengantap beach in Buwun Mas. Pengantap sits on Lombok's southern coastline, within the village's boundaries.
Campbell spoke to the gathering from the stage. He also met village leaders and local officials during the day.
A donation for children's playground facilities was handed over to the village. It was marked "Dukungan Fasilitas Taman Bermain Anak", which translates from Indonesian as support for children's playground facilities.
Kinnara Capital's contractor, TSG Construction, also appeared on the event signage. TSG Construction Indonesia, part of the Zhongqi Huapu Construction group, is the firm appointed to build Saraya. Photos from the day are on the photos page.
Talking with village leaders in Indonesian
Campbell speaks Indonesian. On Lombok, that lets him speak with village leaders and families directly, with no translator in between. He ranks it as the most important lesson from roughly 15 years doing business in the country. On the company side, Jaques Z. Marbun leads government relations in Indonesia.
He learned the language in his early twenties in Kuta, as owner of the Troppo Zone resort. Indonesian is the national language. Most people on Lombok are Sasak, the island's largest ethnic group, and many also speak the Sasak language at home.
Direct conversation counts for a lot around land. In Sekotong, a good deal of coastal land has stayed in the same families for generations, frequently with no modern certificate. Kinnara Capital waits until ownership is confirmed before it buys, and plain conversation with owners and village heads is part of that work.
School donations in Sekotong villages
Schools in the villages close to the Lombok land receive donations from Kinnara Capital. The gifts cover equipment, plus the supplies children need for class. In Indonesia, children usually start primary school (SD) at six or seven and spend six years there before moving on to junior secondary school (SMP).
The thinking behind it is long term. Villages around Sekotong are about to see new work on building sites, in hotels and in tourism, and visitor numbers are already rising. According to Statistics Indonesia, Nusa Tenggara Barat province welcomed over 2.38 million visitors in 2025, a 47% rise.
The aim is for young people who grow up in Sekotong to be ready for the skilled jobs that resorts like Saraya create.
Local jobs at Kinnara Capital's Lombok site
Kinnara Capital's Buwun Mas site office and its staff housing are built on land the company has already settled, a group of six neighbouring plots. The local team working there comes from the surrounding villages. Alongside its offices in Balikpapan and Phuket, Kinnara Capital keeps that site office in the village itself.
The bigger change will come when Saraya opens. A resort of 154 villas, plus two restaurants, a gym, a spa and a beach club, will need a large local workforce, from housekeeping and kitchens to maintenance and guest services. The Saraya Beach Resort page sets out the plan.
Saraya also keeps its distance from the sea. The plan sets every building 100 metres back from the water's edge, matching Indonesia's coastal setback rules, so the beach itself will stay free of buildings. A note explains why Saraya sits 100 metres back.
Troppo Zone in Kuta is the precedent. It had roughly 80 local employees under Campbell, and a number of them are still on staff there today. More on the company's approach is at kinnara.capital.
First Nations Mining Australia in the Pilbara
The same idea runs through his work in Australia. First Nations Mining Australia has Campbell as its Managing Partner. Most of the company is owned by First Nations people, and it explores in the Pilbara, in Western Australia, together with the Yindjibarndi people.
Michael Woodley, its chairman, also leads the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation as chief executive. The company's purpose is to benefit Yindjibarndi people and Roebourne residents, and it treats consultation on cultural heritage, and being open with the community, as central to how it operates. A 2017 Federal Court determination recognised Yindjibarndi exclusive native title across an area of the Pilbara.
Exploration is the early stage of the mining industry: finding and testing mineral deposits before any decision to mine. Campbell's goal there is the one he sets on Lombok: profit from the land should stay with those who own it. The First Nations Mining Australia page explains the partnership, and his full profile covers his other roles.
