UNSW program cultivates the next generation of Indigenous leaders

The Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) has celebrated the success of this year’s Emerging Indigenous Executive Leaders Program (EIELP) cohort. 

The award-winning EIELP was first launched in collaboration with Reconciliation Australia in 2017 to develop and elevate the next generation of senior Indigenous business leaders who will play an influential role in shaping Australia’s future.

Twenty-eight emerging leaders completed the program in 2023, with participants drawn from organisations including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), NSW Ambulance, Services Australia and ANZ. 

Combining culture, community and Western approaches to leadership

For the emerging leaders who completed the program, the EIELP offered a life-changing opportunity to connect culture, Country and community to their work as organisational leaders.

Ruby Sellings, who is a Senior Consultant at KPMG, said the program was an empowering experience.

“The EIELP has helped to build my confidence with embracing and embedding my culture into my workplace and everyday life. It’s helped me both personally and professionally, as I don’t stop being Aboriginal when I enter my workplace, or when I leave to go home,” she said.

“It’s helped me become more vulnerable and comfortable showing and sharing my emotion.”

The strong connection formed with other emerging leaders was a highlight for many participants.

“Seventy per cent of the learning from this program is delivered in a standard Western format via presentations and interactive activities. The other 30 per cent of the learning is through our traditional ways of informal yarning with one another. The connections we built from an understanding of one another’s experiences have helped us to create such a strong network,” Ms Sellings said.

For Danielle Anderson, Assistant Director at the ATO, the program was a unique opportunity to connect with others. 

“The EIELP is the first time I’ve been in a room with that many mob at the same time, other than with my direct family. That alone makes it a phenomenal experience. The breadth and depth of the connections we fostered will continue into the future, and I am so thankful to say I made connections for life,” she said.

An Indigenous cultural perspective on strategic challenges 

The cohort’s final project saw candidates submit a report that considered a strategic organisational challenge in their workplace through an Indigenous cultural lens while employing Western business frameworks. 

AGSM adjunct faculty members Jo O’Reilly and Aaron Clark collaborated with participants to prepare for their final project, which culminated in a presentation reflecting on their EIELP journey and strategic challenges, while leveraging the power of Indigenous storytelling. 

Mr Clark said the 2023 cohort was unique for the bonds formed within the group.

“As a facilitator, you are creating an environment for people to extract the magic that lies within the group. To see our cultural practices of supporting the collective story come to life through strong presentations was uplifting and powerful. It allowed everyone to be supported through their strategic challenge,” he said.

More than 60 guests joined the program participants for their final presentations, which were followed by the EIELP graduation, hosted by KPMG Australia’s CEO Andrew Yates in recognition of two KPMG staff members who completed the program in 2023.

Participants received the AGSM’s Certificate in Management and Development, which enables them to continue their lifelong learning by giving credits toward any of the UNSW Business School’s Graduate Certificates or the MBA.

A unique year in the EIELP’s history

This was the seventh and largest cohort of Indigenous leaders to complete the program since its inception. 

AGSM Indigenous Programs Customer Success Coordinator Amos Taylor said the 2023 EIELP was particularly memorable because it took place alongside the referendum on the First Nations Voice to Parliament.

“The program helped me, and so many Indigenous leaders, cope with enormous cultural load throughout 2023, and bonds and friendships were formed that will last a lifetime,” he said.

The program is being rebranded in 2024 as the Executive Indigenous Leaders Program to reflect the strong leadership profile of participants. Recruitment for the next cohort will begin soon.

Find out more about the program.

Main photo: Stephen Blake