Indigenous leadership program celebrates a decade of impact

Since it launched in 2016, 330 Indigenous leaders have graduated from the program.

The Executive Indigenous Leadership Program (EILP) has welcomed its 10th cohort, bringing together 51 Indigenous leaders from 26 organisations across Australia. 

The program, delivered by AGSM, supports Indigenous leadership development, cultural connection and participants’ capacity to create impact in their organisations and communities, in alignment with UNSW’s Progress for All strategy.

Building a community of leaders

Since its inception, the EILP has supported more than 330 Indigenous leaders.

The program draws on Indigenous and Western leadership frameworks to support participants’ leadership practice through a highly experiential and applied learning model. A central theme is ‘Walking in Two Worlds’. Participants explore Indigenous leadership, identity and the ways different leadership perspectives can inform their own leadership practice through teachings and insights shared by Uncle Mark Rose.

Program delivery for the 10th cohort reflects the strength of the community built around the EILP over the past decade. Many alumni now return as faculty members, helping to co-design and deliver the program alongside AGSM’s Indigenous Programs team. Several members of the team are also alumni, bringing lived experience and a deep understanding of the participant journey. 

The 10th cohort began the program in a yarning circle, creating a space for connection, storytelling and reflection. During a visit to Cockatoo Island, they explored themes of history, culture, leadership and connection to place as part of the program’s cultural immersion experience.

The cohort also collaborated on a collective artwork, symbolising the individuals within the group and the shared learning journey ahead.
 

A transformative program 

For many past participants, the EILP has a lasting impact.

“Participating in EILP was one of the most transformative experiences of my career. The program uniquely weaves cultural strength, leadership excellence and personal growth, creating and space where I felt genuinely seen, supported and challenged,” said Stacey Sheather, Assistant Director, First Nations Team, Consumer Compliance Strategies at ACCC, who graduated from the EILP in 2025.

“Learning alongside brothers and sisters across 32 organisations in my cohort deepened my understanding of the power of shared experience.”
 

New scholarship support from KPMG, Atturra and Asuria is expanding access, enabling more leaders to participate and strengthening the diversity of the cohort.

As EILP enters its second decade, the program continues to create opportunities for Indigenous leaders to learn from one another, strengthen their leadership capability and contribute to a growing network of leaders driving change across communities, organisations and industries.

 

Video credit: Taj Wiggins.

Main image: Members of the 10th EILP cohort. Photo: Taj Wiggins.