Summit Day 2 - 18th November 2021
08:30 Opening remarks from the Chair
Dana Lightbody, Executive Director & Chair, The Leadership Institute
08:40 CULTURAL CAPABILITY KEYNOTE: Enabling strong communication and ethical behaviour between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people
One of the central challenges for individuals and organisations alike is what we take for granted, particularly the manner in which we communicate with those around us, and the cultural expectations, mannerisms and biases that go with it. Mundanara Bayles recognised this challenge during her successful career in the Private, Public and NFP sector, and decided to dabble in a side business building the cultural capability of Australia’s people and organisations. Within a week she quit her day job. In her session, Mundanara will outline these challenges for future indigenous leaders and organisations alike, and if you like the sound of her work be sure to attend her exclusive post-conference workshop.
Mundanara Bayles, MD, BlackCard, Bundjalung & Wonnarua, NSW, Birri Gubba & Gungalu, QLD
09:20 KEYNOTE: Understanding Cultural Authority and how it relates to organisations
Denise Bowden is a born-and-bred Northern Territory Indigenous woman, inspired to pursue leadership by the strong example of her mother, the first Indigenous woman alderman of Katherine. She has an extensive knowledge base stemming from her background working in Indigenous affairs in the more remote pockets of Australia’s north. Operating her foundation and festivals in remote Arnhem Land, Denise recognises and integrates the structure of Cultural Authority in her organisation in order to optimise the organisation’s structure and the qualifications of her employees. She joins us to explain the concept and function of Cultural Authority and how is can be used to benefit organisations.
Denise Bowden, CEO, Yothu Yindi Foundation, North East Arhnem Land, NT
10:15 Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander success in leadership and governance
Effective Indigenous governance is key to creating lasting positive change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and for all Australians. Good governance is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people making and implementing decisions about their communities, lives and futures, And Reconciliation Australia is committed to its support. As the CEO at Reconciliation Australia, Ms Mundine brings to the role more than 20 years’ experience leading community engagement, public advocacy, communications and social marketing campaigns. Over the course of her career she has been instrumental in some of Australia’s watershed national events including the Apology to the Stolen Generations, Centenary of Federation commemorations, Corroboree 2000 and the 1997 Australian Reconciliation Convention.
Karen Mundine, CEO, Reconciliation Australia, Bundjalung, NSW
10:55 Working with industry partners and the business community to promote confident and culturally proud First Nations youths: A positive development approach for leadership
Dr. Anne Pattel-Gray has an earned Ph.D. from the University of Sydney awarded in 1995 in the Studies of Religion with the major focus on Aboriginal Religion and Spirituality (she was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney). And a Doctor of Divinity form India awarded in 1997 (the first Aboriginal person to be awarded the D.D.). Dr. Pattel-Gray has achieved many firsts in her prestigious life and she is known as a trail blazer and she has opened many doors for her people. She is a recognised scholar, theologian, activist and prolific writer with several publications – chapters, articles, edited works and authored books. Dr. Anne Pattel-Gray is deeply committed to the advancement of Aboriginal people and to reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. She has over thirty years in senior management as a CEO and she possesses a wealth of experience and she has developed enormous expertise.
Dr Anne Pattel-Gray, Head of Australia First Nations Programs, World Vision
11:30 In Conversation with GO Foundation
The GO Foundation, founded by Sydney Swans legends Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin, seeks to empower Indigenous Australians through education. CEO, Shirley Chowdhary, and Head of Scholarships, Mark Heiss, share GO’s vision, why organisations like GO are even more important as we find our way out of the Covid pandemic, and how they seek to collaborate with other organisations to forge a path forward. This organisation seeks to do things differently with Indigenous culture at the heart of everything they do. In this session, GO shares their story and how they seek to empower from the perspective of culture, inclusion and education.
Shirley Chowdhary, CEO, GO Foundation
Mark Heiss, Head of Scholarships, GO Foundation
13:10 KEYNOTE: How the media can support indigenous leadership
If it’s true that “you can’t be what you can’t see”, then Tanya Orman-Denning has made it her mission to empower those without a voice through indigenous led and self-determined media. With the loudness of shock-jocks, ultra-right pundits and the widespread presentation of culture and race through a white lens, it is essential that Indigenous Australia is not only represented, but on its own terms. She leads NITV, a 24-hour channel broadcasting content made predominantly from the Indigenous production sector and is one of only a handful of Aboriginal women in a leadership role in media. She joins us to explain the media’s role in empowering indigenous leadership, and what she has learned in her years of experience.
Tanya Orman-Denning, Channel Manager, NITV, Birri & Guugu Yimithirr, QLD
13:50 KEYNOTE: Securing employment outcomes through the ‘demand-led’ approach to training
Generation One believes that the fastest way to create parity for Indigenous Australians is through
meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities – jobs that empower people to take charge
of their own lives and create hope. They work with employment partners in a ‘demand-led’ training
approach, as well as advocacy for employment and social policy reform. The demand-led approach
focuses on securing employment for candidates prior to training, coordinating job-ready development
programs to help candidates, and linking service provider payments to long-term outcomes. Generation
One’s CEO, Shelley Cable joins us to explain the logistics and outcomes of their demand-led approach.
Shelley Cable, CEO, Generation One, Minderoo Foundation, Nyoongar, WA
14:50 KEYNOTE: How Indigenous culture and knowledge can transform and enrich Australian organisations
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) is a world-renowned research, collections and publishing organisation. They promote knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, traditions, languages and stories, past and present, and their activities affirm and raise awareness of the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. As such, their CEO Craig Ritchie is extremely well placed to explain how Australia’s unique Indigenous culture can transform policymaking as well as the way our organisations think and work.
Craig Ritchie, CEO, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Dhunghutti & Biripi, NSW
15:30 KEYNOTE: Aligning stakeholders to nurture and enable aboriginal enterprise and leadership
Deb is an award-winning Entrepreneur and Business Owner. Deb believes that Australia’s First Peoples hold the key to a future of social well-being and economic independence, but to achieve success requires a collective effort. As she states: “Buying Policies alone do not address social and economic disparity. Government, Industry, Private Business, the Not For Profit Sector and Aboriginal Leadership can all have a measurable impact individually, however, the individual impact of one cannot compare to the potential impact of all these groups working together.” In this session she will address how individuals, organisations and governments can build networks to achieve a common goal of success and leadership.
Deb Barwick, CEO, NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, Gamilaroi, NSW