Public Sector Indigenous Leadership Summit 2026

Pre-Conference Workshop

09:00 First Nations Leadership Masterclass

This one-day masterclass is designed specifically for Indigenous staff and future leaders to rise to greater levels of influence, responsibility, and decision-making. It will challenge your assumptions, and expand and develop your mindset, skillset and toolsets to become a more effective leader whilst navigating some of the challenges Indigenous professionals can face in the workplace.

Throughout the day, you will explore frameworks and tools, emotional intelligence, develop your unique leadership style, navigate workplace cultural challenges, learn powerful verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and exert your personal influence and build a foundation for positive influence and success.

Key Course Takeaways:

• Understand the value and importance of leadership for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Confidence you need to navigate your role and engage with multiple stakeholders
• Internalise leadership styles, qualities, and behaviours
• Develop strategic leadership skills that are effective & informed by both Indigenous culture & Western best practice
• Deepen cultural awareness & identity in the context of business leadership
• Take Away practical skills such as negotiating, problem-solving and above-the-line thinking
• Develop your unique, authentic leadership style
• Influence and engage with others with more impact and presence
• Deepen & broaden your worldview and ability to coordinate different perspectives
• Contribute to the development of Indigenous leaders and staff within your organisation

Conference Day 1

SESSION 1: OPENING KEYTNOTE ADDRESS 9:40 AM: From Self Determination to Treaty. How Victoria Changed the Rules

Victoria has become the first state in Australia to legislate a formal pathway to treaty with its First Nations peoples. This landmark shift did not happen overnight. It was the result of sustained leadership, cultural authority, political negotiation and a clear commitment to self determination. This opening session explores how Victoria’s treaty process came to life, the role of the First Peoples Assembly, and what it took to move from recognition to shared decision making. Delegates will gain insight into the leadership lessons embedded in this process, including how culture can be protected within Western systems, how power is negotiated, and what treaty means for the future of First Nations communities in Victoria and beyond. This session sets the foundation for the summit and frames the conversations that follow.

Indigenous leaders are increasingly operating in complex environments where expectations, systems and decision making structures are not always aligned with cultural values or ways of knowing. Navigating these spaces requires more than positional authority. It calls for cultural strength, clarity and the ability to influence without compromise. This session explores how Indigenous leaders exercise cultural authority while working within corporate, government and institutional systems. It examines the balance between maintaining cultural integrity and driving meaningful outcomes, and the leadership choices required when values, power and responsibility intersect. Delegates will gain insight into how cultural authority can be a source of strength, influence and confidence in leadership, and how it can shape more respectful, accountable and effective decision making

Katriina Heikkanen has built her career at the intersection of sport, community and strategy, from more than a decade shaping Indigenous programs and social policy within the AFL to her current role as Indigenous Business Development Manager at GHD. She has seen firsthand how First Nations leadership is often positioned within dedicated engagement or policy roles, vital work that can at times narrow where influence is expected to sit In this session she will explore what it takes to move beyond functional labels into broader commercial, operational and strategic influence, how First Nations leaders can navigate expectation and opportunity without being siloed, and what organisations must shift to ensure Indigenous leadership is embedded across decision making, not confined to it.

1:20 PM: LUNCH

SESSION 4 2:20 PM: Embedding Indigenous Leadership Across Defence

SESSION 5: KEYNOTE Q&A  2:50 PM: Carrying Culture on a Global Stage. Identity, Pressure and Indigenous Leadership

As one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous women, Jessica Mauboy has built an extraordinary career on national and global stages while remaining grounded in culture, community and Country. A proud Kuku Yalanji and South Sea Islander woman, Jessica understands the responsibility that comes with visibility and representation. In this keynote conversation, Jessica reflects on identity, pressure and leadership in the public eye. She shares what it means to carry culture with integrity, navigate expectation with strength, and grow influence without losing connection to who you are and where you come from. This session explores leadership that is visible, values led and deeply human.

4:50 PM: REFLECTION, DAY CLOSE, MEET & GREET WITH JESSICA AND NETWORKING DRINKS!

Conference Day 2

09:00 Opening remarks from the chair

SESSION 1 9:10 AM: Embedding Indigenous Participation Across Major Projects 

Byron has built his career on turning strategic Indigenous Participation commitments into real, measurable outcomes. His experience spans from over 10 years in an ASX index company working with executive to frontline cultural safety leadership, large-scale Indigenous Participation, Indigenous Participation in work winning opportunities, to embedding Indigenous Participation in business development and workforce training across defence, energy, government and community environments. Byron’s career spans across Leadership in Higher Education organisations, an a Indigenous Criminologist in the NSW Police Academy throughout the Wood Royal Commission into Police Corruption in the 90s and running his own RTO for 10 years.

Having delivered cross-cultural programs such as Walk in Two Worlds and advised organisations on white privilege, positive duty, psychosocial stresses, cultural safety and structural barriers, Byron understands that meaningful progress requires more than policy statements — it demands cultural and racial literacy, accountable leadership and long-term, respectful relationships with my communities. In this session, Byron will explore how the organisations he has worked in - How can we move beyond symbolic inclusion toward genuine structural Indigenous participation. He will outline what it takes to embed Indigenous participation into core business strategy, how business can influence major projects to deliver sustained outcomes, and where authentic allyship fits in driving meaningful and enduring Indigenous participation. Byron currently works in Ventia’s People, Safety and Culture as the General Manager Indigenous Partcipation.

SESSION 2 10:00 AM: Leadership Beyond Head of Indigenous Engagement. Expanding Pathways to Influence Across

Across many organisations, Indigenous leadership roles are still concentrated within designated functions such as Indigenous engagement, strategy or community relations. While these roles are critical, they often limit how and where First Nations leaders are able to influence decision making. This session explores what leadership beyond Indigenous specific roles looks like in practice. It considers how organisations can create broader pathways for First Nations leaders into executive, operational and strategic positions, and how leaders themselves navigate opportunities, barriers and expectations along the way. Delegates will reflect on what genuine progression looks like, how leadership capability is recognised and developed, and what needs to change to ensure First Nations leadership is embedded across organisations rather than siloed.

SESSION 4 12:20 PM: Embedding First Nations Leadership Across Systems

From frontline clinician to enterprise strategist, Glenn’s career defies conventional paths. Beginning as an orthopaedic physiotherapist and emergency department clinician at St Vincent’s Hospital and now serving as Head of First Nations Strategy at Bupa, he brings rare insight into how First Nations leadership can influence not only engagement, but the very systems that govern healthcare, business, In this session, Glenn will explore how to move from being the cultural advisor at the table to shaping core business decisions, while holding clinical, cultural, and commercial credibility simultaneously. Join Glenn to rethink leadership beyond titles, discover how organisations can intentionally create pathways where First Nations leadership is embedded across governance, strategy, and system transformation, ensuring that Indigenous perspectives are not just consulted but central to decision-making, growth, and innovation.

SESSION 5 2:40 PM: Water, Country and Shared Stewardship

Essential services like water sit at the intersection of infrastructure, community and Country. In this session, Dan will explore how leaders in critical industries can embed cultural respect and reconciliation into everyday operations, not as a side initiative but as core business practice. He will share practical insights on creating culturally safe workplaces, strengthening Indigenous participation across supply chains and workforce pathways, and building genuine partnerships that recognise connection to Country as central to sustainability. Delegates will gain a clear view of how to move from intention to action and how Indigenous leadership and allyship can shape more responsible, inclusive systems in sectors that impact communities every day.

Post-Conference Workshop

09:00 Achieving cultural capability & competency throughout your organisation

The economic participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples provides a real path to reconciliation – and also allows the strengthening of ethical behaviour whilst working more effectively with Indigenous communities.
This half-day workshop will give organisations and individuals the skills to strengthen ethical behaviour by developing an understanding of obligations and responsibilities to Land and to each other - as Aboriginal people have practised for thousands of years. You will build your cultural capability to work effectively with members of the Aboriginal community and lead Aboriginal staff with greater impact and empathy. Most importantly, you will improve retention of Aboriginal staff, make sure your employers, supervisors, and workplaces understand Aboriginal experience and what they can do to make Aboriginal employment work.

Key Benefits of Attending:

• Gain knowledge and awareness of cultural identity in relation to colleagues, clients,
customers, suppliers and the wider community
• Appreciate the different behavioural styles of people from different cultures
• Understand the type of languages (written and spoken) that is generated in a particular field
and the cultural assumptions and underpinning language
• Gain a greater attitude of tolerance towards differences
• Upskill your ability to work more harmoniously
• Appreciate Aboriginal approaches to teaching and more effectively with others learning
• Put advice and information into appropriate language for the receiver

13:30 Post-conference Workshop 2. Writing and developing an effective Reconciliation Action Plan

Reconciliation Action Plans make a massive difference across all sectors in Australian workplaces. RAPs are a powerful tool for advancing reconciliation in Australia. RAP frameworks assist organisations to foster relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, organisations, and the broader Australian community, all the while embedding respect for the world’s longest surviving culture. By developing a nationally recognised, tried and tested model for workplaces to formalisecommitments to reconciliation, RAPs help to foster a community of shared value, goals and a common language when it comes to reconciliation. This half day workshop is for organisations at any stage of RAP development, implementation or refinement. It will cover initial development of ideas, activities or programs which align with your particular business or brand and work to support Indigenous communities and people. It will provide advice on all aspects of RAP development around the three pillars of Respect, Relationships and Opportunities including Indigenous employment, recruitment and retention, cultural protocols, developing partnerships and sponsorships, establishing networks and engaging with Indigenous communities in your organisation’s region and more broadly.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Implement a tried and tested framework that is proven to drive reconciliation through practical actions
• Turn your organisation’s good intentions into action by formalising your organisation’s commitment to reconciliation
• Reaffirm institutional integrity by embedding an engaging framework contributing towards
good governance practices
• Join a dynamic, supportive and fast growing network of RAP organisations
• Gain greater esteem as an employer of choice and build a more dynamic and diverse workforce
• Enable your staff to develop greater cultural awareness and professional development practices that will strengthen relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders
• Ensure more effective and relevant service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities

13:30 Post-conference Workshop 2. Writing and developing an effective Reconciliation Action Plan

Reconciliation Action Plans make a massive difference across all sectors in Australian workplaces. RAPs are a powerful tool for advancing reconciliation in Australia. RAP frameworks assist organisations to foster relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, organisations, and the broader Australian community, all the while embedding respect for the world’s longest surviving culture. By developing a nationally recognised, tried and tested model for workplaces to formalisecommitments to reconciliation, RAPs help to foster a community of shared value, goals and a common language when it comes to reconciliation. This half day workshop is for organisations at any stage of RAP development, implementation or refinement. It will cover initial development of ideas, activities or programs which align with your particular business or brand and work to support Indigenous communities and people. It will provide advice on all aspects of RAP development around the three pillars of Respect, Relationships and Opportunities including Indigenous employment, recruitment and retention, cultural protocols, developing partnerships and sponsorships, establishing networks and engaging with Indigenous communities in your organisation’s region and more broadly.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Implement a tried and tested framework that is proven to drive reconciliation through practical actions
• Turn your organisation’s good intentions into action by formalising your organisation’s commitment to reconciliation
• Reaffirm institutional integrity by embedding an engaging framework contributingtowards good governance practices
• Join a dynamic, supportive and fast growing network of RAP organisations
• Gain greater esteem as an employer of choice and build a more dynamic and diverse workforce
• Enable your staff to develop greater cultural awareness and professional development practices that will strengthen relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders
• Ensure more effective and relevant service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander peoples and communities