2023 Indigenous Business Month: To gather, together

4 minute read

This October, The Australian National University (ANU) College of Business and Economics (CBE) celebrates Indigenous Business Month (IBM).

For nine years, IBM has encouraged conversations about Indigenous business, as well as foster relationships and connections.

The 2023 IBM theme – To gather, together – was born from the heart of building relationships to seek solace, feedback, information and ideas, and generate friendship and connection. It emphasises the importance of bringing together local communities and exploring the crossovers between what’s happening in Indigenous businesses, in the community and in their lives.

This month, CBE caught up with Wiradjuri woman and ANU alumna Leila Smith, who is the CEO of Aurora Foundation, to share her insights on the opportunities available at ANU for the future Indigenous leaders. Prior to her current role, Leila was the Knowledge Translation Manager at the Lowitja Institute, where she was awarded a Roberta Sykes scholarship to attend Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-profit Management course.

She is the Chair of the American Australian Association, a board member of the United States Studies Centre, the Perth USAsia Centre, Remote Area Health Corps, and a Charlie Perkins Scholar with a Master in Public Policy from the University of Cambridge.

When discussing her reasons for choosing ANU to do her Bachelor of Arts in 2004, she names the Tjabal Indigenous Higher Education Centre, which provides a meeting place and support base on campus for Indigenous students and staff, as a large factor in this decision.