New Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Business Leadership

The Melbourne Business School at the University of Melbourne is launching a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Business Leadership, the first of its kind in Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business leaders.

Michelle Evans, Associate Professor of Leadership at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Business School’s Murra Indigenous Business Master Class Program says the certificate will address a significant gap in management education in Australia.

“The Indigenous business sector is in a phase of significant growth, building on the momentum from the Commonwealth’s Indigenous Procurement Policy established in 2015,” lead designer of the program Associate Professor Evans said.

“Indigenous leaders in corporate Australia, government sectors, business owners and entrepreneurs, must navigate a whole range of tensions. They must traverse the self-authorisation expected of our leaders alongside cultural and community authorisation. They must consider a range of stakeholders other leaders in corporations are not thinking about.”

The six month Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Business Leadership is designed to enable Indigenous business leaders to build their leadership skills and business practices. The course uses an evidence-based interdisciplinary approach to respond to the complex and growing challenges Indigenous business leaders face and explores the central tension between profit and purpose at the heart of Indigenous business leadership.

With Indigenous students anticipated to enrol from across Australia, the course combines online and on-campus learning opportunities with the core subject, Indigenous Business Leadership, offered only as an on-campus winter intensive.

“A key aim of the program is to strengthen business networks and as a collective, work together to solve real leadership challenges. The winter intensive is a unique opportunity to begin working together in an advanced and ongoing way,” Associate Professor Evans said.

Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics Professor Paul Kofman said this graduate program is part of the University’s pledge to strengthening the Indigenous business community.

“The University of Melbourne is committed to advancing Indigenous business leadership. The challenge for the Indigenous economy is ensuring that as demand for Indigenous goods and services continue to grow, businesses are equipped to scale and meet that demand,” Professor Kofman said.

“We want to ensure leaders have the opportunity to build their expertise, grow their networks and create lasting impact both in their communities and on the world stage. This certificate and the pathways it creates will help elevate Indigenous business leaders to their proper place in the Australian economy.”

Following successful completion of the certificate, students will be eligible for credits into the Master of Management, Master of Enterprise, Master of Entrepreneurship or Master of International Business at the University of Melbourne’s Business School.

The course will commence in February 2020. Students can register their interest or make an enquiry at https://mbs.unimelb.edu.au/gcibl