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Our Speakers

Debbie Barwick

Chief Executive Officer

NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce

Deb Barwick is the CEO of the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Inc. Deb is also a national and international award-winning Aboriginal entrepreneur and business owner who believes that Aboriginal people themselves are the solution to social and economic parity and that enabling Aboriginal leadership regionally, nationally and globally is a strategic and wise investment toward a stronger Australian economy and nation.​

Deb’s many professional achievements include:​
Establishing Australia’s first Indigenous chamber of commerce in 2006 and leading the establishment of a new national peak body in 2015 to represent the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business owners and enterprising communities. Today, the national body collectively represents over 5,500 members.​

Deb received a NSW Premiers Award for Excellence in 2008 recognising the impact of her work over many years to support the establishment and growth of Aboriginal owned businesses in NSW and to advocate for their inclusion in the supply chains of government and industry. Today she is a Specialist Procurement Advisor for the NSW Government’s Business Connect program providing advice and guidance to small businesses seeking to improve their understanding of procurement and capacity to submit quality tenders.​

Deb’s accomplishments as one of Australia’s leading grass roots advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business owners are complemented by her accomplishments as a private businessowner. Her company Winya Indigenous Furniture, established in 2016, has won multiple awards including the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Management Awards. Winya went on from this success to become the first and only Australian company to ever win a United Nations Sustainability Goals Award in 2018.​

Sessions

Panel: Elevating Indigenous business through improving supply chain diversity

  • Underscoring the “why” of including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in corporate business

  • Highlighting the mutual benefits and far-reaching economic impacts of including First Nations businesses in supply chains

  • Advocating for your business and building networks to maximise your engagement

Hayden Heta, Managing Director, Wamarra

Isabella Birtles, Senior Social Procurement Advisor, Laing O’Rourke

Sara Stuart, Managing Director, Mob Jobs

Gordon Cole, Chair, Noongar Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Our Speakers

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