Chair

Shawn Andrews

Shawn Andrews is a descendant of the unceded Mununjali people of South East Queensland and the Palawa people of Tasmania. He is a graduate of Monash University, The Murra Indigenous Business Master Class and is an MBA candidate at UNSW Australian Graduate School of Management.

Shawn is best described as a passionate person who’s purpose is to end Indigenous disadvantage in Australia and around the world. A strong advocate for social change, Shawn was recently awarded the Professor Wanbil Lee Prize for Ethical Leaders in Business. In 2014 he estabilished an Education company called Indigicate and began to create education programs designed to shift the negative narrative of Indigenous Australians. Since 2014, Indigicates reconciliation capacity building programs, school camps and Indigenous focused programs have taught more than 55,000 people. In 2019, partnering with three other Indigenous Australians, Shawn launched the 100 % Indigenous owned procurement company Supply Aus. Moving forward from 2020, Shawn’s focus is to create opportunities for Australia’s most disconnected Indigenous youth to connect with culture and develop skills required to enter meaningful employment. In Shawn’s free time he loves the outdoors, gaming and spending quality time with his young family.

Lee-Ann Emzin

Lee-Ann Emzin is a proud Aboriginal and South Sea Islander with Bundjalung and Tanna Island heritage.

Her leadership and depth of experience in social procurement and inclusion comes from over 25 years promoting employment opportunities for Indigenous peoples. Her background involves community development roles in rural and remote communities, contract management with the state government, and recruitment and employment programs. Prior to joining John Holland, as Social Inclusion Advisor, she was a Recruitment Advisor to Crown Casino’s award-winning Indigenous Employment Program, placing and supporting over 100 local Aboriginal people in a range of roles. In an earlier role as Economic Broker for the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce, she demonstrated her commitment to engagement and capacity building of Aboriginal businesses, working alongside corporate and government buyers to source opportunities to develop and scale up Aboriginal businesses.

Nic Brown

For the past 15 years Nic Brown has been working in the Outdoor Education sector, holding roles in program design and delivery, staff development, risk management and compliance, along with consultation of national training standards. Nic believes in the benefits of outdoor education and how empowering journeys through the natural world can be for a young person finding their way. Working in a variety of roles has allowed him to develop skills, knowledge and experience in program design and delivery, staff development, risk management and compliance, and development of national training standards.