Dr Kate George will become the chair of the board of Ten Sixty Four in late November, becoming one of the first Indigenous women in Australia to chair an ASX-listed company.
The gold miner made the announcement on Friday, saying the Putejurra woman from the Murchison-Gascoyne region of Western Australia had been invited to join as non-executive chairman.
As the ASX statement noted, Dr George was born in remote Western Australia and became a member of the Stolen Generations of children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. She was born near the Rabbit-Proof Fence, taken from her parents at the age of three in 1953, and spent most of her childhood in Sister Kate’s, a Perth-based institution that prepared young women for domestic duties.
Dr George became the first girl from the Institution to finish high school. Since then, she’s gone on to hold many other firsts, including being the first Aboriginal person admitted to practise law in Western Australia, and being the first Aboriginal student to graduate in law from the Australian National University.
The proud Putejurra woman’s career has seen her writing Indigenous employment strategies for the mining sector, consulting to the resources industry, and advising ministers at state and Federal levels. She told the AFR that chairing a listed company “is a desire that I’ve had for many years” particularly as she wants more Aboriginal people in corporate Australia — and especially in mining, following Rio Tinto’s destruction of Juukan Gorge in Western Australia. Dr Geoprge was previously a Managing Director with PwC’s Indigenous Consulting. She has also been involved in the development of the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous People.
“I’ve always been interested because of my experience and just my desire for Aboriginal people to be included in the mainstream and particularly the corporate business of Australia,” she told the AFR.
Dr George said in the statement on her appointment that she shares the board’s vision on the unique opportunity the company has to build “sustainable value through our activities for our workforce, our communities, and our shareholders. “I am excited for what lies ahead for the Company,” she said.
Dr George was described as a “true pioneer” by the current Executive Chair, Jeff MCGlinn — who will be moving to the role of Managing Director.
Pictured above: Dr Kate George with outgoing executive chair Jeff McGlinn.
** Correction. A previous version or this article said Dr Kate George is the first Indigenous woman to chair an ASX board. However, Dr George is believed to be the second woman to do so.