Indigenous business creation, funding, partnerships & capability building

To mark NAIDOC Week 2025, join Darren Godwell, the new Chairman of Indigenous Business Australia, as he shares his direction for IBA and what economic empowerment really needs to look like for First Nations people today.

Darren will speak openly about the challenges, the opportunities, and the shift needed to put more control, capital, and choice in the hands of Indigenous Australians. He’ll outline how IBA is working to back business growth, strengthen partnerships, and build long-term capability across communities.

This is about more than access to finance. It’s about changing the way the system shows up for First Nations peoples, so that the next generation is building and owning the future, not just participating in it.

Darren Godwell is a proud descendant of the Kokoberren peoples of Cape York, who brings over 25 years of experience in Indigenous enterprise and economic development. Through his career, Darren has launched enterprises, led Indigenous companies to profitability and always believed in the transformative power of Indigenous inclusions in the economy. For 4 years he served as an advisor to the World Bank and also undertook executive education at both INSEAD (France) and MIT Sloan Management School (USA).

He maintains extensive networks in business and Indigenous affairs both domestically and internationally. Darren has pioneered negotiations for Indigenous inclusions into Australian trade agreements, supported DFAT, NIAA, APEC and the World Economic Forum. In 2022, Darren was appointed a Fellow of the prestigious Australian Institute for International Affairs in recognition of his efforts in international affairs. Former Ministerial appointments include co-Chair of the National Indigenous Reference Group (IRG) and Industry Champion to advise on Government’s Roadmap for Indigenous Economic Policy.