UQ alum Courtney Kelly loves connecting with many of the 4000-plus Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team members who work in the Wesfarmers Group which includes Bunnings, Kmart, Target, and Officeworks.
Her role as the First Nations Lead involves driving reconciliation strategy including Indigenous procurement and employment across Wesfarmers’ national footprint.
“I feel the greatest sense of pride delivering outcomes for mob. It puts a fire in my belly and gets me to work every day,” she said.
“My role has involved regular travel including to divisional headquarters in Melbourne. I have also had the opportunity to travel with a delegation to Uluru and Alice Springs, experience Garma Festival, travel to Auckland to the opening of an Indigenous art exhibition and most recently, attend the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.”
“My advice for young graduates is to maintain the relationships you build throughout your career, keep in contact with lecturers and fellow students, and build your personal brand for work ethic and reliability (people remember your behaviours).
“I still have good relationships with old colleagues from Woodside and through my network at UQ I commenced a role on the ANMEE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee.
“Most of all, back yourself and be bold! My decision to pivot from technical to corporate roles early in my career seemed against the grain and was terrifying but has paid off in spades.”
Courtney is a proud Djiru woman born on Mamu country in Innisfail, North Queensland with family connections to the Djabugay people from the Kuranda and Barron Gorge areas.
A cousin working as an engineer sparked her school-age career interests, bolstered by her affinity for maths and science.
Courtney signed up for Engineering Link camps hosted at UQ while in high school, including one with a lead-up session for Indigenous students.
“These were a familiarisation to what attending university would be like and covered a range of engineering disciplines,” she said.
“By year 12, I took the opportunity to become a mentor for the Engineering Link camps and obtained a scholarship to attend a similar camp at the University of Leeds.”
A scholarship with Glencore Xstrata supported Courtney’s university studies, along with summer employment at a Central Queensland underground coal mine and the chance for practical application of textbook theories.
“While at UQ, I also made the most of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit (ATSISU) with tutoring assistance, access to computer labs, socialising and involvement in the National Indigenous Uni Games,” she said.
Courtney graduated mid-year in 2016 with a Bachelor of Mining (Hons) - becoming the first Indigenous female Mining Engineer to graduate from UQ.
Having secured a graduate role with Woodside, Courtney grabbed the chance to backpack for six months through Europe, Egypt and Indonesia before starting her professional career.
“Woodside involved a career curve into the oil and gas industry, but I had at least done my thesis on gas management in tandem with my mining summer employment,” she said.
“As a reservoir engineer, I worked on drilling campaigns, including experience offshore as an operations geologist and as a Petro-physicist.
“By the end of my 3-year graduate program, which was very technical, I realised that what I loved about engineering was project management and missed the collaborative, people side of this.
“So, I made the bold decision to move into corporate affairs to work in Indigenous affairs and social investment … this is not a common career move by the way!
“I took up leadership opportunities that were offered along the way, including as co-chair of Woodside’s reconciliation community, and this gave me valuable experience leading people and exposure to senior executives.”
When her name was put forward for a role with Wesfarmers, Courtney was nervous to take on a larger role."
“The development opportunity to work at a group level for Wesfarmers proved too good to pass up. I’m so glad took the opportunity and backed myself.
“It’s a broad role, leaning into areas that I had not worked in before, it has pushed me, and I am proud of what I have contributed. I’ve connected with leaders and mob across our businesses and externally and have been involved in some really impactful work. Most importantly, I work alongside incredible people, who are passionate about making a positive impact for mob.”
