First Australians Capital has appointed former Australian Consul-General and Senior Trade and Investment Commission Benson Saulo as managing partner.
The announcement, made on Tuesday, coincides with news that FAC is the recipient of a $9 million grant from charitable organisation, the Paul Ramsay Foundation, to strengthen the organisation's resilience and sustainability.
Mr Saulo joins as managing partner, charged with facilitating investment and capital into Indigenous businesses and growing a broader impact for the Indigenous economy through corporate development and advisory services.
Mr Saulo is a proud descendant of the Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara people of Western Victoria, and from New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea.
He brings more than 18 years of experience spanning finance, international engagement, economic development and social impact.
Prior to FAC, Mr Saulo was the first Indigenous person to be appointed an Australian Consul-General with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission based in Houston, where he spent close to three years driving forward Australia's diplomatic, economic and trade agenda.
He was also the sector lead for healthcare across the Americas, focusing on advanced therapeutics, digital health and medical devices. He was also responsible for building relationships between First Nations peoples globally, facilitating trade, investment and cultural exchange.
"It's a privilege to join Australia's only Indigenous-led national business advisory and social impact fund and be given the opportunity to leverage my experience better to support First Nations businesses and entrepreneurs across the country, to build wealth for Indigenous communities and walk beside them on their impact journey," Mr Saulo said.
"After nearly three years in the US, it is exciting to reconnect with community and re-engage the vibrant Indigenous business ecosystem in Australia.
"First Australians Capital has been an established and trusted name across the impact investing landscape for over a decade, and I hope to build on its success and continue the important work to support Indigenous businesses to drive commercial and social impact."
Since early on in his career, Benson has accumulated an accolade of prestigious awards, including the National NAIDOC Youth of the Year Award, and finalist for Young Australian of the Year (VIC) and the Human Rights Medal for Youth from the Human Rights Commission of Australia in 2012.
FAC is committed to unlocking innovation and self-determination for Indigenous businesses and founders.
It provides a range of resources to Indigenous businesses, including professional business support and services, networking and access to financial capital.
FAC has worked with more than 600 businesses since 2016, created 220 new jobs and is responsible for $65 million in cumulative funding for investment into Indigenous businesses.
