Our Team

Acting CEO

Deadly Ally

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Fresh from the skies of Victoria, Alex spent his time during Covid-19 achieving his Commercial Pilots License. Prior to flying the skies, he was the National Partnership Manager at The Institute of Managers and Leaders, and the Membership and Business Development Manager at the Cairns Chamber of Commerce.

Alex is looking forward to making a positive impact with our Corporate Partners and connecting some amazing opportunities with our Kinaway members.

Chief Financial Officer

Deadly Ally

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Sam brings over 25 years’ successful management, commercial, and financial experience in small, medium, and large organisations. Sam’s experience spans a wide range of businesses and industries, including Coles, Ford, Woolworths as well as international organisations such as the Brandix Group.

A devoted family man, Sam loves spending time with his family. His interests include history, literature, music, sports, movies, driving, and traveling. Sam believes everyone must be given the opportunities & help to succeed and contribute to society, and is passionate about all that Kinaway does to achieve this ideal.

Engagement Manager – Membership and Kinaway Creative

Gunditjmara, Muthi Muthi, Wemba Wemba, Yorta Yorta

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Illana is a singer-songwriter who performs around Australia. A strong, proud yet humble Victorian woman from the Gunditjmara (Framlingham), Muthi Muthi (Deniliquin/Balranald), Wemba Wemba (SwanHill) and Yorta Yorta (Wolithica Tribe of Shepparton/Echuca/Moama areas) tribes respectfully recognising all four points of her cultural lineage.

Illana is passionate about her Aboriginal community and Aboriginal self-determination being realised for all our people, locally and nationally. Illana is a leader and asset to the Victorian Aboriginal community.

Head of Corporate Partnerships

Noongar

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Kim is a proud Noongar on her father's side who was born and raised in NAARM alongside her mother. She recently became aware of a disconnection from her culture and felt a strong desire to immerse herself in its teachings and share her knowledge within her community. Drawing on her experience in relationship management and customer service, she is grateful for the chance to utilise her skills in her current position at Kinaway, where she contributes to the growth of the Victorian Indigenous Business economy.

In her position as a Government Relationship Manager, she works closely with various Victorian State Government Departments and Agencies to provide guidance throughout their procurement process, in accordance with the Social Procurement Framework. She thoroughly enjoys establishing strong relationships and serving as a valuable asset to multiple stakeholders. Her objective is to foster a sense of trust and create a secure atmosphere for her partners, ultimately facilitating enhanced knowledge, awareness, and engagement.

Corporate Partnerships Manager

Tiwi

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Jake is a proud Aboriginal man who is passionate about working with his mob. He has a strong connection to culture growing up with some amazing role models in his life.

Jake joins Kinaway after spending time with Aboriginal organisations in the Northern Territory and in Far North Queensland.

Jake is looking forward to making a positive impact in his role working with our Corporate Partners and connecting some amazing opportunities with Kinaway members.

Corporate Relationships Manager

Deadly Ally

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Gary is a family man who resides in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He brings a wealth of experience to Kinaway in regard to relationship management and key stakeholder engagement. A real company man, he does the best he can to achieve the necessary results.

Gary is looking forward to providing major opportunities to our Kinaway members via our corporate partners.

Senior Program Manager

Wuthathi

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Samantha (Sam) French is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman, experienced leader and passionate advocate for First Nations business growth. She brings strong experience in operations, project management and community engagement to her role at Kinaway. Sam has held leadership positions including General Manager at Karabena Consulting Trust and Operations Manager at the Murran First Nations Business & Retail Hub in Geelong. She has also worked with Aboriginal Housing Victoria as a Life Coach and the Team Leader of the Wellbeing Programs, supporting community-led research and engagement to strengthen housing outcomes for Aboriginal communities. Across her roles, Sam has delivered strategic projects, built partnerships and supported business development across health, justice, education and governance sectors. She is known for her practical leadership style, cultural integrity and commitment to achieving meaningful outcomes.

Sam is also the Founder of Blak Pearl Coaching & Consulting and an Accredited Life Coach. She empowers individuals to gain clarity, build confidence and step into their leadership with courage and purpose. Born on Thursday Island and raised in Darwin, her Aboriginal, Indonesian and Irish heritage strongly influences her values of connection, resilience and family. As a devoted wife and mother, she is driven by creating opportunities that build generational wealth and long-term success for First Nations people.

Sam is a Traditional Owner of the Wuthathi People of Far North Queensland. She carries this cultural responsibility with pride and respect, grounding her leadership in connection to Country, community and culture. Her identity and heritage guide her work, ensuring everything she does is centred on empowerment, integrity and creating strong futures for the next generation.

Senior Graphic Designer

Wamba Wamba

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Keagan is a proud Wamba Wamba man from Swan Hill. He grew up in Bendigo and after completing high school in 2015, he decided to pursue his passion for art and studied at RMIT University in Melbourne.

After recieving his Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design, followed by a Diploma of Digital Media Technolgies, Keagan landed his job here at Kinaway.

While working at Kinaway, Keagan has now created his own business creating Aboriginal Art and other areas of Graphic Design called Neonic.

“I am grateful to have had the chance to learn more about Aboriginal businesses and my culture while working and gaining experience in a field I love and am passionate about..”

You can view Keagans Business (Neonic) here:
www.neonic.com.au