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How I Got Here: Consultant and Australian Indigenous Fashion founder Yatu Widders Hunt on community and collaboration

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL NADEL FOR COUNTRY ROAD

WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT

“We have community at the heart of all that we do. As an Indigenous business, we are just as accountable to community as we are to clients – probably more so, in fact.”

Have you ever stalked someone on LinkedIn and wondered how on earth they managed to land that wildly impressive job? While it might look like smooth sailing, there’s no doubt been a heck of a lot of hard work involved in getting there.

So what lessons have been learnt and what skills have proved invaluable in getting them from daydreaming about success to actually being at the top of their industry?


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Welcome to How I Got Here, where we talk to people who are killing it in their respective fields about how they landed their awe-inspiring jobs, exploring the peaks and pits, the failures and the wins, and most importantly the knowledge, advice and practical tips they’ve gleaned along the way.

This week we’re delving into the career journey of Yatu Widders Hunt, the General Manager at Indigenous social change agency Cox Inall Ridgeway and the founder of the online community Australian Indigenous Fashion. Growing up in a “very political household”, Yatu always knew she wanted to create positive social change.

As a descendant of the Anaiwan and Dunghutti peoples, she spent her formative professional years working to fuse her interests in Indigenous storytelling, communications and community-building; crafting a career as an authority in the First Nations art sector. In the meantime, she’s also worked to foster community and celebrate Indigenous fashion design over on her platform, Australia Indigenous Fashion. Below, Yatu speaks on building relationships, finding passion and her journey so far.

What do you do and what’s your official job title?

 

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A post shared by Yatu Widders Hunt (@yatuwiddershunt)


I am the General Manager at an Indigenous social change agency called Cox Inall Ridgeway. I also run an online community called @ausindigenousfashion, celebrating the First Nations Fashion sector.

Take us back to when you were first starting out. Did you study to get into your chosen field, or did you start out with an internship/entry-level role and climb the ladder? Tell us the story.

I always knew I wanted to work somewhere in the communications sector. I grew up in a very political household and was always fascinated by how much social change was about storytelling and growing community awareness of different issues. I studied communications at university but majored in a topic called ‘social inquiry’ which also covered history, politics, and social theory. I had no idea what kind of job would be there for me at the end of it, but I assumed it would be somewhere in the government or the non-government organisations (NGO) sector. I was excited about learning how to sell ideas rather than products.

While at uni, I did some work experience at the office of the Hon Linda Burney (now Minister for Indigenous Affairs) which gave me a taste of political life. That experience really affirmed my love of politics and I thought that would be a good place to start. I ended up moving to Canberra straight after university to take up a graduate role in a government department. I had dreams of becoming a press secretary because I thought that would be the best use of my skills and interests, but ultimately, I ended up in communications roles across various issues and departments, including mental health, sustainability and multicultural affairs.

After many years, I decided to go freelance so that I could explore other industries and opportunities. I worked across Indigenous media and other Indigenous organisations and then landed a gig at Cox Inall Ridgeway. I guess all of my work has somehow been connected to social change through communications.

What challenges/hurdles have you faced getting to where you are now? Can you tell us about one in particular?

 

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A post shared by Yatu Widders Hunt (@yatuwiddershunt)


I think one of the challenges I’ve faced is finding a niche where I can bring Indigenous creativity and thinking into the workplace. There have been times in my career where I’ve felt lost and probably been a bit restricted by process and the ‘company or corporate’ ways of doing things.

Working across Indigenous Affairs, we’re always guided by community, are flexible in our approaches and responsive to community aspirations and guidance. I struggled to understand how to do this in business and [how to find] the right organisation to do it in. I was lucky to have found an Aboriginal business, where it’s part of the fabric of the agency. For a long time, I couldn’t identify how to bring all these threads together.
I’m definitely seeing how much more open organisations are to doing things differently and embedding Indigenous knowledge, which is really exciting!

What do you want people to know about your industry/your role?

I think it’s that we have community at the heart of all that we do. As an Indigenous business, we are just as accountable to community as we are to clients – probably more so, in fact.

I think it rings true for most Aboriginal businesses. When you take on projects or deliver work, you’re always considering the social and environmental impacts. It’s important to us that Indigenous knowledge and expertise is driving all that we do.

That means building relationships, understanding issues at their heart and being flexible in the way projects are delivered to meet community needs. Our days can pivot in a matter of hours and we’re often negotiating and bringing different parties together to achieve outcomes. We’re always walking in many worlds.

What’s the best part about your role?

 

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A post shared by Yatu Widders Hunt (@yatuwiddershunt)


The best things about my role are the diversity of work and the social impact. One day we might be at Parliament House in Canberra and the next we’ll be out in Broome working with remote community organisations. We work with everyone from big Australian brands to community-controlled health services and government departments. Indigenous Affairs really does touch every portfolio and intersects with so many issues.

In the last few months, through our work, we’ve been able to support a retail brand to share more information on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, launch an Aboriginal-led suicide prevention campaign and support a big media network with their Reconciliation Action Plan.

The other thing I would say- is that we also get exposed to all the incredible community-led work happening across Australia. In our modern media landscape we still have a fairly deficit approach to reporting on Indigenous Affairs, but the strengths-based leadership, building Indigenous Excellence is something we are very privileged to witness.

What would surprise people about your role?

I think it would be about how much we genuinely collaborate with and partner with other First Nations organisations and communities. When I tell people I work in an agency, they assume we work on a what might be perceived as a ‘traditional’ model where we come up with the pitches and ideas. To an extent we do, but where we can, we also engage and involve community members and stakeholders in all stages of a project.

Our ideas and approaches are always shaped by working together and we are aiming to move away from a model of consultation to one of co-creation. I think people would be surprised about what being community-led looks like day to day. It may be an unusual model in modern business but it’s an important one!

What skills have served you well in your industry?

Honestly, I think being a high school and university debater has been one of the most valuable things. It not only gives you the confidence to speak up and articulate your ideas, but it also helps you form logical arguments, negotiate well and consider issues from many angles. I’ve often reflected on how valuable it’s been!

I think writing is another one. When we are celebrating First Nations storytelling or sending a brief up to the government on a particular issue, good writing skills can really help you to influence and explain things well.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours one day?

 

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A post shared by Yatu Widders Hunt (@yatuwiddershunt)


I think it’s really just about identifying what you’re most passionate about. I didn’t set out to have a role like this one and to be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to describe it to you five to ten years ago.

Sometimes people get caught up trying to define the type of role they want and exactly the industry they want to be in. I think if you know what you want to do and what you like doing, then the opportunities can wrap around that. I’ve essentially had the same focus and interest for my whole career but worked across multiple sectors.

What about a practical tip?

One thing I’ve learned to do is to read up on the values of the organisations I want to work for, to make sure my values aligned with theirs. If you’re passionate about driving change, it’s always good to see what prospective employers say and do. I like to see whether companies have Reconciliation Action Plans, whether they support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and what their diversity and inclusion budgets are like. These aren’t always the be-all and end-all but are usually a good indication of an organisation’s values and can really help to guide decision-making.

@yatuwiddershunt

Read the rest of the How I Got Here series here.

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