Indigenous scholarship winners heading to Singapore

Tiffiny Vale and Rebecca Lannen will take part in a globally renowned leadership course at business school, INSEAD this November in Singapore.

These two government employees were awarded Chief Executive Women (CEW) Indigenous scholarships at the CEW 2017 Annual Dinner held in Sydney on 19 September.

Tiffiny Vale, a proud Whadjuk woman from the Noongar Nation in southwest Western Australia, works as a Principal Policy Officer at the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage in Western Australia. Over her 16 year career in the public service, she has worked across justice, equal opportunity, and Aboriginal Affairs.

Tiffiny believes it is essential that Aboriginal people work in leadership positions and can influence decision making. As well as developing Tiffiny’s own leadership skills, the scholarship will have an impact on the staff that she leads.

“This scholarship will not only give me the chance to take up a new challenge and learn new leadership skills but also give confidence to my colleagues, managers, and other people in the community to pursue executive positions,” Tiffany said.

Rebecca is the Regional Manager for Victoria and Tasmania, Indigenous Affairs Network in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C).  

From Papua New Guinea and Torres Strait Islander heritage, Rebecca was the 2009 recipient of the department’s NAIDOC Excellence Award, in recognition of service delivery to Indigenous Australians.

“My career goals are to lead change in Victoria and Tasmania to drive better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Attending INSEAD’s Leading for Results will set the foundation for me to step into the space with more confidence and make the best use of my position and leadership capability,” said Rebecca.

The CEW Indigenous scholarship is funded under the Women’s Leadership and Development Strategy, administered by the Office for Women. These scholarships, together with the Authentic Leadership Development program announced earlier this year, represent the Australian Government’s commitment to developing and supporting the leadership capabilities of women across the public and private sectors.