Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business leaders can now access a scholarship aimed at enhancing governance expertise in the not-for-profit sector.

Perpetual, with the Norman H Johns trust and E B Myer Charity Fund, announced 17 scholarships are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander new or existing directors, officials and senior executives with a focus on Indigenous communities.

Perpetual General Manager for Community and Social Investment, Catriona Fay, said the scholarships are aimed at improving governance capabilities among leaders of the Indigenous business community to support them through long-lasting impacts.

“We recognise access to education, training and development can be challenging, especially for Indigenous businesses and their leaders. This is an area of focus for us and these scholarship opportunities are just one of the initiatives we’re undertaking to help Indigenous leaders enhance their governance expertise and apply it.”

Recipients of the scholarships will be offered a place at a Company Directors Course for Indigenous Business Leaders led by the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

AICD Managing Director and CEO, Angus Armour, said: “The AICD is committed to improving access to governance education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are proud to partner with Perpetual and the Australian Scholarships Foundation to provide these scholarships to Indigenous business leaders.

“We have adapted our flagship education program to target the needs of Indigenous communities and look forward to helping develop the governance capabilities.”

The program will aim to improve skills by exploring the director’s responsibilities and will work through sector-specific case studies. It will go through decision making, touch on financial literacy and performance, board effectiveness and training, legal and risks and aim to see a boost in overall performance of the organisation.

The Australian Scholarship Foundation’s CEO, Sam Sayers, also acknowledged the importance of governance education: “We are delighted to be able to support Indigenous leaders to access governance education.

“Our partnership with Perpetual and AICD is important because these scholarships provide opportunities that may otherwise be difficult for Indigenous communities to access, and we see first-hand the benefits that governance training brings to recipients and their organisations.”