29 June, 2021
29 June 2021
NSW Aboriginal Land Council Announces Acting Chief Executive Officer
The NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) has appointed Mr Yuseph Deen as its Acting Chief Executive Officer.
Originally from the Cairns region of North Queensland, Mr Deen is a descendant of the Wuthathi peoples of Cape York with customary family connections to the Gunggandji peoples and ancestral connections to the Western Islands of the Torres Strait.
Mr Deen has extensive experience working across the NSW Land Rights network as NSWALC’s Executive Director of Network and Program Delivery and led the Yarpa Indigenous Business and Employment Hub during its crucial setup phase. He has also served as NSWALC’s Southern Zone Director overseeing support for a network of 34 Local Aboriginal Land Councils.
NSWALC Chairperson, Councillor Anne Dennis said she is pleased Mr Deen has agreed to lead the Executive team and manage the organisation while a recruitment process takes place for a permanent CEO.
“Yuseph has extensive experience in Land Rights at senior levels and more than two decades of experience working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, including the areas of social justice, Native Title, cultural and natural resource management, economic progress and community development.
“On behalf of the NSWALC Councillors, I welcome Yuseph and congratulate him on taking up this important role.
I am confident that Yuseph will lead NSWALC with skill as we continue our strategic development and build on the successes we have achieved,” she said.
Mr Deen thanked the NSWALC Council for the opportunity to lead the organisation.
“As Acting CEO, I look forward to working with the NSWALC Council and staff in ensuring that we continue to meet the strategic and cultural needs of the Land Rights network in NSW.
NSWALC remains committed to our leadership role in Closing the Gap, building a sustainable economic base through increasing the Aboriginal Estate, long-term employment opportunities, and safe and affordable housing for Aboriginal people in NSW,” he said.
Yuseph Deen has a wealth of experience gained in various management roles with the Lumbu Indigenous Community Foundation, the North Queensland Land Council, and the Indigenous Land Corporation, where he managed the delivery of the ILC’s Land Acquisition and Land Management Programs across NSW and the ACT.
He is currently a member of the Heritage NSW Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee.