27 August, 2020

Two highly-skilled and prominent Aboriginal business leaders have been appointed to Chief Executive roles with newly-established NSWALC owned companies.

Matthew Clarke will take on the CEO position with NSWALC Employment and Training (NET).

NSWALC Housing Limited (NHL) will be led by Paul Coe.

Matthew and Paul will report to the respective Boards of NHL and NET.

NHL and NET were established in late 2019 as part of NSWALC’s commitment to addressing housing and employment needs for Aboriginal people across New South Wales.

Despite restrictions caused by the current COVID-19 health pandemic, a thorough and rigorous recruitment process was undertaken to fill the two inaugural CEO roles.

“Paul and Matthew are two talented and intuitive business leaders who bring an acute knowledge of our communities and the current situation, so they are excellent appointments as we move towards making significant progress through the work of NHL and NET,” NSWALC Chairperson Anne Dennis said.

“I am delighted that they have taken on these roles and wish them future success.”

Matthew Clarke is a proud Ngunnawal man from the Far South Coast of NSW. He has significant experience across the Aboriginal Employment sector, having most recently worked as the Deputy CEO of NESA Ltd.

Over the past decade he has led several key government priorities supporting more than 180 remote Aboriginal Communities in their delivery of employment services and community responses to both mental health and Aboriginal school attendance.

He will commence in the role on 28 September 2020.

Paul Coe is the son of the prominent Land Rights activist Paul Coe, and has extensive experience working with the NSW Government to improve outcomes for Aboriginal peoples. 

This includes supporting the Family Is Culture independent review of Aboriginal children and young people in out of home care, promoting opportunities for the security and growth of the Aboriginal community-controlled sector and transforming the aspirations of Aboriginal communities into government outcomes.

He is a young Wiradjuri man who has well-known family ties to Erambie in the central-west of NSW. Paul was born and raised on Gadigal country and now lives on Awabakal country at Newcastle.

Paul starts with NHL on 6 October, 2020.