Jul 31, 2026 – 5.00amA pilot, a banker, a miner, a lawyer and fund manager are among the diverse executives with Indigenous heritage who are beating the odds to climb the corporate ladder.Jakinta Starr, head of Indigenous talent development at miner Rio Tinto, admits that when she rose through the ranks, there was no one who looked like her or who she could talk to for advice.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London.Patrick DurkinBOSS deputy editorPatrick Durkin is Melbourne bureau chief and BOSS deputy editor. He writes on news, business and leadership.Emma McGrath-CohenReporterEmma McGrath-Cohen is a journalist for The Australian Financial Review.Fetching latest articles