Joe Fatnowna, Indigenous Engagement Manager, Stockland
For this instalment of our Humans of Property series, we caught up with Joe Fatnowna from Stockland, who will be joining our panel for the Count Them In event.
A little about Joe
Joe is a proud member of the Indigenous and South Sea Islander community in Mackay Central QLD. With work he had the opportunity to move to Melbourne in 2018 and now considers Melbourne, Victoria his home. Joe is a proud father and grandfather, having been blessed with 4 Grandkids in the last few years. Joe’s work history has always revolved around Indigenous Affairs, and he has worked in both the Mining and Rail Industries and now in construction here with Stockland in Melbourne.
His greatest career achievement to date has been.
In FY22 /23 there was $240M spent on Aboriginal owned Businesses in Melbourne. I received the top executive award from the Melbourne Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce for the biggest overall project spend on Aboriginal Procurement contributing to that total.
A tip he would give to his younger self.
The only person that is allowed to say that I can’t achieve something is myself. I would say have a go at everything and always do the best you can…. And don’t shave your head when you turn 25 it won’t grow back!
What motivates him
Being in a position where I can create a change within my community, positivity is always better than being negative.
A challenging situation in his career that he overcame
In 2018 the new concept of the Social Procurement Framework was rolled out on the Metro Tunnel in Melbourne. This was a huge learning curve on how the SPF worked in relation to Government contracts and Local Industry procurement strategies.
His greatest career inspiration/support has been
My fellow members of the Stockland Aboriginal Engagement team, we support mentor and learn from each other – it is a very strong Cultural team.
When he thinks about the future and positive changes within our industry, he is excited by…
The realignment of the Indigenous Engagement strategy and a change of thought process in relation to the preservation of Aboriginal Culture through Cultural education and through the encouragement of weaving Aboriginal concepts into urban designs and architecture.
