Our Board
Aboriginal Investment NT's 12-member Board includes two representatives from each of the four Northern Territory land councils, two independent directors appointed by Australian government and two independent directors appointed by the Board.
Our Aboriginal-majority Board members come from all corners of the Northern Territory, bringing to our work lived experience and connection to Country, culture and community.
Ms Barbara Shaw
Chair
Barb, a Kaytetye, Arrernte, Warramunga and Warlpiri woman, was elected by the Board as Chair of Aboriginal Investment NT in April 2023.
Barb is an Executive Member and current Deputy Chair of the Central Land Council.
Barb was previously a youth worker in Alice Springs and is currently on the committee for the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA). She contributed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and is a director for Eynewantheyne Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC.
Barb was employed on the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the NT in 2017 and contributed to the establishment of the Central Australian Affordable Housing Company in 2008. She has also been Co-Chair of Aboriginal Housing NT, as well as former co-coordinator of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety group.
Ms Karina Coombes
Karina belongs to the Takaringuwi (Mullet) skin group and is the Munupi Trustee of the Tiwi Land Council (TLC), having been appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board by the TLC.
Karina is a community-based researcher with the Menzies School of Health Research, contributing to research on the Pirlangimpi Community. She is also the Co-Chair of the Tiwi Island Training and Employment Board (TITEB) and a Director of Northern Building Consultants.
Karina holds a Diploma in Government from the Australian Government Indigenous Apprenticeships Program, and is passionate about education and training, as well as the establishment and preservation of jobs for the Tiwi people on the Islands.
Ms Julie Crisp
Julie was appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board as an independent member.
Julie was the Auditor-General for the Northern Territory from 2014 to 2024 and is currently Deputy Chair of the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. She is also a Registered Company Auditor. Prior to her appointment as Auditor-General, Julie spent 16 years at Deloitte, including six years as an Assurance and Advisory Partner based in Darwin.
Julie is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of South Australia, as well as a double Diploma in Government (Fraud Control and Investigation).
She is a Director and Fellow of CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, the Governance Institute of Australia and the Institute of Public Administration Australia. She is also a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Government Audit Professional and holds a Certification in Risk Management Assurance.
Mr Jimmy Frank
Jimmy is a Warumungu/Arrernte man and has ties to Tennant Creek. Jimmy is a serving member of Central Land Council’s (CLC) Full Council, and was appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board by the CLC.
Jimmy was previously a serving Director of the Patta Aboriginal Corporation and is a cultural advisor and artist specialising in carving spears, shields, boomerangs and coolamons. He is a member of Tennant Creek Brio, an artist collective which exhibited at the 22nd Biennale of Sydney. He has also been entrusted by local elders to co-ordinate and showcase Warumungu cultural dance locally, nationally and internationally.
Jimmy is passionate about empowering Aboriginal people to achieve economic prosperity while still maintaining connection to country, culture, ceremony and kinship.
Mr Peeyush Gupta AM
Peeyush was appointed by the Aboriginal Investment NT Board as an independent member.
He is the co-founder and inaugural CEO of IPAC Securities, a pre-eminent Wealth management firm spanning financial advice and institutional portfolio management.
Peeyush has a Master of Business Administration (Finance) degree from the Australian Graduate School of Management, and is also an alumnus of Harvard and the London Business School. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in January 2019 for significant service to business and the community through governance and philanthropic roles.
Peeyush has served on listed and unlisted boards across various industries, including Financial Services (including National Australia Bank), Media (including the Special Broadcasting Service or SBS), Insurance, Government, Accounting and Technology and as a Trustee of super funds as Board Chair and Director.
Ms Suzanne Hullick
Suzi was appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board by the Commonwealth Government.
She is the State General Manager for Commercial Banking at Westpac and recently relocated to Western Australia for the role. Prior to this appointment, she was the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Westpac Group and spent a further 12 years in various other roles across the Group, including Head of Indigenous Banking and National Head of Indigenous Business.
Throughout her career, she completed an Executive Leadership Diploma at Columbia NYC and Women in Leadership diploma at AGSM. More recently, she also completed her MBA at UNSW, specialising in Social Impact.
Suzi established the Indigenous Employment Program within Westpac, an achievement which saw her recognised as Westpac’s Woman of Influence in 2012. Suzi continues to be a Women in Leadership ambassador, mentoring both within Westpac and external to the group and received a Westpac Bicentennial Service Honour award for services to Indigenous Australians.
Mr Matthew McKenzie
Matthew ‘Matty’ McKenzie is a proud Anindilyakwa man and respected leader from Groote Eylandt. He has served as a Member of the Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC) since September 2024, where he also contributes to the Council’s Audit Committee. Matthew was appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board by the ALC.
In addition to his role with the ALC, Matty sits on the board of the Groote Eylandt Bickerton Island Primary College Aboriginal Corporation and supports the Elders Visitor Program, which is conducted in partnership with NT Correctional Services.
As Chair of the Groote Archipelago Community Justice Group, he led the development of the NT’s first legislated community justice group and community court. Earlier in his career, Matty worked as a post-placement support officer with the Community Development Program and as an Indigenous supervisor with Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO).
Matty’s ongoing commitment to his community is reflected in his efforts to empower local decision-making and ensure Anindilyakwa voices are heard.
Christopher Neade
Christopher is a Waanyi man from the Barkly Tablelands and lives in Elliott. He was elected
to the Northern Land Council (NLC) in 2016 and is currently serving his fourth term as a
Council Member representing the Elliott ward and his third term as an Executive Member.
He was appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board as a Director for the NLC in
December 2025.
Christopher was born in Mount Isa and grew up in Camooweal before working on cattle
stations across the Barkly region. He joined the NLC to ensure the concerns of his
communities were heard and taken seriously, and is a strong advocate for development
opportunities in the Barkly, as well as fairness and respect for Aboriginal people across the
Territory and beyond.
Mr Justin Ryan
Justin was appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board by the Commonwealth Government.
Justin is Managing Director of Glow Capital Partners – a growth focused private equity investment firm, which he co founded in 2021.He has previously been a Managing Partner of Quadrant Private Equity and Managing Director and CEO of Alesco Corporation Limited– an ASX 200 listed company (now part of Dulux Corporation).
Justin has a Bachelor or Economics and Laws from the University of Sydney and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
He has previously been on the boards of the Benevolent Society and the National Institute of Dramatic Art. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.
Wayne Wauchope
Wayne is a respected Aboriginal leader from West Arnhem with extensive experience in Community representation and governance. He is a long-standing member of the Northern Land Council’s (NLC) Full Council and previously served as Deputy Chairman, representing the Gunbalanya–Outstations region.
Alongside his role as a board member for Aboriginal Investment NT, Wayne is proud to hold many positions that work to support Aboriginal people, including being the Advocacy Officer of Demed Aboriginal Corporation, a Director of the Top End Coastal Alliance, a previous member of the NLC Sea Country Working Group and a current Director of Aboriginal Housing NT.
Wayne has previously contributed to the Aboriginals Benefit Account Advisory Committee (ABAAC) and served as Chair of the NTAIC Grants Committee, supporting strategic decision-making for communities across the Northern Territory. Through all of his work, Wayne is focussed on representing Traditional Owners and supporting homelands in the region.
Mr Brian Tipungwuti
Brian is a Warankuwu (Pandanus) man from the Tiwi Islands and is one of eight elected Trustees for the Tiwi Land Council and Chairperson for the Tiwi Land Trust. Brian is a member of the Tiwi Land Council (TLC) and was appointed to the Aboriginal Investment NT Board by the TLC.
He has a deep passion for education, demonstrated by his eight years of service as Chair of the Tiwi Education Board (TEB). The TEB Board is the main policy-making body for both primary and secondary education on the Tiwi Islands, and represents the collective voice of Tiwi Landowners.
Brian is the Chairperson of the Tiwi Island Cultural Committee and a voluntary Board Member of the Tiwi Bombers Football Club.
He would like to see his people achieve economic development and sustainable employment in remote communities.