Rhonen Maher CA lives in Broome in the rugged, beautiful and remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. It’s a paradise of stunning oceans and landscapes, vast outback cattle stations and a rich First Nations culture that stretches back tens of thousands of years.

Two years ago, Maher – a Yawuru, Jabirr Jabirr and Bardi man – qualified as a chartered accountant.

With only 0.4% of CA ANZ members in Australia identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, becoming a CA is an achievement in itself. But what made it even more remarkable is that his mentor and supervisor, Jodie Pincini CA, lives on the other side of the continent, some 3000 kilometres away as the crow flies – in Mirboo North, about 150 kilometres from Melbourne.

Although based in Victoria, Pincini regularly visits Broome as part of her role as CFO and director at KRED Enterprises.

Passion for finance

“Jodie really has a passion for finance and assisting and uplifting Indigenous people,” says Maher.

“I wasn’t sure if I had it in me to get through, but she really empowered me to believe I could get through the Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting.”

Pincini has worked with First Nations corporations in the Kimberley for 25 years. After travelling around Australia with her partner, they fell in love with Broome, where they settled and raised their family, before eventually relocating to Victoria.

The Kimberley might be a picture-postcard paradise, but there are underlying issues.

“There are a lot of barriers in the Kimberley, living in remote regions and being an Indigenous person,” Pincini says. “Rhonen had no peer support. There was no-one else studying to be a CA when he was doing the CA Program in Broome.”

Separated by distance, Pincini found that alongside emails and video calls, the best way to mentor Maher was to hit the phone, sometimes talking things through with him for up to two or three hours a day.

“The way I wanted to supervise him was that we couldn’t just be emailing each other, that’s not how you learn,” she says. “If you’ve got a question, just pick up the phone.

“I don’t think you can have a working relationship with someone if you're not communicating.”

Generating income for the community

KRED Enterprises is a subsidiary of the Ambooriny Burru Foundation Charitable Trust, which represents Traditional Owners of the Kimberley, with members representing eight native title claim groups.

The foundation and KRED Enterprises employ about 60 people in total and are a A$10 million enterprise, with nearly all of KRED’s companies generating income based on fee-for-service models.

KRED Enterprises also set up the Kimberley Agriculture and Pastoral Company (KAPCO), which has four Indigenous-owned pastoral stations in northern Australia.

Aboriginal people were once the backbone of the Kimberley’s cattle industry – a key part of Australia’s multi-billion-dollar export industry – and KAPCO says its goal is to reclaim that title and the ensuing economic benefits.

Succession plan

Pincini says she had a wider goal in mentoring Maher: in effect, she was preparing to do herself out of a job.

“We’re an Indigenous charitable trust and for me to do my job properly is to have an Indigenous person as the CFO of that organisation,” she says. “That was the whole purpose of this. Since Rhonen graduated, we’ve put a two-year succession plan in place for him to move into my role.”

Financial knowledge crucial

Both Maher and Pincini say there’s a need to attract and support more First Nations talent in the accounting profession.

Maher says many Indigenous people are attracted to working in the more visible areas of health and law to uplift their communities. But he says knowing the value of money and how it can open up opportunities for Indigenous people is crucial to financial independence and prosperity.

“There’s opportunity for Indigenous people to be taken advantage of, without having the appropriate or financial knowledge,” he says. “So, it's pretty important for me to work in that field, so I can assist in that education.”

At a practical level, he says offering more cadetships and programs that target graduates will help. While studying at The University of Western Australia in Perth, he completed an accounting cadetship with waste disposal company Cleanaway.

“I was working one day a week at Cleanaway and then did vacation work,” Maher says. “It really gave me the confidence to believe that I could go down that accounting path career wise.”

Pincini says KRED Enterprises is already looking to attract more Indigenous people into accounting, starting at the local level. She explains that the plan is to engage with local schools – particularly students in years 10 and 11 – to create internship pathways.

“Then, supporting students that might go to uni,” she adds, “so they’ve got work placements – we’re keen to do that.”

Mentoring or finding a mentor

CA ANZ offers mentoring and support to members. Click here for more information.

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For related Acuity stories on Indigenous accounting professionals and the benefits of multiculturalism go to: ‘How to get the best from multicultural teams’ and discover First Nations-developed platform Weavr in ‘Platform for change’.