"It's still taboo to have a skilled Indigenous person working in investments," he said, "but the corporate world is getting better at hiring Indigenous people. Westpac now has a policy of 4% employment across its workforce but there is still a long way to go."
Ty was the first in his family to graduate from a tertiary institution, with a Bachelor of Business from the University of New England (UNE). In his final year he was selected from 6000 applicants to take up on of 125 graduate posts in Sydney, as a Research Associate with Westpac's wealth management arm, BT. He's now a global equity analyst with the boutique investment management firm Aoris Investment Management.
But Ty is not the only trailblazer in his family, from Guyra, in northern NSW. His brother Miles also completed a Bachelor of Business at UNE, after studying for a time in South Korea and doing an internship in Hong Kong. He's now working in risk management within the Commonwealth Bank's graduate program.
Younger sister Ali is in the third year of her Business degree at UNE and, like Miles, has taken part in the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship. She has already secured a graduate role with Macquarie Bank in Sydney and will start work next year. And, not to be outdone, their elder sister Erin - a captain in the Australian Army - is studying Arts at UNE part-time.
"We just do our best," Ty said. "If you work hard, the opportunities come. I'm keen to create a pathway for younger Indigenous people, and to be accessible to them, to make them aware of the opportunities that are available.
I used to coach a youth rugby league team and I'd like to show Indigenous youth that there are other pathways to success outside sport. Ali and Miles saw the opportunities I had and were able to grab on to those as well. I hope it creates a domino effect of positive outcomes for our community."
Find out more about UNE's Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Arts.
