TARNI FISHER – utilising financial knowledge to make everlasting impact
Tarni Fisher is a Kuku Nyungkal woman from Cairns living on Yuggera Country in Brisbane. Her deep passion for helping others led her to pursue a role at First Australians Capital where she can enable change for her community.
“I was at a stage in my career where I was looking to do something meaningful,” she said. “I realised I was in a position where I could use my skills to do something closer to my heart. I have found it rewarding to take what I’ve learned in nitty-gritty finance roles and apply that knowledge in a new way to create outcomes that have a positive impact on others.”
Witnessing First Nations’ culture and values thrive in modern business practices, inspires Tarni to utilise her skills to create change.
“Being able to use my technical knowledge to help others in their businesses means the world to me,” she said. “It is exciting to work with a great team who share the same mission. At FAC, we are helping others do what they do best, which could be helping community, helping country or preserving culture; it’s impressive how far-reaching we are.”
Enabling Change
Actively being a part of the Indigenous communities’ growth and development is something Tarni personally aims to evolve. This began long ago when Tarni first left high school.
Her mission was to keep her doors open to find something where she could play an active part in creating an impact.
“I did not want to feel pigeonholed or locked into one thing, and I believed finance was a role that would transfer across various fields and allow me to go anywhere and do anything.” she said.
“I think of some of our communities, including where I’m from, where there is poor sanitation, unsuitable housing and low education, and all I wanted to do was change that.
“At FAC we work with businesses so closely, it’s been rewarding to zoom-out and see first-hand the indirect outcomes that are created through the economic empowerment of Indigenous entrepreneurs, such as increased social wellbeing, economic independence, education, and health in our communities.”
Looking Forward
In her role as Investment Manager, Tarni is actively involved in the process and growth of FAC’s Investment team.
“FAC is in an exciting phase of change; we are in a position where we are designing our way forward and scaling” she said. “In the future, I would like FAC to be renowned for working with high calibre businesses and for supporting the entrepreneurs who are taking brave leaps and moving out of their comfort zone to follow their calling.
This is a fundamental attribute of FAC that Tarni believes will have an everlasting impact on Indigenous communities.
“I would like Indigenous businesses to know that FAC is a place where they can share their greatest goals and ambitions of their business and know that we will have their back and walk with them on their journey – there’s no shame here.”