Sharlene Leroy-Dyer

Sharlene is a Saltwater woman from the Garigal/Darug, Awabakal & Wiradjuri peoples. She has a PhD in Business from the University of Newcastle, a Bachelor of Business (Hons) from University of Newcastle and a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Research and Leadership from University of Melbourne.

Sharlene is the Director of the Indigenous Business Hub and an Associate Professor in Indigenous Business at the University of Queensland and the Editor in Chief for the International Journal of Indigenous Business.

Sharlene is currently the Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Policy Committee of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and has served for over 15 years as an elected officer in various positions.

She is a member of the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management, the Industrial Relations Society of Queensland and the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand.

Sharlene is also the immediate past National President of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA) and the Current NATSIPA appointee to the Council of Australian Postgraduates Association (CAPA) Board. She has extensive experience as a student advocate and leader, having lead student organisations on campuses as well as at a National level.

Sharlene’s research specialises in and centres around Closing the Gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage in education and employment, Indigenous scholarship, labour law, and organisational theory. Her work integrates Indigenous methodologies, frameworks and intersectional analysis to examine how policy and employment systems can support Indigenous economic sovereignty. She has contributed to critical legal studies, policy-oriented writing, and empirical research focused on Indigenous leadership and organisational transformation.

Sharlene’s scholarship bridges theory and practice, with a focus on real-world impact. She is currently engaged in collaborative research projects that explore Indigenous participation in governance, culturally safe employment, and decolonial policy reform. Her long-term goal is to influence policy and institutional design to embed Indigenous values and promote justice across economic systems.

Sharlene has extensive experience in corporate governance, workplace relations, strategic management, human resource management and finance, having used these skills in government, Aboriginal organisations, student associations and mainstream workplaces.