Who we are
We are Real Futures
Founded in 2011 by Wendy Yarnold and Brad Carbutt, the company initially focused on connecting Indigenous Australians to the many prosperous career opportunities within the resource sector during the mining boom, as well as helping companies fulfill their Indigenous Participation requirements.
In the process, Real Futures developed a unique, customised recruitment and retention process, servicing people who may have never been considered for such jobs in the past.
Over time, we have significantly broadened our scope to deliver services for all industry sectors, and our success has enabled an expansion of our footprint across Australia. We now have offices in New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Trust, respect and integrity
Real Futures operates from a premise of trust, respect and integrity and this extends to all of our dealings with community, government and business.
The economic impact of our operations has been rewarded with the opportunity to deliver the Australian Government’s Community Development Programs (CDP) in NSW, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. More recently, our offices in Northern NSW, Darwin and Geraldton WA also began delivering Disability Employment Services (DES).
Pride in our achievements
We have excellent ongoing relationships with many local and national companies, who continually seek our services.
A high number of the people we have placed in employment have risen to supervisor or management roles.
83
Community Development Program performance rating (14% above national average)
84
of VTEC participants told us they feel respected while engaging with us.
73
said they were satisfied or highly satisfied with the overall quality of our service. (DESE post-program monitoring 61%)
68
of our 2020 VTEC participants in NSW were still in work after six months. (despite COVID-19)
Our structure
Real Futures is a proprietary company limited by shares.
In August 2017, Real Futures Pty Ltd gained a new shareholder, AngusKnight Pty Ltd (AKG), and became part of the Angus Knight Group.
In 2020 an Indigenous company, NITRAM Pty Ltd, joined the shareholding.
Supply Nation certified
Real Futures Pty Ltd is proud to be certified by Supply Nation, confirming that we are majority owned, controlled and managed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
83
of our leadership are Indigenous.
73
of our staff are Indigenous.
Meet the board
Real Futures Indigenous-controlled Board is driven by our purpose: to appropriately skill and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to become workplace assets, community role models and economically independent. The Board includes leaders strong in governance, influence and entrepreneurship, dedicated to creating real change and real growth for First Australians.
Wendy Yarnold, Chairperson and Founder
Wendy has spent more than 30 years developing successful programs for Aboriginal communities. She holds a Dip Business and her professional experience includes the inception and management of Aboriginal programs and businesses such as Real Futures, Pathways to the Pilbara and Real Honey.
Wendy supports Aboriginal advancement, through strategic training and employment programs, Aboriginal leadership and management consultancy. She was an executive member of Building Australia’s Future Workforce, and part of the management team for an Aboriginal registered training organisation. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Wendy is an experienced speaker and cultural competence trainer. With community consultation, she prepared a Close the Gap report for the Australian Government to highlight issues in priority areas to determine community implementation planning at a grassroots level. Wendy also contributed to Andrew Forrest’s 2014 reform package in an effort to provide realistic economic opportunities for Aboriginal workers.
Marty Chambers, Director
As a proud Indigenous man with Torres Strait Island heritage, Marty understands the issues Indigenous people face in remote areas of Australia. A great communicator, he builds strong connections with local people and helps communities develop business together.
He has held various Board and executive roles within Angus Knight companies before joining the Real Futures Board. He is the National Indigenous Engagement Manager for the Angus Knight Group working.
Marty is highly experienced and well respected in the Community Development and work for the dole sector across Australia. Marty has a strong ties with multiple Indigenous communities and builds strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
His passion is family and developing communities, where he loves to help build capacity in people.
Duncan Angus, Founder and Executive Director
Duncan entered the hospitality industry in 1985, serving in a number of managerial capacities and later focusing on recruitment services to the industry.
In 1991, Peter Knight and Duncan founded Angus Knight as a training services company, which successfully expanded operations throughout Australia, delivering training programs in every State. In 1998, Duncan led Angus Knight in a successful bid for the Federal Government’s Employment Services Contract and most recently growth success in the UK CAEHRS tenders and the acquisition of large and successful training companies, Learning Sphere, and VFA.
As Executive Director, Duncan will focus his efforts on the Groups broader growth agenda. Duncan’s vision has always been to assist people and organisations in developing their full potential using the concept of ‘lifelong learning’.
Nic Fairbank, Group CEO and Managing Director, Angus Knight
Nicolas (Nic) Fairbank joined Angus Knight Group in July 2022. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of Programmed Skilled Workforce, Australia’s largest staffing business. Responsible for Programmed’s Staffing and Training businesses, he led more than 25,000 people across Australia and New Zealand. He was appointed an APAC Executive Member in 2022 impacting thirteen countries across the region.
He is a passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion and gender equality, significantly improving indigenous engagement and female representation in leadership roles as well as participation in traditionally male dominated fields of employment.
Nic is proud to be a Board Member of CEO’s for Gender Equality (CGE) since 2019.
Paul Synnott, CEO National Indigenous Partnerships
Paul Synnott is an experienced social and economic development professional whose strengths and approach are based on 20+ years of industry experience. A Masters of Business Management (MBM) and Diploma of Employment Services compliment his extensive industry experience.
Paul brings a very logical and practical way of working that is driven by a clear understanding of the objectives and the vision that his clients are striving to achieve. His strengths lie in being able to activate people’s thinking to form solutions. As an enabler of those solutions, he takes responsibility for ensuring people have the necessary skills and systems in place to achieve the desired results.
Paul understands the importance of adopting a whole of community approach to implementing a successful business model and how business needs to be strategic to ensure it effectively utilises available resources to sustain its purpose. He welcomes the challenges inherent in developing service models, solutions, and lasting relationships with clients and communities.
Paul sits on the Boards of RN Employment Services, Real Futures and NESA.
Contact us
We’d love to hear from you.
Real Futures acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders past, present and emerging.
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