VISIONARY MAN

BENSON SAULO

Saulo is head of partnerships at Australian Unity, a role that engages with and invests in Indigenous business. An expansive thinker, he has a sweeping vision for a more harmonious society. “While we look at soft and hard infrastructure such as schools, supermarkets and hospitals, what I really care about is social cohesion, which comes from people being connected and having immersive experiences,” he says. “When we think about what sort of nation we want to develop and build, what services do we want so people feel connected to one another and the world around them?”

After a successful early career in finance (“I was the youngest assistant manager and, to my knowledge, the only Aboriginal in business banking in Martin Place in 2008,” he says), Saulo was appointed Australian youth representative to the UN in 2011. “When I called my mum [to] tell her … she cried and said,‘When I was growing up they didn’t want to know about us.’” Saulo is an inspiring advocate for social change. “What I see now is the opportunity to be immersed in another culture. I think on both sides there is willingness. It started with musicians and artists, now it’s in the business world: Aboriginal people permeating right throughout society.