Dr Mark Jones appointed Associate Dean, Indigenous

His in-depth understanding of the discipline of Indigenous business and leadership will lay the foundation for bringing his ideas to life.

Dr Mark Jones has been appointed the Associate Dean, Indigenous, a joint appointment between the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Business School.

For the past three years, Dr Jones has been an integral part of the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, where he has held the position of Dilin Duwa Programs Stream Lead, Senior Lecturer and MURRA Indigenous Business Program Director.

Professor Michelle Evans, Director of Dilin Duwa and outgoing Associate Dean, Indigenous, congratulated Mark on his appointment.

“Dr Jones is an excellent scholar and educator, and a hard-working and approachable colleague who is very well connected and respected” Professor Evans said.

“Mark brings extensive managerial experience to the role of Associate Dean, Indigenous alongside his insights about how to support staff at the Faculty of Business and Education and Melbourne Business School to walk towards curriculum and organisational change that showcases Indigenous knowledges, Indigenous people and Indigenous excellence."

For Dr Jones, a Karajarri and Yawuru man with cultural roots from Rubibi (Broome), the path to becoming an academic was more than just a career choice. Driven by a childhood foundation of education and employment, with his mother instilling him to value both work and study.

Prior to the University of Melbourne, Dr Jones held positions as the Manager of Social Enterprise at RMIT University where he pioneered the Indigenous Doctoral Program.

This initiative allowed him to work as an academic while completing his own PhD, titled First Peoples Enterprise Success: The Third Wave. As part of his PhD, Dr Jones developed the 7Ps of First Peoples Self-Determination, a culturally significant alternative to traditional Western business models.

The research uses a saltwater metaphor to challenge Western definitions of business achievement, arguing that Indigenous founders view success through the lens of wellbeing, which is far broader than mere profit.

His work has taken him across Australia and the "CANZUS" nations (Canada, New Zealand, and the US), as well as Japan and Mexico this year. Despite the global travel, his heart remains in Rubibi.

Professor Evans remarked on the extensive impact Mark’s work has already been having.

“I can already see the difference Mark is making in this role as we have more students, greater alignment and broad commitment to integrating Indigenous business education and Indigenous business leaders into the BAU of Australia’s top Business Schools,” she said.

“He has an in-depth understanding of the discipline of Indigenous business and leadership laying the foundation for his insightful ideas brought to life through his relational practice.”

To learn more about the work Dr Jones is doing, visit the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership page.