Benson Saulo is a respected national leader whose career spans diplomacy, Indigenous economic development, social impact and public engagement. A descendant of the Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara peoples of Western Victoria and New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea, he brings a unique intercultural lens to leadership, systems change and partnership building. In 2021, Benson became the first Indigenous person to be appointed an Australian Consul-General, leading Australia’s diplomatic and economic agenda across four U.S. states and overseeing Health and Life Sciences investment across North America. His work included pioneering Indigenous-to-Indigenous trade diplomacy with Native American and Native Alaskan leaders. Benson was the Co-Managing Partner for First Australians Capital (FAC), an Indigenous investment manager and advisory business, which launched the $20 million AUD Catalytic Impact Fund to support Indigenous businesses to scale and grow their impact across Australia. He is Co-Chair of the First Nations Advisory Group for the Centenary of Old Parliament House (2027), Chair of The Torch – an Indigenous not-for-profit working with more than 800 Indigenous peoples with lived experience of incarceration. Benson recently published his first book: Finding Fatherhood: Everyday insights on presence, resilience and legacy.
