Mr Craig Ritchie

Craig Ritchie is a Dunghutti man with connections to Biripi and Guringai nations of NSW. Craig is an independent advisor and strategist with a focus on First Nations strategy and engagement. From 2017-2023 Craig was CEO at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) where he led a major program of reform and organisational transformation. Prior AIATSIS, Craig worked in other senior roles within the APS, leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher education, higher education access and participation for people from low-SE backgrounds, and international student mobility. He was a founding Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in ACT Government. Craig has extensive experience in the community sector, including as CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) - the peak advocacy body for Aboriginal community-controlled health services.  From 2018-2022 Craig was Co-Chair of, UNESCO’s governing bodies for the International Year of Indigenous Languages and the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. At community level Craig is the Chairperson of the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services in Canberra.

He is a Distinguished Fellow of ANZSOG and holds honorary appointments at ANU and The University of Melbourne.  Craig studied History, Classics and Education at the University of Newcastle, has a post-graduate qualification in management and is currently completing his PhD at the Australian National University exploring the cultural basis of contemporary policymaking and researching the transformation of policymaking systems based on Aboriginal culture.