
Dr. Ashley Greenwood, PhD
Dr. Ashley Greenwood is a social scientist, policy advisor and social performance professional with 20 years experience working with businesses, communities, governments bodies and NGOs in complex multi-stakeholder environments to find positive solutions to complex problems.
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Ashley has a PhD in anthropology, a Bachelor of Social Sciences and has taken further education in conflict mediation and business and human rights. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and a published academic in the fields of human rights and Indigenous reconciliation. Ashley has taught at TAFE and at universities across Australia.
With a focus on human rights, modern slavery, Indigenous reconciliation, cultural heritage and community development, Ashley has extensive stakeholder engagement, policy-writing and risk management experience. has worked with the United Nations, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, Indigenous land councils and PBCs, the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, Closing the Gap and mining and resource companies. She has also been an expert witness for the Federal Court of Australia in native title matters.
My Story
As an undergraduate I studied international relations, politics, sociology and anthropology. But after studying the world for so long, I had a yearning to get out there and see some of it. So as soon as I graduated, I moved to an Aboriginal community in remote Western Australia where I worked with communities and found my love of the complexities embedded in the lives of land-connected peoples.
When I was granted a scholarship to undertake my PhD, I ventured further afield to Latin America in order to continue to learn about the dynamics of culture and geopolitics. Having travelled extensively through Latin America, I was keenly aware of the impact that was being felt by marginalised communities in remote areas and began to work in the rights space to better empower these groups against the tidal forces of changing governments, regional political strife and the increasing global demand for resources. I learned an enormous amount from the communities I was fortunate enough to live with in remote areas of Guatemala and Peru. Here I was taught about culture and power, and how to listen to voices that have long been unheard. This has been a powerful lesson that I have carried with me into tense negotiations in a variety of contexts. Using a rights lens, I am able to effectively undertake collaboration and co-design to achieve positive outcomes and resolutions.
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I am drawn to complex environments which challenge my problem-solving and conflict mediation skills. Since my years living in remote communities in both Australia and Latin America I have been working at a high level across a variety of sectors and industries, collecting experience and developing my skills. This ensures that I use comprehensive multiple criteria decision analyses to predict and mitigate risks, anticipate industry trends and regulatory change, and maximise opportunities and value for all stakeholders.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
+61 407 289 607