Speaker Profile

Hayden Heta is a proud Aboriginal man of the Wiradjuri Nation and the majority owner and Managing Director of Aboriginal civil contracting business, Wamarra.
Hayden has an extensive amount of experience that affords him valuable insight and expertise into the barriers and achievements of Aboriginal employment and participation. This experience has fuelled his
passion for exploring and realising meaningful, long term career opportunities for Aboriginal people and to make a meaningful impact on their economic independence and capacity for self-determination.
With 15 years in the public sector, Hayden has worked and consulted widely with Victorian Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities providing both employment opportunities and economic participation.
Hayden’s career started as a Park Ranger with Parks Victoria, eventually moving into the role of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Coordinator for the Melbourne region. His subsequent roles have included:
 Aboriginal Inclusion Coordinator, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)
 Aboriginal Community Development Broker, Aboriginal Victoria’s North and East Metro Region
 Cultural Heritage and Stakeholder Manager, Rail Projects Victoria.
Hayden’s aspiration for Wamarra is to be the employer of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in construction and to continue to support the next generation of leaders in the broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.