Sam Raciti has known management was his 'calling' since he was a teenager. He studied for a while after leaving school but it was not long before he was recruited as a manager for a business.

He has since progressed to become CEO for a benevolent organisation in Sarina but has also kept his studies on the boil and is currently enrolled in Accounting at CQUniversity Mackay.

Sam Raciti - scholarship an opportunity

Sam recently won an Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) scholarship* and travelled to Canberra to accept his award. His background indicates he will use the opportunity wisely.

"My job keeps me busy but over the years, I have found time to sit on a variety of Indigenous organisational boards and public reference groups," he said.

"I find this particular work very rewarding, as I can draw on my networks to solve organisational issues, to help organisations avoid possible obstacles and, most of all, to maintain profitability."

Sam met his wife in the "big smoke" of Rockhampton back in 1993 and the couple now have 3 children.

"Mackay is my home town. In my early 20s, I had the opportunity to work in regional centres around Queensland, but inevitability moved back to Mackay some 15 years ago," he said

There's another connection to CQUniversity as Sam's sister Maria has previously worked as a marketing lecturer at CQUniversity and graduated with a PhD from the University.

*The IBA Scholarship Fund is a new initiative which aims to provide mature-age Indigenous Australians with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in business and finance through education. which in turn contributes to economic development in Indigenous communities. For further information on the IBA Scholarship fund visit www.iba.gov.au