It’s hard to know just where to start when looking at the list of achievements on Fabi’s resume. From working as an academic at the University of Sydney, where she’s been teaching law and business for the last decade, to her time teaching law in human rights at Western Sydney University – you’d be forgiven for thinking her plate was already full.
Fabi however plays a pivotal role in decision making across a number of local and international organisations. This includes her work with institutional child abuse cases for the National Redress Scheme, her board director position with Domestic Violence Service Management in NSW, and her position as the co-executive director of the Human Rights Coalition in Italy. “I really enjoy working on human rights access to justice projects and focusing on leadership in the human rights space,” she says. “I've always been very interested in rights, equity and representation, because I was from a community that was underrepresented.”
Using her background as inspiration, Fabi has also released a book, Born to be Biased, which explores leadership, management, and unconscious bias in business. “No one wants to think they're biased, so a lot of the book is actually assuring people that bias is not something that’s just experienced by people who have bad intentions – everyone has unconscious biases,” she says.
During the writing process, Fabi was able to link back to the key learnings she gained during her time at the University of Sydney, where she completed her Master of Management. “Once you’ve studied something like this, you realise there can be unconscious bias for any business decision,” she says. “It’s an issue that underpins a lot of world issues – even our treatment globally of migrants and refugees.”
Grassroots and humble beginnings
While Fabi’s work sits within the human rights space, her journey began in civil rights and legal work within the insurance space. “That was the shortest stint of my career because I discovered corporate was not for me,” she explains. After those roles, Fabi worked in equity in education and gradually moved into more strategic leadership roles as Chief of Staff at the National Justice Project in Sydney, and then as a lawyer and director of development for a climate change law firm.
If you've been lucky enough to get the education, and you've been fortunate enough to have access to so many of life's privileges, it’s your job to make a positive difference.
Fabi Fugazza
Master of Management graduate
A responsibility and a privilege
Having completed two undergraduate degrees at Western Sydney University, her Master or Management at the University of Sydney and her Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at ANU, Fabi believes it’s now her job to use this education for good. “If you've been lucky enough to get the education, and you've been fortunate enough to have access to so many of life's privileges, it’s your job to make a positive difference,” she says.
She’s quick to point out however that while there’s been plenty of success, her line of work isn’t always easy. “Working in human rights is very rewarding but it can be difficult when the work is very special to you,” Fabi explains. “Sometimes you see the impact you’re having and then another global emergency erupts and you're starting again from scratch on a whole new issue.
While each day brings its own set of challenges, Fabi points to a number of accomplishments she’s particularly proud of. “One was a lifesaving initiative for refugees or asylum seekers, which saw us saving the lives of hundreds of people,” she says. Current projects include an initiative with the organisation she co-leads in Italy and four major law firms. “We’re providing pro bono legal assistance to refugees, and asylum seekers in Afghanistan and Iran who are escaping very dangerous situations.”
For those looking to follow in her footsteps, Fabi recommends gaining industry experience as early as possible and focusing on an education in human rights. “If you want to work in this area, particularly in human rights law, the qualifications are vital because it’s a very competitive field,” she explains. “I wouldn’t have been able to build the career I have without having done four qualifications and honing my leadership and management skills.”