Blackpath is an Indigenous-owned strategic advisory firm. Leaders trust us on the decisions that shape what their organisations become.
Our advice is grounded in more than twenty years of senior leadership across Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue, and CS Energy. That experience includes governed capital portfolios exceeding $13 billion across developments including South Flank, Western Range, Rhodes Ridge, Greater Nammuldi, and Robe Valley, and governance of more than $5 billion in mine closure liabilities across Western Australia.
That experience means we have sat inside the decisions we now advise on. The investment cases were written, the steering committees chaired, the approvals presented, and the heritage obligations managed. When we advise a client, we are drawing on what we have done, not what we have studied.
The same depth applies to Traditional Owner corporations. We understand the governance, commercial, and cultural pressures facing Indigenous organisations because we have worked within them and alongside them across decades.
We build long-term relationships with leaders and organisations who value long term, transparent partnership. Our best work comes from trust built over time, not from a competitive pitch process.
Engagements begin with a direct conversation with the firm's founder. There is no business development layer, no proposal factory, and no team of graduates between the client and the advice.We operate at principal level. The person you meet is the person accountable for the work. That is a deliberate choice. At the level of decision involved, continuity of judgement matters more than scale of team.
Most work takes one of two forms. A focused diagnostic, typically measured in weeks, brought in to assess a specific situation and deliver a direct finding. Or a retained advisory relationship, providing ongoing advice across a portfolio of decisions over months or years. In both cases, we stay close through execution, because the decisions that matter most require it.
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Christopher Christie is a Yirandhali and Koa man whose career spans more than twenty years of leadership across Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue, and Energy organisations.
Chris has governed capital portfolios exceeding $13 billion, helping shape some of Australia's largest mining developments including South Flank, Western Range, Rhodes Ridge, Borckman Syncline, Greater Nammuldi, and Robe Valley from feasibility through to delivery. He chaired a state wide closure steering committee overseeing $60 billion in closure liabilities, and more than $5 billion in direct mine closure portfolios across Western Australia.
He co-founded and co-chaired Rio Tinto’s Elevating Indigenous Voices Committee, building the foundations for Indigenous voices across one of the world’s largest mining companies.
He founded Blackpath in 2025 to bring that experience to the organisations and Traditional Owner groups that need it most.
Chris holds an Executive MBA from the University of New South Wales (AGSM), completed the Leading Sustainable Corporations program at Oxford Saïd Business School, and the Executive Indigenous Leaders Program at UNSW.
We are selective about the work we take on and the organisations we work with. We commit only where our advice will carry real weight. That approach has shaped a client base of leaders and institutions who value independence, discretion, and judgement under pressure.
Blackpath is wholly Indigenous owned and Supply Nation registered. We undertake pro bono work on a regular basis, focused on education and place across Indigenous communities in Australia.
Our mission is to create sustainable outcomes for company, community, and Country.