Executive Search

Appointing a Chief Health Adviser for a National Health Services Provider

Date Posted:16 April 2026

Delivering an Executive Search to strengthen clinical governance and stakeholder confidence in a highly complex health environment

The Brief

Future Leadership was engaged by a national provider of health services in Australia to appoint a Chief Health Adviser, a critical executive leadership role supporting the delivery of primary, mental health and allied health services within a highly regulated and politically sensitive environment.

The organisation was operating within a complex national government contract and required an experienced senior clinical leader to stabilise and mature clinical governance, manage clinical risk, and build confidence with a broad range of government, regulatory and advocacy stakeholders. An interim appointment was in place at the time of engagement, with the mandate to identify a permanent executive capable of leading in a dispersed, high‑risk operating context.
9.19.1

Candidate Net Promoter Score

Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.

10,000+10,000+

Candidates supported every year

We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.

50.5%50.5%

Senior Women Appointed since 2002

Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.

98%98%

Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002

Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!

The Process

Future Leadership undertook a comprehensive and confidential executive search process tailored to the complexity and sensitivity of the role.

Key steps included:

Briefing and Strategy Development: Conducted in‑depth briefings with senior clinical and executive stakeholders to clarify the strategic remit, risk profile and leadership expectations of the role.

Targeted Candidate Search: Executed a national search across Australia and New Zealand, supported by targeted advertising and direct outreach through established health, government and medical leadership networks.

Candidate Assessment: Assessed candidates against technical, leadership and behavioural criteria, including clinical governance expertise, experience in government policy environments, and capability to lead through influence across dispersed workforces.

Final Evaluation: Shortlisted candidates were presented with detailed capability‑based assessments and evaluated on their ability to operate effectively in a complex, highly scrutinised environment.

01.

Governance and Compliance

Engages stakeholders inclusively with sensitivity and regard for diversity and facilitates a psychologically safe environment for social or cultural differences affecting behaviour.

02.

Stakeholder Relations

Works strategically and systemically to encourage diverse thinking with all types of people. Actively contributes to teamwork, and deliberately builds relationships and networks across a range of people and communities.

03.

Communication and Influence

Communicates with clarity and impact to facilitate individual and collective understanding, inspire action and enable information exchange. Leverages human-centric communication and storytelling to effectively influence stakeholders across the physical and virtual realms.

04.

Adaptability and Resilience

Demonstrating positivity, curiosity, resilience and the ability to pivot when confronted with change, pressure, adversity and disruption. Anticipates and enhances organisation’s capacity to respond quickly to strategic environmental, social and corporate challenges and opportunities.

05.

Systems Thinking

Systematically breaks down siloes across the operating environment and connects stakeholders to harness convergent ideas. Understands the leverage points of systems change and demonstrates the ability to think beyond known systems.

The Outcome

The process resulted in the appointment of a senior medical administrator and clinical governance leader with extensive experience across state health systems, government policy environments and non‑hospital healthcare settings.

The appointed executive brought deep expertise in clinical governance, medico‑legal risk management, stakeholder engagement and leading distributed clinical teams. Their appointment strengthened the organisation’s clinical assurance framework, enhanced stakeholder confidence, and supported the ongoing delivery of high‑quality healthcare services to a vulnerable population within a demanding regulatory context.

Consultant

Sandra Kerr

Partner, Executive Search View Profile
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