Key executive appointment to strengthen regional partnerships, and advance planning for a new hospital facility.
The Brief
This significant sub-regional health service in Victoria required a visionary and resilient leader to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer. The organisation had recently undergone a leadership transition and was facing a period of strategic uncertainty due to sector-wide reform, infrastructure challenges, and regional collaboration pressures.
The CEO role was critical to stabilising the organisation, strengthening its culture, and positioning it for future growth. The health service operated across multiple sites, including acute, aged care, and community health, and served a catchment of over 50,000 residents. The incoming CEO would be responsible for leading a workforce of 1,600 staff, managing a $180M budget, and driving alignment within a regional health partnership.
Key challenges for the position included:
- Navigating the organisation’s role within a newly formed regional health partnership.
- Advocating for funding and planning for a new hospital facility.
- Managing the potential closure of a long-standing linen service impacting 150 regional jobs.
- Rebuilding organisational culture following a period of interim leadership and executive turnover.
The Process
The search strategy was national in scope, supported by targeted advertising and outreach across public health networks, government agencies, and private sector health leaders. The search team prioritised candidates with:
- Executive leadership experience in health services.
- Proven ability to lead through ambiguity and transformation.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and community alignment.
- Financial and operational acumen in complex environments.
The process included:
- A detailed client briefing to define the ideal candidate profile and key challenges.
- Development of a candidate information pack and advertising campaign.
- Mapping of talent pools across Australia and New Zealand.
- Psychometric assessments aligned to six leadership capabilities.
- Panel interviews and reference checks.
The shortlist included candidates from diverse backgrounds, including current CEOs, executive directors, and government health leaders. Each candidate was assessed against the Future Leadership Capability Framework, focusing on strategic vision, adaptability, stakeholder engagement, and cultural leadership.
Future Leadership Capability Framework
Strategy and Purpose
Develops and leads strategy for the function/organisation, taking a broad and long-term perspective. Understands and considers context. Communicates and gains buy-in to the function/organisation goals, direction and vision, promoting change initiatives.
Adaptability and Resilience
Demonstrates positivity, curiosity, and the ability to pivot when confronted with change, pressure, adversity and disruption. Responsive to strategic environmental, social and corporate challenges and opportunities.
Culture and Engagement
Fosters a positive culture, creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness.
Creates an environment that encourages diverse perspectives and facilitates a psychologically safe environment
Communication and Influence
Articulates messages with clarity and impact to build understanding, inspire action, persuade others and enable information exchange. Considers the audience and draws on different styles to create impact.
Innovation and Creativity
Demonstrates curiosity through challenging the status quo, expected norms, and workplace paradigms.
Contributes new ideas, solutions, and perspectives to current challenges and thinking practices.
Creates new products, solutions and opportunities and identifies opportunities for improvements.
Organisational Capability
Understands the organisation's future requirements and identifies opportunities to build potential across the organisation. Seeks opportunities to develop other people and takes appropriate action to address skill gaps in others.
The Outcome
The appointee was confirmed by the selection committee on the basis of their visible leadership, strategic clarity, and deep operational experience across Victorian public health. The panel noted the candidate’s ability to lead through complexity, foster cultural renewal, and engage meaningfully with stakeholders at all levels. Their interim performance as CEO demonstrated immediate impact and alignment with the organisation’s values and strategic direction.
The selected candidate had over 25 years of experience in Victorian public health, including six years as an Executive Director and recent tenure as interim CEO of the organisation. Their leadership style is grounded in integrity, kindness, and shared purpose, with a strong focus on person-centred outcomes. They bring a proven track record in strategic planning, clinical governance, stakeholder engagement, and transformational change. Their appointment has already led to strengthened regional partnerships, improved staff engagement, and renewed momentum on infrastructure planning and service innovation.
