Delivering an Executive Search to Strengthen Strategic Leadership for a National Digital Health Agency.
The Brief
Future Leadership™ was engaged by a Commonwealth Government health agency to appoint three critical Senior Executive Service Band 1 leaders: General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and Branch Manager, Architecture. These appointments were part of a broader strategy to enhance governance, financial stewardship and digital architecture capability.
The agency plays a pivotal role in enabling connected, secure and person-centred healthcare across Australia. With increasing complexity in digital health delivery, the organisation required leaders with deep expertise in legal, financial and architectural domains to drive innovation, compliance and strategic integration.
This assignment formed part of a bulk recruitment round, with two immediate vacancies and the creation of a merit pool for future appointments. The agency had recently received an additional $951.2M in funding, further elevating the importance of strategic leadership capability.
Candidate net Promote 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.
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.
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.
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 search process tailored to the organisation’s needs.
Key steps included:
- Briefing and Strategy Development: Engaged with the Chief People Officer and senior stakeholders to understand strategic priorities and leadership expectations.
- Targeted Candidate Search: Leveraged national networks, APS advertising channels and executive search methodologies to identify candidates with proven public sector leadership and domain expertise.
- Candidate Assessment: Managed large candidate pools with rigorous evaluation including screening interviews, reference checks, and alignment with SES Band 1 Integrated Leadership System criteria.
- Final Evaluation: Shortlisted candidates presented strategic insights and leadership approaches to the Selection Advisory Panel, demonstrating alignment with the agency’s mission and values.
- Merit Pool Creation: Developed a high-quality pool of candidates for future SES Band 1 vacancies, ensuring readiness and continuity in leadership appointments.
Emerging Capabilities
Digital Literacy
Advanced understanding of digital health systems, architecture and interoperability standards.
Strategy and Purpose
Capability to align operational delivery with national health strategy and agency vision.
Stakeholder Relations
Ability to engage across government, industry and healthcare providers on complex issues.
Governance and Compliance
Expertise in legal frameworks, financial accountability and public sector obligations.
Strategy and Purpose
Capability to align operational delivery with national health strategy and agency vision.
Communication and Influence
Effective communicator with the ability to influence across multidisciplinary teams and executive leadership.
The Outcome
The process resulted in the appointment of three senior executives:
- A seasoned General Counsel with over 15 years’ legal experience, including in-house leadership and Commonwealth legal advisory roles, bringing expertise in privacy, procurement and health legislation.
- A highly qualified Chief Financial Officer, CPA/CA certified, with extensive experience in financial governance, strategic modelling and Commonwealth budget frameworks.
- An accomplished Branch Manager, Architecture with deep technical leadership in digital health, interoperability standards and enterprise architecture, supporting the agency’s transformation agenda.
These appointments have strengthened the agency’s leadership capability, enabling enhanced compliance, strategic planning and digital innovation across the national health ecosystem.
