Here we are halfway through the year and winter has set in … seems only a few weeks ago we were wishing everyone Season’s Greetings for the end of the year! Nevertheless, a lot has happened … we have farewelled Board member Vicki Sayers (but pleased she is keen to remain involved), welcomed two new Board members, Cameron Lester and Caitlin Swanton and farewelled our CEO for the past 5 years, Janet Phillips.
Farewell to our retiring CEO, Janet
The team provided Janet with a heartfelt send off for her retirement on May 1. One highlight was a video produced to the tune of Abba’s “Mamma Mia” by our talented Music Therapist Jean with lyrics written by Clinical Administrator, Shelley, telling tales of Janet’s tenure. The team all took part in the filming and production which was a fun acknowledgement of Janet’s time at the helm. Despite the work we do being serious and at times, challenging, a sense of humour is something that we value to bring to our work when we are celebrating together.
Welcome to our New Chief Executive Officer
It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Donna Goldsmith who will officially commence at the end of June.
Following a comprehensive recruitment process, the Board was delighted to appoint a proven leader whose experience, values, and commitment to community health and Palliative care strongly align with the vision of PHH.
Donna is a senior healthcare executive with more than 30 years’ experience leading strategy, governance and operations in complex, clinically governed organisations. She has operated a family focussed small business in the hospitality space bringing another dimension to her skill set.
Most recently Donna has been the Executive Officer of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group, where she led organisational performance across strategy, risk, financial and operational domains, while maintaining strong engagement with clinicians and stakeholders.
Known for her steady, authentic leadership style and her ability to lead organisations with both compassion and commercial discipline, Donna brings deep clinical credibility as an Intensive Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, alongside advanced qualifications including an MBA, Master of Clinical Nursing and AICD governance training. She has significant experience working with Boards, navigating sensitive clinical governance environments and strong awareness of the palliative care space.
Donna will be commencing on Monday 29 June and I know she looks forward to meeting as many of you as possible over coming months and helping us to build on the wonderful reputation and service that PHH provides.
Thank you all!
A strength of the PHH team is their collegiate support especially when people are stretched and I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work all our team does including all you highly valued supporters and volunteers and the additional load our volunteer Board members have taken on during the recruitment process for a new CEO.
I am also grateful for our Deputy Chair, Prof. Jennifer McGinley stepping in as Acting Chair while I was recently overseas. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Julie Murphy, General Manager Clinical Services for taking on the role of Acting CEO since 1 May and the support of the Executive team during this period.
