35 Influential Leaders in HR in Healthcare in Australia and New Zealand

Healthcare HR in Australia and New Zealand has never operated under greater scrutiny or pressure. The simultaneous demands of workforce shortages, psychosocial safety regulation, enterprise bargaining, wage equity reforms, and the cultural safety obligations that come with First Nations health policy have elevated the people function from a support role to a strategic imperative. The leaders listed here are navigating that complexity every day, across public hospitals and health services, private hospital groups, aged care providers, health insurers, and professional bodies that shape the sector's workforce future.

Jonno White compiled this list of 35 influential leaders in HR in healthcare in ANZ after extensive research across more than 100 primary sources including organisation executive pages, annual reports, peak body publications, and sector media. Every entry has been verified from a primary source. All roles are current as at June 2026.

This list sits alongside our broader research into HR leaders in Australia and New Zealand and people and culture leaders in ANZ. If healthcare workforce culture is the specific lens your organisation needs, the leaders and insights here are the place to start.

A note on the ANZ context: with the Australian healthcare system investing more than $250 billion annually and employing more than 1.5 million people, and with a projected global shortfall of 10 million healthcare workers by 2030 (McKinsey, 2023), the stakes for effective healthcare HR have never been higher. In New Zealand, Health NZ Te Whatu Ora is simultaneously managing financial reform and the structural integration of what was previously a fragmented district health board system. The leaders in this list are working inside all of that.

1. Colleen Harris | Ramsay Health Care

Role: Group Executive People

Colleen Harris is the Group Executive People at Ramsay Health Care, one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, with more than 80,000 employees globally and a workforce that is more than 80 per cent women. In this role she oversees people strategy, workforce planning, industrial relations, and capability development across Ramsay's Australian and international operations. Her team operates at the intersection of clinical excellence and cultural transformation, navigating enterprise bargaining, psychosocial safety obligations, and the chronic healthcare workforce shortages that define the sector in 2025 and 2026.

Source: Ramsay Health Care 2025 Corporate Governance Statement (ramsayhealth.com).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

2. Rebecca Donaldson | Bupa Australia

Role: Chief People Officer

Rebecca Donaldson joined Bupa Australia as Chief People Officer in January 2026, reporting directly to the APAC CEO and sitting on Bupa's Executive Leadership Team. She joined from Ramsay Health Care Australia, where she led the Australian people team designing and executing a refreshed strategy to support digital transformation, clinical excellence and workforce sustainability. Before Ramsay, she served as Executive Manager People and Culture at Qantas during the airline's post-COVID recovery, and as Chief People Officer and Chief of Staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during a period of executive leadership change. Her experience with NSW Ambulance and earlier government roles gives her depth in public sector workforce and industrial frameworks.

Source: Bupa Australia media release, October 2025 (media.bupa.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

3. Rebecca Roberts | St Vincent's Health Australia

Role: Chief People and Culture Officer

Rebecca Roberts is the Chief People and Culture Officer at St Vincent's Health Australia, one of the country's largest not-for-profit health and aged care networks with hospitals across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. She leads a people and culture function that spans clinical and non-clinical workforce strategy, enterprise bargaining, safety, and cultural transformation in a values-driven Catholic health ministry context. St Vincent's is a network in which workforce strategy must serve both commercial sustainability and mission-aligned care.

Source: St Vincent's Health Australia leadership page (svha.org.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

4. Mandy Sheppard | Uniting NSW/ACT

Role: Chief People Officer

Mandy Sheppard was appointed Chief People Officer at Uniting NSW/ACT in January 2026, having joined Uniting in 1998 and held a number of senior leadership roles across the organisation including Deputy Chief People Officer and Head of People and Culture. She brings deep expertise in people and business strategy and is recognised for translating complex issues into strong, governance-led and action-focused outcomes. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Western Sydney University, and has served as a Director of the Uniting Institute of Education since September 2025. Uniting is one of the largest community service organisations in New South Wales and the ACT, providing health, aged care, disability, and social services.

Source: Uniting executive leadership page (uniting.org).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

5. Valeria Camara | Uniting AgeWell

Role: Chief People Officer

Valeria Camara is the Chief People Officer at Uniting AgeWell, a leading not-for-profit aged care and community support provider operating across Victoria and Tasmania. In this role she leads workforce strategy, recruitment, employee relations, and organisational development for a workforce operating across residential, home care, and community health settings. The scale and complexity of the aged care workforce challenge, including the implementation of the new Aged Care Act from November 2025, makes this a critical people leadership role at a pivotal moment for the sector.

Source: Uniting AgeWell leadership page (unitingagewell.org).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

6. Anat Hassner | Uniting

Role: Chief People and Strategy Officer

Anat Hassner is the Chief People and Strategy Officer at Uniting, the community services organisation of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of New South Wales and the ACT. In a dual mandate that combines people leadership with strategic oversight, she is responsible for people and culture, organisational strategy, and innovation across a workforce supporting health, aged care, disability, family services, and social justice programs. The breadth of this portfolio, spanning more than 9,000 employees, requires workforce leaders who can hold the tension between service mission and sustainable people practice.

Source: Uniting leadership page (uniting.org).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

7. Maree Healey | Warrigal

Role: Chief of People and Culture

Maree Healey is the Chief of People and Culture at Warrigal, a not-for-profit aged care provider serving communities across the Illawarra, Southern Highlands, ACT, and Queanbeyan regions of New South Wales. She leads a people function responsible for recruitment, retention, workforce planning, and the cultural development of a care workforce that is essential to Warrigal's mission of serving older people. The aged care sector in 2025 and 2026 is characterised by wage growth following the Aged Care Work Value case, regulatory reform under the new Aged Care Act, and sustained pressure on workforce supply in regional areas.

Source: Warrigal leadership team page (warrigal.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

8. Donna Cruickshank | Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service

Role: Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing

Donna Cruickshank started with Central Queensland Health in June 2022 as the first Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing. Before joining CQ Health, she held leadership and executive positions in NSW Health and gained broad knowledge in Aboriginal health and workforce. Her work in Aboriginal employment and cultural education has won NSW Public Sector Awards. She holds a double masters in Health Service Management and Planning. Her portfolio encompasses workforce design for First Nations health specifically, which is an increasingly central component of healthcare HR and workforce strategy in Queensland.

Source: Central Queensland HHS executive team page (cq.health.qld.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

9. Rebecca Hodges | Northern Health (VIC)

Role: Executive Director People and Culture

Rebecca Hodges is the Executive Director People and Culture at Northern Health in Victoria, a public health service providing hospital, community, and aged care services to Melbourne's rapidly growing northern suburbs. Northern Health employs more than 6,500 people and is expanding significantly as the region's population grows. As Executive Director People and Culture, she leads workforce planning, industrial relations, talent acquisition, and cultural development across a complex multi-site public health environment subject to the full range of Victorian public health sector obligations, including psychosocial safety regulations and enterprise bargaining under the Victorian public sector framework.

Source: Northern Health executive team page (northernhealth.org.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

10. Shellee Chapman | Townsville Hospital and Health Service

Role: Executive Director People, Strategy and Governance

Shellee Chapman is the Executive Director People, Strategy and Governance at Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Queensland's largest regional health service and the principal tertiary referral centre for northern Queensland. The breadth of her portfolio, combining people and culture with strategy and governance, reflects the integrated approach to workforce sustainability that Queensland's Hospital and Health Services increasingly require as they manage growing demand across geographically dispersed communities.

Source: Townsville HHS executive team page (townsvillehhs.health.qld.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

11. Cheryl Winstanley | Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service

Role: Executive Director People and Culture

Cheryl Winstanley is the Executive Director People and Culture at Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, a far north Queensland public health service delivering care to a diverse population across urban, rural, and remote communities including significant First Nations populations. The workforce leadership challenge at Cairns and Hinterland requires strategies that address recruitment and retention in a regional setting, cultural safety for a workforce serving diverse communities, and the operational complexity of delivering tertiary hospital services alongside primary and community care in one of Queensland's largest geographical health services.

Source: Cairns and Hinterland HHS executive team page (cairnshhs.health.qld.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

12. Rachel Balmanno | Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Role: Chief Operating Officer

Rachel Balmanno is the Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, a role in which she holds executive oversight of workforce, operations, and enabling functions for the Commonwealth's primary health policy department. The COO function in a department of this scale encompasses people strategy, organisational capability, and the operational delivery of programs that shape health workforce policy across the entire Australian health system. Her influence on healthcare HR in Australia extends through the department's role in funding, regulating, and directing national workforce programs including the National Health Workforce Dataset and the Health Workforce Strategy.

Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing leadership page (health.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

13. Dr Frances Hughes | Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora

Role: Board Member

Dr Frances Hughes is a Board Member of Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, appointed in July 2025 for a three-year term. She is a registered nurse and respected health leader with more than 30 years of experience, having served as Chief Nurse at the New Zealand Ministry of Health, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer for Queensland Health in Australia, and Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses in Geneva, where she represented and advocated for nurses across more than 130 countries. She also serves on the Health Research Council and the Water Services Authority boards. Her career spanning clinical care, public policy, education, and global health brings a workforce systems perspective to Health NZ's governance as the organisation navigates major financial and structural reform.

Source: Health New Zealand board page (healthnz.govt.nz).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

14. Sarah McCann-Bartlett | Australian HR Institute (AHRI)

Role: CEO and Managing Director

Sarah McCann-Bartlett is the CEO and Managing Director of the Australian HR Institute, the national association representing HR and people management professionals across Australia. In this role she leads the organisation's strategy, advocacy, and professional development programs that directly shape how HR leaders in healthcare and across all sectors develop their capabilities and credentials. AHRI's research into workforce trends, its Certified Practitioner program, and its policy submissions to government on workforce issues give it direct relevance to every HR professional in the Australian healthcare sector.

Source: AHRI executive team page (ahri.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

15. Nick McKissack | Human Resources New Zealand (HRNZ)

Role: Chief Executive Officer

Nick McKissack is the Chief Executive Officer of Human Resources New Zealand, the professional body for HR practitioners across Aotearoa New Zealand. HRNZ runs the national HR awards program that recognises excellence in the healthcare sector, publishes workforce research, and connects HR leaders across health, government, and private sectors. His leadership of the professional body gives him influence across the full spectrum of healthcare HR in New Zealand at a time when the sector is navigating significant funding pressure, workforce reform, and the restructuring of Health NZ.

Source: HRNZ organisational page (hrnz.org.nz).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

16. Dr Ben Hamer | AHRI Board / Edith Cowan University

Role: AHRI Board Director and Adjunct Professor

Dr Ben Hamer is an AHRI Board Director and Adjunct Professor at Edith Cowan University, where his research and public commentary focuses on the future of work, workforce strategy, and organisational behaviour. His dual role at the peak professional body and in academic research gives him influence on how HR practice in healthcare is discussed, researched, and credentialed in Australia. He is a frequent commentator on workforce strategy, employee engagement, and the evolving role of HR leadership in complex organisations including health and community services.

Source: AHRI board page (ahri.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

17. Gil Sewell | Ember Korowai Takitini

Role: Kaihautu Tikanga and Chief People and Culture Officer

Gil Sewell holds the role of Kaihautu Tikanga and Chief People and Culture Officer at Ember Korowai Takitini, New Zealand's largest mental health and addiction service and the only service of its kind founded on the lived experience of tangata whaiora, the people who use mental health services. Approximately 75 to 80 per cent of the Ember workforce has lived experience of mental health challenges, which creates a people and culture function unlike any other in New Zealand healthcare. Gil's dual title reflects the integration of tikanga Maori principles into every aspect of workforce strategy, from recruitment through to leadership development and wellbeing.

Source: Ember Korowai Takitini leadership team page (emberkorowaitakitini.nz).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

18. Shannon Turner | Whakarongorau Aotearoa

Role: People Practice and Service Design Leader

Shannon Turner was recognised at the HRNZ 2026 awards for exceptional contribution to healthcare HR in Aotearoa New Zealand through people practice and service design work at Whakarongorau Aotearoa, New Zealand's national telehealth provider. The HRNZ citation confirmed their work developing kaupapa Maori frameworks within healthcare and service design settings, including the application of culturally aligned workforce approaches to a telehealth organisation that serves a diverse national population. Whakarongorau Aotearoa provides New Zealand's 1737 mental health and addiction helpline and Healthline.

Source: HRNZ 2026 Awards citation (hrnz.org.nz).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

19. Susan McKee | Oral Health Victoria

Role: Chief Executive Officer

Susan McKee is the Chief Executive Officer of Oral Health Victoria, a Victorian public health entity providing public dental services. She has been an active contributor to healthcare workforce leadership discussions in the Victorian public health sector, with her organisation's workforce strategy recognised by the sector for its focus on employee experience, safety culture, and the sustainable development of the dental health workforce in the public sector. Her CEO role encompasses workforce strategy as a core pillar of organisational performance.

Source: Oral Health Victoria leadership and sector publications.

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

20. Patrick Smith | Women's and Children's Health Network SA

Role: Executive Director People and Culture

Patrick Smith is the Executive Director of People and Culture at the Women's and Children's Health Network in South Australia, a statewide network providing health services for children, young people, and women through the Women's and Children's Hospital, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Child and Family Health Service, and a range of specialist programs. As Executive Director, he has responsibility for corporate communications, education and training, human resources, and work health and safety and injury management. His portfolio reflects the full scope of people leadership in a specialist paediatric and women's health environment.

Source: Women's and Children's Health Network 2024-25 Annual Report (wchn.sa.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

21. Jay O'Brien | Women's and Children's Health Network SA

Role: Executive Director Strategy, Governance and Partnerships

Jay O'Brien commenced as Executive Director Strategy, Governance and Partnerships at the Women's and Children's Health Network in October 2025, bringing more than 20 years of international leadership experience across the health, government, and community sectors in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. He has extensive expertise in people and culture, organisational development, and human-centred design, with a strong record of leading cultural transformation and workforce reform across complex health systems. His prior executive roles included Director of People and Culture at NHS Orkney, Chief Experience Officer at Alfred Health in Melbourne, and Executive Director of Human Centred Design at the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health in South Australia.

Source: Women's and Children's Hospital SA executive team page (wch.sa.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

22. Lorelle Coombe | Central West Hospital and Health Service

Role: Executive Director Workforce Services

Lorelle Coombe has served as Executive Director of Workforce Services at Central West Hospital and Health Service in Queensland for over nine years, having begun as Director of People and Culture in 2015. She has spearheaded the development and execution of organisational and human resource strategies within the health service and overseen consumer engagement and non-clinical learning and development initiatives. Her professional journey includes significant contributions to the Queensland Public Service, Central Queensland Institute TAFE, and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines. She holds a Bachelor of Business in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration with a specialisation in human resource management. Lorelle is recognised for her aptitude in innovative thinking and guiding change management in remote Queensland health contexts.

Source: Central West HHS executive team page (centralwest.health.qld.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

23. Kylie Pippos | Darling Downs Health

Role: Executive Director People and Culture

Kylie Pippos was appointed Executive Director People and Culture at Darling Downs Health in 2023, providing strategic oversight of workplace relations, health safety and wellbeing, recruitment and attraction, workforce planning, learning and development, and workforce capability, culture, and engagement. She is a senior human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience across health, aged and community care, finance, and retail. She has held leadership roles in large, complex organisations including five years as General Manager of Business Partnering (People and Culture) with UnitingCare Queensland and senior leadership positions with Mater Group. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Relations and Sociology and is a Certified Professional Member of AHRI, and in 2020 completed a Leadership Excellence Program with McKinsey and Company.

Source: Darling Downs Health executive team page (darlingdowns.health.qld.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

24. Hayley Farry | Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service

Role: Executive Director Workforce

Hayley Farry is the Executive Director Workforce at Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, a rapidly growing Queensland public health service serving the Sunshine Coast region's expanding population. She joined health in 2011 and was appointed Executive Director Workforce in 2018 at Darling Downs Health, overseeing learning and development, culture and engagement, workforce planning, workforce relations, recruitment, and workplace health and safety. During her time at Darling Downs Health, she implemented a partnership with the Cognitive Institute's Speaking Up for Safety and Promoting Professional Accountability programs. In 2021, she moved to the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools as Director of People and Engagement Services before joining Sunshine Coast Health.

Source: Sunshine Coast Health executive team page (sunshinecoast.health.qld.gov.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

25. Silvana Sgro | Monash Health

Role: Chief People and Engagement Officer

Silvana Sgro joined Monash Health in April 2023 as Director of People and Culture Operations and was appointed Chief People and Engagement Officer in January 2025. A strategic thinker and leader with a deep understanding of workforce and industrial frameworks, she has extensive experience in the people and culture and corporate functions of large organisations. She began her career working in industrial relations, then moved to the School of Nursing at the University of Melbourne and the community services sector. She also led corporate service functions in government services, including a period as Director of Industrial Relations at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, and as a Director at Family Safety Victoria, where she led workforce reform projects arising from recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. Monash Health is Victoria's largest public health service.

Source: Monash Health executive team page (monashhealth.org).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

26. Kylie Bishop | Medibank

Role: Group Lead, People Spaces and Sustainability

Kylie Bishop is the Group Lead for People, Spaces and Sustainability at Medibank and has been a member of the executive leadership team since 2013. She is a registered psychologist specialising in organisational psychology and is responsible for leading key people functions including culture, capability, performance, payroll, reward, diversity and inclusion, talent engagement, health, safety and wellbeing, and workplace relations. She also leads the sustainability agenda across the group as well as community and spaces functions. She has extensive experience in cultural change and transformation and began her career in consulting and banking before joining Medibank in 2010. Medibank is one of Australia's largest health insurers with more than 10,000 employees.

Source: Medibank board and management page (medibank.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

27. Cath Lomax | Southern Cross Health Insurance

Role: Chief People and Strategy Officer

Cath Lomax was appointed Chief People and Strategy Officer at Southern Cross Health Insurance in New Zealand in February of the year, in a role announced by the organisation. She brings more than 20 years of experience within the financial services sector, with a varied career including roles at Fisher Funds and Bank of New Zealand. Her appointment to lead people and strategy at New Zealand's largest health insurer, with more than 800,000 members, reflects the sector's recognition of the connection between people strategy and organisational performance in a member-owned health fund context.

Source: Southern Cross Health Insurance LinkedIn announcement (linkedin.com/company/southern-cross-health-insurance).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

28. Katherine MacHutchison | Healthscope

Role: Chief People Officer

Katherine MacHutchison has been the Chief People Officer at Healthscope, Australia's second-largest private hospital operator, since November 2019. She has executive accountability for the human resources, safety, and communications functions and has led large-scale cultural transformation and workforce strategy across Healthscope's national network of private hospitals and medical centres. Prior to joining Healthscope, she was the Executive Director of People and Culture at Eastern Health, one of Melbourne's largest public health services, where her key focus was change leadership, safety, and developing an exceptional employee and leader experience. Before that, she led the Organisational Development function at Epworth Healthcare. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne and postgraduate qualifications in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations from RMIT.

Source: Healthscope executive leadership team page (healthscope.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

29. Mary-Anne Gallagher | Mercy Health Australia

Role: Interim Executive Director People Learning and Culture

Mary-Anne Gallagher is the Interim Executive Director People Learning and Culture at Mercy Health Australia, a Catholic health, aged care, and community services organisation providing care across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. Authenticity and compassion are described as core values for her leadership approach by the organisation. Mercy Health serves thousands of patients, aged care residents, and community clients across its hospitals, residential aged care homes, home care services, and other specialist programs, making her people leadership role central to the mission-driven workforce sustainability of a major not-for-profit health and care organisation.

Source: Mercy Health Australia executive leadership team page (mercyhealth.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

30. Catherine McMahon | Catholic Healthcare

Role: Chief People Officer

Catherine McMahon joined Catholic Healthcare as Chief People Officer in February 2022, bringing more than 25 years of senior human resources leadership experience across multiple sectors including aged care, healthcare, hospitality, technology, and property management, with leadership roles spanning Asia-Pacific as well as Australia. She has a depth of experience in driving cultural change and employee engagement, leveraging technologies to enhance the employee experience, and developing talent strategies. Catholic Healthcare supports more than 11,000 clients across 41 residential aged care homes, 13 retirement living villages, and home and community care services across New South Wales and south-east Queensland, with 5,500 employees and 800 volunteers.

Source: Catholic Healthcare leadership team page (catholichealthcare.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

31. Cath Gillard | Estia Health

Role: Chief People Officer

Cath Gillard joined Estia Health as Chief People Officer in May 2022, bringing a professional career spanning more than 25 years in human resources and employee relations. Prior to joining Estia Health, she was the Executive Director People and Culture at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, a role she held for five years. She has also held senior human resources positions within the General Electric group of companies, Linfox, and the Toll Group. Earlier in her career she practiced as an employment and industrial relations lawyer for over a decade with Minter Ellison and Lander and Rogers. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne and a Masters of Management (Human Resources) from Monash University. Estia Health operates more than 90 residential aged care homes across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

Source: Estia Health executive team page, dedicated bio (estiahealth.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

32. Catherine Buttigieg | Regis Aged Care

Role: Executive General Manager People and Culture

Catherine Buttigieg is the Executive General Manager of People and Culture at Regis Aged Care, one of Australia's largest aged care providers with more than 60 residential care homes across the country. She has reflected publicly on International Women's Day about the trajectory of women in workplace leadership and the ongoing work needed to advance gender equity in aged care and health. Her people and culture mandate at Regis encompasses workforce strategy, recruitment, employee relations, and cultural development across a workforce of more than 10,000 people caring for approximately 9,000 residents in residential, home care, and day therapy settings.

Source: Regis Aged Care newsroom (regis.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

33. Melissa Leahy | Bolton Clarke

Role: Chief People Officer

Melissa Leahy is the Chief People Officer at Bolton Clarke, Australia's largest independent not-for-profit aged care provider, serving more than 130,000 clients across home care, residential aged care, and retirement living. Bolton Clarke was named an Employer of Choice in the Australian Business Awards for three consecutive years including 2025, and Mel Leahy has spoken publicly about what sets their people approach apart in the sector. Her background includes senior roles at Shine Lawyers, Wotif Group, and News Corp Australia. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Psychology Advanced from Monash University.

Source: Inside Ageing Q&A with Bolton Clarke Chief People Officer Mel Leahy (insideageing.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

34. Jo Reed | HammondCare

Role: Chief People Officer

Jo Reed is the Chief People Officer at HammondCare, a not-for-profit Christian health and aged care organisation committed to serving people in need, particularly those living with dementia and complex conditions. She is a seasoned, commercially focused human resource executive leader with international experience and a proven track record in the design and delivery of leading-edge HR strategies and solutions. Her career has spanned a variety of industries, including 15 years in financial services at ANZ and NAB based in Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Before joining HammondCare, she led an HR outsourcing engagement with the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet for Accenture. HammondCare operates hospitals, residential aged care homes, community care services, and research facilities.

Source: HammondCare leadership page (hammond.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

35. Yolande Nealon | Opal HealthCare

Role: General Manager Human Resources

Yolande Nealon is the General Manager Human Resources at Opal HealthCare, one of Australia's largest private residential aged care providers with more than 9,000 team members and more than 60 care communities across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia. She joined Opal HealthCare in 2009 and has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare sector. She and her team are committed to enhancing the lives of every team member through ongoing education and career development, a supportive culture built around shared values, and leadership excellence and capability. Before joining Opal HealthCare, she held several senior roles in diagnostic services including National Human Resources Manager at Symbion Pathology.

Source: Opal HealthCare leadership team bio page (opalhealthcare.com.au).

Connect with Jonno White about HR leadership in healthcare in ANZ: jonno@consultclarity.org

Related Reading

HR leaders in Australia and New Zealand: consultclarity.org/post/thought-leaders-human-resources-australia-new-zealand

People and culture leaders in ANZ: consultclarity.org/post/46-essential-people-and-culture-leaders-in-australia-and-new-zealand-to-follow-on-linkedin

Healthcare workforce culture: consultclarity.org/post/influential-healthcare-ceos-workforce-culture

About Jonno White

Jonno White is the founder of Clarity Group Global and author of Step Up or Step Out (10,000+ copies sold). He works with healthcare organisations, schools, and businesses across Australia and New Zealand as a keynote speaker, executive team facilitator, and leadership coach. He has worked with leaders across the healthcare sector on difficult conversations, team performance, and the kind of workforce culture that makes healthcare organisations genuinely great places to work. To connect: jonno@consultclarity.org

Visit: consultclarity.org