Chris Blake
Group Chief Executive Officer
Chris brings 30 years of leadership experience to SVHA’s Group CEO position, having guided some of Australia’s largest organisations through periods of major change. Following a consulting career as a Partner at PwC, Chris developed and led one of the country’s largest cultural transformation programs at Australia Post and has also driven transformational change in leadership roles in financial services, including with the NAB and Latitude Financial Services. Chris has a long connection with healthcare. He is a Board Member of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Australian Epilepsy Project (AEP), and was previously Chair of the Brain Research Institute.
David Brajkovic
CEO St Vincent's @ Home
David commenced as CEO St Vincent’s @ Home in March 2022. David is recognised for his strong background in process improvement, project management and leadership in health insurance and healthcare services. David led the establishment and growth of Remedy Healthcare, a national organisation delivering care co-ordination, telehealth, mental health and healthcare in the community at scale. Most recently, prior to joining St Vincent’s Health, David was the CEO of Australian Unity health insurance.
Michelle Fitzgerald
Group Chief Digital Officer
Michelle began with SVHA in early 2022 joining the organisation from the City of Melbourne where she was Chief Digital Officer and General Manager of Customer and Digital. Prior to that, Michelle was a partner of PwC's digital consulting practice, leading teams to deliver across the media and telecommunications, technology, resources, health, and financial sectors. In 2020 Michelle was recognised in the Top 50 Public Sector Women by the Institute of Public Administration Australia for Victoria.
Kaylene Gaffney
Interim Group Chief Financial Officer
Kaylene (FCA, GAICD) has had a career in senior financial roles for over 25 years in the health, retail, aviation, telecommunications and information technology sectors. She has a Business Degree, Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting and a MBA majoring in Internal Business for the Queensland University of Technology.
She has had a variety of Director roles and in 2016 served as Queensland State Chair of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Adj. Professor Pat Garcia
Group General Manager, Public Affairs and General Counsel
Adj Prof Pat Garcia is Group General Manager, Public Affairs and General Counsel at St Vincent’s Health Australia. He is a lawyer, policy expert and political strategist whose previous roles include CEO of Catholic Health Australia, Director of Policy in the Office of the NSW Premier, and Senior Adviser in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Pat sits on the board of Ascham School, CatholicCare Sydney, and the Trustees of Catholic Aged Care Sydney. His previous board roles include the Law Council of Australia, the Law Society of NSW, the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council, SHINE for Kids, and Youth Action.
Pat is an Adjunct Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Notre Dame Australia, a Life Member and past President of Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, as well as a retired Australian Army Legal Corps officer. He has degrees in Law, Finance and Marketing, Public Policy, International Law and Security, as well as postgraduate qualifications in health administration, military law and legal practice.
Lincoln Hopper
CEO St Vincent’s Care Services
Lincoln commenced as CEO of all St Vincent’s Care Services at St Vincent’s Health Australia in 2018. Lincoln’s impressive 28 years in health and community services are well aligned to the objectives of Care Services, coming to St Vincent’s from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Queensland where he served as CEO and Company Secretary for over six years. His diverse experience includes frontline social work, program management, policy and advocacy, fundraising, property development, and leadership. After moving into the community services sector in the 1990’s, Lincoln became a youth worker for Mission Australia in Sydney’s red-light district of Kings Cross. He remained with Mission Australia for 21 years, serving people in need in a variety of roles, but particularly making significant inroads as national community services executive leader. Lincoln’s recent success includes more than doubling the size, turnover and geographical reach of MS Queensland and receipt of the inaugural Westpac Community Leaders Award.
Dr Chris Jacobs-Vandegeer
Group Mission Leader
Chris joined SVHA as Group Mission Leader in early 2023. Chris holds a PhD in theology from the University of St Michael’s College and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from Regis College, Toronto. He spent 15 years as an academic and served as National Head of the School of Theology at Australian Catholic University prior to commencing at SVHA. Chris has extensive experience teaching and publishing in areas of systematic theology, Catholic leadership, and mission-driven health care. He has designed and led formation for Executive Leaders, Board Directors, and Trustees in Catholic health care organisations across Australia, and for several years directed ACU’s Graduate Certificate of Leadership and Catholic Culture.
Dr Robert Marshall
Chief Strategy Officer
Rob joined St Vincent’s Health Australia in 2022 and as Chief Strategy Officer has responsibility for strategy development and delivery across SVHA. A medical doctor, Rob interrupted his training with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians to pursue a Master in Public Administration (Health Policy) at Columbia University, supported by a Fulbright Scholarship. From there, he joined Boston Consulting Group where he led strategy efforts for governments (in Australia and the UK), hospital providers, private health insurers and other large corporates. He has also worked on cost-effectiveness analyses as a Consultant to the World Health Organization and on health system reform as a Policy Advisor to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Rob brings to the role his expertise in strategy, transformation, health system redesign, digital health and value based health care.
Anna McFadgen
Chief Executive Officer, St Vincent's Health Network Sydney and NSW State Lead
Anna joined St Vincent’s in 2018 and has held Executive roles in strategy, planning & business development across both St Vincent’s Public Hospital in Melbourne and more recently at St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney. Prior to joining St Vincent’s Anna held senior clinical operational roles at Austin Health in Victoria. Anna has over 20 years’ experience in the health sector in both strategy and clinical operations and is proud to lead the St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney Team in providing the best patient outcomes and experiences for our community.
Adj. Professor Patricia O'Rourke
CEO St Vincent's Private Hospitals
Patricia O’Rourke is the Chief Executive Officer of St Vincent’s Health Australia Private Hospitals Division. Prior to this she was the CEO of St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. Patricia has more than 20 years’ experience in the healthcare industry, including senior management and executive roles. Patricia currently serves as a Director on the Boards of St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, the Garvan Institute, the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery and holds key advisory committee roles in NSW and Victoria. Patricia is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a graduate of the Harvard leadership program.
Rebecca Roberts
Group Chief People and Culture Officer
Rebecca is a versatile executive with an extensive background in People and Culture and law who has led organisational change to ensure operations are strategic, optimised and service focused. After a career in law both within Australia and internationally, Rebecca joined St Vincent’s as Executive Director Legal and Commercial Services in 2014 at St Vincent’s Public Hospital Melbourne. In 2018, Rebecca was appointed to lead the People and Culture and Corporate Services and 2021, Rebecca took up the same role at St Vincent’s Public Health Network Sydney (SVHNS). Rebecca commenced her role as Chief People & Culture Officer at St Vincent’s in early 2023 where she now proudly leads our 30,000 people who deliver incredible care to those we serve.
Adj. Professor Nicole Tweddle
Chief Executive Officer, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne and VIC State Lead
Nicole joined St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne in April 2021 as Executive Director of Acute Services, before being appointed Chief Executive in August 2022. Prior to this, Nicole was Chief Operating Officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre where she also took up the role of Interim Chief Executive. Nicole has held additional executive positions across Melbourne’s renowned Parkville Precinct, specifically Executive Director Strategy and Development roles at both the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Royal Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Katherine Worsley
Acting Chief Medical Officer and Group General Manager Clinical Governance, St Vincent's Health Australia
Dr Worsley is a medical doctor with 25 years experience overseeing patient centred care in both public, private and not for profit networks, with extensive experience in clinical performance and governance, medical workforce management and engagement, research governance, credentialing and continuous quality improvement.
Through her leadership she has implemented changes that have made a lasting and important impact for patients and their families at local and international levels.
Prior to her appointment as Acting Chief Medical Officer and Group General Manager Clinical Governance at SVHA, Kate was Associate Group Medical Director for St Vincent’s Health Australia, and Medical Director - St Vincent’s Private Hospital Melbourne.
She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Medical Administrators, and also has a Master’s of Business Administration and a Masters of Health Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
She is also Chair of the Committee of Chairs of Victorian Medical Colleges and Chair of the RACMA Victorian Jurisdictional Committee.
