Executive
CEO
Cobus Lotheringen
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Following an extensive career in the private sector in South Africa, Cobus took the opportunity to redirect his career path into healthcare by accepting a position at the Lakes District Health Board in Rotorua, New Zealand in 2004, achieving operating results consistently better than budget for financial years from 2005 to June 2010. Cobus then accepted a role as regional Finance Director at Country Health South Australia Local Health Network where, within the next year he managed a financial turnaround that had been operating at a historic and projected annual negative variance to budget of $19 million to a $1.2million better than budget on a total expenditure budget of $750million.
In 2013 Cobus took on the role of Chief Financial Officer of the South Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHNM), which incorporates three metro hospitals and included responsibility and management of all non-clinical support functions, ensuring that SALHNM operated as the most cost-effective local health network in South Australia, delivering in excess of $60million in improvements over three years.
Cobus started as Chief Financial Officer at Barwon Health in September 2016 and developed a more focused approach to clinical and strategic decision making. He facilitated a capacity planning exercise and right-sized the organisation’s bed and resource requirements with improved governance, directorate performance management, enhanced contract negotiations and management, and improved procurement processes and risk management. These activities assisted in delivering a $3 million surplus result for the 2016/17 financial year, recovering from a reported deficit position of $13m in 2015/16. For the financial year 17/18, Barwon Health delivered a $4 million operating surplus.
Chief Financial Officer
Cobus Lotheringen
Following an extensive career in the private sector in South Africa, Cobus took the opportunity to redirect his career path into healthcare by accepting a position at the Lakes District Health Board in Rotorua, New Zealand in 2004, achieving operating results consistently better than budget for financial years from 2005 to June 2010. Cobus then accepted a role as regional Finance Director at Country Health South Australia Local Health Network where, within the next year he managed a financial turnaround that had been operating at a historic and projected annual negative variance to budget of $19 million to a $1.2million better than budget on a total expenditure budget of $750million.
In 2013 Cobus took on the role of Chief Financial Officer of the South Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHNM), which incorporates three metro hospitals and included responsibility and management of all non-clinical support functions, ensuring that SALHNM operated as the most cost-effective local health network in South Australia, delivering in excess of $60million in improvements over three years.
Cobus started as Chief Financial Officer at Barwon Health in September 2016 and developed a more focused approach to clinical and strategic decision making. He facilitated a capacity planning exercise and right-sized the organisation’s bed and resource requirements with improved governance, directorate performance management, enhanced contract negotiations and management, and improved procurement processes and risk management. These activities assisted in delivering a $3 million surplus result for the 2016/17 financial year, recovering from a reported deficit position of $13m in 2015/16. For the financial year 17/18, Barwon Health delivered a $4 million operating surplus.
Chief Operating Officer
Amanda Cameron
Amanda has held an extensive executive career in health, with a number of senior positions held in the Gippsland region. Amanda previously held the position of Chief Operating Officer / Chief Nurse at Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH) with responsibility for the budgets for medical, acute, sub acute and finance, comprising over $150M of a total budget of $200+M.
Previously Amanda was the Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Clinical Services at LRH, with 289 patient beds across acute, sub acute, ambulatory and mental health. Providing leadership for the nursing services, Amanda’s role also encompassed quality and risk in the health service and leadership to Gippsland BreastScreen and Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Service. Amanda achieved successful organisational wide accreditation for four years under the National Standards and held key accountability for DHHS targets and performance monitoring. Amanda collaborated with Monash University to accommodate the expansion of the clinical school in addition to engaging on research projects with Federation University and Monash University.
Chief Information Officer
A/Prof Sharon Hakkennes
Sharon has over 20 years of experience working in the healthcare industry in clinical, management and project management roles. Sharon was appointed to the role of Chief Information Officer at Barwon Health in February 2016 where she is responsible for the development of organisationally aligned ICT strategies to enable the business to achieve strategic and operational goals and for leading the organisations ICT capability to maximise returns from ICT investments to improve operational effectiveness.
She is passionate about using IT to enable the delivery of efficient and effective best practice healthcare to improve consumer and population health outcomes. Sharon completed a doctorate in 2012 and is currently studying a Masters of Business Administration.
Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director Clinical Services
A/Prof Sean Jespersen
Sean has a specialist registration in psychiatry and medical administration which has supplemented his clinical experience with the completion of his RACMA fellowship at the end of 2016. Sean was previously appointed as the Director of Medical Services at the Hepburn Health Service and was concurrently also a consultant clinical advisor with Mind Australia where he focussed on clinical governance and risk management.
In 2017 Sean undertook a six month period of service with Barwon Health as an Authorised Psychiatrist and the Acting Clinical Director of the Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol service during a challenging period of significant change. Between 2009 and 2017 Sean held the position of Clinical Director of Mental Health, Alcohol and Drugs with Peninsula Health. During his time with Peninsula Health, Sean built a strong service and leadership group that had developed some innovative models of care. Sean undertook a sabbatical which included a secondment to the Department of Health and Human Services Victoria in the Quality and Safety Unit, Health Service Performance and Programs. Here, Sean was involved in projects such as revising policies on credentialing, scope of clinical practice and performance review, and supporting the Department’s rural DMS strategy.
Sean’s earlier career included senior mental health/psychiatry appointments with Eastern Health and Werribee Mercy Mental Health, in addition to academic appointments with the University of Melbourne.
Chief Workforce and Culture
Mr Perry Muncaster
Perry joined Barwon Health in 2001 as Chief Human Resources Officer; from New Zealand Perry was CEO of a regional health service facilitating the change to a district health board.
Perry’s career in the field of Human Resources spans 35 years, including extensive experience in change management associated with the electricity industry reform. In his time at Barwon Health, Perry has had varied responsibilities in addition to the Human Resources role including Safety & Quality, Corporate Hotel and Building Services and Capital Works.
His current responsibilities include Organisational Development, Employee Relations, Occupational Health and Safety, Payroll and Salary Packaging, Food Services and Environmental Services.
Executive Director Strategy, Planning and Performance
Matthew Hercus
Matthew Hercus commenced in the new role of Executive Director, Strategy, Planning and Partnerships at Barwon Health in August 2018. Matthew has undergraduate degree qualifications in Nursing, Psychology, and post graduate awards in Health Science (addition studies and epidemiology) and Public Health (Health Economics).
Prior to joining Barwon Health, Matthew was employed in the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services since 2008, most recently in executive roles in the Rural and Regional Health Branch, and Mental Health Branch, within the Health and Wellbeing Division. Prior to joining the Department, Matthew has been employed in diverse roles in acute and community based health services across Australia, in metropolitan, regional and remote settings.
The Strategy, Planning and Partnerships Directorate includes Aboriginal Health, Volunteer Services, Service Planning, and Regional Programs (including Barwon South West Regional Integrated Cancer Services and Regional Health Partnerships). In addition, is leading Strategic Plan development, and aspects of risk. Matthew is the Barwon Health Executive Sponsor of the Barwon Health LGBTIQ+ Committee.
General Counsel
Bernadine McNamara
As General Counsel, Bernadine McNamara heads up the Legal Services Department at Barwon Health. Bernadine has 30 years’ experience as a legal practitioner and has worked in health and other sectors and in both the public and private sectors.
Prior to joining Barwon Health Bernadine was General Counsel at Austin Health and before that General Counsel at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Previously she worked in various law firms and in-house legal roles. Bernadine has Law and Arts (Psychology) degrees with Honours, a graduate diploma in Labour Relations Law and a master’s degree in Accounting, and is admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Bernadine enjoys the wide range of work at Barwon Health and values efficiency and responsiveness.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 23 January 2019